How Important is the P8600(2.40GHz)

[ayeco]

I am about to buy a laptop. I have narrowed it down to nearly the same models made by Acer. One comes with a P8600(2.40GHz) with a GeForce 9600M 512mb GS, 16'' screen, and ddr2 ram. The other comes with a T6400(2.00GHz), Geforce 9600M GT 1gb, drr3 3, and a whopping 18.4" screen. I am going to be doing some mild gaming, a little bit of coding, and web browsing. The 2nd is 20 dollars more. I was wondering if the faster processor is worth the drawbacks. Also, is it possible to replace video cards in laptops? Thanks!

 

[Mondoman]

Nope, can't change video cards in laptops. I'd be looking at the pixel dimensions of each of the 2 screens, and pick the one with the highest resolution.
Also, the P8600 has a much bigger cache IIRC in addition to the 20% faster clock.

 

[ragsters]

Nope, can't change video cards in laptops. I'd be looking at the pixel dimensions of each of the 2 screens, and pick the one with the highest resolution.
Also, the P8600 has a much bigger cache IIRC in addition to the 20% faster clock.

In this case you might be able to change the video card but don't tell him that it is not possible in laptops. I have a dell inspiron and I was able to change the video card from 64MB Nvidia to a 128MB ATI card. This is possible if the card is discrete and the motherboard does not have onboard graphics.

 

[megamanx00]

With the exception of certain Alien ware laptops and the like, the GPU is laptops is soldered onto the motherboard. You have to replace the motherboard, and usually the cooling assembly as well, to change your GPU.

If you want to game and don't want to spend alot, then get a desktop. If you want to game on a laptop, you're gonna have to shell out more cash. For a gaming laptop you should check out the Asus laptops over at Bestbuy. I believe they have one with a 9600GT for around 1k.

 

[ayeco]

Alright thanks