[ Doubts] Laptop Purchase

nikufellow

In the zone
First of all sorry for starting a new thread but thought i'd get faster replies this way (?)

am a complete noob in these things and this is my first ever laptop purchase (don't even have had pc's so no real experiences on any stuff f this kind) kindly take some time to answer my queries.


*I understand that the only Ram and hdd are the easily upgreadable parts of a laptop is that true ? Any chances of proccy upgrade ? like 3rd gen i3 with i5 ?
*I've heard that hp only provides win8 64bit drivers for 2314ax - why so? Does that mean we can't install ubuntu or win7 on this lappy ? I thought we could easily install any windows and download latest catalyst/drivers from amd website - why doesn't that work here too ?
*Hp g4 2049tx looks like a viable alternative to this but am turned off by its 14'' screen and lack of num pad , my primary use of laptop will be gaming (don't tell me to buy a desk am staying in hostel) so tell me one thing : "Will there be significant performance boosts on 2313ax in games that supoort CF over 20149tx"
*Does games that support nvidia SLI support CF too ?
*Where to find an authentic list of current and upcoming games that support CF.
*Is there a way to force enable Cf in games like gta IV , i mean , my friend told me about something called radeon pro - which can be used to create profiles in the driver to enable CF that may work in some games also he told me about re naming .exe's , can anybody provide a link or more info on this ?
*Lastly are there any 3rd gen i3/i5 lappy with gt635m within 40k price range available locally ?


PS: I didn't fill the questionnaire as i want answers to specific questions above kindly bare with me ! thanks ;)
 

Hrishi

******************
I dnt know if GT 540m performance comes closer , but I saw one HCL lappy @~37k having CI5 and GT 540m 2GB.

I would be buying a new lappy for gaming and development by the end of march , so I am also in same dillema. :)

*I understand that the only Ram and hdd are the easily upgreadable parts of a laptop is that true ? Any chances of proccy upgrade ? like 3rd gen i3 with i5 ?
AFAIK , only few Core 2 Duo latops allowed to change/upgrade processors if within same TDP.
 
OP
nikufellow

nikufellow

In the zone
I dnt know if GT 540m performance comes closer , but I saw one HCL lappy @~37k having CI5 and GT 540m 2GB.

I would be buying a new lappy for gaming and development by the end of march , so I am also in same dillema. :)


AFAIK , only few Core 2 Duo latops allowed to change/upgrade processors if within same TDP.

thanks for the reply ;)
So it seems only RAM and hdd are upgreadable ATM !
Any help on other questions is highly appreciated
 
1) Processors can't be upgraded in laptops
2) Well you can. Download the drivers 2005ax and install them.Only difference is RAM. Even after that if you get ? in device manager, note down the device ID and google it.
3)Now this is the biggest question. First CF mode will only work in dx10 and dx11 games. It will offer significant performance in games that are sponsored by AMD. (Check the attachments) Done on amd a8+7670. Dx9 games will poorly perform in CF mode. And there are some which will run the same as if on single GPU. I'll prefer A10 above i3 but below i5. However if you can add 3k more to your budget you'll get corei5+7670 which I'll highly recommend.
4)Not necessarily. Games sponsored by amd will support CF more, similarly games sponsored by nvidia will support SLI more.
5) Just open the exe file with radeon pro and go to tweaks and select force crossfire.
6)Can't find any. :(
 

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OP
nikufellow

nikufellow

In the zone
1) Processors can't be upgraded in laptops
2) Well you can. Download the drivers 2005ax and install them.Only difference is RAM. Even after that if you get ? in device manager, note down the device ID and google it.
3)Now this is the biggest question. First CF mode will only work in dx10 and dx11 games. It will offer significant performance in games that are sponsored by AMD. (Check the attachments) Done on amd a8+7670. Dx9 games will poorly perform in CF mode. And there are some which will run the same as if on single GPU. I'll prefer A10 above i3 but below i5. However if you can add 3k more to your budget you'll get corei5+7670 which I'll highly recommend.
4)Not necessarily. Games sponsored by amd will support CF more, similarly games sponsored by nvidia will support SLI more.
5) Just open the exe file with radeon pro and go to tweaks and select force crossfire.
6)Can't find any. :(

