Question on Notebooks:

The price of a CULV-based (SU9400/7300 Dual Core 1.4/1.3 GHz) notebook with optical drive is significantly higher than a mainstream Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz-based laptop. Please tell me the performance hit I may have to take to opt for a sleek and sexy CULV notebook instead of mainstream notebook. I am willing to spend extra for true portability provided the performance is at least comparable to Dual Core T3200 if not Core 2 Duo.

I need to occasionally open medium-sized AutoCAD files, edit pictures in ACDSee, install Norton 2010, do office work , watch movies in DivX, use Skype and surf the Internet.

Submitted by Hasan, via email

Answer:

The performance hit is significant. Intel CULV processors are great for battery life, but in return the processing power is reduced. But for the tasks you mentioned, CULV laptops are more than competent though, as you have noted, expect to pay more for a sleek and portable machine.

However, if you find yourself doing tasks such as encoding videos for your mobile devices, then a budget Core 2 Duo machine is much better for this purpose. Moreover, these come with integrated optical drives and, in some cases, more connectivity options.

So to sum up, the performance difference between Core 2 Duo and CULV processors is significant, though the latter is more than good enough for the tasks you mentioned.