If you need some help in choosing the best processor for a laptop computer, you have come to the right place. Besides providing some tips on choosing one, we will also put forth some information on the best chips from Intel and AMD.
Intel everywhere!
Intel alone accounts for over 80 percent of the laptop processor market. When buying a new laptop, the first thing that you need to take into consideration is the processor specification. That shouldn’t really come as a surprise considering that the processor speed is the one thing that will significantly affect the performance of your laptop. Simply put, it’s this tiny chip that decides the performance level of your machine.
How to Choose a Processor?
For those of you who are new to computing, here are some things that you need to take into consideration while choosing the best laptop processor.
Clocking Frequency
The one thing that you should primarily look for is the clocking frequency of the processor. It is usually mentioned in specifications. The simple rule of the thumb is: greater the frequency of a processor, greater is its processing speed. The clocking frequency is always mentioned in Gigahertz (GHz) and some of the best computer processors in the market today work in the range of 3 – 4 GHz barrier.
Number of Cores
Besides the processing speed, you should also look for the number of processor cores. Today processors are built with as many as two, four, and six cores. More the number of cores, more is the number of threads or independent tasks that a processor can handle simultaneously. You will have to be a little careful with this aspect though. It might so happen that you end up spending a fortune on buying a six core processor, while in reality, a four core processor would have been sufficient for your use. In fact, a four core processor will be more than sufficient for home use.
Cache Size
The third factor to be looked into is the L2 or in some cases, L3 cache size. This size, which is usually specified in MB, affects the processor performance substantially. It’s the working memory of the processor cache, so a higher L2 and L3 cache translates into faster performance. Besides this, it also comes handy when the processor has low heat dissipation and an integrated graphics processing unit (GPU), which can boost your video card performance.
Which is the Best Processor For a Laptop in 2014?
When choosing the best laptop processor it comes down to two prime brands; one is Intel and the other is AMD. Currently, Intel is miles ahead of AMD, thanks to the recent breakthroughs in the Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost technologies. AMD chips are substantially cheaper than those of Intel, but the latter offers the best chips in the market as of now.
Best Intel Processor For Laptops
The Intel Core i7-4940MX is the best CPU of the existing lot. With four cores, eight threads, base frequency of 3.1 GHz, and a maximum turbo frequency of 4 GHz, this is undoubtedly the best processor in the market as of today. It belongs to the Haswell family of Intel chips, which are known to be more power-friendly than the Ivy Bridge processors that preceded them. Add the in-built Intel HD Graphics 4600, and things become even better, especially if you intend to use the machine for gaming. If you are going for i7, it is very likely that you are into gaming or graphic designing.
Other good Intel processors that you can take into consideration are …
- Intel Core i7-4930MX
- Intel Core i7-4980HQ
- Intel Core i7-4910MQ
- Intel Core i7-3940XM
- Intel Core i7-4900MQ
Best AMD Processor For Laptops
The forerunner is AMD A10-7400P APU, with 10 operational cores (4 CPU and 6 GPU cores), 4 MB L2 Cache, and a max clocking frequency of 3.4 GHz. It’s a top-of-the-line processor offered at a reasonable price. The new line of chips introduced by the company are based on AMD Fusion technology, which combines a processor and graphics card to provide superior gaming performance; the AMD A10-7400P APU, with Radeon R6 Graphics on board, is no exception. That it comes with a mid-range price tag shouldn’t really come as a surprise considering that AMD is known for its budget-friendly chips.
Other AMD processors worth considering are ..
- AMD FX-7600P
- AMD A8-7200P
- AMD A10-5750M
- AMD A10-5757M
- AMD A10-4600M
In the end, you have to look for features, performance, and also the cost. We would personally recommend you to go for the core i7 series, that’s if you can spend that much, as they are the top rated processors in the world at this point of time. Ultimately, however, the decision is yours to make. Just make sure that you don’t end up spending leisurely on high-end specs that you will probably never use.