question about tablet processor power and chormebooks

LGG_2

im in the process of researching android tablets to get to replace my old desktop in the next 6 months or so. currently im waiting to see what the new galaxay tab 3 series will be like espeically the plus 3 high end tablet. ive done quite abit of research so im not to bad when it comes to knowing what is what. but i have a question about processor speeds and which are best. i know quad/dual cores are obviously better than single ones and i presume a 1.6GHz is better than a 1.0GHz

but what about a 1.6 GHz ARM dual-core processor. is ARM rated? or are they at the lower end even though its 1.6GHZ? as this processor is in the ARCHOS 101 Titanium 10.1" tablet yet its a very cheap price compaired to others such as the galaxay tab2 which has a 1 GHz dual core. so im kinda wondering what the catch is? is there one.

secondly ive only just come aware of of the chromebooks and its made me look up. realistically id prefer a laptop style with a keyboard tablet. (looked at the asus transformers which covered all my needs but the lower end priced one isnt on the market much anymore and id prefer to get something new to the market rather than buy an old one only for something better to come out two mins after id bought it. so the chromebook could suit my needs. what are peoples opinions of it as doing a google the chormobooks seems quite controversal shall i say?

Cisco001

Is this your primary device?
If yes, I suggest you get a cheap laptop. I don't think a tablet can replace a proper PC.
And I don't recommend Chromebook as you can find a Windows laptop with same amount of money.

clangnuts

Tablets are great, but I also don't think they can completely replace having access to a real computer.

Johnmcl7

LGG wrote: »

but what about a 1.6 GHz ARM dual-core processor. is ARM rated? or are they at the lower end even though its 1.6GHZ? as this processor is in the ARCHOS 101 Titanium 10.1" tablet yet its a very cheap price compaired to others such as the galaxay tab2 which has a 1 GHz dual core. so im kinda wondering what the catch is? is there one.

Almost is every processor in mobile phones and tablets is an ARM processor - ARM design the processors and companies can either license the exact design and use it as is 'off the shelf' or they can get a further license to redesign the processor and produce their own version.

For example, Samsung for their own processors (exynos) use the off the shelf version of the processors so mainly at the moment it's dual or quad Cortex A9's. The Nexus 10 and the new Chromebook use a pair of the more powerful new Cortex A15's and the Galaxy S4 uses a mix of four Cortex A15's with four low power Cortex A7's to mix performance and power efficiency. The general evolution for the top end processors has been Cortex A8 (single) -> Cortex A9 (dual) -> Cortex A9 (quad) -> Cortex A15 (dual) -> Cortex A15 (quad).

Qualcomm on the other hand license the ARM design but then customise it, they call their main platform Snapdragon and the current version is the S4 or Krait although I don't think it's being used in many tablets, if any.

When comparing processors you need to check what the processor actually is as a low clocked dual Cortex A15 will be faster than a higher clocked dual Cortex A9. Archos generally offer more budget orientated devices so they may skimp a bit in some areas to get the price down compared to rivals.

I don't really see the point in Chromebooks these days, they made sense a few years ago when low power processors were struggling to run full operating systems but now I think the money is much better spent on a low end laptop which is far more capable. I also agree with the posts above that I wouldn't consider replacing a desktop/laptop with a tablet device, they're not simply not anywhere near as capable.

John

nedmundo

You'd be pushed to beat a Nexus 7 tablet for VFM - get a good basic laptop as well. Best of both worlds.

LGG_2

thank for your opinions folks. abit more info for you. i currently have a nearly 10 year old xp desktop. it works perfectly well for what i need it for which is very little. but obviously it needs changing for a couple of reasons. one the xp and two ill be moving abroad hopefully next year so certainly dont want to lug a old and heavy desktop with me.

a laptop is out of the question for me. i want to get away from windows and everything that comes with it.the updates the anti virus stuff.computers stress me out so i want to make it as stress free as possible. i currently use my desk top for very little. i only need a comp/tablet for going on message boards email, saving pictures.thats it. yet windows has so much more than that.something that i dont need along with the hassle of being pretty much totally useless when it comes to comps. thats why im looking at a tablet i want to simplyfi everything. I have a smart phone and currently do 90% of things on that even though its only a 4 inch screened device bar banking which is easier on a p.c. i find it easy to use and certainly alot less stressful and actually enjoyable!!. it basically has everything i need in a computer/laptop/android but without the hassle and stress that comes with a windows device

thats also why im kinda intrested in the chrombook aswell as it looks like a simple device,isnt windows and doesnt seem to have the A.V issues that windows does. but over all im looking towards a 10 inch tablet.

Humphrey10

Since getting my iPad I haven't used my laptop much - I don't think I've touched it at all for the last six months. I can't think of anything that I'd want to do at home that a PC or laptop would do that an iPad couldn't, other than high quality games (which is what my PS3 is for!).

Unless there is something very specific that you know you need a laptop for (like spreadsheets, word processing (eg writing a novel or an essay, not just an e-mail), specialist software), then don't waste your money on one just because people tell you that you will need one.

Handsome90

Agree with Humphrey10. It all depends on what you'll be using the tablet for.

I gave my mum my old laptop and she turned it on only once! The reason is because she already has a tablet which fulfils all her needs. So a laptop for her is pretty much pointless.

But me on the other hand can't live without my laptop. I edit photos, videos, watch tv shows on it and need it for word processing.

Did you look at other tablets other than Tab 3? How about Nexus 7 or an iPad?

JJ_Egan

Grunt work requires a PC or powerful Laptop.

Average user should be able to do all they want on a ten inch tablet .
My Note 10.1 is in many ways faster than my PC and with a 2TB NAS storage is not a problem .

Chrome-books just get a feeling that its dead in the water as a concept and stands a good chance of being dropped .
Talk about an Android OS for laptop is certainly in the wind over at Google campus .

jje

LGG_2

thanks to the two H's. thats my issue. other than the keyboard a laptop is no better for me than a tablet. because i only use the comp for the internet/email. i dont need all the extras and the hassle that come with a laptop such as spread sheets etc etc. when i can get everything i need on a tablet.

im looking for at least a 10 inch tablet so a nexus 7 is out of the question also it has no memory card slot. 7 inches are nice imo if you already have a laptop but i want a bigger screen as possible if its going to be my main device. i dont want an ipad as i dont see the point of paying more just to have an apple.i like my android phone so would rather stick to something i know. my main issue is with the storage. for example the asus transformer is perfect for me as i wanted something that i could transfer photos to very easily. and that had not only a micro card slot but also a standard sd card slot so i could transfer straight from my camera. it also had a keyboard aswell. pretty much perfect. the only issue is that is quite an old model now and i dont see it for sale much.id rather get something that has just come out rather than buying an older model and then the week after see a band new one twice as good released. also the top end transformers which are available now are abit expensive aswell.money isnt an issue but i dont want to spend silly money either

so then i did abit of research and saw you could buy keyboards separatley and also theres adopters for the samsung range where you can use a SD memory card aswell as a mini one and im also in the process of transfering all my pics from my desktop onto micro memory cards aswell so thats not as a major issue as it was.

so then i saw the info about the new tab3 release and the high end plus 3 tab looks pretty good. my main issue other than the storage is a high res screen and a good processor and from reports the plus 3 looks like it will excell is in that department. it looks like it might out around september so i guess i will wait to see what that is like and what else comes along in the mean time. the only thing that was confusing me was some of the processor speeds and all the different names and which one is the leader at the mo

Talk about an Android OS for laptop is certainly in the wind over at Google campus .

now that to me would be heaven lol