Overclock.net › Forums › Mobile Computing Forum › Laptops and Netbooks › i3 SB w/GPU for less than £430? Shall I jump?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

i3 SB w/GPU for less than £430? Shall I jump?

post #1 of 12
Thread Starter 
Been looking at buying a laptop for a few months now, but decided to hold off until Trinity & Ivy Bridge were with us. My budget is only £450, but by the look of it I can get quite a lot for that. Basically, from reviews & benchmarks, I formed the opinion that an Ivy Bridge chip in budget would be an instant win, as would an A10 AMD Trinity. Down from there, I've looked at i5 Sandy Bridge's, A8 Llano's (with dual graphics in budget), and other combinations. I'd dismissed Llano though, as the CPU side is too weak for me (I'll be doing music production on this laptop, so need a bit of muscle coupled with as many threads as I can get). I'd also dismissed Sandy as the GPU side was too weak. This would logically leave Ivy Bridge, with it's boosted GPU performance, or Trinity, with it's bolstered CPU performance. Unfortunatly, I've been unable to find a laptop with either within budget for sale in the UK, and I'm not willing to wait until Christmas for the next round of Ivy Bridge chips (the theoretical money is burning a hole in my pocket now!)

It was a stroke of luck that led me to this laptop - http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_5750G_1086985.html
A Sandy Bridge with dedicated GPU, therefore alleviating any worries I had with the HD3000's mediocre performance. The 6Gb RAM is a nice touch too smile.gif My only slight concern is that it's the slowest i3 SB you can get, but should still be pretty quick? I mean, I used to produce on my old desktop rig - an E6700 OC'd to 3.2GHz, and this i3 (with HT) should have the same kind of performance hopefully?
What do you think?
 
Black 'n' blue II
(13 items)
 
 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsOptical Drive
Intel Core i5-2515E Acer Aspire 5755G NVIDIA GeForce GT630M  DVD/CD 
OSOSMonitorCase
Linux Mint 14 x64 (Cinnamon) Windows 7 Home Premium 15.6 LED screen Acer Aspire 5755G 
Audio
Intel HD Audio 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
Core i7 860 @ 1.25V MSI P55-GD65 Xpertvision Radeon HD4850 4GB G.Skill Ripjaw 
Hard DriveOptical DriveOSMonitor
150Gb Velociraptor & 1Tb WD Caviar Black Opticon Lightscribe DVD-RW DL Vista Home Premium x64 Hyundai BlueH H224W 22" LCD 
KeyboardPowerCaseMouse
Saitek Eclipse II Thermaltake Purepower RX 550 Galaxy III Logitech MX518 
  hide details  
Reply
 
Black 'n' blue II
(13 items)
 
 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsOptical Drive
Intel Core i5-2515E Acer Aspire 5755G NVIDIA GeForce GT630M  DVD/CD 
OSOSMonitorCase
Linux Mint 14 x64 (Cinnamon) Windows 7 Home Premium 15.6 LED screen Acer Aspire 5755G 
Audio
Intel HD Audio 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
Core i7 860 @ 1.25V MSI P55-GD65 Xpertvision Radeon HD4850 4GB G.Skill Ripjaw 
Hard DriveOptical DriveOSMonitor
150Gb Velociraptor & 1Tb WD Caviar Black Opticon Lightscribe DVD-RW DL Vista Home Premium x64 Hyundai BlueH H224W 22" LCD 
KeyboardPowerCaseMouse
Saitek Eclipse II Thermaltake Purepower RX 550 Galaxy III Logitech MX518 
  hide details  
Reply
post #2 of 12
http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-540M.41715.0.html

Looks decent enough to me. If I had £430 I'd grab it!
The Riginator
(20 items)
 
 
CPUGraphicsRAMHard Drive
Exynos 4412 Quad Core ARMv7 Cortex-A9 @1.4GHz ARM Mali-400 MP4 1 GB LP DDR2 Green Memory Samsung KMVTU000LM eMMC(16GB)+MDDR(64MB) NAND F... 
OSMonitor
UltimaROM XXDLJ5 Jelly Bean 4.1.1 4.8" 720x1280 HD Super AMOLED 
  hide details  
Reply
The Riginator
(20 items)
 
 
CPUGraphicsRAMHard Drive
Exynos 4412 Quad Core ARMv7 Cortex-A9 @1.4GHz ARM Mali-400 MP4 1 GB LP DDR2 Green Memory Samsung KMVTU000LM eMMC(16GB)+MDDR(64MB) NAND F... 
OSMonitor
UltimaROM XXDLJ5 Jelly Bean 4.1.1 4.8" 720x1280 HD Super AMOLED 
  hide details  
Reply
post #3 of 12
Thread Starter 
Thanks dude, anyone got any thoughts on that CPU though? I'm slightly put off by the "low" clock speed and lack of turbo
 
