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3 laptops powered by Intel’s Core i7 processor

By Brian Nadel
Computerworld (US)
March 23, 2010

FRAMINGHAM - Intel Corp.’s new Core i7 family of processors includes the company’s most advanced mobile chips. First introduced in September 2009, the design was revamped this January. The latest version of the mobile Core i7, called Arrandale during its development, is built on a 32-nanometer fabrication process and offers base speeds that range from 1.06 GHz to 2.66 GHz.

Systems equipped with the new Core i7 can deliver between two and three times the performance of a Core 2 Duo notebook. In other words, these processors and the systems built around them are meant for users who demand high performance — and are willing to pay for it. For example, the Core i7 Extreme Edition lists for a bulk price of $1,054, whereas the Core 2 Duo processors can cost up to $619 but tend to hover more in the $300 range.

To see if the Core i7 family lives up to its billing, I gathered three new notebooks for a high-performance shootout: Fujitsu’s LifeBook E780, Hewlett-Packard’s EliteBook 8540w and Lenovo’s ThinkPad W510.

Inside the Core i7

Intel’s new processors contain 774 million transistors shuttling data back and forth on a sliver of silicon the size of a pinky nail. (In contrast, the Mobile Core 2 Duo and Atom processors found in mainstream notebooks and netbooks have up to 291 million and 47 million transistors, respectively.)

Core i7 processors come with either two or four processing cores, depending on the model (the Core 2 Duo comes with two while the Atom comes with one). Equipped with Intel’s Hyper-Threading technology, each core can handle two streams of calculations. This lets the processor do four — or eight — tasks at once, a capability that is particularly useful when running repetitive calculations, such as in a complex spreadsheet.

Most processors stay at their set clock speed while working, but Core i7 processors can speed up for brief periods to handle particularly intense work. Called TurboBoost by Intel, this process helps the processor act like a marathoner and sprinter in one. For example, the 620M model runs at 2.66 GHz, but will speed up to 3.33 GHz if the operating system senses it needs more processing power and the chip is not overheating. As soon as it gets too hot or the computing load decreases, the chip drops back to its normal speed. It’s all automatic and invisible to the user, but it means higher performance when necessary.

A critical element of the Core i7’s performance is its ability to cache frequently used data and instructions within memory cells; these cells are close to the processing cores, which streamlines the processor’s operation. The chip provides 64KB of Level 1 and 256KB of Level 2 cache as well as 4MB to 8MB of Level 3 cache, depending on the model. The result is that the processor spends less time waiting for data and instructions and more time working.

All this hardware has a dark side: It needs power. According to Intel representatives, while there is some spread based on the amount of cache and clock speed, the Core i7 920XM tends to use 65 watts of power. In comparison, a midrange Core 2 Duo uses about 22 watts and an Atom uses about 5 watts.

This not only drains a battery quicker than you can say “Where’s the closest outlet?” but requires extra cooling from a fan or two to prevent overheating, further cutting into battery life. As a result, most Core i7-equipped notebooks also have six- to nine-cell batteries.

In addition, Core i7 laptops tend to be among the most expensive around. That’s true in part because they’re also among the best equipped; they’re meant for those looking for heavy-duty multimedia machines for work or play. As a result, these systems can cost anywhere from about $1,500 to over $3,000, depending on what options you go for.

But you will get a significant performance boost. Even the slowest of the three Core i7 machines I tested — the Fujitsu LifeBook E780 — ran 63% faster in my tests than a Lenovo IdeaPad Y450 with a 2.53-GHz Core 2 Duo processor.

Buyers who are just looking for a competent system can get what they need for a lot less. But if you’re buzzing through complex spreadsheets, editing high-definition video, streaming an HD movie or working with a 3D CAD model, a full-size notebook with a Core i7 processor is often the best tool for the job.
Fujitsu LifeBook E780

Fujitsu’s LifeBook E780 notebook offers a mix of old and new technologies. It provides businesses with the ability to connect with older hardware while delivering surprisingly strong performance. At $1,557, the review unit lacks some of the features that the HP EliteBook 8540w and Lenovo ThinkPad W510 have.

You can choose from five Core i5 processors and the Intel Core i7-620M. The Core i7-620M sells for a bulk price of $332, less than one-third the price of the ThinkPad W510’s processor.

While the i7 processors used by the other two systems reviewed here (the HP uses the 820QM while the Lenovo uses the 920XM) have quad-core processors, the 620M is only a dual-core processor.

