Help with cpu/gpu comparison needed!

Hi all

Hope someone here in the know will be able to give me some assistance here with regards to choosing a nice setup for a new laptop.

Looking for something to play the latest games on and the usual stuff but im not sure which way to go.

Two configs im looking at involve the following:

i7 720qm / ati 5870 / 4gb ram (1.6 - 2.8 clock)
i5 430m / nvidia gtx260m / 4gb ram (2.26 - 2.5 clock)

Question is which is the better coupling? - does one have drawbacks over the other? - i know they are both good gpu's but will the lower cpu have much of a detriment (if at all) to gaming?

Any input gratefully received.

Steve

 

While both of them are good GPUs the 5870 is by far better than the 260m. The 1st option is better than 2nd.

 

The 1st option is more powerful in both regards to CPU & GPU. The 2nd one is by no means weak, but as stated it's weaker than the first configuration.

The lesser CPU will show a bottleneck on games which are more CPU dependent than GPU dependent. This includes mostly RTS games(before you ask yes SC2 is on that list ) and Flight Simulators.

 

Sorry guys, i got the configs messed up....

They actually are:

i7 720qm with the gtx260m
i5 430m with the 5870

Hence my confusion as to which one would be better - oviously cpu is stronger in the first (Asus g51j-3d)
Second one has stronger gpu but much weaker cpu (Asus g73jh-ty063v - not the big monster version!)

So, sorry for the wrong info - revised input appreciated!

 

I would still get the one with the 5870.

 

I'd also go with the 5870.

 

Thirded. In almost all games, the GPU is much more important than the CPU, especially when you're considering a CPU that's already as capable as the 430M.

 

Thanks for the feedback firstly!

Ok, so the gpu is most important for gaming - is the i5 430m a sufficient enough cpu to deal with most tasks?

As you can tell, im not exactly bill gates here, I want the laptop for general home use (internet etc and word processing) nothing heavy like CAD or whatever.....

Ive been told by asus that i can at a later date, upgrade the cpu/bios to a better chip if needed. Dont know how easy/expensive this is but not something id do!

Also been told that i wont be able to update the gpu? - dont know if thats true.

Will the i5 430m be sufficient enough for todays latest games (and obviously crysis as a benchmark) coupled with the ati 5870? - have to ask as i dont really know!

Will the i5 be ok for everyday stuff?

Help guys, please lol:laugh:

 

Yes, the CPU will be more than adequate for your needs. You should be able to play Crysis on high with everything max and still average 30 + FPS. As far as upgrading, I am not sure about the i-series.

 

Excellent news!

And even better, its gonna be £370 cheaper than the alternative.....

Full 1080p and blu ray too....17.3"

Sounds like what i need for a multimedia DTR laptop huh?

 

And the i5 430m wouldnt bottleneck in gaming? (not that i know what that is lol)

Just wanna be sure that the lower of the two cpu's is gonna be sufficient for eveything else apart from gaming.....

Yeah , i want a good gaming experience but its not the be all and end all, I want the laptop to perform well in the other things too (cant say i will be taxing it alot with heavy multi tasking or suchlike)

So, in summation, i wont suffer with the 430m just for the sake of the ati 5870 will i?

 

In addition,

Does anyone have any experience on how the i5 430m performs with the ati 5870? - would be interesting to hear.

I am kind of swaying towards the one with the 5870 as i have been told by asus that i can update the cpu later as its on its own socket.

Thoughts anyone?

 

Unless the game itself is CPU limited (can be by certain settings or specific games like GTA IV), the i5-430M will be sufficient and not bottleneck the HD 5870.

 

Bottleneck means that one part will start bringing down the performance of another due to being the limiting factor.

Here's the analogy I use:

I want to make a cake. This cake requires 100mL of milk for a 4 person cake. Now if I want to make a cake but only have 50mL of milk, it won't matter how much of the other ingredients I have, I won't be able to achieve my goal of making a cake.

In the same reasoning, if I lack the proper power of one part, no matter how strong the other parts are, you won't be able to achieve the given goal(i.e. playing a game) due to the limiting factor's power.

In the case of gaming, the CPU is quite rarely the bottleneck except for the few CPU intensive games(as I stated before, RTS and Flight Simulators are the main ones with exceptions like GTA4)

The i5-430M is more than enough for just about every game. With hyperthreading, it can achieve up to 4 threads, becoming a pseudo-quad-core.

 

Thanks for the info Melody

I guess that kind of settle it for me really.

I think i should go for the Asus G73jh - 15 430m - 4gb ddr3 1066 - blu ray - 1080p - 640gb HDD - ati 5870 1gb gddr5.

Can always update the cpu later if i need to but doubt i will as im not into heavy CAD/photshop work etc - its gonna be a multimedia DTR afterall for the family.

Cant thank you all enough for you impartial and helpful advice.

Any further points i should consider ?

 

i would go for the Asus G73 but with i7 quad.. duals are becomming old now...anyways , where are u getting this from? I'm from UK too and considering to get this but can't find it cheap anywhere!

 

Hi sean

Thanks for the info.

Ive just had mine delivered from currys online today.

Amazed at how quick it was....and the good thing is that it only cost £989!

Also i got (wasnt expecting) a free black backpack with republic of gamers on it, a wired ROG laser mouse (very nice too) and get this.....a pair of ROG quality gaming headphones thrown in too!

All comes with 2 yr Asus warranty - the machine is awesomely beautiful (havent turned it on yet)

Currys also dont tell you much about the HDD - its actually two 320gb HDD's at 7200rpm each!

On their site, its £1099 but i used a code before checkout (may still be useable) so if you want one, just enter "10may" in the code box and bingo....you get the lot for £989!

Hope this helps - im sure as heck chuffed to little mint balls!

Oh, and its not a dual , its i5 meaning 2 real cores but 4 hyperthreading cores. beats the old dual cores hands down anyday!

 

for gaming, definitely, the 5870 with the i5 is overkill.

i7 wont see its power being utilised fully for quite some time.

 

What? - the I5 is overkill? - i thought the I7 was, after all, i do want a good cpu and i thought I5 wqas mid range and certainly not overkill?

What dya reckon?

 

Well what he means is that only a handful of games will ever really utilizes that much CPU power in the first place so a strong CPU is already kind of overkill.

 

Ahhhh i see - well from that point of view i suppose it is overkill for gaming if games are not going to benefit from it.

And to think, i was looking at an I7 720qm!

Anyway, I suppose with laptops (as they arent easily, if at all, upgradeable in these areas) im better to go for overkill rather than underkill huh?

 

Well things like CPU swapping isnt usually a big deal.

 

think i will stick with the combo ive got which is the i5 430m & ati 5870 - obviously a high end gpu like that should be at the forefront for the next 2 years i would imagine.

The cpu can be quite easily upgraded (from what ive heard!) but the gpu cannot due to heatsinks etc.

By the time the gpu is superceeded well and truly by something else, i will probably be looking to change anyhow!

The i5 will suit me - maybe someone could confirm the switchable graphics ive heard of - i know the i7 doesnt support it but ive heard that the 430m and hm55 do.

If this is true, then this partnership will save my battery life when i dont have to rely on the 5870 wont it?