Which One Of These Notebooks Is Most Powerful

[Speedup]

I'm getting a 14" notebook to use on my travels and I think i've narrowed it down to these three below:

Lenovo G460 ----i3 - 330----4 gigs ram

Toshiba L510-----core 2 duo 2.10ghz / 800mhz-----3 gigs ram

Dell 1464---------i3 - 330----2 gigs ram

no graphics cards, but the toshiba has an old telephone modem, which will let me connect anywhere in the country in case of emergency.

Im not too sure just how much faster an i3 processor is going to be than an core 2 duo 2.10ghz.

My old laptop was a core 2 duo 2.00ghz and the pentium 4 i replaced it for was faster.

Oh and does any one know if they actually make a USB telephone modem these days? its important to me, because i can use the internet for free if it is an old school dial up connection, i can't download anything with it, but serves the purpose fine for emails and web surfing.

[Speedup]

almost forgot, how important is the difference between b/g/n wireless?

[Daren]

On paper, the Lenovo is the best due its 4 GB RAM. Both processors - C2D and i3 have 2 cores, but the i3 32nm processor saves considerable amounts of energy over the older 65nm (or 45nm) model. Today, 2 GB of RAM is considered bare minimum if you're running Win 7, and 4 GB is rather average.

Keep in mind though, that these are all some of the lowest specs available for a new computer currently. If you're replacing a Core2Duo, why would you want to buy another one (unless your old computer was stolen, of course)? If you're getting a new machine because you out-grew the last one, you might need to reconsider what you're computing needs are.

When it comes to price vs performance, I always recommend buying in the middle of the market. The base models are far too under-powered for all but the least demanding of users and in the top-end, you'll be paying an extremely high premium for technology that most users won't take full advantage of. This is generally true for everything from Computers to TV's to cameras, or anything other electronic.

PS - Unless you're actually doing a whole lot of networking (or streaming HD video), and you have an "n" router, you'll probably never notice a difference between the wireless standards.

All that said, this info is easily available on the internet. Google, my friend, goolge!

Edited April 19, 2010 by Daren

[dave_boo]

I agree that between those choices I'd go with the Lenovo. Their build quality really is that good and once you've typed on a Thinkpad's keyboard you won't want to go to anything else.

I disagree about the wireless-n being unneeded (is that even a word?). The range and stability of the connection is MUCH improved over even 'G'.

Would like to point out that even though the i-330 is more efficient, look at the battery capacity; with the right battery rating that Core2 can last longer on a charge than the i330.

And yes there are USB 56k modems available, but why wouldn't you just use your cell phone as a quick and dirty connection on the cheap?

[Powerband]

ahh good point about the cell phone almost forgot about that. The dial up number i have access to is the university internet service i had when i was going to school here, it never expired 5 years later.

My old notebook ran hot, had a flimsy keyboard, 1 hour battery life and the dvd player hardly ever worked and was a monstrosity.

So this is why im getting another one. Higher specs i have found are rather useless for me unless im a gamer. To tell you the truth i was perfectly happy with my old pentium 4, but software comes out so quickly its hard to stay compatible.

I read somehwere that these i3 cores are actually less efficient than core 2 duo's....the i3 should be about as fast as a 2.10ghz c2d?

what happened to the speeds though? I recently figured out that my old laptop had a cpu that was 866 mhz(or is that ghz), so this is one reason it wasn't as fast as my old pentium 4?

what about the i3 though? there doesn't seem to be anymore speed ratings, so what speed can they be compared to? 866mhz or 1066 mhz?

[dave111223]

This is a useful link for comparing the processors:

http://cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

[Daren]

You're not making sense. If higher spec's aren't important to you, why do you even care what speed the CPU clock runs at? Just get something that looks good and feels good with a price you can afford. And if you're as undemanding on your PC as you claim, why not go for an ultra-cheap Atom processor? Brand new machines start at $300USD!

Then again, you might want actually evaluate what you're going to be using your computer for. You implied that you're not a gamer, but what do you actually use your computer for? Do you do any photo/video/audio editing? Do you like to watch HD movies? Are you running several programs and browsers at the same time? If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, you will need to think about specs...

I'd love to see the article you read about i3's being less efficient than C2D's, because every professional review states exactly the opposite. For instance: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-...5-661,2516.html

PS - If you think your P4 was faster than your C2D, maybe you don't need a computer at all. An abacus might be a lot faster for what you're using it for.

Edited April 20, 2010 by Daren

[Speedup]

if you carefully piece together my questions, you'll get my point.

