Computer question for the geekiest of computer geeks

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Dave_W

The Dude
I've narrowed my laptop search down to two different models and it's brought up a question that only full blown computer geeks would know or even care about. Both laptops are the same with regards to size (17.3" full HD), GPU and 16 GB memory but come with very different CPU's.

Laptop #1 - Core i7 4500U, 4M cache, 1.8 Ghz, dual core with a max TDP of 15 W

vs.

Laptop #2 - Core i7 4700MQ, 6M cache, 3.4 Ghz, quad core with a max TDP of 47 W


Clearly the 4700MQ is a more powerful CPU but it also comes with a heavy power burden as well as a potential heat issues while the 4500U is a ULV and designed to use much less power and produce less heat. Another difference is that the 450U maxes out at 16 GB memory, whereas the 4700MQ can accept 32 GB. If this were a desktop that would be enough of a reason to go with the 4700MQ but I can't see needing more than 16 GB on a laptop (unless my desktop goes down and the laptop is all I have). But on the other hand, a CPU like the 4500U draws 1/4 of the wattage will also increase the battery life considerably (hence the reason they're so popular with the ultra-lights).

So my question is this - is there enough of a difference between these two chips that a human could possibly notice it in real time? Given that both computers are using the same GPU (GT 750M 2GB GDDR5) would that do most of the heavy lifting when dealing with large image files so the CPU's clock speeds and 2 vs 4 cores not make much of a difference? And given that both are powering a full HD 17.3" screen, is that enough of a reason to go with the 4700 over the 4500?

Or on the other hand, am I once again picking fly dung out of pepper and letting my OCD tendencies run amuck? ;) Because I'm known to do that now and then...
 
Eduard

Eduard

Super Mod
Staff member
Super Mod
Dave how are you going to use the laptop? Is it intended to be a desktop replacement? Is it your primary system? Will you use it remotely or mobile at all? What OS? I'm inferring from how you described it that you plan to run Photoshop? What other applications? What are your expectations for how long you will keep it?
 
Whiskeyman

Whiskeyman

Senior Member
No looking at an Apple? Other than the heating issues, and maybe price, it looks like the latter of the two is a much better performer.

WM
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
No, not a desktop replacement. I would like to use it with photoshop/LR in the field when I'm not going to be near my desktop for a few days as well as general home type laptop stuff. And yes, I would like to use it with a mobile connection but still need more information on what, if anything, is available where I plan on using it. Both will be running Windows 8.1. I'm not a "gamer" so I most likely won't be needed much of the GPU and I'm not sure really how many calls to the GPU that PS will be making, so it may be a non-issue all the way around.
 
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Moab Man

Senior Member
My laptop is similar to the first computer and I use Photoshop CS6 and Nik Tools. For this reason I am telling you to go with the second because you shoot with the D800 and those monster file sizes. You will not like the first one. Now... if you would like to trade your D800 for my D7100 and what the heck I will even throw in my D5100 in trade for your D800 then you should go with the first computer. Otherwise, go with the second.
 
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dragion

Senior Member
You can upgrade the ram, you can upgrade the hard drive, but the processor will always be the same...go with the 4700!

my $.02 :)
 
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gqtuazon

Gear Head
Dave - I just recently upgraded my son's laptop for college. He was using a dual core processor and it was definitely slow in today's standard. I purchased the i7 4700 processor and this processor smokes the older laptop by a large margin. You are actually getting 8 processors since it has hyperthreading. I upgraded the hard drive to a Samsung 250 gb SSD card and it has a 16gb RAM and 2gb GTX video card. With the SSD card, the fans barely operate since it is much cooler than the regular hard drives. This laptop is so much fun to use than my aging desktop which is only being powered by a 6 core AMD processor.

FWIW, I purchased mine from cyberpowerpc.com.

CyberPowerPC Gaming Notebooks - Custom Gaming Laptops
 
Patrick M

Patrick M

Senior Member
You care about processing your shots. You don't care about performance. You care about battery life. You care about memory as RAW files are BIG.
Option #1 looks the better one, despite the smaller RAM, but get the biggest HD you can....as that's where your storage will be. Go for SSD too...my slow old PC is blisteringly fast now.
 
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Brian

Senior Member
What camera are you going to use this with? What file sizes? How much processing to you generally do? Using this with a D4 will require a lot less processing power than a D800e.

Since this is a field computer, I would go with the Laptop that provides the longest battery life. The I7 is fast enough to blast through an image file, and most of the time it will be waiting for your input. Lightroom and Photoshop are good at utilizing the uProcessors, max out the Main RAM for either- but 16GBytes is a lot of memory even for something with Microsoft running on it.
 
