Today’s laptop technology has really improved from the 386 laptops of the prior years to the multi-core notebook technology of today. These multi-core laptops for isntance a core i5 laptop are known for their great efficiency and improved performance over the single core processors that have been the norm of yesteryears. To describe their functioning, it is best to think of one laptop processor divided into many different subprocessors. That’s what where the name came from: each subprocessor is called a “core.”

 

The first multi-core to arrive was the Dual Core technology, spearheaded by the Pentium Dual Core by Intel and the subsequent ones by AMD. Through time, the technology was constantly improved until the quad cores or 4-core processors came out, followed by the “i” Cores. The Core i5 laptop CPU then came in and impressed many with its power; however, it is still a notch lower than the ultimate “smart” processor: the Intel Core i7.

The Core i5 laptop will have at least 2 cores and at most 4 cores.

 

All that power put together results to only one thing: a fast and seamless performance that will make short work of any task that you have put together. With the Core i5 laptop’s processing capabilities, it is certainly built to accomplish whatever tasks given to it.

 

Laptops are everyone’s handy companions. Businessmen use them, students utilize them and even gamers make use of them for their work. Hence, since they have such a broad range of users, laptops need to be able to meet a wide array of needs. Because of its capabilities, the Core i5 notebook is the best response to such a need. Fortunately, there are already laptops available in the market that have been fitted with Core i5 processors.

 

 

MicroExpress NBL 50

 

 

One of these core i5 laptops is the Micro Express NBL 50. This one comes with a DDR3 RAM bank that is capable of supporting up to 8 gigabytes of memory. We know that powerful processors work so fast that they eat up memory quickly as well, and when they run out of memory that’s when they start to freeze up. That is how the NBL 50’s large memory bank is so useful.

 

The NBL 50 comes with a large hard drive capacity as well.

 

The Micro Express NBL 50 is estimated to be priced at about $1,200.

 

SPECS
Graphics	ATI HD 5650 (Madison) 128 bits, DDR3 1GB VRAM
Memory	Up to 8 Gigabytes of RAM
Display	Support 15.6” WXGA(1366 x 768) with LED backlight
	Support 15.6” WUXGA Full HD (1920 x 1080) with LED backlight
Hard drive capacity	320GB,500 GB 7200 RPM SATA
	60GB, 120 GB Solid State Drive

 

PROS

The Micro Express NBL 50 comes with a dedicated graphics controller. With 1GB worth of video RAM, the NBL 50 is ideal for gaming, entertainment and business.

 

 

CTL TW9

 

Dubbed as the “Travel Master,” the CTL TW9 is your versatile, carry-around computer. With the Core i5 mobile processor and other great features, the CTL TW9 will satisfy the needs of even the most meticulous computer user out there. It performs great in typical office tasks, business and multimedia. A little gaming can also be done on the side.

 

The estimated base price of the CTL TW9 is $1,099.

 

SPECS
Processor	Intel Core i5 2.53 GHz
Memory	2 GB DDR3 RAM
Operating system	Microsoft Windows 7
Graphics	nVidial® GeForce 9600M-GS 512MB
Display	15″ WXGA Wide Screen LCD, 1280 x 800 Max Resolution
Hard drive	320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive

 

PROS

The CTL TW9 is fast, with a 2.53 GHz Core i5 processor operating behind the scenes. It also has enough hard disk capacity.

 

CONS

Compared to the other two Core i5 laptops, in this review, the CTL TW9 has a much smaller RAM capacity at 2 gigabytes. Plus, its graphics card only has 512 MB of RAM to allocate for video making it perform at a lesser capacity compared to the NBL 50 and the Acer Aspire AS5940G, which both have 1 gigabyte of VRAM to play with.

 

 
Acer Aspire AS5940G

In terms of performance, the Acer Aspire AS5490 is the least out of the  Core i5 laptops in this review. It has only a 1.6GHz Corei5 handling all its threads and programs. To compensate, however, the AS5490 has 4 gigabytes of RAM, twice that of the CTL TW9 and half of what Micro Express NBL 50 has. It also has a 1-gigabyte video graphics controller, the ATI Radeon HD4650.

