Amd triple vs intel i5

[dottcomm1]

I am stuck...i am a mac user moving to the dark side (can't afford another mac). i am torn between the hp pavilion and the dell xps 15. they both have the specs i want with all the bells & whistles. however, the hp has the amd phenom triple and the dell has the intel i5. i do mostly graphics (photoshop) with the laptop, almost no gaming. in all honestly, i like the look of the hp better as it's the pc version of the macbook pro (i know, stupid reason to buy a computer, but i am a designer).

which would be the better option?

 

[michael123]

Not an expert, but I'm pretty sure the i5 tends to beat the Phenom in performance tests, and you'd have an extra core.

 

[michael123]

Forgot to ask, what's the price difference and what are the models?

 

[proton9]

i5 would be significantly faster than the triple core.
you should look for a laptop with nvidia graphics as you're gonna use it for photoshop.

 

[dottcomm1]

both of the laptops run about the same price. i'm trying to stay around $900. i hate to admit it, but i'm leaning towards the hp. really...would i even notice the difference in performance? i am open to suggestions!

HP:
* • AMD Phenom(TM) II Triple-Core Mobile Processor N870 (2.3GHz, 1.5MB L2 Cache)
* • 512MB DDR3 ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 6370 switchable graphics [HDMI, VGA]
* • 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* • 640GB 5400RPM Hard Drive
* • 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 4.5 hours of battery life +++
* • 15.6" diagonal High Definition LED HP Brightview Display (1366x768)
* • LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
* • Wireless 802.11b/g/n Card with Bluetooth
* • Backlit Keyboard

DELL:
* • 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i5-2410M processor 2.30 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz
* • NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 540M 2GB graphics with Optimus
* • 6GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory
640GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
* • 15.6 in HD WLED TL (1366x768) with Skype-Certified 2.0MP HD Webcam
* • 8X Tray Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
* • Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1000
* • 92 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
* • Standard Keyboard - English

 

[RetiredChief]

My vote - Dell
N870 = 2234 vs 3510 for I5-2410 - No contest here - I5!
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-2410M+%40+2.30GHz

Like the dell 9 cell battery
Video looks like the dell uses shared memory (neg)
... Gt540M looks to be the better performer, HD 6370 = 307 vs GT 420 @ 587 (540 should be higher) Again PLUS for Dell
How do the ports, ie USB3 and USB2, esata, HDMI compare.
Do either one sport a 2nd HDD bay - Good point if you plan on going with an SSD downstream
ON Display - If possible go to a brick & mortor store and look at display.

Forget beauty contest, it's performance and features that count - Something about a sack comes to mind (I'm an dirty old man)

 

[deusexmachina]

don't settle, you'll hate yourself for it. I didn't. With HPs smart pass fingerprint reader, you'll get something you can't get on a mac. With what you do, you'll need the new gen i5 Sandy Bridge, especially if you ever want to do any video. It will take forever on a mac.

Check here:

http://livehotdeals.com/hp-deals

Use the 30% off coupon code on the DV6T

 

[shrkbay]

i5, phenoms are usually a bit worse than core iX + you have more cores.

 

[dottcomm1]

THANK YOU!! the coupons are a HUGE help!!!

don't settle, you'll hate yourself for it. I didn't. With HPs smart pass fingerprint reader, you'll get something you can't get on a mac. With what you do, you'll need the new gen i5 Sandy Bridge, especially if you ever want to do any video. It will take forever on a mac.

Check here:

http://livehotdeals.com/hp-deals

Use the 30% off coupon code on the DV6T

 

[dottcomm1]

they're both around $900.

how far are they priced apart?
Seems like at least 200USD for that kind of performance gap

 

[dottcomm1]

with the coupon codes deusexmachina sent, i can upgrade to the phenom quad. still stick with the i5?

 

[diatribe]

The i5 is considerably faster than any AMD processor. If you have to buy HP, look into their models that have the second generation iX cpus.

 

[Petey1013]

Intel > AMD as far as power is concerned

 

[shrkbay]

^ Intel < AMD in price vs performance, anyway i like Intel more

 

[shrkbay]

^never had AMD mobile, and that's why i won't argue, maybe you're right..

 

[TheTech214]

The dell would be better the specs are better and less free ware. (stupid programs that do not work that well, and are made by the company that made the computer.) The intel is an all around better processor. Congratulations on making the switch to a pc. You made the correct choice! ; )

 

[deusexmachina]

Stick with Intel, especially the 2400 series i5 processors. If you really miss the Mac, get an emulator to load OSX, and load all of your old programs. Macs run on Intel, right?

 

[Petey1013]

The dell would be better the specs are better and less free ware. (stupid programs that do not work that well, and are made by the company that made the computer.) The intel is an all around better processor. Congratulations on making the switch to a pc. You made the correct choice! ; )

You should always reformat any pre-built pc anyway once you get it. Pretty much all manufactures loads lots of junk on their computers, and a fresh install is easy and always the way to go.

 

[dottcomm1]

i pretty much settled on the dell. mostly because i can configure a backlit keyboard. any other laptops out there with backlit keyboards? an asus, perhaps?

 

[dottcomm1]

Your going with it because of the backlit keyboard? Idiot
... Facepalm

I beg to differ. It's important to me, and it is my money. Plus, notice all the previous posts that recommend the dell.

 

[ElMoIsEviL]

i5, phenoms are usually a bit worse than core iX + you have more cores.

For all of the people who aren't aware... Intel® Core™ i5-2410M Processor is a Dual Core Processor with HT (4 Threads).

 

[ElMoIsEviL]

Dell > HP any day of the week (I've worked for both companies).

That being said... Asus tend to make the better laptops but seeing as you're not a gamer... Asus doesn't appear to meet your needs.

The Dell machine is the better one of the two you listed.

 

[shrkbay]

^ik that i5 2410 has 2 cores, but "+ you have more cores" was said to compare dell and hp

 

[ghnader hsmithot]

amd is like 2 generations old..It is like a core2duo..

 

[shrkbay]

^phenom II is latest amd generation lol, 2 generations back is Athlon II, AMD has a processors that can beat most of Intels up to i5 2500K/i7 2600K/i7 980X