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PapaST

Senior Member
Since power draw is a big plus about number 1 have you looked at the battery mAh capacities? So for instance, if number one is 1700mAh and number 2 is 3700mAh then to me option 1 is less attractive.
 
Scott Murray

Scott Murray

Senior Member
Another thing I look at when buying a laptop is how much crap is installed as most manufacturers install alot of crap thats not needed. One manufacturer I like and would buy if it was not for being mac involved is DELL as they tend to not put much crap or 'bloatware' on their laptops, and honestly I tend to wipe all HDD clean and install what I want and not what they give me.
 
Scott Murray

Scott Murray

Senior Member
Dave_W said:
No, not a desktop replacement. I would like to use it with photoshop/LR in the field when I'm not going to be near my desktop for a few days as well as general home type laptop stuff. And yes, I would like to use it with a mobile connection but still need more information on what, if anything, is available where I plan on using it. Both will be running Windows 8.1. I'm not a "gamer" so I most likely won't be needed much of the GPU and I'm not sure really how many calls to the GPU that PS will be making, so it may be a non-issue all the way around.
Click to expand...
Graphics Card:
Lightroom does not currently utilize the GPU for performance improvements. It is outlined in the Lightroom documentation here.


[h=2]Adobe Photoshop CS6[/h]Graphics Card:
Photoshop CS6 does utilize the graphics processing unit for enhanced performance. Here is some detail from Adobe staff:
Some features require a compatible video card to work; if the video card or its driver is defective or unsupported, those features will not work at all. Other features use the video card for acceleration and if the card or driver is defective those features will run more slowly.
​
Additional info here.
Processor:
From Adobe:
Photoshop CS5 and CS6 require a multicore Intel processor (Mac OS) or a 2 GHz or faster processor (Windows). Photoshop generally runs faster with more processor cores, although some features take greater advantage of the additional cores than others.
​
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
PapaST said:
Since power draw is a big plus about number 1 have you looked at the battery mAh capacities? So for instance, if number one is 1700mAh and number 2 is 3700mAh then to me option 1 is less attractive.
Click to expand...

Option #1 has a "58Wh" battery while option #2 simply says "up to 4 hrs". If it's as simple as dividing 58 by 15 to get 3.8 hrs, then it looks like the two have very similar battery life.
 
Scott Murray

Scott Murray

Senior Member
When it comes to battery life its like saying 1000 RAW files will fit on a SD card taken by a D800. It all depends on the usage the brightness of the screen and the amount of use you use it for. The less you use it the longer the battery ;-), higher model laptops have built in saving devices and I think its like asking a V8 to do the work of a 4 cylinder, sure it may have double the capacity but it takes half that to achieve the same job as the 4 cylinder does chewing more fuel...
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
Scott Murray said:
When it comes to battery life its like saying 1000 RAW files will fit on a SD card taken by a D800. It all depends on the usage the brightness of the screen and the amount of use you use it for. The less you use it the longer the battery ;-), higher model laptops have built in saving devices and I think its like asking a V8 to do the work of a 4 cylinder, sure it may have double the capacity but it takes half that to achieve the same job as the 4 cylinder does chewing more fuel...
Click to expand...

You make a good point. My current desktop has the older i7 3770 along with a 32GB SSD and it just rips through my 7 exposure HDR's and large panoramas taken with my D800. So maybe I should lean towards the faster of the two chips.

Btw, computer #1 is a Dell Inspiron 7000 and #2 is a Lenovo z710. I've a lot of experience with Dell's but know next to nothing about Lenovo's, hence the reason I'm struggling with the choice. Had the chip arrangement been the other way I would automatically go with the Dell just out of habit. Also, the Dell has a touch screen while the Lenovo does not. And looking more closely at potential Dell computers, there's an XPS model with QHD screen (3200 x 1800) and using an Intel i7 4707HQ that may be a better choice overall (but runs a good $700 more). The only thing about the XPS that I don't like is the 15.3" screen. I wish it were a 17.3" screen, they work so much better with 3 x 4 images.
 
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Brian

Senior Member
If you have a lot of experience with Dell- stick with them. The company and your experience with them should count for something.

It's too bad Micron does not make computers anymore, I still have a Micron Trek II with 3 batteries that hold full charges. It's 16 years old. Great for developing code for embedded processors. If it runs on the Micron, will run on the embedded processor even faster. I've had good luck with HP. Computers these days "get old even faster", if you get 3 years out of them- their totally obsolete.
 
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