Which i5 processor is ideal?

First and foremost, this is a computer for college, as I am heading off in the fall.

I was initially going to get a Macbook Pro, but after learning about the power I can pack into this machine for relatively the same (maybe even cheaper) price, I changed my mind to the Envy 14.

I was going to get the i7 but after reading about the lower battery life, is it better for me to get the i5? And if so, which one? There are three to choose from: 370M, 450M, 520M. I would like to pack as much power and still have adequate battery life for a college student.

All help is appreciated! Thanks.

EDIT: Also, should I get the i5-450M with Radiance or the i5-520M without Radiance. Have to choose one.

 

the 370 would probably be fine, but get the radiance display for sure. too bad it is temporarily not an option anymore. do not order the envy 14 without the radiance display, you will be missing out on a lot

 

Get an i5 unless you're using serious productivity apps (not games). Also remember that an i7 has no integrated graphics, so your battery life will suck.

520m has negligible performance increases over a 450m. So minor it's worthless and pointless to get. I got a 450m and saved myself the cash, and I play games and use apps like handbrake which really stress your CPU.

And the Radiance is AWESOME.

 

what is the point in getting the i5 450m if you said the 520m has negligible performance increase. the only difference between the 450m and 370m is that the 450m has turbo boost which is like .2GHz...so basically pointless. might as well save money and get the 370m

 

But a 300-series processor is such a low number lol.

Seriously though, I'm not sure why I chose a 450m over a 370. I didn't even really consider it, if I recall.

 

If I get the 370 I can probably add all 8 gb of ram...what do you guys suggest?

450 or 370 with 8 gb ram

 

8gb of ram is probably overkill unless you are doing rediculous things with your laptop like video encoding while playing multiple games at the same time. I'd say get 6Gb at the max and allocate more money to other components (SSD's Rule if you can afford them).

 

i3-370m is fixed 2.4GHz, no Turbo Boost, GPU max frequency 667MHz
i5-450m is 2.4GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.66GHz, GPU max frequency 766MHz
i5-520m is 2.4GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.66GHz for dual core (3 or 4 threads) and 2.93GHz for single core (1 or 2 threads) with enhanced support for VT-d, AES, and ITE, GPU Max frequency 766MHz

Compare here: Compare Intel® Products,

Decide for yourself.

 

450m is the best value, from what I've heard.

 

8GB RAM is overkill IMHO unless you run a lot of virtual machines or are a serious photoshop editor. 4GB is more than sufficient, 6GB if you just want to feel important.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think:
i3-370m is 2.4GHz
This is no turbo boost
i5-450m is 2.4GHz, 2.66GHz dual core/single core boost
This is 2/2 bin turbo
i5-520m is 2.4GHz, 2.66GHz dual core boost, 2.93GHz single core boost
This is 2/4 bin turbo

Meaning that the i5-450m has the same max dual core speed as the i5-520m. The i5-520m only has a slight boost in single core apps. The i5-520m has new AES instructions (faster unzipping?) and hardware virtualization (this is NOT needed to run a virtual machine, this is something else that will not effect most users).

The i5-520m upgrade costs $100 more than the i5-450m with only a 2 bin single core boost.
The i5-450m costs just $50 more than the 370m and offers a 2 bin dual core AND single core boost (as well as improved integrated graphics for what it's worth).

In terms of performance/$, the i5-450m is a better upgrade then the i5-520m unless you really need the single core performance, or the new AES instructions and hardware virtualization (if you're not sure you need it, you probably don't). The i3-370m is a good option as well if 266MHz and a slight graphics improvement is not worth $50 to you.

 

Yes, good point, dual core with three or four threads, Turbo Boost is the same 2.66GHz between i5-450m and i5-520m. Single core with one or two threads, 520m is 2.93GHz, but still only 2.66GHz for the 450m. Just updated my previous post, thanks.

I guess for me, most games 2009 and earlier are single or double thread optimized, meaning I'd get a slight benefit from the faster clock speed. I also do run virtual machines, but not sure if I'd take advantage of the VT-d tech anyhow.

 

Don't get either until they start offering the Radiance Display.. when/if. Anyone figure out what the deal with that is? Is it just sold-out, or was there an issue that led to a discontinuation?

 

An HP rep actually commented here (jason.o):

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-envy-hdx/509589-radiance-display-no-longer-option-envy.html

They are trying to correct the situation.

 

You're both wrong. The I5-520M has significant advantages in most business applications over the I5-450M which has a significant thermal advantage over the I3. They are all discussed somewhere in these threads but good luck finding them. Anyway, on the Acer site, we have found that the I3 has a max temp of 90C, not 105C like the I5's and it also has an IGPU thermal bridge max temp of 85C. The I5 is far superior to the I3 and, for certain applications, the 520M is much better than the 450M. That does not even take into account amplification of those differences if you can use SetFSB to OC.

Bronsky

 

I called and they said it's out of stock and they have no idea when it will come back. I need it by the time college starts so I'm hoping to god it doesn't take very long.

 

I don't know about that. Intel's site shows rPGA is 90C but BGA is 105C like the i5's. But do we know if it is a BGA (ball grid) or PGA (Pin Grid)? CPU-Z and Speccy call it an 1156 LGA which isn't true.

There really isn't much difference. True, overclocking may be better on the i5's but not necessarily much better. Either way I don't think we'll have much luck with overclocking because chances are it would require a pin mod, and who is willing to do that?

They're probably off the same wafer anyways.

 

The Arrandales in the Envy are mounted in a PGA988 socket, not a BGA mount. You can confirm it with the manual. http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02280351.pdf In fact, the only Arrandales CPU's I know of mounted in BGA fashion are the CULV "UM" designated Arrandales. I believe that are soldered directly due to weight and size concerns.

The temperature limitation is not theory, it has been observed and confirmed on the 4820TG's. Under significant pressure, the I3 CPU throttles. The I3 is severly limited by its temp. Most comparisons of the I3 and I5 CPU's have completely ignored this fact and have focused solely on comparable CPU speeds. That kind of comparison is a bit overly simplistic.

Bronsky

 

Also, per Intel's site, the i5s have Smart Cache, whereas the i3 doesn't.

At least that's what the comparison link on page 1 of this thread shows.

 

All i3/i5/i7's have Smart Cache. It's really just L2 cache with some zimzamzoom marketing thrown in to make it sound impressive.