 

The price for the Acer Aspire AS5940G is at the $2,200-$2,600 range.

 

SPECS
Processor	Intel Core i5 1.6 GHz
Memory	Up to 4 gigabytes of RAM
Graphics	ATI Radeon HD4650 1GB
Screen size	15.6 inches
Battery life	3 hours

 

PROS

The Aspire AS5490G has a large RAM capacity to make up for its slower processor, thus ensuring the same seamless performance that another Core i5 laptop might have. Plus, it also has a 1-gigabyte video card to handle its graphics rendering.

 

CONS

It has a very short battery life of 3 hours. It also has no Blu-Ray DVD support.

 

 
Asus X77
 

 

The Asus X77 is powered by the Intel Core i5-430M that runs on clock speed of 2.26 MHz and can be Turbo Boosted to 2.53 GHz.  The Core i5 in the Asus X77 is backed by up to 4 GB of RAM.  Asus also provided the Asus X77 with a dedicated graphics card in ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730.

 

The Asus X77 comes with a large 17.3-inch liquid crystal display that carries a 1600 x 900 resolution and a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9.  The Asus X77 could carry up to 1 TB of digital files, thanks to its dual hard drive system.  One could load the Asus X77 with two hard drives of 500 GB each, and have a very large storage space for any large file – HD movies, music and games. 

 

Estimates show that the Asus X77 would cost at around $1400 and up.

 

SPECS
Central Processing Unit	Intel Core-i5 430M 2.26 GHz processor
	with Turbo Boost of up to 2.55 GHz
Random Access Memory	Up to 4 GB
Graphics Support	ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730 GPU
Screen size	17.3 inch
Screen Resolution	1600 x 900
Storage Space	Up to 1 TB, dual hard drive of 500 GB each
Optical Drive	multi-format DVD burner

 

PROS

The Intel Core i5 embedded in this laptop surely provides the needed performance for optimum gaming experience, even on the run.  Providing support is a large amount of memory, including from the dedicated graphics in ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730. The Asus X77 could store a very large amount of files with its 1 TB hard disk.

 

 
Dell Alienware M15x

The present Dell Alienware M15x comes with two processor options – the Intel Core i5 and the Intel Core i7.  The Dell Alienware M15x with Intel Core i5 may contain the Intel Core i5-520M or the Intel Core i5-540M. 

 

The Dell Alienware M15x Core i5 laptop version is loaded with up to 4 GB of random access memory as well as 1 GB of VRAM in the Nvidia GeForce GTX 260M.  The Dell Alienware M15x Core i5 version also comes with a full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

 

SPECS
Central Processing Unit	2.4-GHz Intel Core i5-520QM with Turbo Boost
	2.53-GHz Intel Core i5-540QM with Turbo Boost
Read Access Memory	4 GB
Storage Drive	SATA 250GB Hard Drive 7,200 rpm
Optical Drive	BD-ROM/DVD /-RW
Display Size	15.6 inches
Native Resolution	1920 x 1080
Dimension	14.9 x 12.2 x 1.9 inches
Graphics Card	Nvidia GeForce GTX 260M with 1 GB VRAM
Weight	9.0 pounds

 

Pros

The Dell Alienware M15x with Intel Core i5 is just a level down from its more powerful twin, the Dell Alienware M15x with Intel Core i7.  The Dell Alienware M15x with Intel Core i5 offers awesome graphics, full HD display and a Blu-Ray ready drive.

 

Cons

Dell Alienware M15x comes with an average audio system.  With nine pounds of weight, some people might find the Dell Alienware M15x too heavy.

 

 
HP Pavilion dv7t
 

The HP Pavilion dv7t could now be loaded with the much powerful Intel Core i5 notebook processors.  The latest upgrade of the HP Pavilion dv7t contains up to 8 GB of memory backup and either a gigabyte of NVIDIA GeForce GT 320M or 512 MB of GeForce G 105M. 

