Laptop CPUs- Component Guide

From single core Pentiums to high-end Core 2 quad-core processors, here’s what you need to know about CPUs.

The central processor unit, or CPU, is the brain of your notebook. It’s the component that executes the complex calculations that allow you to launch a Web browser, play songs in iTunes, and run your operating system. Processors come in three varieties: single-core, dual-core, and quad-core. Here are the things you need to consider when evaluating a notebook’s CPU.



Clockspeed

All CPUs are assigned a clock speed in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz), but the latter is far more common in modern computers. Generally, the faster the clock speed, the better performance you’ll see.

Number of Cores

Single-core processors utilize, as the name suggests, a lone CPU. As such, it’s the not as powerful as multicore processors. Dual-core is the next step up, combining two independent processors onto one physical chipset to deliver more potent processing power. Quad-core, the current power king, ups the ante by combining four processors into one package. Notebook manufacturers, however, place these CPUs—and the various processor brands that live within each category—into very specific laptops classes depending on the machines’ need for power output and battery life.

CPUs for Netbooks

Designed for netbooks and nettops, Intel’s Atom processor is designed for extremely light computing, such as Web surfing, checking e-mail, and instant messaging. The Atom is currently available in 800-MHz to 2.0-GHz varieties, but we recommend avoiding anything less than 1.6 GHz, or you’ll get gray hair from waiting,

Though rare in comparison to Intel, Via’s Nano CPU is also a good choice. It comes in a broader ranger of clock speeds (1.0 GHz to 1.8 GHz), and we’ve found anything above 1.3 GHz to be acceptable.

In addition, AMD’s 1.6-GHz Athlon Neo CPU is also available in ultrathin laptops. Neo’s performance is good, but battery life is not as strong as what you’ll get from an Intel chip.

Ultrathin Notebooks

The new class of ultrathin, low-cost PCs are powered by Intel’s ULV (Ultra-Low Voltage) platform. This class of CPUs include processors from the Celeron, Core 2 Solo, and Pentium brand. The chipsets specialize in delivering long battery life; the ULV-powered Acer Aspire Timeline 3810T (6415) lasted over 8 hours on our LAPTOP Battery Test. These CPUs feature clock speeds ranging from 800 MHz to 1.4 GHz.

If you need more performance, consider a business ultraportable with a low-voltage Core 2 Duo processor, like the Toshiba Portégé R600-ST520W or Lenovo ThinkPad X301. Just expect to pay a hefty premium.

Mainstream Notebooks

If you’d like a notebook with more processing power, mainstream notebooks are the way to go, as they feature the higher-end members of Intel’s Core 2 Duo family. While you won’t find notebooks with the thin body of a ULV-powered machine, you’ll still be able to play games and dabble in multimedia content creation. You may even be able to get a system with long battery life.

No matter what mainstream notebook you get, you’ll want a Mac or PC running at 2.0 GHz. If extra processing punch is high on your list, however, we suggest a minimum clock speed of 2.4 GHz.

Laptop hunters on a budget may want to check out AMD’s offerings (Athlon, Sempron, and Turion), which are typically cheaper than their Intel counterparts. Intel’s dual-core Pentium is also acceptable for budget buyers.

Desktop Replacements

If you’re a hardcore gamer, or someone who does a lot of demanding work (CAD, professional graphic design, video editing, etc.) and cares more about performance than portability, settle for nothing less than a large notebook with an Intel Core 2 Quad CPU. Such a system will likely have a battery life of less than 2 hours, weigh more than 8 pounds, and cost more than $1,500. However, if speed is your main priority, the trade-offs are worth it.
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Jeffrey L. Wilson | laptopmag

Hacking your Laptop for Peak Gaming Performance

Gaming is a big hit amongst the most technically-savvy generation, with free and PC-only games becoming quite robust, and commercial games packing outstanding graphics, as well as a plot lines and game play. If you're a gamer, or looking into joining the realm of gamers, but can't afford a high-end gaming laptop, then this article is for you.

Below are a few tips on milking the best game performance from your laptop, no matter its make or model. Be sure to do your research based on your own laptop and its limits, however, before attempting any alterations.


Faster Hard Drive

Slow, clunky hard drives are the bane of most computer users existence. For a generation where speed is everything--microwaves, high-speed Internet--waiting for a 5400 rpm to get spinnin' is like a slow tumble down a long hill. If your machine doesn't have a 7200rpm hard drive, replacing your current HDD with a faster one will make a noticeable increase in performance, ranging from faster boot speed to faster game start times.

When choosing a new hard drive, opt for the largest one you can afford, as games begin taking up a great amount of space once a plethora of maps are downloaded and added to the repertoire, as well as system updates, media, and non-gaming applications.

Finally, opt for the drive with a larger amount of cache. If you see two drives, and one is 120GB with 16MB cache, and the other is 200GB with 8MB, a wise person would choose the smaller drive with the larger cache.

More RAM

RAM does not solely decide the speed of a computer--many, many things working together do--but it is still a viable mechanism in the world of speed, and will make switching between apps and tasks snappier, which will give the entire system what feels like a considerable performance boost.

All laptops have a set limit of how much RAM they can utilize. Many modern laptops have a limit of 4GB of random access memory, but higher-end laptops and most gaming laptops have a higher-capacity, some up to 16GB, though that is the current maximum.

The Asus G60 gaming laptop can take 4GB DDR3 RAM, which is faster than the standard DDR2, and all of it should be utilized for optimum system performance. If you do upgrade the RAM, be sure to get DDR3 instead of the slower DDR2.

Cooling Pad

As your system heats up, its performance goes down. A gaming laptop will have a powerful processor, and that power, when fully utilized, will cook your laptop if you have it sit there. Leaving the laptop sit on a flat surface, such as a desk or laptop, isn't enough to keep it running optimally. The solution to keep the processor cool is to use a cooling pad that goes beneath the laptop. These can be purchased from any electronics store, but if you're the DIY (or just plain cheap) type can make one out of spare computer fans and other accessories; instructions can be found via a quick Google search.

Overclocking

This is a dangerous thing to do, not something you should perform if you're uncertain, want to guarantee your laptop's health, and/or become flustered following technical directions. With that said, each processor varies a bit in frequency, with some being capable of higher frequencies than others. If you hit the luck jackpot and end up with, for example, a 1.6GHz processor that is capable of 2.0GHZ, then by overclocking it, you'll get more power for a lower price.

The downside to this is that the heat sink may not be able to handle the addition power you're pushing through it, and the effect is that it will get to hot a fry, for lack of a better word. If this happens, most warranties will not cover the damage, and the price of a new processor will be quite hefty.

If you do want to overclock your processor, check out THIS guide.

System Optimization Software

Regularly using system optimization software will keep your system running the way the hardware intends for it to, not the way all the clutter and sludge allows it. If you're frequently online, often installing programs and uninstall programs, and more, then we can all but guarantee that your entire system is spattered with randomly placed files that are slowing things down.

By regularly running--or better yet, scheduling to run at midnight or so--virus/malware/spyware scanners, registry cleaners, hardware defragments, and more, your install will stay cleaner for a longer period than it would otherwise. Just like a car requires regular preventive maintenance, so does your computer.

[via laptoplogic]