Best value laptop CPU to host meetings

[Bluejay]

Hello,

Does somebody know which would be the best set of specifications to consider for a 12th or 13th gen Intel processor for a laptop that must be able to host and stream Zoom meeting for 10-30 people without lag and with high framerate (given reliable and low latency consistent internet connection)

For example, would more performance cores be better or efficiency ones ?

Would you say that the internal GPU plays a significant role? 

Does somebody know deeply the requirements for audio-video streaming in such a way that i can choose the better CPU for my necessity?

The idea is that i want to save money as much as i can, i know that i could just throw 1500 bucks or more at a laptop and be safe, but I'd like to spend less, as higher end laptop also have other things i do not need

One road i tried to follow, but i need help to go further down the line, is to look at the hardware specification for Mini PCs certified to work with Zoom, for example i found this mini PC, that mounts either a Core i7-12700T or a Core i5-12500T (https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/ish_5869340-5869384-16)

I understand those are Desktop CPUs and that those PCs will run a specific windows install optimized for a special version of Zoom... but how special is that ACTUALLY? 

Couldn't there be a laptop CPU that performs closely?

Are you aware of it?

P.S
I tried to look at Zooms tech requirements but they seem to be tailored towards people that speak to each other and don't care to be seen by everybody at the highest quality possible. so the specs in that case are very low and thus not true.
As soon as you need to be a little more professional look they throw at you mini PCs with desktop CPUs, or 1800 dollars laptops.

But i'm sure that with the correct knowledge you can find the right CPU.

Thank you!

[Ray_Harwood]

Welcome to the Zoom Community, @Bluejay.

You’re correct, in that checking the minimum requirements doesn't really give you the optimum requirements. If you’re hosting and streaming using just the Zoom application, it doesn’t really matter much whether you’re meeting 1-on-1, or talking with a thousand attendees. Your computer does just about the same amount of computing either way, though obviously watching the Gallery View will increase the workload a bit – but not as much as you’d think.

There are many variables in getting the best possible audio and video. Personally, I bought a high-end HP Desktop system 2 years ago, since I sometimes simultaneously run Zoom, ZoomOSC, vMix, OBS, PowerPoint, and VoiceMeeter, and need a system that doesn’t slow down regardless. So whatever system you can afford above the minimum specs will help you, but consider more than just your Zoom needs, if you are running extra supporting software.

Of more interest is your network configuration. Notice I said configuration – not speed. Speed is just one factor, but you want the best possible throughput from your computer to Zoom’s servers. This is always improved by using a direct-wired connection from your computer to it network — WiFi is always going to be slower, with more potential for interference and competition/congestion. If you have an international crowd, make sure you have enabled ALL Zoom Data Centers to handle your network traffic; see this Zoom Support article for details:

https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0060026 

As for GPU, again, get what you can reasonably afford, but know that the Zoom software is tuned to run well on any machine meeting the minimum specs. Anything over the minimum will help.  You can configure some settings to minimize video processing if needed. 

These Zoom Support articles might be of some additional help:

https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0066515
https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0066166