I'm about to purchase a new Zenbook, but I'm uncertain whether to get an i5 or i7. Other than that, I'm set on that Ultrabook.
The processors in question are
Intel Core i3 2367M - 800 €
vs.
Intel Core i7 3517U - 1100 €
vs.
Intel Core i5 3317U - 1000 €
Since there seem to be a billion different iX processors and there are major differences between desktop, notebook and Ultrabook processors and I don't know how to read benchmarks, I have no idea which one to get.
I need the notebook for the university, for playing SC2 and D3 and no other performance-intensive applications.
If it doesn't have dedicated graphics, all of them are not that ideal. Definitely the i3 is too slow. The low-voltage mobile i5 and i7 are pretty similar (just a minor difference in clock speeds and cache), a difference of something like 15% performance all around for those models.
The Zenbook is named Asus Zenbook UX32VD (why don't they use catchy names instead of a seemingly random string of numbers and letters? for their products?).
It has a dedicated graphics card, but only a GT 620 M.
Get the i5 model imo. It's enough for light gaming, and you shouldn't be needing an ultrabook for anything more than that, and I doubt anything you have to do is more intense than light gaming.
Edit: Just read the rest of your OP, the i5 model would probably be fine. You might be able to bump up the settings if you get the i7, but you might hit bottlenecks in the GPU anyways.
The i3 is relatively slow and could cause issues with SC2. The i5 is definitely fast enough, there is no need for the i7 considering the low end graphics card and small size of the laptop.
Make sure there are no other differences. In the zenbook ultrabook range (no VD tag) the i7 model has a larger ssd than the i5 model, and the very bottom end model doesn't have a 1080p IPS screen either (the IPS screen is fucking fantastic).
Personally, I think the better option(s) would be the Thinkpad X1 Carbon or the Samsung Series 9 laptop. The resolution is less but both laptops are still packing good quality 1600x900 screens and lack some of the problems the Asus laptop has.
Edit: Not to say the Asus Zenbook is bad, because it isn't, but there are definitely some problems with the machine so I would buy it from a place with a decent return policy.
On September 01 2012 22:09 Womwomwom wrote: Personally, I think the better option(s) would be the Thinkpad X1 Carbon or the Samsung Series 9 laptop. The resolution is less but both laptops are still packing good quality 1600x900 screens and lack some of the problems the Asus laptop has.
Edit: Not to say the Asus Zenbook is bad, because it isn't, but there are definitely some problems with the machine so I would buy it from a place with a decent return policy.
What problems are there with it? I have one so I need to know what to look out for/prevent.
1) Its trackpad is apparently nothing to write home about. Nowhere near as good as the X1 Carbon's trackpad apparently. I definitely didn't like it that's for sure.
The other two depends on whether or not you got a bad batch or not: 2) The other problem is sometimes the four feet aren't even. You know those shitty exam hall desks that rock back and forth? Yeah its like that. 3) The IPS screen is great but a few models seem to suffer from heavy backlight bleeding.
The last one, I have no idea why it happens but it does: 4) The most serious is the random shutdown issue. Its not exactly the most common problem but its been documented enough times that I suspect there's something definitely wrong with the machine or included "bloatware".
On September 01 2012 22:35 Womwomwom wrote: 1) Its trackpad is apparently nothing to write home about. Nowhere near as good as the X1 Carbon's trackpad apparently. I definitely didn't like it that's for sure.
The other two depends on whether or not you got a bad batch or not: 2) The other problem is sometimes the four feet aren't even. You know those shitty exam hall desks that rock back and forth? Yeah its like that. 3) The IPS screen is great but a lot of models seem to suffer from heavy backlight bleeding.
The last one, I have no idea why it happens but it does: 4) The most serious is the random shutdown issue. Its not exactly the most common problem but its been documented enough times that I suspect there's something definitely wrong with the machine.
Hmm I like my trackpad in terms of tracking, but I can't stand tap to click (so it's always disabled), and the physical clicking could require less force.
After I uh, gave it a unknown amount of a beating after an extended stay at a pub on the way home from uni, the feet were uneven, but I corrected the problem with some controlled diagonal pressure, the balance isn't hard to adjust. Backlight bleed I do have at the base, but it's only noticeable with blacks (it is severe with blacks actually, if you really care about that thing, yeah, probably a no-go).