In addition, the processors used by the other two notebooks each have 8MB of Level 3 cache, while the 620M has only 4MB. But the 620M has a base speed of 2.66 GHz that can be boosted to 3.33 GHz, which is faster than even the 920XM’s top speed of 3.2 GHz. In addition, the processors used by the other two notebooks each have 8MB of Level 3 cache while the LifeBook has only 4MB.

How it tested

The LifeBook E780 came in with an overall PerformanceTest 7.0 rating of 960.9. While that compares favorably to a system using an older 2.53-GHz Core 2 Duo processor, such as the Lenovo IdeaPad Y450, it was 33% slower than the ThinkPad W510’s score of 1,443.5.

The LifeBook E780 had excellent scores on Integer and Memory operations on the GeekBench 2 tests. And on CAD tests, it was able to smoothly rotate, zoom and pan the model — but its lower resolution graphics rendered diagonal lines as jagged lines in an annoying sawtooth pattern.

What it offers

The notebook’s gray-and-black design says that this system is all about business, while an added touch of felt on the bottom will protect your desk and/or lap. At 6.4 lbs and 1.5 by 14.6 by 10 in., it’s slightly smaller and lighter than the others reviewed here. Add the lightweight AC adapter and you get a travel package that weighs 7.2 lbs., which is 1 lb. lighter than the EliteBook 8540w.

In addition to its Core i7 620M processor, the review unit came with a midrange configuration that included a 160GB 5,400-rpm hard drive and 3GB of RAM. It can be ordered with up to a 500GB hard drive and 8GB of RAM. It came with a DVD Multi optical drive; a Blu-ray drive would add $450 to the price.

The system came with the rather pedestrian Nvidia GeForce GT 330M graphics processor and 1GB of VRAM. The LifeBook’s 15.6-in. display was not as bright as the Lenovo ThinkPad’s — it is only capable of 1366×768 resolution, half as many pixels as the other two. There’s an optional $75 1600×900 resolution screen, but it still doesn’t come up to the level of detail of the other two systems.

The E780’s ability to connect in a corporate office setting is excellent; it has both an RS-232 serial port and a PC Card slot. These items may be relics of the past, but they allow frugal companies to keep using tried-and-true hardware with the latest processors. For the security-conscious, it has a Smart Card reader and is the only laptop of the three to have this feature.

At a Glance
Fujitsu LifeBook E780
Fujitsu America Inc.
Price: $1,387 (base)/$1,557 (as tested)

The system also includes four USB 2.0 connectors, a flash card reader and ExpressCard slot, and FireWire (IEEE 1394) , eSATA, VGA and DisplayPort connectors. There is also an Ethernet port and a modem as well as Bluetooth and 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity. I was able to stay online 125 feet from my router, the longest Wi-Fi range of the three reviewed here by 10 feet. And if you want to stay connected, you can get optional Gobi 2000 wireless via Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband.

The E780’s battery ran for 1 hour and 50 minutes, slightly longer than the EliteBook 8540w, which has roughly the same battery capacity. Like the other two, the LifeBook comes with a webcam and a fingerprint scanner, but it lacks the convenience of the keyboard light that both the others have.

Bottom line

It may not be the most powerful notebook around, but the $1,557 LifeBook E780 is the least expensive member of this group. You might want to consider it if you just want to step up from a Core i5 system.

HP EliteBook 8540w

With its elegant design and ability to deliver top-flight performance, HP’s EliteBook 8540w is an excellent mobile workstation.

The EliteBook 8540w family can be ordered with a variety of Core i5 and i7 processors. I looked at the most powerful system available, which has a Core i7 820QM chip and 8GB of RAM.

With 8MB of on-chip cache, the Core i7 820QM processor runs at 1.73 GHz and can jump to 3.06 GHz when needed. The CPU alone costs $546, about half the cost of the ThinkPad W510’s processor.

How it tested

Overall, the EliteBook 8540w performed well, with a 1,125.9 score on the PerformanceTest 7.0 benchmark and a 3,681 on the CPUMark tests. This is about 15% off the pace set by the ThinkPad W510 notebook.

As expected, its GeekBench 2 result of 4,629 fell between the scores of the LifeBook E780 and the ThinkPad W510. It did beat the ThinkPad W510 on the GeekBench2 Stream test, which involves thousands of calculations in a complex mathematical array.

The system easily handled the CAD test, smoothly displaying the on-screen model as it rotated, zoomed and panned. But when the work got intense, the heat was on — the EliteBook’s fan exhaust hit an uncomfortable 125 degrees Fahrenheit, 10 degrees hotter than the others.

