Should I get 2nd i5 or i7

[agalpha]

Hi

I have come down to 2 options. Both are DELL 15R (N5110) but with different specs.

I need the laptop for Internet Browsing, Youtube, HD Movies (1080p on external display) and I rarely (ones every month or two) do some some photo and video editing. I sometimes play games such as Need For Speed series, GTA IV, Modern Warfare Series, etc but not the heavy types such as Crysis.

I have the two options with a major price different.

OPTION 1:

2nd Gen Core i5 2.4Ghz (3.0Ghz with Turbo boost)
4GB Memory
500GB SATA HDD
NVIDIA GT525M 1GB Graphics card

PRICE: $675

OPTION 2:

2nd Gen Core i7 2.0Ghz (2.9Ghz with turbo boost)
6GB Memory
640GB SATA HDD
NVIDIA GT525M 1GB

PRICE: $899

Memory can be upgraded later and the HDD is not a problem for me because I have an external drive that I use most.

There is a huge price difference so which one do you think I should get? Will the i5 processor be sufficient for my use or should I get the i7 processor.

Waiting for a response.

 

[87ninefiveone]

Either CPU will do what you want with no problem at all. However, neither option will be much of a gaming machine due to the Geforce 525M GPU which is pretty lowend (comparable to decent GPU's from 5+ years ago). 4GB of RAM is plenty for most tasks and as you noted can be upgraded later, and you already said you don't care about HDD size. All other things being equal since they're the same chassis I'd say go for the i5 model that costs significantly less.

 

[Pyree]

I am not sure how well it run GTA 4. It is a really poorly coded game that won't run well.

The graphic card is really weak as well.

I think you want a quad core for GTA 4. Therefore if you insist on getting a Dell, get the i7 (it is an i7-2630QM and the i5 is i5-2430m right?)

Otherwise I suggest:

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/builder.workflow:Enter?mtm-item=%3A000000F3%3A00004BA3%3A

 

[amuffin]

the i5 is a dual core, while the i7 is a quad core with 8 threads.

 

[jaguarskx]

Which Core i7 are you talking about? There are two versions; one is dual core, the other is quad core.

 

[amuffin]

Or this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230111

 

[agalpha]

The processors I'm talking about are i7-2630QM and the i5 is i5-2430m. I have played GTAIV on my current system which is:
Core 2 Duo E7400 @ 2.8Ghz
DDR2 2GB Memory
and NVIDIA 9400GT 512MB Which is extremely low end.

The 525M must perform better then the 9400GT, right?

Although I think I'm gonna get the i7. If I get the i5 I know I'm gonna regret not getting the i7 .

 

[amuffin]

9400gt is better than 525m, for that price you could get a mid range gaming laptop

 

[agalpha]

How come the 9400GT is better then 525M. 9400GT has 16 CUDA Cores compared to 525M 96 CUDA Cores

 

[agalpha]

Hi

I am going to get a laptop and I was wondering if there was actually a difference between the battery consumption of a processor having 2 core (i5 2430M 2.4Ghz) and 4 cores (i7 2630QM 2.0Ghz).

 

[FinneousPJ]

Probably yes but nothing major. Especially since you probably won't be loading them 100% constantly; idle power consumption difference is even more insignificant. Don't you have manufacturer specs for the battery life?

 

[agalpha]

I am going for the Dell and they don't give any specs for the Inspiron 15R N5110. I asked the tech support and they said that processor has no relation to battery which I think it does.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This next topics has been merged by Mousemonkey
■ Battery usage (2 Core vs. 4 Cores)

 

[Pyree]

The i5 is 35w and the i7 is 45w under full load. So the i7 uses more power but it will complete task faster.

GT525m is way stronger than 9400GT. I think it is somewhere between a 9500GT and 9600GT.

 

[amuffin]

If you are willing to pay that much why not get something like this? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152258 Also your current setup is a desktop, does it have to be a laptop? With the same amount of money you could build a great desktop system that would last you years.

 

[vishalaestro]

the 1st one will satisfy you i5 is enough for today's apps and games..go for one

 

[sunnk]

I think u should get core i7 for the future gaming and application instead of core i5.but if u look at core i5 it is also a pretty good processor for today but for future core i7 is the best.

 

[agalpha]

How long do you guys think i5 will be able to do the basic stuff like movies and browsing without any problems. I can live without games. Currently my Core 2 duo has never disappointed me and it does everything and I have never felt that it is slow.

And yes it has to be a laptop because I also need it for school...

 

[87ninefiveone]

i5 will always be fine for basic stuff like DVD's and BluRays.

I don't buy into the whole future proofing thing. For instance, whether I buy an i5 or i7 right now isn't going to make a bit of difference to me in 2-3 years when it comes to to upgrade. This is doubly true for laptops which take a beating and generally have shorter lives than comparable desktops.

Also, I'm typing this one my HP ENVY 17 3D which has an i7 2630QM and a Radeon HD 5850M and I can tell you that I wasted my money. The GPU in this thing is roughly double the performance of the 525M in the Dell your looking at and the combined i7 and 5850M is still pretty poor for gaming. It's a case of too much and yet not enough.

 

[agalpha]

I think the i5 is the best choice for me. I was going for the i7 but come to think of it I do not encode videos much and I rarely play any games. Its been a month since I played a game and I have NFS Shift 2 installed on my system but I have not played it in a while now... Its best that I get an i5. If a core 2 duo does the job for me then the i5 will be much better in performance then the C2D.

 

[FinneousPJ]

Buy a laptop for school and a desktop for gaming. If your budget is $899 is use $400 tops for the lappy and at least $499 on the desktop.

 

[Pyree]

Well considering a P4 from 2004 can still play movie and browse the web alright (after GPU upgrade for 1080p .264 acceleration). The IGP in i5 can already play 1080p movie, I say the i5 will do them alright for a long time (5+ years).

I still don't get why you wouldn't consider better laptop from other manufacturer.

 

[amuffin]

I think the i5 is the best choice for me. I was going for the i7 but come to think of it I do not encode videos much and I rarely play any games. Its been a month since I played a game and I have NFS Shift 2 installed on my system but I have not played it in a while now... Its best that I get an i5. If a core 2 duo does the job for me then the i5 will be much better in performance then the C2D.

you can use the gpu to help render with the cpu in most video editing softwares. What is your exact budget? I assume around $900 you could get an i7-2630qm and a gt540 which is better than the 525.

 

[agalpha]

I am going with Dell because I am in Pakistan and the best options here are Dell or HP. HP is a bit expensive then Dell so I'm going for the Dell. Aparently Dell does not have the inspiron with GT540M graphics.

And yes my budget is $900 (80000PKR)

 

[agalpha]

Best answer selected by agalpha.