Choosing Model

[chanchan05]

Well I had a poll here where I asked which seemed to be the better brand of the two which actually had service support here in my country. Sony against HP and Sony won. However when considering the budget I was left with some problems regarding the choices. I have a budget of around 60k PhP, and from that, either I get an HP with a good proc but poor graphics chip, ot get the sony with the weaker proc but better graphics chip. Here are my choices available here in my country (Phils) (Prices in PhP). Which do you think is best? Use will be mainly for internet surfing, light gaming (mostly offline RPG or strategy like Plants vs Zombies, SIM City 4, Diablo II, Starcraft, Assassin's Creed, Prince of Persia, maybe diablo III once its out..^_^) when time permits or stressed out, and school work (med school starting june, so mostly typing, and picture related software). Also, I would wish to have the best combination of power, capabilities and ligh-weight. Sorry I know a lot of you would prefer other brands, but Sony and HP are the only ones with service centers here in the Philippines. Dell has pulled out AFAIK.

HP Pavilion dv3-2107
price: 58,990
Intel Core2Duo P7550 2.26Ghz, 3mb L2 cache, 1066mhz FSB
2GB Memory
320Gb SATA HDD
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD (shared)
2.13kg

HP Pavilion dv3-2008tu
Price: 56,950
Intel Core2Duo P8600 2.4Ghz 3mb L2 cache 1066mhz FSB
2gb memory
250gb SATA HDD
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD (shared)
2.25kg

HP Pavilion dv3-2016tx
Price : 61,950
Intel Core2Duo P8600 2.4Ghz 3mb L2 cache 1066mhz FSB
2gb memory
320gb SATA HDD
Nvidia GeForce G 105M
2.25kg

Sony Vaio VGN-CS33G
Price: 47,000
Intel Pentium T4300 2.1 Ghz 1M cache 800mhz FSB
2gb memory
320gb SATA HDD
Intel Media Graphics Accelerator 4500MHD
2.6kg

Sony Vaio VPCCW13EG
Price: 53,000
Intel Core2Duo T6600 2.2Ghz 2M cache 800mhz FSB
2Gb Memory
250Gb SATA HDD
Nvidia GeForce G210M
2.4kg

 

[Yami]

Personally I'd go for the last one.

 

[chanchan05]

Actually, I had thoughts also about the last one but I was worried about the processor. Its just a 2mb L1 cache with 800mhz FSB. I dont know how much the difference will be, but I do know that it will be slower than my old laptop with 2.16Ghz 3mb L2 cache 1033Mhz FSB. I was worried about the speed of the laptop and its processing power. However I understand also that the Nvidia G210M is also as much an advantage over the Intel GMA as the HP procs are over the sony procs.

I was actually wondering, if the better choice would be to go for the better proc or the better graphics chip. Also, I dont really understand much about dedicated graphics memory and shared. I know that the Intel GMA has shared memory and very little dedicated memory, but would that be addressed by upgrading the RAM? The HPs have a max of 8Gb RAM. IF it cant be addressed by such, it boils down to choosing the better proc or better graphics chip. Which would be the better choice?

 

[Yami]

Yes, that would be addressed by upgrading the RAM; shared memory means the GPU uses ordinary RAM instead of VRAM.
In which case the middle one would be a good choice, as the G105M is a little more powerful than the GMA 4500HD, and the processor is decent.

I understand also that the Nvidia G210M is also as much an advantage over the Intel GMA as the HP procs are over the sony procs.

Yes, that is correct.

The decision really is between the last one (the Sony) and the middle one (HP). Do you prefer better customer support (according to you) and graphics power, or a faster processor.

 

[chanchan05]

Ah, I see, so basically in this case, if I buy an HP and upgrade its memory to like 4gb, it can handle graphics as well as the Sony? Please verify, as I'm not very knowledgeable regarding computer hardware.

Because if that is the case, if I pick the first or second one with Intel GMA, I can have a free upgrade for the RAM, since both units are on a Christmas package bundle that comes with a free HP printer or any accessory or upgrade of the same value, for which I can have the RAM upgraded to 4gb or 6gb depending on the brand of the RAM cards.

How do I compute the total increase in graphics memory if I upgraded it as such?

 

[Yami]

How do I compute the total increase in graphics memory if I upgraded it as such?

There won't be a total increase in graphics memory, it'll be the same. But by having more RAM you have relatively more that's not being taken up by the GPU.

And to answer your other stuff, more graphics RAM does not equal more performance. Well, sort of, but not really. You'll get a lot more performance out of just having a better GPU than having a bit more RAM available to a weaker GPU.

Oh, and just to clarify, performance of the GPUs of those laptops in order from weakest to best, is:
GMA 4500HD (shared)
GMA 4500HD
Nvidia GeForce G 105M
Nvidia GeForce G210M

The shared will be ever so slightly slower because it will take longer for it to access RAM instead of its own VRAM (graphics memory).

 

[Fat.Clown]

maybe you can find one of these newest offerings from Asus

ASUS UL30Vt-X1 Thin and Light 13.3-Inch Black Laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium)

• Intel SU7300 Core 2 Duo Processor 1.3GHz
• 4GB of DDR3 RAM, 2 slots, 8GB Max
• 500GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
• NVidia G210M Graphics with 512MB DDR3 + Intel GMA 4500MHD (Switchable VGA); Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) Operating System
• 13.3-Inch Widescreen HD LED LCD Display; Wi-Fi 802.11 bgn; Bluetooth; 0.3M Webcam

1.7kg

only $800 USD
800 U.S. dollars = 36 800.2208 Philippine pesos

 

[Yami]

That's quite good for the price, but the CPU is much slower.

 

[chanchan05]

Well, as I said from the first post, I'm stuck with HP and Sony because they're the only ones with service centers here in the Philippines, otherwise I'd have to go to third party repair/service shops where I would not have the assurance of it getting fixed or what, not to mention warranty issues.

Although since the part you mentioned that increasing the RAM could help the graphics memory, I wondered. I am not actually going to use the thing for heavy gaming, or do I need *great* gaming experience as the unit is primarily for school use. So I thought if I just increased the RAM for the Intel GMA, could it play the newer games in lower settings? Its just for time-to-time relaxation anyway. I'm starting to lean towards the HP for the processor power and the fact that its almost 400grams lighter (the first one), however the sony still is a good option.

How slower would the 1mb cache and 200mhz FSB be? Would the difference in speed be noticeable? Because if not, the Sony is a very good option. Which would have a better chance of playing newer games, the faster proc or the better graphics chip?

EDIT: I'm starting to lean towards the Sony, since maybe if the processing power difference wont be that big, since I checked at the Intel website and I found out that basically, my old laptop's processor has almost the same qualities as that of the last one, and therefore processing power would be the same:

Old hpdv2855ee proc:
Intel Core2Duo T8100 - 2.16Ghz 3mb L2 cache 800Mhz FSB; running temp 105 degrees C

Vaio CCW13EG proc:
Intel Core2Duo T6600 - 2.20Ghz 2mb L2 cache 800Mhz FSB; running temp 90 degrees C

The 1mb cache memory wouldnt be too bad right? also its a good 15 degrees cooler than the HP, so I'm guessing it would last longer even for extended usage. Its only 100grams lighter than my old laptop (I was hoping for something lighter), but I guess its ok since I finally got my own car this semester so the weight shouldnt be a problem anymore during commutes.

I suppose that the .2Ghz diff between the HP and the Sony wouldnt be that big of a difference though. ^_^