[morland]

Hi,

Due to cost reason I am thinking of buying a bit less expensive Laptop... I have some question related to the thread's subject:

1. What are the disadvantages if I buy a Laptop which has AMD Turion 64 X2 which is considered to be at par or ideally better than an Intel Core Duo 2 CPU with 667 Mhz. FSB and 4 MB L2 Cache)
   
2. Can you kindly provide the model #/CPU# details of the AMD"s processor which meets/exceeds the above criteria
   
3. Are there any advantages of going with AMD rather than Intel?
   
4. Is there any price difference between the AMD processor (that you are recommending) versus an Intel Processor with the provided specification
   
5. The harddisk and the ram are the only 2 things in a laptop that can be replaced/upgraded. Right?
   
6. Are DDR3 RAM modules coming out or are already out? How much FSB does DDR3 RAM offer). Asking this question to hopefully buy a laptop that can be upgraded to last me a some additional year(s)

Much thanks in advance for your help, reply, and advice.

[Ian]

Some of those questions are very specific, and I think it is probably best to pick a laptop on the overall configuration rather than analysing every detail. There are advantages and disadvantages for every type of component, but as you had a budget in mind it is preferable to select the best overall balance.

You've so far picked out a few laptops that we've all given feedback on, and advised on the CPU, and specific graphics cards. For points 5&6 it is worth keeping in mind that it is hardly worth upgrading a laptop, the hard drive and ram can be upgraded easily enough - but if you have 2GB of ram and an 80GB+ disk then there probably won't be any need or point to it (unless you really run out of space). It won't be possible to increase the speed of it without delving inside the laptop and upgrading the CPU (if possible), which won't be a very cost effective exercise.

[morland]

Hi Ian,

Hope you are well. Thank you (once again) for your prompt reply. Your message is valid and I'll post back after shortlisting one or two Laptops.

I envy your knowledge about Laptops and components and therefore can I ask a question: If my budget is around U.K Lbs. 650/ USD $ 1250, what would be your top 3 recommendations (regardless of Make). Sorry for the inconvenience this will cause.

BTW, is Toshiba a good make?

Looking forward to your reply and top 3 suggestions.

Thanks.

[PotGuy]

I don't know enough about laptops to recommend any, but I'll answer what I can.

Firstly, Core Duo 2 is faster than a Turion X2, and has sligtly better battery life. Turions however are cheaper, and in the real world if you aren't using intense software like brand new games or doing CAD work then the difference is minimal. With your budget though you probably could get a Core Duo 2 anyway.

While you can upgrade just about any component in a laptop, it is usually hideously expensive to do so to any components other than the mentioned two.

And as for the DDR3 thing, don't worry about that. There is absolutely no real advantage of DDR3 over DDR2. Or DDR2 over DDR for that matter. Either way, that is irrelevant.



And yes, Toshiba is a good make

[morland]

Thanks PotGuy. Thank you for your reply