What it offers

The EliteBook 8540w is one of the most elegant systems I’ve seen. I really liked the dark gray gunmetal brushed aluminum display lid. It doesn’t have Fujitsu’s felt lining underneath but does have a cool pop-out LED light that illuminates the keyboard. The system is also rugged enough to meet many of the Department of Defense’s specs (Mil Std 810G).

At 6.6 lbs. and measuring 1.5 by 14.7 by 9.9 in., this is the bulkiest of the three notebooks reviewed here; its AC adapter is also the largest and heaviest. It also is the only system with a three-prong grounded plug, which could be an annoyance if you’re trying to work in an older building. The EliteBook has a travel weight of 8.2 lbs., which is a pound more than the LifeBook E780.

Under the skin, the notebook offers top-shelf components, including a 7,200-rpm hard drive with a capacity of 500GB. The system came with 8GB of RAM and can accommodate up to 16GB.

The system’s Blu-ray DVD drive mates well with its 15.6-in. screen, which, like the ThinkPad W510’s, has a resolution of 1920×1080. It has Nvidia’s Quadro FX 1800M GPU, which is similar to but more powerful than the Quadro FX 880M that the ThinkPad uses. In addition, while both of the Quadro processors have 1GB of RAM, the FX 1800M uses the latest GDDR5 memory instead of the DDR3 used by the FX 880M. (You can get the EliteBook with the FX 880M, which would reduce the notebook’s price by $216.)

The EliteBook comes with a webcam and a fingerprint scanner as well as two USB 3.0 and three USB 2.0 ports. There are audio, FireWire (IEEE 1394a) and eSATA ports as well as a traditional VGA external monitor connection and a DisplayPort connection.

At a Glance
HP EliteBook 8540w
Hewlett-Packard Co.
Price: $1,679 (base)/$2,944 (as tested)

All this power-hungry hardware added up in my tests to 1 hour and 46 minutes of runtime per charge for its eight-cell battery. That’s slightly shorter than the 1 hour and 50 minutes that the LifeBook E780 was able to get out of its battery and half an hour short of the ThinkPad W510’s 2 hours and 19 minutes.

HP offers an optional secondary six-cell battery for an extra $56. The EliteBook includes a three-year warranty.

The EliteBook 8540w can communicate with the best of them — it includes a modem, an Ethernet connection, Bluetooth and wireless 802.11a/b/g/n. In my tests, it remained connected to my router up to 115 feet, 10 feet short of the LifeBook E780. Like the Fujitsu Lifebook, it offers optional Gobi 2000 wireless via Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband.

Bottom line

While the EliteBook 8540w costs more than the other two well-equipped systems, it includes a three-year on-site warranty on the machine (the battery is covered for one year). Since this is a $120 option on the ThinkPad W510, with that factored in, the two machines cost about the same. However, the ThinkPad is also about 30% faster, so that could be a factor in your as well.

Lenovo ThinkPad W510

The Lenovo ThinkPad W510 offers the most powerful notebook processor available, top-flight components and USB 3.0 connectors.

It’s powered by a Core i7 920XM Extreme Edition processor, with four processing cores, 8MB of on-chip cache and the ability to speed up from 2.0 GHz to 3.2 GHz when necessary. The processor sells for $1,054 all by itself — the cost of two competent notebooks.

The test unit of the Lenovo ThinkPad W510, which sells for $2,879, came with 8GB of RAM; starting at $1,599, there are models with a 1.6-GHz Core i7 720QM processor with 6MB of cache or a 820QM processor with 8MB of cache.

How it tested

The test unit ran rings around the other notebooks with a PerformanceTest 7.0 score of 1,433.5 — 30% faster than the EliteBook 8540w and nearly twice as fast as the LifeBook E780.

With a class-leading CPUMark score of 4,131.7, it did particularly well in Integer and Memory tasks. Its GeekBench 2 testing led this pack of overachievers with a score of 5,907. On the other hand, it lagged behind the EliteBook 8540w on the challenging Stream test in GeekBench 2 by 24%.

The notebook breezed through my CAD software test, smoothly rotating, zooming and panning the model. Even at peak performance, the ThinkPad ’s nine-cell battery outlasted the others with a runtime of 2 hours and 19 minutes, nearly half an hour longer than either the EliteBook 8540w or LifeBook E780, both of which had smaller batteries.

