Which CPU? How much RAM?

I am currently in the progress of purchasing a new laptop, however i don't have any idea what type of cpu and how much ram i will need.

Once i have purchased a laptop i will be running either ububntu or Win 7 as its OS
I will be using this laptop for:
-an extreme amount of internet downloading (via wifi)
-watching (tv tuner) and storing movies and tv shows (this however will be from a 2tb external hard drive)
-basic business (word processing + spreadsheets)
-advanced PC programming

i would like to have a 500gb hard drive for this laptop (if that helps)
so i am just wondering whats best for this type of laptop (ram + cpu)

 

i7-740QM + 4GB RAM is the modern standard.

 

Alright than, i will refine my searches to i7 and 4g RAM.

Thanx

 

What is your budget?

Just about any modern dual-core CPU will be fine for those tasks. A Core i5 is a good choice. If battery life is important you will be a lot better off with the i5.

 

If battery power will be increased with the i5 i'm more willing to by a laptop with it, i think i'll keep that in mind

 

Yea, I don't think he needs an i7 at all. i7 helps a lot for video editing but if you're just downloading and watching then any i5 will work just fine for you. You probably only need 4GB of RAM with it.

If you're doing a lot of downloading, you'll want to get either a Intel Advanced 6200-N or Intel Ultimate 6300-N wifi card.

 

Dual core CPUs have the option of switchable graphics, while the quad-core does not (i5 is dual, most i7 is quad). Switchable graphics (if you are unaware) means it can switch from a dedicated video card to on-board video.

On board video processing traditionally uses less battery life, but at the cost of performance. So the advantage of switchable graphics is you can get the video performance you want, when you need it, and switch to lower capabilities to conserve battery life.

For this reason you can sometimes assume i5 gets superior battery life, but that is not necessarily always true (if the laptop has switchable graphics, it will have better battery life than an identical laptop with quad-core and thus no switchable graphics).

I would look at i5, or even i3, with at least 4gb of ram (which should be plenty, but I would not do less). I do not know what your programming uses will be though, let alone the power demands. You should be find with integrated graphics though if you are not doing any gaming.