Just bought a laptop but am kind of rethinking the specs

[Folio]

Hi GH community. I just placed an order for a Lenovo X1 Carbon faptop with a Dual Core i7 3667U processor. The other option would be an i5 3427U processor. My question is: should I get the i5 because it *might* drain less battery when idle and when put through intensive loads?

I'm mostly gonna be using it for surfing the web and playing the occasional (not too intensive) game. I will also be doing some highly intensive data crunching with VBA in Excel and Access queries. What do you guys think I should do? BTW, both these processors have the same TDP of 17 W.

[meiosis]

alright intensive loads, are we talking about the computer or your bodily needs?

As far as laptops go do medium specs, as high end specs tend to get crushed every 4 months and devalue windows laptops like no tomorrow, not to mention the battery life is horrid.

Make sure the graphics card is good

[tp4tissue]

Fffff No,  you made the right decision..

The intel power gating is Very effective.. It throttles automagically and saves power.

You don't need to think about it...

The only reason to go with i5 is that it may be more responsive in certain apps, but that is NOT in the realm of requirements for an ultraportable.

Congratulation on picking a great puter'

[Folio]

Fffff No,  you made the right decision..

The intel power gating is Very effective.. It throttles automagically and saves power.

You don't need to think about it...

The only reason to go with i5 is that it may be more responsive in certain apps, but that is NOT in the realm of requirements for an ultraportable.

Congratulation on picking a great puter'

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Oh tp. I can always count on you can't I?

[Lawngahnome]

The throttling is just as good between the i5 and i7. It's really just a questions of power/vs price point.

I'm guessing you already have like 8gig of ram and an SSD in that bad boy? Cuz that's the only difference between my personal laptop and work, and my personal machine leaves the work machine in the dust.

[Folio]

The throttling is just as good between the i5 and i7. It's really just a questions of power/vs price point.

I'm guessing you already have like 8gig of ram and an SSD in that bad boy? Cuz that's the only difference between my personal laptop and work, and my personal machine leaves the work machine in the dust.

Yea I got the 8 Gb of RAM and 256 GB SSD with my order. This laptop will definitely dominate my current work laptop (lenovo T61) I mean obviously cuz it's from 2007.

And I don't really care how much more expensive it is for Lenovo to install the i7 over the i5 ($190 more, even though the processor itself is $120 more MSRP). So I'll have that power which I want without breaking the bank (imo) AND I'll have the same battery life as with an i5 is what you're saying?

I've tried finding a definitive answer everywhere on the internet, but it's all very arguable. Some people say the i7 is gonna take more battery cuz it's more powerful and that's understandable, but it will also get the job done faster with that extra energy usage whereas the i5 would take longer in the same situation and would therefore burn about the same amount of battery in that lost time. So it's kind of like paying a higher price for time traveling faster...in a sense. Most people say the difference is negligible like minutes instead of hours. I just wanted to read some GeekHack opinions cuz I love and trust you guys 

[tp4tissue]

The throttling is just as good between the i5 and i7. It's really just a questions of power/vs price point.

I'm guessing you already have like 8gig of ram and an SSD in that bad boy? Cuz that's the only difference between my personal laptop and work, and my personal machine leaves the work machine in the dust.

Yea I got the 8 Gb of RAM and 256 GB SSD with my order. This laptop will definitely dominate my current work laptop (lenovo T61) I mean obviously cuz it's from 2007.

And I don't really care how much more expensive it is for Lenovo to install the i7 over the i5 ($190 more, even though the processor itself is $120 more MSRP). So I'll have that power which I want without breaking the bank (imo) AND I'll have the same battery life as with an i5 is what you're saying?

I've tried finding a definitive answer everywhere on the internet, but it's all very arguable. Some people say the i7 is gonna take more battery cuz it's more powerful and that's understandable, but it will also get the job done faster with that extra energy usage whereas the i5 would take longer in the same situation and would therefore burn about the same amount of battery in that lost time. So it's kind of like paying a higher price for time traveling faster...in a sense. Most people say the difference is negligible like minutes instead of hours. I just wanted to read some GeekHack opinions cuz I love and trust you guys 

You might want to get an intel 6300, and an N66u or the upcoming ac68.. skip the ac66u, it's not beast..