What it offers

At 1.5 by 14.5 by 10.4 in. and weighing 6.5 lbs., the ThinkPad W510 is smaller and lighter than the EliteBook 8540w and the heavier and larger than the LifeBook E780. Its 1.3-lb. power adapter is a lot to carry, making for a travel weight of 7.8 lbs., 10 oz. heavier than the LifeBook E780.

The ThinkPad W510’s configuration is one of the best I’ve ever seen in a notebook and puts many desktop PCs to shame.

Its Nvidia’s Quadro FX 880M graphics engine has 48 parallel processing cores and 1GB of its own memory and is a small downgrade from the EliteBook 8540w’s 72-core 1800M graphics engine. The system has a 15.6-in. display that, like the EliteBook 8540w, can show 1920×1080 resolution. It has two display options: a $70 color calibrator and a $400 touch screen that lets your fingers do the computing.

In addition to a 7,200-rpm high-performance hard drive with a capacity of 500GB, it has a DVD multidrive. A Blu-ray drive is a $500 option.

The ThinkPad W510 includes two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports; one of the USB 2.0 connectors can double as a direct connection to an eSATA hard drive. There are audio jacks, FireWire, VGA and DisplayPort connections.

At a Glance
Lenovo ThinkPad W510
Lenovo Group Ltd.
Price: $1,599 (base)/$2,879 (as tested)

The system provides an ExpressCard slot and a flash card reader, a modem and an Ethernet port, as well as the ability to connect with Bluetooth or 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi. It also offers integrated mobile broadband (Gobi 2000 3G with GPS). In testing, its Wi-Fi range hit a maximum of 120 feet. A bonus for the perpetually mobile is a 3G connection card that also has GPS built in; it adds $125 to the price tag.

Like the EliteBook 8540w and LifeBook E780, the ThinkPad W510 has a fingerprint scanner and webcam. Night owls will appreciate the LED spotlight that illuminates the keyboard; it’s about as bright as the pop-out light on the EliteBook 8540w.

Bottom line

The test system goes for $2,879 with a one-year warranty. The cost of four lesser notebooks, the ThinkPad W510 is worth it because it’s in a class by itself.

Conclusion

The essence of a mobile workstation is providing ultimate performance in a mobile package, often at a price that could purchase several mainstream systems. But if you need ultimate power, these are what you need to look for.

If price didn’t matter, I’d opt for the Lenovo ThinkPad W510 with its top processor, but I would add the optional $400 touch screen. This laptop really does represent what happens if engineers don’t compromise during notebook design.

If my work revolved around graphics, the HP EliteBook 8540w would be my choice, because of its high-end video.

However, it must be admitted that Fujitsu’s LifeBook E780 provides nearly as much processing power for a lot less money, although it’s begging for a 1920×1080 screen. It can’t touch the high-end hardware available on the HP EliteBook 8540w or the ThinkPad W510, but with a few choice options added, this can be a respectable multimedia system for a tight budget.

How we tested

To compare these high-performance laptops, I started by weighing, measuring and examining the major features of each machine. I typed on them, ran presentations, edited and watched videos, manipulated CAD drawings and used them to nose around on the Web.

On each system, I installed the PassMark PerformanceTest 7.0 benchmark test suite, ran it three times and averaged the results. The software tests the major components of the system, including processor, hard drive, 2D and 3D graphics and memory. The CPUMark portion is a compilation of the system’s performance in integer, floating point, finding prime numbers, multimedia, compression, encryption, physics and string sorting.

I also ran GeekBench 2, a benchmark that examines the system’s overall performance. Like Performance 7.0, GeekBench 2 reports scores for Integer and floating point operations, but it also gauges the system memory and the ability to perform complicated calculations.

To examine each system’s graphics and computational abilities, I installed the GLC_Player, which is used to view 3D models, and loaded a .3ds model of NASA’s Cassini space probe. The model is composed of nearly 500,000 polygons, 240,000 vertices and nine surfaces. Once it was on-screen, I rotated and panned and zoomed in and out while looking for smoothness, detail and lag.

To test each notebook’s battery life, I set the system up on my Wi-Fi network, tuned in an Internet radio station and adjusted the volume to three quarters. With PassMark’s BatteryMon software running, I unplugged the system and let it run down with the audio content streaming.

Finally, I rated the Wi-Fi range of each system by walking away from the router with an Internet radio station playing. I marked where the system lost its connection with the server as its range.

Performance results - Core i7-equipped laptops