Black 'n' blue II
(13 items)
 
 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsOptical Drive
Intel Core i5-2515E Acer Aspire 5755G NVIDIA GeForce GT630M  DVD/CD 
OSOSMonitorCase
Linux Mint 14 x64 (Cinnamon) Windows 7 Home Premium 15.6 LED screen Acer Aspire 5755G 
Audio
Intel HD Audio 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
Core i7 860 @ 1.25V MSI P55-GD65 Xpertvision Radeon HD4850 4GB G.Skill Ripjaw 
Hard DriveOptical DriveOSMonitor
150Gb Velociraptor & 1Tb WD Caviar Black Opticon Lightscribe DVD-RW DL Vista Home Premium x64 Hyundai BlueH H224W 22" LCD 
KeyboardPowerCaseMouse
Saitek Eclipse II Thermaltake Purepower RX 550 Galaxy III Logitech MX518 
  hide details  
Reply
 
Black 'n' blue II
(13 items)
 
 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsOptical Drive
Intel Core i5-2515E Acer Aspire 5755G NVIDIA GeForce GT630M  DVD/CD 
OSOSMonitorCase
Linux Mint 14 x64 (Cinnamon) Windows 7 Home Premium 15.6 LED screen Acer Aspire 5755G 
Audio
Intel HD Audio 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
Core i7 860 @ 1.25V MSI P55-GD65 Xpertvision Radeon HD4850 4GB G.Skill Ripjaw 
Hard DriveOptical DriveOSMonitor
150Gb Velociraptor & 1Tb WD Caviar Black Opticon Lightscribe DVD-RW DL Vista Home Premium x64 Hyundai BlueH H224W 22" LCD 
KeyboardPowerCaseMouse
Saitek Eclipse II Thermaltake Purepower RX 550 Galaxy III Logitech MX518 
  hide details  
Reply
post #4 of 12
Wow, £430. I'd buy that, i'd buy that right now.

If you check my sig, I can play Portal 2 and stuff like that all on high with 4X MSAA. The CPU barely goes over 50-60% during this.

The SB cpu in that laptop is better than mine as is the GPU, so if I were you i'd go for it. You won't regret it.
    
CPUGraphicsRAMHard Drive
Intel i5 340m @ 2.26Ghz nVidia 310m 6GB DDR3 @ 1066Mhz 320GB 5400rpm WD Blue 
OSMonitor
Windows 7 Home Premium x64 Lenovo G650 1366x768 
  hide details  
Reply
    
CPUGraphicsRAMHard Drive
Intel i5 340m @ 2.26Ghz nVidia 310m 6GB DDR3 @ 1066Mhz 320GB 5400rpm WD Blue 
OSMonitor
Windows 7 Home Premium x64 Lenovo G650 1366x768 
  hide details  
Reply
post #5 of 12
Quote:
Originally Posted by chemicalfan View Post

Thanks dude, anyone got any thoughts on that CPU though? I'm slightly put off by the "low" clock speed and lack of turbo

Yeah should honestly be fine wink.gif It's still a strong CPU @2GHz. Better an a Phenom II X3 720 and better than an E8600 according to CPUmark wink.gif (http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php arrange by cpu mark and then pop the model number in the search box)

Yeah it's a good CPU and a decent-ish GPU!
The Riginator
(20 items)
 
 
CPUGraphicsRAMHard Drive
Exynos 4412 Quad Core ARMv7 Cortex-A9 @1.4GHz ARM Mali-400 MP4 1 GB LP DDR2 Green Memory Samsung KMVTU000LM eMMC(16GB)+MDDR(64MB) NAND F... 
OSMonitor
UltimaROM XXDLJ5 Jelly Bean 4.1.1 4.8" 720x1280 HD Super AMOLED 
  hide details  
Reply
The Riginator
(20 items)
 
 
CPUGraphicsRAMHard Drive
Exynos 4412 Quad Core ARMv7 Cortex-A9 @1.4GHz ARM Mali-400 MP4 1 GB LP DDR2 Green Memory Samsung KMVTU000LM eMMC(16GB)+MDDR(64MB) NAND F... 
OSMonitor
UltimaROM XXDLJ5 Jelly Bean 4.1.1 4.8" 720x1280 HD Super AMOLED 
  hide details  
Reply
post #6 of 12
Thread Starter 
Sweet, gonna jump on that this weekend then I think smile.gif Thanks guys thumb.gif

Although I just know I'm gonna find an A10 in budget in the next couple of weeks, lol
 
Black 'n' blue II
(13 items)
 
