2nd Gen or 3rd Gen Laptop

[karthikmlore]

Hello guys.

Hello guys.

I'm planning to purchase a laptop in mid July. I'll be using it for editing photos in photoshop, some video editing (not in a professional level), programming, and some softwares like blender. I won't be gaming much but i do play NFS now and then.

I'm no professional here (I just finished my 12th and i'm going to opt for Computer Science and Engineering this year) and i'm not planning on running Windows on my system. I'll be using Ubuntu and i may run Windows virtually. But i will be using Wine to run Windows compatible softwares in Ubuntu.

My budget is around 35-40k and I don't like Dell systems. I think i'll go for Acer or Toshiba. The config i'm planning to get is:

Core i5, 4GB or 6GB RAM, 1GB dedicated graphics, 500GB HDD and 15inch screen.

Is this config sufficient for my needs..?

The problem is, I don't get this clock speed thing of processors. I mean, should i even bother about the clock speed..? I'm running a 2.7GHz E5400 on my desktop with 2GB DDR2 RAM.. How will a 2.3GHz 2nd Gen Core i5 perform on a laptop with 4GB DDR3 if i compare it with my desktop processor.

And i'm even confused whether to go for 2nd Gen Core i5 or 3rd Gen (Intel will be releasing many 3rd Gen mobile processors in June)...do I really need a dedicated graphics if I go for a 3rd Gen Core i5...? i've heard it has a good graphics processing capability.

I know its pretty early to ask this since i'll be buying it after about 1.5month, but do suggest some laptops.

[dashing.sujay]

Core i5, 4GB or 6GB RAM, 1GB dedicated graphics, 500GB HDD and 15inch screen.

Is this config sufficient for my needs..?

Pretty much.

I mean, should i even bother about the clock speed..? I'm running a 2.7GHz E5400 on my desktop with 2GB DDR2 RAM.. How will a 2.3GHz 2nd Gen Core i5 perform on a laptop with 4GB DDR3 if i compare it with my desktop processor.

Clocks do matter but not always. Also, you MUST NOT compare clocks of two different architecture processors. Leave i5, even an i3 will beat E5400. Reason, totally different architectures.

And i'm even confused whether to go for 2nd Gen Core i5 or 3rd Gen (Intel will be releasing many 3rd Gen mobile processors in June)...do I really need a dedicated graphics if I go for a 3rd Gen Core i5...? i've heard it has a good graphics processing capability.

For the works you gonna do (photo/vid editing), dGPU is a must. HD4000 on 3rd gen are very good, but a 2nd gen + dGPU will beat it easily.

Plus, let the trinity become mainstream, then we can see plethora of options appropriate for you. As for now, just wait and watch Trinity. They should be here in 1 month or so.

[karthikmlore]

And what about the price..? Will a 3rd Gen laptop be in the same price range as the present 2nd Gen laptops..? Coz about a year ago my sister had decided to purchase a 1st gen core i3 with dedicated graphics from dell.. It was priced at 36k, but when contacted, dell said that they don't have it in stock and so she had to settle for 2nd gen i3 with hd3000 graphics which was also priced at 36k..

Will i face the same situation if i can't extend my budget..? Does that mean its better if i buy my laptop now itself..?

And i don't see many amd powered laptops. So will trinity really make a mark in the laptop segment..?

[sam]

And what about the price..? Will a 3rd Gen laptop be in the same price range as the present 2nd Gen laptops..? Coz about a year ago my sister had decided to purchase a 1st gen core i3 with dedicated graphics from dell.. It was priced at 36k, but when contacted, dell said that they don't have it in stock and so she had to settle for 2nd gen i3 with hd3000 graphics which was also priced at 36k..

3rd gen Core processor based laptops will cost more than 2nd gen based laptops but you get better performance and lot better graphics.

Will i face the same situation if i can't extend my budget..? Does that mean its better if i buy my laptop now itself..?

if you buy now you'll get 2nd gen i3 + 520MX or similar config based laptops. if you wait, you'll get 3rd gen i5 without any GPU but this is better deal. HD4000 cleans up 520MX.

And i don't see many amd powered laptops. So will trinity really make a mark in the laptop segment..?

AMD was almost totally absent from mobile space cause of high power consumption + low performing processors. But now the latest processors from AMD i.e. Trinity does perform exceptionally well compared to earlier gen. though don't expect i5 like performance but you'll get i3 level processing power and lot better graphics power. and the best part is these makes up for lost performance by offering excellent battery life. Though 3rd gen i3 & i5 too will offer similar backup.

i'll suggest wait for 3rd gen i5 based laptops to get launched and show up. Don't keep much hope in AMD based laptops. they'll be late to launch here. that way at least you'll get a nice deal.

[karthikmlore]

I just found this on flipkart. It's powered by GT 630M. and 2GB of that for 40k...!

Asus K53SM-SX010D / 2nd Gen Ci5/4 GB/750 GB/2GB graphics DOS: Flipkart.com: Compare, Review Asus Notebook

So how's this graphics card..?

[aroraanant]

It is equivalent to GT520MX, it just the new renamed version of that.

[sam]

nope. GT630 = renamed GT540.

[aroraanant]

nope. GT630 = renamed GT540.

Hmmm....all come in the same league, the difference is negligible.