Processors, Processors.?

Question

Hello Friendly knowledgeable ones,
I am out to find a new laptop. I have limited funds to purchase this laptop, so, like most, I'm always out to save some money. I've spent some time searching about computers and finally understand what everything means, I think. This is what I've got,
1. RAM: It's good to have one or two GB of RAM to access memory with speed, but RAM can always be increased with cheap upgrades.
2. Hard Drive: It's good to have a large hard drive to store memory. For me, I don't need a whole lot. I don't play video games, and I don't download movies. I think 60/80 GB. And they can be increased right? (am I on the right track...?)

But the third spec, Processors, baffles me. I now know that the Intel Core 2 Duo is the best, because it uses the two processors to work harmoniously (???), but is it necessary for me? I'll only be using this computer for essays and the internet and youtube, do I really need a Core 2 duo? What about the dual? or pentium? or even the Centrino?

Answer 1

1. One Gb is fine for XP and 2Gb for Vista.
2. 60 or 80Gb is fine for your needs. You can increase storage space with an external drive.
3. Even a Core Solo or a Celeron M would suit your needs. Power users that run multi-threaded applications or multi-tasks heavily would need the dual cores.

Answer 2

You are correct on RAM. This is where things are stored while the computer is working on them. So, running programs take up more RAM. While 2 GB is optimal (and relatively cheap these days), you do not need so much unless you intend to run many programs at once. So if you wish you might be able to save money by only buying 1 GB, though 2 GB will definitely be useful. This can usually be upgraded later, but the number of slots is usually limited to 2 and both will be used. So you will have to throw out your old 1 GB and buy 2 GB all over again. If you ever think you will want 2 GB, I suggest you just get it now.

The hard drive is where you will save your documents, movies, music, and other stuff you want to keep. An 80 GB hard drive can store millions of documents (really, more than you'll ever be able to make) or perhaps ten thousand songs or so. They can usually be replaced later or you can plug up a second drive to the outside of the computer as well.

The processor is the center of the computer and does all the well...computing. You could think of it as a brain, though it's not really like that. A faster one means you wait less time for things to get done, but these days they run so fast that you're usually waiting for something else in the computer to catch up, not the processor! Do not worry about the speed too much - almost any processer will be MORE than fast enough for what you want to do. Dual core means there are essentially two smaller chips in the processor and they do work together to some degree (though you won't ever get twice the speed that way). The processor can sometimes be replaced, but it's rare and can be difficult - I would not try it with out some experience working with computers.

Yes, the Core 2 Duo processors are very fast, and use very little power. This is important in a laptop and makes a big difference in how long your battery will last. For that reason alone I would suggest them. I would not recommend the Pentium processors, as they are an older design and wasteful of power. Centrino is just a marketing name - a "Centrino" laptop is just one with an Intel processor (Intel makes both the Core 2 Duo processor and the Pentium processors), an Intel wireless card, and an Intel chipset.

Do not worry too much about Centrino, the wireless card or the chipset. Almost every laptop has wireless. Every laptop has a chipset, but it's not terribly important to people buying a laptop. In fact, don't be too worried about what's in your laptop. Just about any laptop you buy will be plenty fast enough to do everything you want to do.

Answer 3

you are on the right track. I recommend go ahead with the 120G drive since it is becoming the standard in todays units. The new Centrinos are dual core as well and use less power than others. The AMD M is also a mobile type built for laptops. Hate to say it but Intel has passed AMD in some of the designs of cache which is used for numeric processing. The Circuit City Black Friday doorbuster Compaq for $299 will meet your needs and the Best Buy Sony for $399 doorbuster will surpass what you stated. You will have to be one of the first 10 or 12 in the door to the computer department to get one at that price as quantity is very limited.

Answer 4

1. yes 2. yes 3. Today's CPUs are so fast, it really doesn't matter, performance wise, based on your needs.

TIP: AMD based computers are often cheaper than Intel based PCs and offer comparable performance, again, based on your needs. If you were into Gaming, Intel would be slightly better.

Answer 5

Cheapen out the mobo get a sabertooth 990fx GEN3 edition. And get a fx6100(use some more money but worth it).lower ram to 8gb,and lower the gpu.