Hmm haven't heard of this shutdown issue, that certainly sounds problematic. From what you said I thought they like had hardware failures (like the shutdown issue) after a while, so I'm glad that's not what you meant
Since you're looking for an ultrabook with a dGPU, you haven't really got any other option. But those suggestions were for what I think are better overall ultrabooks.
I got to use one of the older models, Zenbook UX31E to be exact. (older i7 sandybridge model) I did not test its gaming performance. But the feel of it was solid. The absolute best laptop i have ever used.
I think you cant go wrong with the newer ivy bridge models. Since they have GT 620M gpu and better display resolution and panel.
About the mobile i5 and i7. Intel Core i5-3317U (1.7Ghz Turbo -> 2.4GHz) 2cores / 4 Threads. 3Mbyte L3 cache Intel Core i7-3517U (1.9Ghz Turbo -> 2.6GHz) 2cores / 4 Threads. 4Mbyte L3 cache
So basicly thats a 100€ for 200mhz and 1mbyte more l3 cache. In 3dmark11 physics test i5 does 3100points i7 does 3650points i5-3570K desktop processor does 7800points.
A small upgrade, worth the extra money? dont know.
On September 03 2012 23:36 demtomatoe wrote: I got to use one of the older models, Zenbook UX31E to be exact. (older i7 sandybridge model) I did not test its gaming performance. But the feel of it was solid. The absolute best laptop i have ever used.
I think you cant go wrong with the newer ivy bridge models. Since they have GT 620M gpu and better display resolution and panel.
About the mobile i5 and i7. Intel Core i5-3317U (1.7Ghz Turbo -> 2.6GHz) 2cores / 4 Threads. 3Mbyte L3 cache Intel Core i7-3517U (1.9Ghz Turbo -> 3.0GHz) 2cores / 4 Threads. 4Mbyte L3 cache
So basicly thats a 100€ for 200mhz and 1mbyte more l3 cache. In 3dmark11 physics test i5 does 3100points i7 does 3650points i5-3570K desktop processor does 7800points.
A small upgrade, worth the extra money? dont know.
Fixed the turbo speeds, also synthetic benchmarks are quite useless, real life application results are much more telling, as the end user generally tends to use these rather than run meaningless tests all day. Also, comparing a dual core to a quad in a multithreaded test won't yield meaningful results for the OP, an i3-2100 or ivybridge mobile i5 would have been more useful (but the test 'results' still won't be meaningful).
On September 03 2012 23:50 Pandemona wrote: Why is a dekstop ruled out of the picture btw?
Well, I'd presume because it's relatively hard to transport them to uni, and they don't tend to have the best battery life, etc. Well that's why I personally take an ultrabook to uni over my desktop anyway, I'm perfectly happy with leaving my desktop at home
Oh it's for Uni fair enough. I just see so many people spending £1000s on gaming laptops they think will be better than a desktop to play on at home, and then 1-2 months later posting in here again saying "My Laptop is over heating any help" ;;
Negative. the turbo speeds are correct. Please note that they are ultrabooks, not gaming laptops. so the frequencies are lower to keep the temps down and batterylife up.
On September 04 2012 00:16 demtomatoe wrote: Negative. the turbo speeds are correct. Please note that they are ultrabooks, not gaming laptops. so the frequencies are lower to keep the temps down and batterylife up.
It would appear that cpu-z believes it's running at 2.4 gHz, but the processor is clearly specified to run at up 2.6 gHz with turbo, and with a single stressed core, and no IGP use it definitely wasn't TDP limited. What's also weird is that core temp measures the turbo multiplier going from 25-25.5, and I have seen it read a 26x multiplier on occasion... something doesn't add up here.
On September 04 2012 00:58 ETisME wrote: i would be more concerned about the cooling performance to be honest. never read anything much about whether it does a good job dispersing the heat
The cooling is adequate for the 17W tdp package. It peaks at high 70's for me on a flat surface with a full gpu + cpu load, with ambient room temps of ~20C. The computer's performance is limited by it's power envelope to a much larger degree than heat.
To be honest I'd dish out the money for this version UX32VD-R4002V if I plan to do any gaming on it at all. Otherwise if I am not going to use it for gaming at all I'd go for the i5 version with Intel HD4000 graphics.
It will tell you most of what you need to know about the performance of every single CPU (Very important, those numbers are average FPS with a decent dedicated GPU. In other words, think of it as maximum performance per CPU if other components are good).
Its much better if you make "an Informed decision" than if we jsut tell you what we think is best for you :D.