Best i7 Laptop
Intel's Core i3 and Core i5 processors provide ample power for the price.
But when it comes to getting the most power for your money, nothing comes close to Intel's high-performance Core i7 processors, especially in the latest Sandy Bridge versions.
The Core i7 has finally blurred the lines between laptop and desktop PCs and, in many cases, the prices are highly affordable.
* What's the best Core i3 laptop?
To help you choose the right machine for your needs, we've brought together four of the best Core i7-powered laptops, at prices to suit all budgets.
* What's the best Core i5 laptop?
Offering staggering performance and features ideal for the whole family, you won't fi nd a more powerful range of consumer laptops.
The fastest laptops usually get lousy battery life, but Asus has made a few innovations that supposedly net its memorably named UL80JT laptop an incredible 12 hours of battery life, despite its Core i7 processor. I really hope it's true.
The big change here is a real-time management system that re-clocks the processor on a moment-to-moment basis depending on what you're doing, which means light work should result in light power usage. That's how it can hit 12 hours of battery life despite the Core i7 and its Nvidia GeForce 310 GPU.
This morning, Intel has just unveiled its newest mobile processor. Surprise! Okay, not really. We've heard about this chip for what feels like ages. Well, today we're gonna tell you how a Core i7 laptop performs in initial tests.
But first, a quick rundown might be in order. If you scan the Geek Tech and "Today @" blogs, you'll learn the ins-and-outs of Core i7. What it means for mobile: More expensive CPUs that offer more power, more efficiently. Turbo Boost technology promises to function as though the notebook is theoretically overclocking for you--amping up as needed.
Take the Intel Core i7-920XM processor--It's a 2GHz CPU that can throttle up to a single-core frequency of 3.2GHz if needed. And, it just so happens that we have a test machine in-house with this particular Core i7 loaded in, the Clevo W870CU. This machine is strictly for lab testing, an example of the kind of machines you can expect to find soon (you know, like in your friendly neighborhood Alienware M15x).
This whole package, according to Intel spokespeople, would sell for the low, low price of roughly $3229. Give or take a dollar. Hey, I don't think anybody is kidding anyone here--this is a monster machine. No concern for cost savings. And battery life? Why even bother with a huge honking desktop replacement like this? It's not like you'll lug it around often. With that in mind, we pushed the Clevo case through our WorldBench 6 tests (and then some).
In a straight run of WorldBench 6, the Clevo notched a 126. The only thing that's scored higher, a 133, was the Eurocom system we tested with a Xeon processor. And that cost almost $6000 at the time of its release.
Diving a little deeper, I found some interesting--but hardly surprising--bits. In some apps, the Clevo smoked a tricked-out Alienware M17x (one that came equipped with a 2.53GHz Core 2 Extreme QX9300 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and two nVidia GeForce GTX 280M GPUs). Where it took the M17x 557 seconds to finish a 3DSMAX rendering test, the Clevo whipped through the same run in about 312 seconds. Other times, it was only a little faster (324 seconds to run Microsoft Office 2003 vs. 339 seconds with the M17x).
The really interesting stuff shows up in games. Now remember, the M17x to which we're comparing has twice the GPU power when running the same tests in Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and Unreal Tournament III.
Intel's Core i3 and Core i5 processors provide ample power for the price.
But when it comes to getting the most power for your money, nothing comes close to Intel's high-performance Core i7 processors, especially in the latest Sandy Bridge versions.
The Core i7 has finally blurred the lines between laptop and desktop PCs and, in many cases, the prices are highly affordable.
* What's the best Core i3 laptop?
To help you choose the right machine for your needs, we've brought together four of the best Core i7-powered laptops, at prices to suit all budgets.
* What's the best Core i5 laptop?
Offering staggering performance and features ideal for the whole family, you won't fi nd a more powerful range of consumer laptops.
The big change here is a real-time management system that re-clocks the processor on a moment-to-moment basis depending on what you're doing, which means light work should result in light power usage. That's how it can hit 12 hours of battery life despite the Core i7 and its Nvidia GeForce 310 GPU.
But first, a quick rundown might be in order. If you scan the Geek Tech and "Today @" blogs, you'll learn the ins-and-outs of Core i7. What it means for mobile: More expensive CPUs that offer more power, more efficiently. Turbo Boost technology promises to function as though the notebook is theoretically overclocking for you--amping up as needed.
Take the Intel Core i7-920XM processor--It's a 2GHz CPU that can throttle up to a single-core frequency of 3.2GHz if needed. And, it just so happens that we have a test machine in-house with this particular Core i7 loaded in, the Clevo W870CU. This machine is strictly for lab testing, an example of the kind of machines you can expect to find soon (you know, like in your friendly neighborhood Alienware M15x).
This whole package, according to Intel spokespeople, would sell for the low, low price of roughly $3229. Give or take a dollar. Hey, I don't think anybody is kidding anyone here--this is a monster machine. No concern for cost savings. And battery life? Why even bother with a huge honking desktop replacement like this? It's not like you'll lug it around often. With that in mind, we pushed the Clevo case through our WorldBench 6 tests (and then some).
In a straight run of WorldBench 6, the Clevo notched a 126. The only thing that's scored higher, a 133, was the Eurocom system we tested with a Xeon processor. And that cost almost $6000 at the time of its release.
Diving a little deeper, I found some interesting--but hardly surprising--bits. In some apps, the Clevo smoked a tricked-out Alienware M17x (one that came equipped with a 2.53GHz Core 2 Extreme QX9300 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and two nVidia GeForce GTX 280M GPUs). Where it took the M17x 557 seconds to finish a 3DSMAX rendering test, the Clevo whipped through the same run in about 312 seconds. Other times, it was only a little faster (324 seconds to run Microsoft Office 2003 vs. 339 seconds with the M17x).
The really interesting stuff shows up in games. Now remember, the M17x to which we're comparing has twice the GPU power when running the same tests in Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and Unreal Tournament III.
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