Thank you very much
Do you happen to own a trinity laptop , if so , are you satisfied with it ?
can this tweaking with radeon pro benefit all dx11/10 games in CF mode ?
Also one more doubt why did you say the Ram is different and device ids have to be noted ?
Sorry for a pelthora of noob questions like i said am a complete noob in these things !
 

Hrishi

******************
There is Core i5+7670 available for around same price bracket , also the A10+2.5gb GFX [2gb 7670].
Now as a matter of fact the i5 model has only 1gb of VRAM. Whereas the AMD model has 2.5gb of VRAM.

I have read somewhere that most new games demand >1GB or VRAM. Will it still be wise to go for Ci5 for the slight edge over a10 raw processing ???
:totallyconfused:
 
OP
nikufellow

nikufellow

In the zone
There is Core i5+7670 available for around same price bracket , also the A10+2.5gb GFX [2gb 7670].
Now as a matter of fact the i5 model has only 1gb of VRAM. Whereas the AMD model has 2.5gb of VRAM.

I have read somewhere that most new games demand >1GB or VRAM. Will it still be wise to go for Ci5 for the slight edge over a10 raw processing ???
:totallyconfused:
it always reccomended to go for an i5 + 7670m lappy over a10 if you can afford it my dillema however is that within my strict budget the only i5+7670m laptop available is 2049tx but its 14'' and has no num pad .
Also 7670m can barely handle 1 gb let alone 2gb
 

Hrishi

******************
^but for pure gaming , the amd model should beat ci5. SInce games that support CF should benefit from it.
 

tkin

Back to school!!
First of all sorry for starting a new thread but thought i'd get faster replies this way (?)

am a complete noob in these things and this is my first ever laptop purchase (don't even have had pc's so no real experiences on any stuff f this kind) kindly take some time to answer my queries.


*I understand that the only Ram and hdd are the easily upgreadable parts of a laptop is that true ? Any chances of proccy upgrade ? like 3rd gen i3 with i5 ?
*I've heard that hp only provides win8 64bit drivers for 2314ax - why so? Does that mean we can't install ubuntu or win7 on this lappy ? I thought we could easily install any windows and download latest catalyst/drivers from amd website - why doesn't that work here too ?
*Hp g4 2049tx looks like a viable alternative to this but am turned off by its 14'' screen and lack of num pad , my primary use of laptop will be gaming (don't tell me to buy a desk am staying in hostel) so tell me one thing : "Will there be significant performance boosts on 2313ax in games that supoort CF over 20149tx"
*Does games that support nvidia SLI support CF too ?
*Where to find an authentic list of current and upcoming games that support CF.
*Is there a way to force enable Cf in games like gta IV , i mean , my friend told me about something called radeon pro - which can be used to create profiles in the driver to enable CF that may work in some games also he told me about re naming .exe's , can anybody provide a link or more info on this ?
*Lastly are there any 3rd gen i3/i5 lappy with gt635m within 40k price range available locally ?


