Weaker cpu, stronger gpu VS stronger cpu, weaker gpu

[tkimcarolina]

I'm in a little bit of a quagmire. I found 3 laptops at around the same price


Laptop#1
i7 2630 Cpu
1 gig ddr3 540 geforce
4 gigs RAM 1333



Laptop #2
i5 2410 cqu
1 gig ddr5 555 geforce
4 gigs RAM 1333



Laptop #3
i7 2630
1gig ddr5 Radeon 6570
4 gigs RAM 1333

either way I'm using the laptop for college work and gaming.

My Games: Left 4 dead 2, empire total war, and Napoleon total war
The most technically intense game i own is Napoleon total war. I would like to play it a reasonably high settings.

Which one would you recommend and why?

 

[Proximon]

You need to look at screen resolution as well.

I think the DDR5 GT 555m is the strongest of the bunch... but I also think that any Total War title will stress the CPU more than the GPU, at least in larger battles. And I'm not sure how large the difference is between the three GPUs.

Generally you want more GPU and less CPU, but with Total War in the mix and school work, it starts to all get very close.

That reminds me, I need to go fire up a Total War game and see how the i7 handles it. I haven't played one since upgrading.

 

[tkimcarolina]

screen resolutions are the same for all three at 1366 x 768

 

[tkimcarolina]

I just found a fourth laptop. its the same price.
the specs:

1366x768 resolution
i7 2630 cpu
2 gig Geforce 540
4 gig ram 1333