The classic CPU vs GPU debate; important for new laptop

[ypana3]

I'm not really new to this website, but it's my first time posting, so here goes. I'm getting a new laptop, and found this ASUS laptop for just under $1000. I'm wondering if it'll be able to play most GCN/wii games at a reasonable speed. It has 8GB ram, a Nvidia GeForce GT 740M GPU and an i5 3317U processor clocked at 1.7Ghz. I was wondering whether the processor will slow down the games considerably, as I am looking to play SSBM, Wind Waker, Metroid Prime Trilogy and Super Mario Sunshine (all games that I legally own). The graphics card seems fine, I'm just concerned about the processor, because 1.7Ghz is not very impressive. Also, the specifications describe the GPU as a "4GB DDR3 GT740M" video card. Is there such thing as 4gb dedicated graphics in a $999 laptop, or could it just be an error? Or am I misreading it? I'm looking to use the latest dolphin build, if that's important. Will 'turbo boosting' the computer increase the speed significantly? I doubt it can run Metroid, but will the others work fine? Thank you.

Here's the description from the website:
Intel Core i5 3317U 1.7Ghz (Turbo 2.6Ghz) CPU, 15.6" (1366 x 768) Touch Display, 4GB DDR3 RAM FREE Upgrade to 8G RAM,
24GB + 750GB Hybrid HDD, Intel PM43 Chipset, NVIDIA 4GB DDR3 GT740M
Video Card, VGA (D-Sub), HDMI, DVD-S Writer, Speakers, Wireless-N,
Gigabit Ethernet, 4 Cell 2950mAh Battery, 720P HD WebCam, 1 x USB 3.0, 2
x USB 2.0, SD Card Reader, Windows 8 64bit

(SOURCE: http://www.computeralliance.com.au/asus-v550cb-cj111h-15.6-touch-core-i5-ultrabook-free-upgrade-8g-ram)

[admin89]

http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Core_i5/Intel-Core%20i5-3317U%20Mobile%20processor.html
2.6GHz is single core turbo (Only 1 core active)
2.4GHz is 2 cores turbo which is the max clock speed you can get with Dolphin as long as laptop run cool enough (it probably run hot or maybe overheat since it's not a gaming laptop )
If laptop overheat , CPU clock speed will go down and you will lose performance
My advice : Never buy an ultra low voltage CPU for Dolphin

[LordVador]

(08-08-2013, 10:23 PM)ypana3 Wrote: I'm wondering if it'll be able to play most GCN/wii games at a reasonable speed

It will be too slow for most games.

(08-08-2013, 10:23 PM)ypana3 Wrote: I am looking to play SSBM, Wind Waker, Metroid Prime Trilogy and Super Mario Sunshine

Metroid Prime: No chance.
You'll be more lucky with the other ones

[ypana3]

Ahh shame. Oh well, the laptop is probably going to be good for uses other than dolphin then. How about an i7-3537U processor but Intel integrated 4000 GPU? I'm assuming overheating will still be a problem for most ultrabooks.

[admin89]

You can manually switch GPUs via Nvidia Control Panel , you know

[Zee530]

A $1000 is enough to get you an extremely decent laptop for emulation, give us the address of your local computer dealer and we'll try to pick out something better.

[admin89]

If it's $1200 US dollars then may be something like this thinnest gaming notebook (not compare it to razer blade 14" though)
i7-3537U is a good CPU indeed . However Intel HD 4000 will bottle his CPU if he play Dolphin at high resolution or even play GPU intensive game at low resolution
i5/i7 3xxxM/QM (Ivy Bridge) are older CPUs , i5/i7 4xxxM/MQ (Haswell) are latest CPU atm
Haswell is so much faster than Ivy bridge

[admin89]

Never mind , I found this one (750.45 USD ~ 827.12 AUD )
Shipping Rates to Australia
It has the beast CPU + Intel HD 4600 which is almost 2 times as fast as Intel HD 4000
With Intel HD 4600 , you can still play PC games . Intel HD 4000 is out of the question

[CryZENx]

(08-09-2013, 01:44 AM)admin89 Wrote: Never mind , I found this one (750.45 USD ~ 827.12 AUD )
Shipping Rates to Australia
It has the beast CPU + Intel HD 4600 which is almost 2 times as fast as Intel HD 4000
With Intel HD 4600 , you can still play PC games . Intel HD 4000 is out of the question

i agree with admin89,

here a benchmark intel HD 4000 vs 4600
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9j7QXQAgOA

[ypana3]

I would prefer not to get things off Amazon, because they always have something hidden ($240 AKG headphones went up to $270 without telling me). I was thinking of maybe opting for a $150 more expensive solution in http://www.computeralliance.com.au/asus-v550cb-cj113h-15.6-core-i7-ultrabook-win-8-with--touch . Nearly the same specs as the first post except with the i7-3537U. How would this one perform in comparison to intel HD 4600?

My go-to dealer has usually been http://www.umart.com.au/newindex2.phtml?bid=2