Intel Core i5-540M OR Intel Core i7-720QM?

I7. No question. For rendering and heavy multitasking you want a quad.

Plus it can turbo to 2.93GHz across a single core if needed.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.