A year ago people where asking, quad core laptop or duo core laptop. Things have moved on and the current, latest and greatest, is Core i7 laptops.  The Intel Core i7 is the successor to the Intel Core 2 brand. The current models still use 4 cores so it is still technically quad core laptops, but will soon utilize up to 6 cores, all of them hyper threaded.

The geek stuff.

The mobile version of the Core i7 has 6-8 MiB of layer 3 cache. It uses a uPGA-989 socket with minim feature size of 42 nm. The TDP is 45-55 W.

Take a look at this gaming benchmarks from the PC Games Hardware. The core i7 blasts its competition away.

Do you need a core i7 laptop?

They come at a price the Dell/Alienware M15x for starters will have a base price of $ 1 499. The core i7 will for now mostly appeal to gamers who are always looking to get an extra few FPU’s. The core i7 does have the advantage of very low power usage even while performing at incredible speeds. Who doesn’t want a laptop with long battery life? As software require an ever more powerfull laptop everybody will soon find themselves shopping for a core i7 laptop.

Quick overview of Core i7 Laptops available.

Dell/Alienware M15x: Core i7 CPU with Nvidia discrete graphics, 8GB of RAM.
Dell Studio 15 and Dell Studio 17: Core i7 CPU with Radeon 4000-series discreet graphics.
Asus M60J soon 2 more gaming laptops will be released The G60J and the G51J.
HP Pavilion DV8 18.4, the laptop features Core i7 and Geforce GT 230.
HP Envy 15 claimed by HP to be the fastest consumer laptop ever, need we say more.

We cant wait until the Core i7 laptops come out later this year with 6 cores. Until then enjoy these core i7 laptops.

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2. Quad Core Laptops
3. Core i7 Laptops

You can ask your resident techie who would only dazzle you with terms like cache coherency circuitry or simultaneous multithreading. Or you could ask your dad. He bought it, he thinks it’s better though he can’t give pinpoint why, and he recommends you buy one for yourself.

Let me first point out the obvious. Both are processors: a dual-core has two cores and a quad-core has four. A core is synonymous to a CPU or control-processing unit. And there are benefits and drawbacks to choosing one over the other.

Having a multi-core processor boosts multitasking. It isn’t a new concept. Several tasks — if run on the server — can be worked on by several processors enabling the system to function faster. Each processor handles a separate stream of data and as most users work on several applications at the same time, it makes sense to have more than one processor for enhanced performance. What Intel and AMD did was integrate multiple physical processors in one chip.

That’s the theory. For it to actually work, the software must be prepared to function that way. Compatibility is an issue. Software companies have to keep up with the processor industry. It takes some time for it to catch up. And that is why dual-cores outperform the quad-cores. I’m certain that a year or two from now, the quad-cores will receive all the accolades.

If you’re the type who constantly upgrades, most of your applications would probably function better with a dual-core processor. If the software that you’re using is already compatible with the quad-cores then by all means, go for it. Also take a look the more notable quad core laptops on the market at the moment.

Read about: Core i7 laptops.

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2. Quad Core Laptops