The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Need cpu advice

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by mdsniper7, Nov 11, 2009.

  1. mdsniper7

    mdsniper7 Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    14
    Messages:
    521
    Likes Received:
    10
    Trophy Points:
    31
    I am getting a laptop under 1100 and I am wondering I do light gaming only rts on computer and I like the i7 but is it worth it and can a gt 230m handle command and conquer games. I hear c2d is really outdated so thats why i was considering i7
     
  2. ZaZ

    ZaZ Super Model Super Moderator

    Reputations:
    4,982
    Messages:
    34,001
    Likes Received:
    1,415
    Trophy Points:
    581
    Outdated? Hardly. If you get a C2D you'll have more left over to spend on the GPU, which is usually the bottleneck when gaming.
     
  3. sean473

    sean473 Notebook Prophet

    Reputations:
    613
    Messages:
    6,705
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Core 2 Duo is old blah blah blah... If you want good gaming with Corei7 for future proofing, get an ASUS G51J.. problem is it comes out to $1499... another cheaper option would be the Toshiba Qosimo which is about $1350 ish... might be cheaper on amazon and online stores.. you might be able to get a laptop with core 2 quad for your budget but it will most probably be an older G51..
     
  4. Serg

    Serg Nowhere - Everywhere

    Reputations:
    1,980
    Messages:
    5,331
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    206
    i7 is overrated.

    NO IT DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR GAMING! :p :p :p :p

    C2D is an overkill for 90% of people. And for gaming is MORE than enough. Games are GPU-bound, the GPU will be the bottleneck, the CPU will only help, but a higher clocked CPU will only add 2FPS, 5 the most. Really unnoticeable when gaming.

    If you are looking for a laptop, I invite you to fill in this http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=29271 FAQ and post in the "What Notebook Should I Buy? Forum"

    And seriously, if inside a budget, the i7 is not worth it. If not in a budget the i7 is not worth it. ONLY if you are doing intense and heavy and CPU-consuming tasks the i7 is worth it, if not, the C2D is more than capable.

    Hope this helps!
     
  5. sgogeta4

    sgogeta4 Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    2,389
    Messages:
    10,552
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    456
    While you're correct that most people don't need an i7, I disagree on your statement above. The 720QM is $364 (from Intel by the 1000s) vs. P9700 ($348) vs. Q9000 ($348). If the prices are similar, why NOT get the 720QM. Sure you might not use the C2D or i7 to the full power but if the budget is the same, then what draw backs are there.
     
  6. Serg

    Serg Nowhere - Everywhere

    Reputations:
    1,980
    Messages:
    5,331
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    206
    Sure, there we agree.
    But considering i7 laptops are more expensive just for carrying the i7 branding, it makes it slightly different.

    For example the Studio 15 can be had for 1K. http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/note...refid=laptop-studio-1555&s=dhs&cs=19&ref=lthp
    While a similarly configured laptop with a normal (non high end like the Q9000 or P9700) will come for more than 100 less. And for the OP needs will cover all of them.