I'm getting a laptop, but can't decide between the P8700 and i7 720M CPU's. Sure the i7 is faster, at least in artificial benchmarks and whatever can actually utilize its 4 cores, but is it at all faster in "normal" use, such as browsing while playing HD media? What about something like Photoshop? Or gaming?
What I want to know is what I'm sacrificing if I get the P8700. Or the i7 720M.
2 or 4 cores for a laptop CPU?
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A dual core is fine for browsing while playing HD media.
games: a Few use 4 cores, most use 2 cores today. Over time, with DX11, more will utilize 4 cores. It used to be true that a fast dual core will best out a slower quad core in most games. The Turbo feature in the i5/i7 series changes that.
Photoshop, etc: Newer versions of Photoshop will make use of 4 cores and will be faster with it.
I think the i7 provides a more flexible solution for the long haul.
games: a Few use 4 cores, most use 2 cores today. Over time, with DX11, more will utilize 4 cores. It used to be true that a fast dual core will best out a slower quad core in most games. The Turbo feature in the i5/i7 series changes that.
Photoshop, etc: Newer versions of Photoshop will make use of 4 cores and will be faster with it.
I think the i7 provides a more flexible solution for the long haul.
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Newer Intel CPUs also have the ability to let Windows7 "park" the cores, essentially turning them off altogether. All the i7 CPUs support this, but I'm not sure if the previous generation mobile C2D chips do.
Ultimately, the i720 will give you better performance overall, and better multitasking capabilities. You'll probably be giving up a bit of battery life though. It's really a question of how much are you going to be sitting plugged in.
Ultimately, the i720 will give you better performance overall, and better multitasking capabilities. You'll probably be giving up a bit of battery life though. It's really a question of how much are you going to be sitting plugged in.