 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsOptical Drive
Intel Core i5-2515E Acer Aspire 5755G NVIDIA GeForce GT630M  DVD/CD 
OSOSMonitorCase
Linux Mint 14 x64 (Cinnamon) Windows 7 Home Premium 15.6 LED screen Acer Aspire 5755G 
Audio
Intel HD Audio 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
Core i7 860 @ 1.25V MSI P55-GD65 Xpertvision Radeon HD4850 4GB G.Skill Ripjaw 
Hard DriveOptical DriveOSMonitor
150Gb Velociraptor & 1Tb WD Caviar Black Opticon Lightscribe DVD-RW DL Vista Home Premium x64 Hyundai BlueH H224W 22" LCD 
KeyboardPowerCaseMouse
Saitek Eclipse II Thermaltake Purepower RX 550 Galaxy III Logitech MX518 
  hide details  
Reply
 
Black 'n' blue II
(13 items)
 
 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsOptical Drive
Intel Core i5-2515E Acer Aspire 5755G NVIDIA GeForce GT630M  DVD/CD 
OSOSMonitorCase
Linux Mint 14 x64 (Cinnamon) Windows 7 Home Premium 15.6 LED screen Acer Aspire 5755G 
Audio
Intel HD Audio 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
Core i7 860 @ 1.25V MSI P55-GD65 Xpertvision Radeon HD4850 4GB G.Skill Ripjaw 
Hard DriveOptical DriveOSMonitor
150Gb Velociraptor & 1Tb WD Caviar Black Opticon Lightscribe DVD-RW DL Vista Home Premium x64 Hyundai BlueH H224W 22" LCD 
KeyboardPowerCaseMouse
Saitek Eclipse II Thermaltake Purepower RX 550 Galaxy III Logitech MX518 
  hide details  
Reply
post #7 of 12
Thread Starter 
Update: Ended up changing tack, creeping the budget, and getting this - www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_5755G_Core_i5_Windows_7_Gaming_Laptop__NX.RV3EK.002/version.asp

It's a bit more than I would have liked to spend, but it seems like a perfect buy to me. Should do me for a good 3-4 years, can't complain about that smile.gif
 
Black 'n' blue II
(13 items)
 
 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsOptical Drive
Intel Core i5-2515E Acer Aspire 5755G NVIDIA GeForce GT630M  DVD/CD 
OSOSMonitorCase
Linux Mint 14 x64 (Cinnamon) Windows 7 Home Premium 15.6 LED screen Acer Aspire 5755G 
Audio
Intel HD Audio 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
Core i7 860 @ 1.25V MSI P55-GD65 Xpertvision Radeon HD4850 4GB G.Skill Ripjaw 
Hard DriveOptical DriveOSMonitor
150Gb Velociraptor & 1Tb WD Caviar Black Opticon Lightscribe DVD-RW DL Vista Home Premium x64 Hyundai BlueH H224W 22" LCD 
KeyboardPowerCaseMouse
Saitek Eclipse II Thermaltake Purepower RX 550 Galaxy III Logitech MX518 
  hide details  
Reply
 
Black 'n' blue II
(13 items)
 
 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsOptical Drive
Intel Core i5-2515E Acer Aspire 5755G NVIDIA GeForce GT630M  DVD/CD 
OSOSMonitorCase
Linux Mint 14 x64 (Cinnamon) Windows 7 Home Premium 15.6 LED screen Acer Aspire 5755G 
Audio
Intel HD Audio 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
Core i7 860 @ 1.25V MSI P55-GD65 Xpertvision Radeon HD4850 4GB G.Skill Ripjaw 
Hard DriveOptical DriveOSMonitor
150Gb Velociraptor & 1Tb WD Caviar Black Opticon Lightscribe DVD-RW DL Vista Home Premium x64 Hyundai BlueH H224W 22" LCD 
KeyboardPowerCaseMouse
Saitek Eclipse II Thermaltake Purepower RX 550 Galaxy III Logitech MX518 
  hide details  
Reply
post #8 of 12
take a look at this:

http://usabcp.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=75_137&products_id=6214

it has a 1st gen core i7
+
ati hd 5870m

for $500 and its new
Bulldozer
(10 items)
 
  
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
fx-8120@4.5ghz m5a97 evo hd 7970 corsair vengence 
Hard DriveCoolingOSMonitor
mushkin enhanced chronos deluxe ssd corsair h80 windows 8 consumer preview samsung 40 inch 1080p smart tv 
PowerCase
corsair tx850 v2 corsair 500r 
  hide details  
Reply
Bulldozer
(10 items)
 