[mconstant]

On paper, the Lenovo is the best due its 4 GB RAM. Both processors - C2D and i3 have 2 cores, but the i3 32nm processor saves considerable amounts of energy over the older 65nm (or 45nm) model. Today, 2 GB of RAM is considered bare minimum if you're running Win 7, and 4 GB is rather average.

Keep in mind though, that these are all some of the lowest specs available for a new computer currently. If you're replacing a Core2Duo, why would you want to buy another one (unless your old computer was stolen, of course)? If you're getting a new machine because you out-grew the last one, you might need to reconsider what you're computing needs are.

When it comes to price vs performance, I always recommend buying in the middle of the market. The base models are far too under-powered for all but the least demanding of users and in the top-end, you'll be paying an extremely high premium for technology that most users won't take full advantage of. This is generally true for everything from Computers to TV's to cameras, or anything other electronic.

PS - Unless you're actually doing a whole lot of networking (or streaming HD video), and you have an "n" router, you'll probably never notice a difference between the wireless standards.

All that said, this info is easily available on the internet. Google, my friend, goolge!

Yup. More Gigs of Ram generally makes for a better computer. A fantastic processor with only, say, 1 gigabyte of ram will suck compared to average computer with 4.

[Phil Conners]

I agree with the others. Given the choices and price not an issue I'd take the Lenovo.

[Daren]

Yes, that's exactly what I want to do: carefully analyze the questions of a total newbie who never says 'thank you'. Can I please?

[Speedup]

self confidence problems?

ok so the choice is settled, theres another version of the lenovo g460 that has a 512mb video card, but only comes with 2 gigs of ram. I think i'll get this one and upgrade the ram later on down the road, because unfortunately graphics cards can't be added later. I would have went the route of lenovo earlier, but their laptops are so ugly.

THANK YOU

Edited April 21, 2010 by Speedup

[Daren]

Speedup or PowerBand or whatever your name is today, I'm sorry I wasted any time typing out all the stuff I did, you obviously don't appreciate it or understand it.

I have nothing wrong with my self confidence - my issue is with fools who come to ask basic questions for which the answers are readily available on literally thousands of websites. Then you have the gall to make rude comments and give false gratitude.

Classy guy.

[Speedup]

believe me ive researched alot of stuff on the net regarding these specific models, but for the most part reviews are not available for the models stipulated.

toshiba l510 has just been released, no real reviews except for india, where the same verbage is used on mulitple review sites.

dell 1464 is marketing hype , and the reviews are across the board.

lenovo g460 has no concrete reviews - the majority are product summaries with i5 processors

the thai laptop market is not the same as worldwide markets there are specs here unique only to thailand, so this is why i asked some questions here, in the hopes someone would have had practical experience with any of these models.

and as you had stated yourself, specs look good on paper but this doesn't always equate to real world performance, there's factors to take into considerations such as heat, battery life, customer service,price, wifi protocols...etc...

if i said thank you too late im sorry, but i still had a few questions to ask, so rather than saying thank you everytime someone is kind enough to help out and sounding like a broken record or someone with obssesive compulsive disorder, i usually save thanks for last. - and i truly am thankful for all the good useful answers everyone has taken the time to help reply with.

and i would like to close quoting your following statement:

"An abacus might be a lot faster for what you're using it for.

"Google, my friend, goolge! "

"Yes, that's exactly what I want to do: carefully analyze the questions of a total newbie who never says 'thank you'. Can I please?

and you want me to say thank you for this? yes, you have class...lots of it. - oh and THANKS

[Phil Conners]

How much is that Lenovo g460 that has a 512mb video card ?

[Spinning Dwarf]

Here are some current prices (excluding VAT) from Lenovo Prices

Lenovo G460 ----i3 - 350M (2.26 GHz 3MB L2 cache) 4 gigs ram 320 GB HD NVIDIA GeForce 310M (512MB VRAM) = 22,900 Baht

Lenovo G460 ----i3 - 330M (2.13 GHz/1066MHz) 4 gigs ram 320 GB HD Intel Graphics = 19,900 Baht

I am also considering getting a G460

[hhgz]

"Im not too sure just how much faster an i3 processor is going to be than an core 2 duo 2.10ghz."

Well, it will depend upon the speed of the i3 processor - "i3" describes the architecture of the chip, not the speed. Too, even if the i3 and the core 2 duo are running the same speed, the apparent increase of the i3 processor depends upon the type of work that you are doing.

Apple upgraded some of the MacBook Pro processors from core 2 duo to the "i" series, and has posted several benchmarks comparing the two processors.

This is pretty basic stuff, and I'm not sure why you missed it when you did all of your research.