Also for home use, if you care about latency there's the usb to ethernet adapter...


and FYI,  NEVER leave a black laptop in direct sunlight.. the shell will absorb the heat, and warp.. my x220 got ffff

[Leslieann]

Upper and lower TDP on both processors is almost identical, and in reality, as Folio said, the I7 is actually more efficient, getting more done with the same amount of power, therefore it will get done faster and return to idle sooner. Android owners use this trick, and actually have been known to get better battery life by overclocking (however you need to do extra tuning besides just ramping up the clock).

The real question is if you needed the extra power, if you don't you wasted $190. On the other hand, resale value will be higher, and if you do ever need it, you have it. If it was me, I would have gone I7. The 8gigs and SSD are a wise choice as well. Now you just need to put something other than Win8 on it.

[tp4tissue]

Upper and lower TDP on both processors is almost identical, and in reality, as Folio said, the I7 is actually more efficient, getting more done with the same amount of power, therefore it will get done faster and return to idle sooner. Android owners use this trick, and actually have been known to get better battery life by overclocking (however you need to do extra tuning besides just ramping up the clock).

The real question is if you needed the extra power, if you don't you wasted $190. On the other hand, resale value will be higher, and if you do ever need it, you have it. If it was me, I would have gone I7. The 8gigs and SSD are a wise choice as well. Now you just need to put something other than Win8 on it.

Upper and lower TDP on both processors is almost identical, and in reality, as Folio said, the I7 is actually more efficient, getting more done with the same amount of power, therefore it will get done faster and return to idle sooner. Android owners use this trick, and actually have been known to get better battery life by overclocking (however you need to do extra tuning besides just ramping up the clock).

The real question is if you needed the extra power, if you don't you wasted $190. On the other hand, resale value will be higher, and if you do ever need it, you have it. If it was me, I would have gone I7. The 8gigs and SSD are a wise choice as well. Now you just need to put something other than Win8 on it.

I've OCed my older laptops before in every case, it tends to warp the plastic more quickly.

the plastic warping always happens no matter what, but it happens more quickly with Overclocking.

Assuming you're going to be be using it heavily.. if you're only dabbling lightly, overclocking won't change the time before the plastic warps.

[Folio]

Upper and lower TDP on both processors is almost identical, and in reality, as Folio said, the I7 is actually more efficient, getting more done with the same amount of power, therefore it will get done faster and return to idle sooner. Android owners use this trick, and actually have been known to get better battery life by overclocking (however you need to do extra tuning besides just ramping up the clock).

The real question is if you needed the extra power, if you don't you wasted $190. On the other hand, resale value will be higher, and if you do ever need it, you have it. If it was me, I would have gone I7. The 8gigs and SSD are a wise choice as well. Now you just need to put something other than Win8 on it.

Good thing I got it with Win7 

[tp4tissue]

Upper and lower TDP on both processors is almost identical, and in reality, as Folio said, the I7 is actually more efficient, getting more done with the same amount of power, therefore it will get done faster and return to idle sooner. Android owners use this trick, and actually have been known to get better battery life by overclocking (however you need to do extra tuning besides just ramping up the clock).

The real question is if you needed the extra power, if you don't you wasted $190. On the other hand, resale value will be higher, and if you do ever need it, you have it. If it was me, I would have gone I7. The 8gigs and SSD are a wise choice as well. Now you just need to put something other than Win8 on it.

Good thing I got it with Win7 

doesn't matter.

You should reformat as soon as you get it.

OEM installs are bogged down.  at least 10-20% less responsive than a fresh clean install.

[Folio]

doesn't matter.

You should reformat as soon as you get it.

OEM installs are bogged down.  at least 10-20% less responsive than a fresh clean install.

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I hear ya. It really is too bad I can't just tell them not to load my computer up with bloatware.

[Leslieann]

I've OCed my older laptops before in every case, it tends to warp the plastic more quickly.

the plastic warping always happens no matter what, but it happens more quickly with Overclocking.

Laptops aren't usually even designed to run flat out in most cases, just short spikes in heat, so overclocking, especially AMD based models, is just asking for trouble. On the other hand...


Plastic?  )
Not a problem on the last 3 Sony's I have owned. Then again, they were almost entirely magnesium, aluminum and carbon fiber.