  
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
fx-8120@4.5ghz m5a97 evo hd 7970 corsair vengence 
Hard DriveCoolingOSMonitor
mushkin enhanced chronos deluxe ssd corsair h80 windows 8 consumer preview samsung 40 inch 1080p smart tv 
PowerCase
corsair tx850 v2 corsair 500r 
  hide details  
Reply
post #9 of 12
Quote:
Originally Posted by technofied View Post

take a look at this:
http://usabcp.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=75_137&products_id=6214
it has a 1st gen core i7
+
ati hd 5870m
for $500 and its new
Is that a trustworthy site? I have never heard of it. o.O
Current Rig
(13 items)
 
2nd Rig
(10 items)
 
HTPC
(7 items)
 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
AMD 960t ASUS M5A97 GTX 460 Kingston Hyper X 
Hard DriveOptical DriveCoolingOS
Western Digital 500GB Asus Drive Hyper 212 + Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit  
MonitorMonitorPowerCase
Acer 21.5 in. 1600x900 AOC 22in 1080p Rosewill 530 Watt Cooler Master Haf 912 
Audio
Asus Xonar DG 5.1 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
Intel Core I3 2120 MSI Z77MA-G45 HD 6870 Kingston HyperX 8GB 
Hard DriveOSMonitorPower
Samsung 1tb Windows 7 Ultimate  32In 1080p TV Rosewill Green 530W 
CaseMouse
Antec One Logitech 
MotherboardGraphicsRAMHard Drive
ASRock E-350 AMD Radeon HD 6310 Crucial 2Gb Seagate 320GB laptop drive 
OSPowerCase
Windows 8 250 Watt APEX MI-008 
  hide details  
Reply
Current Rig
(13 items)
 
2nd Rig
(10 items)
 
HTPC
(7 items)
 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
AMD 960t ASUS M5A97 GTX 460 Kingston Hyper X 
Hard DriveOptical DriveCoolingOS
Western Digital 500GB Asus Drive Hyper 212 + Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit  
MonitorMonitorPowerCase
Acer 21.5 in. 1600x900 AOC 22in 1080p Rosewill 530 Watt Cooler Master Haf 912 
Audio
Asus Xonar DG 5.1 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
Intel Core I3 2120 MSI Z77MA-G45 HD 6870 Kingston HyperX 8GB 
Hard DriveOSMonitorPower
Samsung 1tb Windows 7 Ultimate  32In 1080p TV Rosewill Green 530W 
CaseMouse
Antec One Logitech 
MotherboardGraphicsRAMHard Drive
ASRock E-350 AMD Radeon HD 6310 Crucial 2Gb Seagate 320GB laptop drive 
OSPowerCase
Windows 8 250 Watt APEX MI-008 
  hide details  
Reply
post #10 of 12
Thread Starter 
I wouldn't ship from the US anyway, too much hassle with postage and customs tax
 
Black 'n' blue II
(13 items)
 
 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsOptical Drive
Intel Core i5-2515E Acer Aspire 5755G NVIDIA GeForce GT630M  DVD/CD 
OSOSMonitorCase
Linux Mint 14 x64 (Cinnamon) Windows 7 Home Premium 15.6 LED screen Acer Aspire 5755G 
Audio
Intel HD Audio 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
Core i7 860 @ 1.25V MSI P55-GD65 Xpertvision Radeon HD4850 4GB G.Skill Ripjaw 
Hard DriveOptical DriveOSMonitor
150Gb Velociraptor & 1Tb WD Caviar Black Opticon Lightscribe DVD-RW DL Vista Home Premium x64 Hyundai BlueH H224W 22" LCD 
KeyboardPowerCaseMouse
Saitek Eclipse II Thermaltake Purepower RX 550 Galaxy III Logitech MX518 
  hide details  
Reply
 
Black 'n' blue II
(13 items)
 
 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsOptical Drive
Intel Core i5-2515E Acer Aspire 5755G NVIDIA GeForce GT630M  DVD/CD 
OSOSMonitorCase
Linux Mint 14 x64 (Cinnamon) Windows 7 Home Premium 15.6 LED screen Acer Aspire 5755G 
Audio
Intel HD Audio 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
Core i7 860 @ 1.25V MSI P55-GD65 Xpertvision Radeon HD4850 4GB G.Skill Ripjaw 
Hard DriveOptical DriveOSMonitor
150Gb Velociraptor & 1Tb WD Caviar Black Opticon Lightscribe DVD-RW DL Vista Home Premium x64 Hyundai BlueH H224W 22" LCD 
KeyboardPowerCaseMouse
Saitek Eclipse II Thermaltake Purepower RX 550 Galaxy III Logitech MX518 
  hide details  
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Laptops and Netbooks
Overclock.net › Forums › Mobile Computing Forum › Laptops and Netbooks › i3 SB w/GPU for less than £430? Shall I jump?