Ivy Core i3 vs A Series APU

[fantanel]

hello guys,
I am looking for a decent latop that will last me 2-3-4 years, used for browsing, maybe some movies and some old old games.

I have read that the Intel i3 are much more powerful than the AMD A6, but that thread on tomshardware was 1,5 years old... has something changed since?

I will be buying from here:
http://www.pcgarage.ro/notebook-laptop/filtre/procesor-familie-a-series-apu/procesor-familie-ivy-core-i3-3rd-gen/

and I see that the prices are almost the same for i3 3`rd gen and A6 procs, which makes no sense to me.

Please clear this out, with as much details as you can(I have never owned a laptop).
Thank you.

 

[fantanel]

a friend owns an HP with i3 proc, and he tells me that it gets very hot... maybe the A6`s run much cooler / last longer?...

 

[fantanel]

edit: I saw that the laptops with A6 + dedicated video card are at the same price as the i3`s without a dedicated video card.

that`s the key ?

 

[rds1220]

What is the dedicted graphics chip that comes with the APU. I find that kind of wierd since most APU laptops just use the integrated graphics since that is one of it's main features.

 

[fantanel]

http://www.pcgarage.ro/notebook-laptop/asus/k75de-ty068d-amd-quad-core-a8-4500m-19ghz-4gb-500gb-radeon-hd-7670-1gb/

this one looks good, and I think I need a 17'' in order to use my SSD.

is it decent? with 8 GB ram, not 4...

 

[rds1220]

Not really. The video card is ok not great. The processor isn't that impressive and there really is no point in getting an APU with a dedicated graphics card.

Also why do you think you need a 17" LCD screen to make the SSD work? I have never heard of that before and as far as I know the monitor has no effect on the SSD.

 

[fantanel]

SSD: well people say that in a 15'' laptop there will be no separate bay to add a SSD, so that I have SSD + HDD.

Video related, as far as integrated graphics, people say that the AMD A6 series are a better choice than the i3 since the integrated A6 graphics > HD 4000.

On the other hand, if the i3 sandy bridge would be a longer lasting proc than the A6, even, then I would go for that, without regard to the video/game performance.

 

[fantanel]

that`s ivy not sandy, for some reason I am unable to edit.

 

[rds1220]

SSD: well people say that in a 15'' laptop there will be no separate bay to add a SSD, so that I have SSD + HDD.

Video related, as far as integrated graphics, people say that the AMD A6 series are a better choice than the i3 since the integrated A6 graphics > HD 4000.

On the other hand, if the i3 sandy bridge would be a longer lasting proc than the A6, even, then I would go for that, without regard to the video/game performance.

Pretty much all laptops come with just one HDD bay for either a HDD or SSD but not both at the same time. The only way to do that is to have one internal drive and one hooked up externally.

Yes the intregrated graphics on the APU is better than the I3's integrated graphics. If all you are using is integrated graphics you would be better off with the APU. If though graphics don't matter or you are planning on using a dedicated graphics card you would be better off with the faster I3.

 

[fantanel]

oh, bad news with the HDDs bays.
thank you for the clarification.

 

[Jake_Green]

I'd say that the A6 is a better solution in a desktop, but I'm unsure about a laptop. The great thing about the A6 is that it's a processor that typically runs very cool.
This give you a lot of leniency in Overclocking. With decent airflow and a aftermarket cpu cooler I was able to Overclock my a6-5400k from a 3.6/3.8(turbo) to a 4.5 with a XIGMATEK Gaia SD1283.
And at a great budget price of $38.
http://starmicroinc.net/-p-2834.html

Consider a super budget desktop and I'd say it's a better processor (after Overclocking and tweaking your rig) than the Ivy core i3.
SUPER OLD post, but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents anyway.

Not sure what you could do with the A6 in a laptop, but It's a processor that has treated me well for the price of a cheap dinner.