Laptop Processor Speeds

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NML6

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I am buying a new laptop for college. I will just be using it to watch netflix, write essays, and C#. My budget is $400-$500 USD. My main question is: Is it better to buy a laptop with a "lower end" processor that has a high speed >2.0 GHz, or a "higher end" processor (i3-i5) with a lower processor speed <2.0 GHz? If you have any laptop suggestions feel free to share. Thanks!
 
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arges86
At your price segment, i think the AMD is a better value. It cant beat Intel on the high end market, but it excels in the middle of the market.
thats were AMD shines
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NML6

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Would you choose an Intel i5 over an AMD A-8?
 
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logainofhades

logainofhades

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The A8 is a true quad and has better graphics. Mobile i5's are dual core with hyperthreading. For video it will do better than an i5 with regards to CPU usage. Due to the superior IGP, AMD's APU's tend to have to use the CPU less to play video vs Intel's offerings. That might be a bit different with the higher end haswell chips, but sandy and ivy i5's are probably what you would see most with your price range. An A8 isn't a bad choice at all.
 
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NML6

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Thanks for the answer! I've decided to increase my budget to around $900. Do you have any suggestions for laptops or Windows 8 tablets?
 
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NML6

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I notice this one has a 17" screen and weighs over 6lbs. I am looking for something that has the power of the 4th gen intel processors but in a thin and light package.
 
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NML6

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I noticed that a lot of the bigger laptops with faster processors are geared towards gaming, I don't want to use the laptop for playing games. So I don't think I really need it to have a huge screen, optical drive, or high end graphics card. But all size concerns aside, I'd like to get the best cpu performance and speed for my $900 price budget.

With that in mind, would you still recommend the Lenovo Y510?

It seems like the Y510 is pitching itself as a gaming laptop. And rather than spending the money on a large HDD and better graphics chip, maybe that money could be put towards a faster processor and a smaller SSD?
 
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logainofhades

logainofhades

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I, personally, only would use Asus and Lenovo based on my own personal experience. I own an Asus, and the hospital I used to work for as a PC tech, used IBM/Lenovo laptop in the medical carts and those things took quite a beating. I personally don't like IGP as it steals system ram. Not as big of an issue today as in years past. My laptop is a dual core i5 model, and overall does well. I sometimes wish it had an i7 only because I have a bad habit of trying to do too much at once. :lol:
 
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NML6

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Looking at the laptops offered by Lenovo, I am interested in either the U510 or better yet the U410. If I am correct, the U410 has a 3rd gen i7, 768p touchscreen, 8gb RAM, and 1TB HDD + 24Gb SSD.

If all of this info is correct the U410 looks like the perfect laptop for me
 
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NML6

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I was suggested this laptop. Its not light but the performance looks pretty good. What do you think between this Y510p or the U530. BTW the U530 has a touchscreen,better CPU, and better RAM

Y510p-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834313583

U530-

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-ideapad-u530-touch-ultrabook-15-6-touch-screen-laptop-8gb-memory-500gb-hard-drive-silver-black/1836027.p?id=1219065630762&skuId=1836027#tab=overview
 
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NML6

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Even though its considered a gaming laptop, it seems like it will perform well overall, dont you think?

And circling back to the question in my original post, what is better the Y510p's i5 @ 2.5GHz or the U530's i7 @ 1.8GHz?

Also the U530 has 8GB RAM while the Y510p has 6GB
 
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logainofhades

logainofhades

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It should perform quite well. The i7 will probably have a bit better battery life due to the low base clock speed. CPU performance when in actual use would be about the same. The i5 turbo's up to a slightly higher clock speed but has less cache on cpu than the i7. Personally, if the i7 isn't a quad, I don't see the point in getting one. Ram is cheap, especially when black friday hits. I swapped out my 6gb for an 8gb gskill kit for $30 last year.
 
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logainofhades

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Not to mention if you ever get into gaming, you will have a system that is quite capable of doing so. :lol: Makes me wish I had the $$$ for a new laptop. That makes my i5 2430m and GT 540 seem awfully slow. :( Win8 would be on there for very long if I bought it. I would be putting 7 Ultimate on it as I still have one key left yet that I can use from my technet sub.
 
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NML6

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I'm having a change of heart. If I am going to get a thicker laptop then I might as well go with a cheaper budget.

I was browsing the Lenovo website and stumbled upon the G510 (5940227) that has a 4th gen i5 that is clocked in @ 3.10GHz. This seems crazy fast and it is less than $600 USD as of right now.

What do you think about this laptop? Do you have any suggestions on a sub $600 laptop?

 
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