Processors and graphics cards...overwhelmed and need help please!

I'm looking to upgrade to an HP Dv6-7000 series laptop. There are two I'm looking at on HP's site, both are customizable. I know next to nothing about the internal parts. And so choosing a process and graphics card is challenging. There are many options and I don't which is best for my needs. I don't play any games, just browse the internet, edit photos for personal use, and watch videos from time to time.

One of the laptops has Intell processors to choose from. Second and third generations and a couple different options of each. It also has Intel HD Graphics card or a couple of NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards to choose from?

The other laptop has AMD processors, dual core or quad core. And either Radeon HD 7600 discrete class graphics or a couple of AMD Radeon HD graphics cards. I think one is 1Gb and the other is 2 Gb.

Can someone please guide me in the right direction and help me choose a processor and graphics card that is right for me?

 

What's your budget?

 

Under $1,000.

 

GT650M (GDDR5 version regardless of memory amounts is preferred) or HD7850M GDDR5 are your minimum targets.

Consider these your benchmark:

Power notebooks


FORCE 1756-002 / MSI 1756 - XOTIC PC - 17.3" Custom Gaming Notebook

(roughly $1000 when you add the OS and a quad core 3610qm)

With power notebooks, if you don't like overclocking, keeping the dual core i5 and going for the GTX660M upgrade instead will give you higher frame rates.

1080p 15.6" display
3210M dual core CPU (This can be upgraded later with a bit of effort)
4GB of ram (Note you can upgrade this easily yourself)
GTX660M 2GB GDDR5 (Once chosen this is permanently fixed)
750GB 7200RPM
Windows 7 home premium

Is a very decent machine for about $1000 delivered.

 

Higher frame rates in what?

OP said they don't play games. This is a pretty fancy config for someone who simply wants to browse the net and edit some pictures and watch a couple of movies. The HD4000 will do for that.

 

Photo Editing with an *

Basic P&S Photo Editing with Windows-related media is fine with the HD 4000. Not fine when you are using high-resolution RAW files via Lightroom. You still need a dedicated card of some sort that is better than the HD 4000 for THAT kind of photo editing.

 

Here are my processor options for the laptop with AMD (base price is $499):
AMD Dual-Core A6-4400M (3.0GHz/2.6GHz, 1MB L2 Cache)
AMD Quad-Core A8-4500M (3.0GHz/2.1GHz, 4MB L2 Cache) +$50 to price
AMD Quad-Core A10-4600M Accelerated Processor (3.2GHz/2.3GHz, 4MB L2 Cache) +$100 to price

Graphics card options for this model:
AMD Radeon(TM) HD 7600 Series Discrete-Class Graphics
AMD Radeon(TM) HD 7670M Graphics +$50 to price
AMD Radeon(TM) HD 7730M Graphics +$75 to price

And the processor options for the laptop with Intel (base price is $579):
2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2350M Processor (2.3 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)
3rd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-3110M (2.4 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) +$30 to price
2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2450M Processor (2.5 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz) +$75 to price
3rd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3210M Processor (2.5 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz) +$95 to price
3rd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3320M (2.4 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) +$195 to price
3rd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3612QM (2.1 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) +$225 to price

And graphics card options:
Intel(R) HD Graphics Included in priceId
NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GT 630M Graphics with 1GB of dedicated video memory +$50 to price
NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GT 650M Graphics with 2GB GDDR 5 video memory +$175 to price

I'm upgrading to the HD anti-glare monitor and the backlit keyboard. That will add $175 to my base price as well.

 

Literally any of those CPU/GPU combinations would serve you well, hardware-wise. Just get whatever is the base system for either AMD or Intel (so, A6 or i3), and base GPU and you'll be fine.

However, the one hardware upgrade you should look at is to upgrade the display from terribly low-end 1366 * 768 to much, much better 1920 * 1080 resolution. The screen is the part of the laptop you'll use the most, and this is where I'd spend my money to achieve higher quality in a laptop.

 

Yes, I agree. That's the main reason I'm looking at these two computers. I will be upgrading the monitor for sure! Thank you!

 

Missed the no games part, you are probably best getting something like an ultrabook then.

ANY money you spend towards a dedicated graphics chip is a waste, the intel HD4000 built into the latest CPUs will be fine.

Also a dedicated graphics chip is going to make your system heavier.

 

I've thought about getting an ultrabook, but I'd like to have an optical drive.
And what does "dedicated" mean in these terms?

 

Intel's GPUs (HD 3000, HD 4000) and AMD's Ax-xxxx series have integrated GPUs.

Anything else (GeForce 630M, Radeon HD 7670M, etc) are dedicated because they are separate from the CPU die.

 

Yeah a dedicated chip is separate (Adds cost) chip that needs its own cooling (Weight) and uses more power (Battery life).

It is only required for gaming really.

 

I see. So what you are saying is the option that is standard is not dedicated? The upgrade options, however, are? Do I have that right?

 

The models you are looking at all have dedicated graphics, since you don't need them it could mean a better value and a higher quality machine could be found in another model.

 

I have been looking at machines for weeks now. I can't find a good res display on anything else without it costing over my budget or being big and bulky. That's the main reason for the two I'm considering. Do you have any suggestions for another machine??

 

Should be able to get a Lenovo Thinkpad T530 w/1080p or Dell Latitude E6530 w/1080p for around your $1000 budget, not including any discounts going on now. T530 w/900p is a cheap upgrade option (+$50 for the extra pixels).

 

Hopefully we have at least you helped correct your questions.

There are certainly fewer models with high res displays (samsung 9 series also comes to mind if you can get a good deal on one) but they exist.

Now you need to focus on what size of machine, battery life and any other features you require.

Take those to the "what notebook should I buy" section and you should be pointed in the right direction.

 

Yes, you've helped me quite a bit with my questions. Thank you so much!
So is the Intel(R) HD Graphics graphics card integrated, not dedicated? In the description it says nothing about dedicated...

 

Yes the intel graphics is a integrated graphics processor (IGP). Located on the CPU die itself on these recent 2nd and 3rd gen, i7/i5 cpus.

 

They're on all the 2nd and 3rd gen Intel Core CPUs, actually. For example, while the i3 through i7 Sandy Bridge had the HD 3000, the Pentiums (and Celerons, iirc) had the HD 2000 or 1000.

 

Thank you all so much! You've been very helpful and very kind! I greatly appreciate your help

 

interesting, the lower market cpus never get talked about that much so i totally forgot them. But nice to know its mandatory nowadays for all the cpus to feature a IGP.