I need some help deciding which processor to pick

[xXFL4WL3Ss]

Hello everyone, I need some help deciding which processor to pick for the HP Envy 14 beats edition that I wanna get, I just need an explination of which processor is better and why:

Here is the laptop

The specs are gonna be: 6gb ram, 1gb ATI video card, 500 gb HD, 1366x768 LED display, and the processor is where I can't decide which one is better?

I know the specs are not the best, but I also wanna get this laptop for the looks, and the Envy line is the best out there for the looks, excluding MacBooks.


Anyways here are my options for the processor:

Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-460M Dual Core Processor (2.53 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.8GHz Included in price

Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-560M Dual Core Processor (2.66 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz +$100.00

Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-580M Dual Core Processor (2.66GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.33GHz +$150.00

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-720QM Quad Core processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz +$200.00

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-740QM Quad Core processor (1.73GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/Turbo Boost up to 2.93 GHz +$300.00

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-840QM Quad Core processor (1.86GHz,8MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.2 GHz +$600.00

The ones with the red font are most likely the ones I'll be picking just for the price, but here comes the question I asked, is the best i5 better than the worst i7? and what is the main diff between a quad core and a dual core?

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[Fumz]

What do you want the machine to do?

 

[mckillwashere]

Will you be doing alot of multi tasking?

 

[linnemeyerhere]

i7 - 740 for +300

 

[xXFL4WL3Ss]

%80 of my computer usage is basicly surfing the web, I don't play games, prolly like 1 game a year, all I do is go on the internet and download things, I also like customizing my pc, like putting themes, changing the icons, that's about it.

 

[mckillwashere]

I would go for the dual core unless you think some time down the line you may need extra horse power

 

[essenbe]

What linnemeyerhere said. -
If you are going to get a new computer don't limit your options. The i5 will do what you say you are doing now. But, what if 6 months from now you decide you want to do some other things - but you cant because your CPU isn't capable. My opinion is to get a computer that will enable you to do anything you might want to do.

EDIT: to answer your question the best i5 won't match the worst i7.

 

[xXFL4WL3Ss]

So the worst i7 is better than the best i5?? How about like going on the internet, which one is going to load the sites faster? and isn't the quad processor better for multitasking only? like that's the only improvment over the dual?

 

[Fumz]

EDIT: to answer your question the best i5 won't match the worst i7.

Come again?

 

[DirtyElf]

if all you do is go on the internet, an i5 which i believe is quad core (unless the M "mobile" processors are different) is MORE than sufficent.. the processor has little to do with how fast a website will load

edit: just read, aparently the i5M is a dual core, still you will be fine... read below

you dont need to splurge for a better processor. even if you decide you want to do more intense things later on with your computer its not like it WONT do it.. just not as fast as possible

some reasons to upgrade a processor would be: video editing, music production, CAD / CAM, heavy heavy multi tasking, photo editing, high def video transcoding

things along those lines.. if you see your self doing that in the future but only sparingly then dont worry about it, your i5 will still do those things, it just may take 5 minutes to render a 3d landscape instead of 25 seconds...

edit 2: if you can afford it then by all means go for the biggest and the best, then you can have that machine forever, but think about what you need and will possibly need for the next 5~10 years when you will be replacing that machine

edit 3: oh, and to answer your question the main difference between a dual core and a quad core is the number of physical cores on the processor. the more cores the more instructions you can ram through the processor at a single time.

 

[xXFL4WL3Ss]

I don't think I can spend more than the ones I have in the red font in my first post, I know the bigger the processor the better, but I think my options right now are either the best i5 or the worst i7, what you guys think?? is the extra $50 gonna make a big difference??

and btw thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it!

 

[brianzion]

Intel® Core™ i5 Processor:ar:
Intel® Core™ i5 Processor - Overview

http://www.google.com/search?client...0&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&pbx=1&fp=5903ae61600c8f1d

this would suit your needs and its at a good price at the moment, or drop down to a Intel® Core™2 Quad Processor they are good and function well and another good priced processor a q8300 is good.:ar:
Intel® Core

http://www.google.com/search?client...UQrQQwAg&biw=1424&bih=697&fp=8ac6b4cea9b27ecb

 

[Fumz]

I don't think I can spend more than the ones I have in the red font in my first post, I know the bigger the processor the better, but I think my options right now are either the best i5 or the worst i7, what you guys think?? is the extra $50 gonna make a big difference??

and btw thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it!

The difference between the i5's and the i7's is hyper-threading. i7's have it, i5's do not; however, in order for that to matter, you've got to use applications that make use of hyper-threading. If you don't, and you don't, then it's paying for something you won't/can't use.

Any i series quad core will be more than sufficient for what you're doing, even if you decide one day to play games. To be sure, for what you want the machine to do, the i5 is overkill... you would not notice the difference between it and an i3.

 

[DirtyElf]

For what you have said you want to do with it, the i5-460M will be sufficient. From there its an upgrade to "future-proof" the machine for later on down the road.

If all you ever intend to do is play iTunes, web surf, and customize your desktop then its not worth spending extra money on the processor. The only reason to spend more money on the processor in that case would be to give yourself the ability to accomplish more processor heavy tasks (listed above) later on down the road if you so choose. Its up to you, if you never intend to do anything but what you have said ever then dont waste your money on a processor that you dont need. Also like I said before, just because you dont have the "best" processor doesnt mean that your machine WONT do those things. It just wont be as fast.

 

[Tews]

I just purchased an i5 640, and It does everything I need it to do.. with 6gb of RAM it flies .... IMO...

​

 

[DirtyElf]

I just purchased an i5 640, and It does everything I need it to do.. with 6gb of RAM it flies .... IMO...

i5-640 or i5-460M? bout of dyslexia?

 

[Tews]

Im sorry its an i5 650...

​

 

[xXFL4WL3Ss]

Thanks for the help guys, but just out of curiosity what kind of processors do you guys have and what you use your computers for? games? internet? photo editing?

 

[DirtyElf]

if you click the lower left corner where it says "My System Specs" you will see my computer

i use it mostly for gaming, CAD/CAM, photo editing, and eventually want to get into 3-D rendering when i find the time

 

[xXFL4WL3Ss]

if you click the lower left corner where it says "My System Specs" you will see my computer

i use it mostly for gaming, CAD/CAM, photo editing, and eventually want to get into 3-D rendering when i find the time

Wow very nice, i7 2.93, 8GB ram etc... your machine must be fast... but doesn't the i7 processor heat up your machine, like in general doesn't the i7 heat up the computer more than an i5?

and btw you're really making me build my own pc lol