PS: I didn't fill the questionnaire as i want answers to specific questions above kindly bare with me ! thanks ;)
A. No, only HDD or RAM can be upgraded without voiding warranty, and CPU etc can never be changed.
B. Its half truth, you can find drivers around the web, but not from HP site, from other models may be.
C. Nope, 2313AX will be a lot slower than 2049TX.
D. Yes, most games support CF, but not on the 2313AX, that's assymatric CF and its completely broken, only two games work in it, so in the end 2313AX will be slower than even i3 based(+7670m) laptops in most games, and no chance of even nearing the 2049TX.
E. All games support CF, but most(99%) do not work on the 7660G+7670m cf, so no go there, just forget 2313AX has an internal GPU.
F. Radeon pro has no effects on 2313AX, checked guru3d.
G. No, there are no such laptops, best you can get are:
1. *www.flipkart.com/lenovo-ideapad-z5...95a&srno=t_1&otracker=from-search&query=gt630
2. Lenovo Ideapad Z580 (59-333630) Laptop (2nd Gen Ci3/ 4GB/ 500GB/ Win7 HB/ 1GB Graph) - Lenovo: Flipkart.com
3. Acer V3-571G-33114G75Makk Laptop (3rd Gen Ci3/ 4GB/ 750GB/ Win7 HB/ 2GB Graph) (NX.RZLSI.008) - Acer: Flipkart.com
4. Lenovo Ideapad Z580 (59-333346) Laptop (3rd Gen Ci5/ 4GB/ 500GB/ Win7 HB) - Lenovo: Flipkart.com

Recommended to go with 3 or 4 as the others have only 2nd gen core processor, while 3 and 4 have 3rd gen.

^but for pure gaming , the amd model should beat ci5. SInce games that support CF should benefit from it.
Except two games, none support the CF in AMD Dual graphics based laptops, its a hoax. DX9 titles do not work, even DX11 games which are supposed to work does not.
 

coderunknown

Retired Forum Mod
*I understand that the only Ram and hdd are the easily upgreadable parts of a laptop is that true ? Any chances of proccy upgrade ? like 3rd gen i3 with i5 ?

even if it is possible, you can't simply buy a laptop processor.

*I've heard that hp only provides win8 64bit drivers for 2314ax - why so? Does that mean we can't install ubuntu or win7 on this lappy ? I thought we could easily install any windows and download latest catalyst/drivers from amd website - why doesn't that work here too ?

2014AX = 2010AX. 2010AX has Windows 7 driver ready. Of course you can install Linux. Linux is independent of Windows driver and HP bloatwares. And you are right. For laptop you mainly need 3 drivers: graphics, bluetooth & wifi. usually bluetooth and wifi are bundled in the same package so you'll have to do a bit of trial and error. as for graphics, download and install. rest nothing matters.

*Hp g4 2049tx looks like a viable alternative to this but am turned off by its 14'' screen and lack of num pad , my primary use of laptop will be gaming (don't tell me to buy a desk am staying in hostel) so tell me one thing : "Will there be significant performance boosts on 2313ax in games that supoort CF over 20149tx"

more and more games will become CFX compatible but remember not all. games like Dirt Showdown (upcoming Grid) and Batman Arkham City will show really big gain but some (even being DX11) will not get any kind of benefit. Same for Core i5. If you want to stretch i5 you'll need a better GPU and higher resolution display or a game that take advantage of a fast processor (Dragon Age i guess is one such game).

*Does games that support nvidia SLI support CF too ?

both are different. In short, if game supports DX11, Asymmetric CFX will work. How much will be the gain depends entirely on the game and AMD's driver team.

*Where to find an authentic list of current and upcoming games that support CF.

Crossfire and Asymmetric CFX are not same. And as most games nowadays ship with DX11, so Asymmetric CFX should at least work.

*Is there a way to force enable Cf in games like gta IV , i mean , my friend told me about something called radeon pro - which can be used to create profiles in the driver to enable CF that may work in some games also he told me about re naming .exe's , can anybody provide a link or more info on this ?

he is talking about the normal CFX where you pair 2 similar GPU. In laptops or APUs, you crossfire a discrete GPU with an integrated one. Don't get confused.

*Lastly are there any 3rd gen i3/i5 lappy with gt635m within 40k price range available locally ?

AFAIK none listed in flipkart. You'll have to check locally as some of the models may have been discontinued or Flipkart mayn't have stocked it at the first place.
 
