After all the tests were done, we were able to draw two conclusions. One, Intel's Sandy Bridge architecture is so powerful that even the entry-level model, the Core i3-2310M, is without a doubt fit for gaming. Two, mid-range graphics cards reach their gaming limits so quickly that the choice of processor hardly has any influence over the refresh rate. In three of the four games tested, the CPUs produced results within one fps of each other. Only in Call of Duty: Black Ops did the difference between the least and most expensive CPUs rise to a still not-very-significant 4 fps.

Occasional gamers, therefore, don't need to dish out for a more powerful CPU when choosing a mid-range graphic card. To go along with the Nvidia GeForce GT 540M we'd recommend the Core i5-2410M, which unlike the Core i3 models sports the automatic overclocking feature Turbo Boost and offers the best price-to-performance ratio. Quad-core CPUs or dual-core processors with high clock rates will only start to make a difference when combined with real gaming notebooks or high-end laptops equipped with graphics cards on par with or better than the GeForce GTX 460M or Radeon HD 5870 .