Hmm... i3 or i7?

Mez

Mez

Active Member
Alright heres the deal... I'm looking at 2 laptops right now and having a hard time choosing between both of them

Specifications:

Laptop 1
i3-380m @ 2.53Ghz.
4GB DDR3 RAM
500 GB Hard Drive (Plenty enough for me)
AMD (ATI) HD 5650 Mobility
5.1 Surround Sound audio support
Screen supports UPTO 1080p (18.3in)


Laptop 2
i7 2620 @ 2.70Ghz
4GB DDR3 RAM
500 GB Hard Drive
nVidia GeForce GT 525m
Screen supports UPTO 1366x768.

Laptop 1 costs $200 LESS than laptop 2. Laptop 1 has a better screen and better video card. Laptop 2 has the better processor.

It's hard to choose, but which one would you guys take?
 
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god i want both, but this is hard, i was going to say the i3 cuz it'll do and save battery, but then i noticed 2 is sandy bridge, but i guess go 1, this is a delima.
 
I would probably go with the i7, since I don't really like huge-screened laptops and I don't really play any games, so the better CPU would benefit me more than the good GPU. What brand is each laptop, though? I would also try to see what brand of hard drive each laptop uses.

Also, you could always build your own laptop using an MSI Whitebook: www.msiwhitebook.com
 
if he's looking at laptops like this and knows that one's gpu is better then i think he wants it for gaming, i wonder how easy it is to upgrade gpu's on a laptop, but i know you could upgrade to an i7 mobile later, too bad that'll run like 5-600, i'd go i3.
 
the i3-380m will chew through pretty much anything in gaming and multimedia these days. Mine has yet to reach 100% use (generally tap out the GPU first). Go for the i3 to get the better GPU. Latter on if you need a better CPU, you can get an i5 or i7 and ebay your i3 and get a good bit of the upgrade cost back.
 
Yes, I am pretty knowledgeable about PC parts, but when it comes to laptops I pretty much am dumbfounded.

Laptop 1 is an Acer

Laptop 2 is a Dell XPS

To be honest, I would most likely use these laptops to do some on the go gaming.

Im leaning torwards Laptop 1 as it has the better graphics, better resolution, and how wolfe said, the i3-380m has many great reviews, and packs a hole bunch of processing power. AND on top of that it has an 8-cell battery which allows alot of life between charges, although I'd probably leave it plugged in anyways.

BUT... I really wouldn't mind having an i7 sandy bridge...
 
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you really wont need it gaming. My Acer has the 380m and GT540m, and it blows throw everything I throw at it except for one thing (The XP OS, no GPU driver, and could not mod it to accept).
Acer is good, if you dont need the bloatware that they come with to work out of the box (my 2 acers have yet to burn a restore disk properly.) They seem to have a heating issue with the power inverter (the plug in). They get beyond hot to the touch. I keep mine taped to the Ac duct under the desk.

just some research for you.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5650.23697.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-i3-380M-Notebook-Processor.37085.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-525M.43889.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-i7-2620M-Notebook-Processor.40108.0.html
 
I would take the second one, cuz you will see how faster it is then the first one.
It has i7 second generation!!!
 
In gaming it really isnt going to make a hell of a lot of difference. The GPU is the deciding factor for games. The 5650 will blow the 525 out if the water. As was stated, yet to see 100% CPU utilization with the 380m, but see 100% GPU utilization all the time. And thats with a GT540 OC'd. The 540 is 3 steps above the 525 on stock settings. The 5650 is going to make more of a difference than a quad core will with a weak card.
 
Alien! Where? said:
Yes, I am pretty knowledgeable about PC parts, but when it comes to laptops I pretty much am dumbfounded.

Laptop 1 is an Acer

Laptop 2 is a Dell XPS

To be honest, I would most likely use these laptops to do some on the go gaming.

Im leaning torwards Laptop 1 as it has the better graphics, better resolution, and how wolfe said, the i3-380m has many great reviews, and packs a hole bunch of processing power. AND on top of that it has an 8-cell battery which allows alot of life between charges, although I'd probably leave it plugged in anyways.

BUT... I really wouldn't mind having an i7 sandy bridge...
Click to expand...
I would personally definitely go for the XPS. Some people have good luck with Acers, and Acer has seemed to have improved a bit in recent years, although I still see them as a cheap-ish brand. I would have a lot more trust in the Dell. Besides, you said it was cheaper, right? That means that you'll probably get better gaming performance for a lower price. I don't see how you could go wrong. ;)

Of course, battery life could be a bit mediocre. That's something that you can probably look up reviews for.

Don't forget about building your own laptop, though. Building your own computer always feels more rewarding. :)
 
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how do you get better gaming performance from a cheaper gpu from a better cpu that all it does is drvers and a small portion of gaming in comparion, and for that itzilya, for what he is doing, there will be better performance but he will not notice this as the i7 one will hold him back actually do to cheaper gpu, u and spy both don't seem to get that he wants to game on decent res and settings, so a lower cpu with better gpu will serve him much better, especially when the combo will make the battery last longer as gaming will rip threw that thing, trust me, you will do fine with both cpu's but for what you want the i3 will do you much much better, this is not speculation, this is fact, prove me wrong, just try.
 
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