 

The HP Pavilion dv7t could be loaded with the dual hard drive option, transforming it into a 1.28 TB laptop.  The HP Pavilion dv7t’s liquid crystal display sports a 16:9 aspect ratio. Being a multimedia laptop, the HP Pavilion dv7t is loaded with an integrated TV tuner, Altec Lansing stereo speakers, Web cam and an array of connectivity features like USB ports and card reader.

 

The HP Pavilion dv7t with the Intel Core i5 is pegged to sell starting at $999.

 

SPECS
CPU	Intel Core i5-430M processor (2.26GHz, 3MB L2 Cache)
	with Turbo Boost up to 2.53 GHz
	Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-520M processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L2 Cache)
	with Turbo Boost up to 2.93 GHz
RAM	Up to 8 GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Hard drive	Up to 1.28 TB
Graphics	512MB NVIDIA GeForce G 105M
	1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 320M – For i3, i5 and i7-620QM
Display	17.3″ diagonal (1600 x 900)
Dimensions	16.2″ x 10.9″ x 1.37″~1.70″
Weight	7.74 lbs

 

PROS

The HP Pavilion dv7t offers awesome multimedia experience whether games, movies or music, thanks to its powerful processor, large amount of memory, hardcore graphics card, more than 1 TB of disk space and high-quality video and audio.

 

CONS

The powerful specs contained in the HP Pavilion dv7t’s box causes some uncomfortable warmth when subjected to prolonged usage.

 

 
Lenovo ThinkPad T410s
 

The Lenovo ThinkPad T410s is powered by Intel’s Core i5 laptop processor; with choices of Intel Core i5-529M 2.4 GHz or Intel Core i5-540M 2.53 GHz processor.  Backing this powerful processor is up to 6 GB of DDR3 or up to 8 GB of DDR4 RAM.

 

Quite a feature of the Lenovo ThinkPad T410s is its switchable graphics.  One may alternated between an Intel integrated graphics chipset and a dedicated video card in Nvidia NVS3100m discrete graphics with 512 MB of VRAM.  

 

The Lenovo ThinkPad T410s comes around with a price tag estimate starting at $1,399.

 

SPECS
CPU	Intel Core i5-529M 2.4 GHz processor
	Intel Core i5-540M 2.53 GHz processor
RAM	Up to 6 GB 1067 MHz DDR3 (4 GB 1333 MHz + 2 GB 1067 MHz)
	Up to 8 GB 1333 MHz DDR4 (4 GB 1333 MHz x 2)
Hard drive	80GB or 128 GB SSD, 160 GB (5400/7200 rpm)
	250 GB (5400/7200 rpm) HDD
	320 GB (5400/7200 rpm) HDD
	500 GB (7200 rpm) HDD
Graphics	Intel integrated graphics and Nvidia NVS3100m discrete graphics 512 MB
Display	LED, 14.1 WXGA+ (1440×900) 16:10
	LED, 14.1 WXGA+ 1440 x 900 MultiTouch
Dimension	13.1″ x 9.4″ x 1″ – 1.25″
Optical Drive	9.5 mm CD/DVD drive with BluRay option
Battery Life	22 hours on 9-cell battery

 

Pros:

The Lenovo ThinkPad T410s boasts of having an Intel Core i5 processor powering its operations as well as a vast army of RAM and a switchable dedicated graphics.  The Lenovo ThinkPad T410s could last up to 22 hours of usage if loaded with a nine-cell battery and around six hours with the six-cell battery.

 

Cons

The Lenovo ThinkPad T410s lacks enough VRAM to support hardcore games.

Related posts:

1. Quad Core, now Core i7 laptops.
2. Core i7 Laptops
3. Quad Core Laptops

Tags: core i5 laptop, core i5 laptops, core i5 notebooks

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