Laptop CPU choise.. opinions needed.

It would seem I am going to invest in a new laptop. I don't worry about specs for the most part, but I have not been keeping up with the mobile processors for quite some time.

My criteria here is simple, which processor (intel or amd) is doing what in regards to power vs. battery life. All things being equal, as in the same battery and hardware, which cpu is going to give the most run time for browsing/common work/movies? Assume the hardware is something like:

14/15" display
integrated vga at least plays dvd but realize gaming not going to happen
300+ gb hdd (typical sata II)
2+gb ram
assortment of parts likely to exist (webcam, wireless nic etc etc)

Now the question comes down to, if there is power stepping/throttling, which cpu have you used which provides a very long run time (4+ hrs hopefully) but still provides power at this run time rate to play a movie or browse or run typical program like excel or visual studio? What have you found to be factors that affect the run time at all, ie xp vs. vista/7.

Bottom line, I don't care if it plays movies for 4 hours, but one movie might be nice. I am interested in the correct mobile cpu that gives the most life for browsing/working.

Thanks for any advice.

Sul.

 

Intel offers more power and battery life than AMD. See this article by AnandTech:

http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3617&p=1

Any modern processor will handle DVD playback with or without a graphics card at all. If you want to enable hardware accelration, you have to purchase a program that does that.

The whole AnandTech article is located below. Very interesting article. Many manufactures don't want reviewers to compare identical systems, with the only difference being the processor (AMD or Intel) ...

http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3618

 

Thanks. Will check it out.

Sul.

 

That is a good example article, but with so many different Intel/Amd cpu types, I am left wondering still where a good resource or user comments on which cpu version has what effect.

Reviews that I dug up so far just list mobile, however there seems to be 3 versions of of mobile core 2's for example, but I have not found a good 'user findings' type resource, only thoeretical white papers and advertisement claims.

Sul.

 

I wanted to suggest the 5810t, however the mediocre reviews compelled me not to.

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-T...dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16834115570

 

Based of those machines reviews, they are using a Core 2 solo, which I have not looked up yet but assume it is single core, and many state the battery life if truly 6+ hours, with these processors:

1.4ghz SU3500 Core 2 Solo
Intel Pentium SU2700(1.3GHz)

Has anyone any knowledge of revisions of intels mobile cpu's that can shed some light on which ones exactly I would be looking for? Intel.com is a mangled mess of advertisements which it seems only espouses how great thier stuff is but no real world idea of just what can be expected. Or so it seems at the first dozen glances

Thanks for those links.

Sul.

 

Either one delievers good battery life and sufficent power. I personally do not have any experience though. What I do is buy it, test it out for 30 days, and return if necessary.

 

Yes, looking for specs. On which mobile processors features in relation to speed/battery life and specifically how a specific type ie. Core2 Solo, has now multiple revisions, and how each revision has effected speed/battery life.

The page linked at intel shows models, but I have not found a side by side amongst models/revisions yet that is not just advertisement.

Maybe to clear it up a little bit, I have bought 2 laptops in the past. One of them I was unaware that a mobile cpu would have such drastic differences in battery life from a so-called desktop replacement (guess which one I bought lol .. duh). The other I bought a cheap AMD mobile chip which sported 2hour life, and was inexpensive. This time around, I know Intel has the better product in many respects, but there are many more to choose from, many models and now revisions of each model. Trying to inform myself to make a smart purchase is however somewhat disappointing as I cannot find a composite resource other than manufacturer advertisements.

Maybe that explains in better?

Thanks.

Sul.

 

Hi Sul,
Check the following pages for comparing intel mobile processors:
Intel® Core™2 Duo Mobile Processor Family
Intel® Core™2 Solo Processor Family
Those that use less watts are the ones to look for maximising battery life.

I would also recommend to take a look at Acer's timeline series.
At the moment are the only laptops that implement Intel's Laminar Wall Jet Technology and their base remain cool even after hours of operating (makes it comfortable to have them on your laps).

Panagiotis

 

I have this one:

It's fairly good on power, i could yank the cable and see how long before it dies with regular browsing. But it's not real scientific, screen brightness, graphics card, fans and a whole swag of other stuff all contribute to battery life.

 

True, but that would be a real world example would it not? Which is what I am trying to find rather than some advertisements based on absolute minimum power settings, along with which cpu/revision is achieving what so I can buy accordingly.

Sul.