Need advice on cpu for gaming

[Shaderer]

Hi all I have a budget of 1k-1.3k. I'd like to get a 14" that can be used for gaming (GTA IV, just cause 2, sleeping dogs) and for uni. hope to be able to run these games in at least medium settings.

I also multi-task a lot as I normally run at least 20 tabs in firefox every time I browse, some of which are usually videos.

I'm not too sure whether a quad core is needed for the games listed above and my general usage. Most new models I've seen offer the i5-4200U or i7-4500U, which I understand are useful for prolonging battery life as they are low voltage CPUs. I'm having a hard time in deciding whether to forego a quad core to get a dual core with SSH like in the K451 for faster boot times.

So far I have narrowed down to the following:

Lenovo z410
i7-4702MQ/8 GB RAM/GT 740M/1 TB @ $1299

Asus K450
i7-4700HQ/8 GB RAM/GT 745M/750 GB @ $1299

Asus K451
i5-4200U/4 GB RAM/GT 740M/500GB SATA+8GB SSH @ $999

Asus K551(15.6" screen)
i5-4200U/4 GB RAM/GT 740M/500GB SATA+24GB SSH @ $999

Any advice would be helpful.

 

[Hailgod]

Hi all I have a budget of 1k-1.3k. I'd like to get a 14" that can be used for gaming (GTA IV, just cause 2, sleeping dogs) and for uni. hope to be able to run these games in at least medium settings.

I also multi-task a lot as I normally run at least 20 tabs in firefox every time I browse, some of which are usually videos.

I'm not too sure whether a quad core is needed for the games listed above and my general usage. Most new models I've seen offer the i5-4200U or i7-4500U, which I understand are useful for prolonging battery life as they are low voltage CPUs. I'm having a hard time in deciding whether to forego a quad core to get a dual core with SSH like in the K451 for faster boot times.

So far I have narrowed down to the following:

Lenovo z410
i7-4702MQ/8 GB RAM/GT 740M/1 TB @ $1299

Asus K450
i7-4700HQ/8 GB RAM/GT 745M/750 GB @ $1299

Asus K451
i5-4200U/4 GB RAM/GT 740M/500GB SATA+8GB SSH @ $999

Asus K551(15.6" screen)
i5-4200U/4 GB RAM/GT 740M/500GB SATA+24GB SSH @ $999

Any advice would be helpful.

Definitely not the 2 asus with i5 4200u and 4gb ram.
The difference between the two i7 and the 2 graphics cards are minimal. Its really up to preferances. I would personally choose the lenovo as it has a 1600x900 display as opposed to the asus's 1366x768.

 

[Shaderer]

Definitely not the 2 asus with i5 4200u and 4gb ram.
The difference between the two i7 and the 2 graphics cards are minimal. Its really up to preferances. I would personally choose the lenovo as it has a 1600x900 display as opposed to the asus's 1366x768.

thanks for your reply. yeah im gearing towards the lenovo. they're both the same 1366x768 if im not wrong but i like the feel of the lenovo's keyboard best.

however does the 8GB SSH make a big difference in overall booting times and speed in general for me to warrant purchasing the asus?

after reading on SSDs, im thinking of installing an mSATA SSD somewhere in the future if the z410 supports it.

 

[Hailgod]

thanks for your reply. yeah im gearing towards the lenovo. they're both the same 1366x768 if im not wrong but i like the feel of the lenovo's keyboard best.

however does the 8GB SSH make a big difference in overall booting times and speed in general for me to warrant purchasing the asus?

after reading on SSDs, im thinking of installing an mSATA SSD somewhere in the future if the z410 supports it.

I am not sure about sshd as i dont own one. I use a ssd. However, it should speed up your boot times to near ssd speed. Nothing different from a normal hard drive other than that though. Same read/write speeds. The boot times even with a hard drive should be relatively quick with windows 8.

 

[feitz]

ya... a HD+ (1600x900) or higher display really improves your computing experience.