How Much For Same Performance To My Desktop PC?

meths · 11 Jul 2011 at 10:05

I'm thinking of selling my desktop PC and buying a laptop but as per the thread title I'm wondering how much I'd need to spend to get roughly the same level of perfomance?

I know nothing about laptops at this point but my desktop PC spec is:
Core 2 Duo E6600 @ 3ghz
4gb ram
Ati 4870XT 1mb
X-Fi Fatality Soundcard

I know it's a fairly general question but I'm just looking for a starting point so I know roughly what spec of laptop I'd need. If anyone could name a laptop that fit's the bill that'd be great.

Scrutinize · 11 Jul 2011 at 10:46

not a huge amount. for i7 or i5 xps l502 or l702 with an nvidia gt540 to 555 in anywhere from 500 to 700 quid.

Loque · 11 Jul 2011 at 11:59

Dell outlet, XPS l702, Second Gen i5-2410M, GT550M, 500GB drive, 17" (1600x900) screen = £489

meths · 12 Jul 2011 at 09:24

Thanks for the input guys. I'll keep an eye on the outlet store.

What's the difference between the l502 and l702? I thought it was the screen size but am now starting to wonder if it's the motherboard chipset?

Disco Boy · 12 Jul 2011 at 10:47

It's screen size; they are 15" and 17" respectively.

Remember that the deals go up at 3:15~3:30 every weekday.

Alexrose1uk · 12 Jul 2011 at 21:25

Part of the issue here is the GPU.

The desktop 4870 is very slightly faster than the 5770 (or at least was when I last compared benches); the 5870m is marginally slower than a desktop 5770. The 5870m is FASTER than a 460m, and very slightly slower than 560m

Ergo, he'd need something in the GTX560m\5870m region to be on roughly even ground with his old graphics card.

If that's not a focus, then yeah a cheaper machine would do, but if the graphics performance is important; then dropping to the likes of a 540m would be a big hit. As the GPU was mentioned in the original question; I'm presuming he's after something roughly equivalent on all levels, including graphics.

MeMeMeMe · 13 Jul 2011 at 05:54

good points, alex. Also, screen res will play a part. If he is willing to settle for, say, 1366x768, then a lesser GPU might be acceptable 9though a 540m would still be a big drop). If he wants 1920x1080 res, then the 560m/5870m is probably needed.

Alexrose1uk · 13 Jul 2011 at 12:21

Very true; I wasn't trying to be a spoilsport either; in terms of CPUs, the current i7-2 ranges in laptops are actually pretty good for mobile platforms (roughly all the current I7-2 series are in the same league or better than the 920XM from the first mobile I7s, which is around the same performance as a desktop i5 750 IIRC), and with the Nehelem/Sandybridge architecture and turbo boost, should be pretty competitive with an E6600 @3Ghz across the board, especially when the higher number of cores or HT can be leveraged fully.

With laptop DDR3 SODIMMS being relatively affordable right now as well (8GB can be had for about £60-70), if you look carefully you can get a nice machine at a reasonable amount; but decent mobile GPUs still carry a premium.

Given these are the hardest, or in some case impossible, parts to replace; unfortunately you have to pretty much stump up for the best/most suitable one at the point of purchase. In the OPs case, if the GPU is still of relevance and he's not stopped gaming, then he really wants to be looking GTX460m+ or he'll be dissapointed, especially as a lot of the gaming classification machines tend to carry 1600x900+ screens.

meths · 14 Jul 2011 at 10:23

Yeah, graphics are important because I was going to replace my desktop PC with the laptop.

I've decided I'm going to upgrade my desktop to an I5 or I7 cpu and possibly get a netbook or second hand laptop for a couple of hundred quid for when I'm on the move.