OP
nikufellow

nikufellow

In the zone
thank you Sam !
i was confused between asymmetric cf and normal cf - now its clear.
Just a doubt remains as all dx11 games inherently support cfx all or atleast some of them should scale and perform better than on i5+7670m combo right ? or will i5's processing superiority over a10 overshadow those gains ?
 

tkin

Back to school!!
thank you Sam !
i was confused between asymmetric cf and normal cf - now its clear.
Just a doubt remains as all dx11 games inherently support cfx all or atleast some of them should scale and perform better than on i5+7670m combo right ? or will i5's processing superiority over a10 overshadow those gains ?
No, though AMD claims it, the 7660G onboard is so slow and AMD driver support is so bad that only two/three games are confirmed to work, like Dirt 3 or Just Cause 2, even lots of DX11 titles do not work, for eg: The Ac3 loses performance in CF mode.

so overall the i5+7670m setup is a lot better than going for 2313AX for the promise of hypothetical performance boost in a select few games.
 
OP
nikufellow

nikufellow

In the zone
No, though AMD claims it, the 7660G onboard is so slow and AMD driver support is so bad that only two/three games are confirmed to work, like Dirt 3 or Just Cause 2, even lots of DX11 titles do not work, for eg: The Ac3 loses performance in CF mode.

so overall the i5+7670m setup is a lot better than going for 2313AX for the promise of hypothetical performance boost in a select few games.

okay thanks so that nails it i would be better off buying 2049tx
 

coderunknown

Retired Forum Mod
thank you Sam !
i was confused between asymmetric cf and normal cf - now its clear.
Just a doubt remains as all dx11 games inherently support cfx all or atleast some of them should scale and perform better than on i5+7670m combo right ? or will i5's processing superiority over a10 overshadow those gains ?

even if 7660 is almost as powerful as 7670M, dual GPU gain will be around 30-50%. as i have said, 3rd gen i5 is faster than A10 but in games and specially with low resolution display both the setup will have same performance. If you can live with a 14" display, go for 2049TX. Else 2013AX.
 
OP
nikufellow

nikufellow

In the zone
even if 7660 is almost as powerful as 7670M, dual GPU gain will be around 30-50%. as i have said, 3rd gen i5 is faster than A10 but in games and specially with low resolution display both the setup will have same performance. If you can live with a 14" display, go for 2049TX. Else 2013AX.

thanks again sam.

a few more doubts just cropped up :

*what is 'gigabit LAN' why is there so much hype about it ?
*and i happen to hear that dell laptops can be configured to the liking (?) - so is it possible to have a 14r with i3+7730m+2gb+500gb or the like ? And does this customizing thingy work only if we order online from their website ?
 

dashing.sujay

Moving
Staff member
thanks again sam.

a few more doubts just cropped up :

*what is 'gigabit LAN' why is there so much hype about it ?
*and i happen to hear that dell laptops can be configured to the liking (?) - so is it possible to have a 14r with i3+7730m+2gb+500gb or the like ? And does this customizing thingy work only if we order online from their website ?

1) Gigabit LAN is high speed LAN port with speeds up to 1000mbps against 100mbps of normal LAN.

2) Yes, but not all options are available with all models.
And yes, only online order.
 
OP
nikufellow

nikufellow

In the zone
1) Gigabit LAN is high speed LAN port with speeds up to 1000mbps against 100mbps of normal LAN.

2) Yes, but not all options are available with all models.
And yes, only online order.

i went to dell india website and select the 14r turbo model but cannot find any links to customize it and buy online :/ i'd like to have i3+640m combo if thats possible - tech specs of 14r turbo indicate that its possible but can't figure out how to configure it :/
 

tkin

Back to school!!
i went to dell india website and select the 14r turbo model but cannot find any links to customize it and buy online :/ i'd like to have i3+640m combo if thats possible - tech specs of 14r turbo indicate that its possible but can't figure out how to configure it :/
I don't think customizing hardware is available in India, I never saw a dell laptop in dell India site which can be customized.

Looks like I was right:

*i.imgur.com/pAckjms.png
 
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