I went from an i3 duo core laptop to an i5 quad core desktop, but the thing that sped it up the most was when I went to an SSD. It still takes a bit to export audio.... I am thinking it is not processor speed that affects that operation. Everything else runs, how do they say it in GB? A treat...

Jim Roseberry
 
Make sure the machine has low/consistent DPC Latency (important to effectively work at ultra low audio latency)
 

You have to look pretty carefully at the footnotes in the Dell spec sheet to find that information.

A fast SSD is roughly three times the speed of a fast conventional HD.
Much faster boot drive than a 2.5" 5400-RPM conventional HD
 
Regarding audio export (bounce/mixdown); that definitely is affected by the speed of the CPU.
 
DPC Latency specs certainly aren't readily available...  
Most laptop BIOS don't expose parameters necessary to achieve lowest possible DPC Latency.
Even with high-end custom laptops, you need a custom BIOS to achieve best possible performance.