P6000 Vs Core I3

[nightscope]

Hey Guys, I'm looking to buy a laptop for school and I'm between the Hp Pavilion G42t and the Hp Pavilion dm3. But I don't think the dm3's processor is strong enough, it has this processor and graphics:

AMD Athlon(TM) II Neo Processor K125 (1.7GHz, 1M L2 cache) +ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 4225 Graphics

But the G42t comes with the P6000 processor, or for an additional $50 you can get the Core I3 processor, so my question is, is it worth the extra $50?

These are the exact processors:


NEW! Intel(R) Pentium(R) Dual Core Processor P6000 (1.86 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)

Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-350M Dual Core processor (2.26GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)

And it comes with Intel HD graphics.

First, which laptop do you recommend for school work and some light gaming? Second, if it's the g42t, is the i3 processor worth the extra $50?

Please let me know, thanks in advance!

 

[hunter315]

The i3 would definitely be worth it over the pentium, but all of those systems have integrated graphics so you are going to have to turn settings down to the bare minimum for gaming. The AMD one has slightly better graphics but the i3 will be faster for most tasks.

 

[stridervm]

For gaming, even using the Core i3 will be a waste because of the onboard graphics. If it has at least a Radeon 5470. Then the i3 will be a good help.

 

[nightscope]

So which of the two would you guys recommend? If I go with the g42t I'll probably go with the core i3, but the dm3 will still have better graphics...

What do you guys recommend? Or are there any other deals for laptops right now that are better bang for the buck?

 

[hunter315]

Since you didnt list the price range its hard to know if there are better systems out there for the price. The difference in performance between the Intel IGP and the AMD IGP isnt going to be huge, both of them are going to be pretty bad at gaming so im not sure if it makes a difference. I would go for the i3 for better overall performance in day to day tasks.

 

[nightscope]

Well they're both around $500 (dm3 is 475 and g42 it 525) so averaging $500. I am trying to get it tonight or tomorrow since of the tax free weekend, that is if the place charges tax anyways.

 

[Scott2010au]

I'd recommend you shop around some more & consider the drawbacks of rushing into a tax free, or tax offset discount, sale.

■ Define 'light gaming', are we talking FPS, RTS, RPG, or what specific genre and titles are you 'hoping' to play?

 

[nightscope]

I'd recommend you shop around some more & consider the drawbacks of rushing into a tax free, or tax offset discount, sale.

■ Define 'light gaming', are we talking FPS, RTS, RPG, or what specific genre and titles are you 'hoping' to play?

Probably some FPS games (Like CSS), but nothing too crazy. Where exactly do you recommend me shopping around at?