Core i3 or i5 laptop for a web developer/designer if have SSD?

[Rajat Kumar Biswal]

I'm a small webdeveloper & designer who uses HTML/CSS/PHP for coding and illustrator, Photoshop for logo/banner designs or designs for website. Should I get a laptop with intel core i3 or i5 processor? I already have a core i3 laptop with 4GB RAM, 512MB NVIDIA Graphics, 120GB SSD which works fine. After doing some research I think I'll get a laptop with 8GB RAM, 1 or 2GB NVIDIA Graphics, 120 GB SSD which I have now. But I'm really confused about the processor now. Is it really worth it to get higher processor. As I don't see my processor used too high for many times, it just runs 100% for 4 to 5 seconds when I start some program like Google Chrome. The laptop I have now could have worked for me, but some heat problem made it suck. This laptop have i3-2330M processor. Or, should I ditch Google Chrome browser & start using Firefox as default & main browser.

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

Mobile versions of the Core i3 and i5 are dual-core CPUs with Hyper Threading, so typically, there's very little that distinguishes one from the other. Which specific CPUs are you looking at?

I'm not a developer but I'd imagine that compiling code would be a CPU-intensive task. If so, you may want to consider a Core i7 and lower-spec graphics card, as the Photoshop work you do seems to be pretty light.

 

[Rajat Kumar Biswal]

Mobile versions of the Core i3 and i5 are dual-core CPUs with Hyper Threading, so typically, there's very little that distinguishes one from the other. Which specific CPUs are you looking at?

I'm not a developer but I'd imagine that compiling code would be a CPU-intensive task. If so, you may want to consider a Core i7 and lower-spec graphics card, as the Photoshop work you do seems to be pretty light.

I'm not doing software development, so I don't think core i7 is needed. I'm choosing between i3 or i5.
I can afford the i5, but I shouldn't waste my money on hardwares those I won't use. Also I won't play games.
Current laptop is 2.2GHz and the one I've selected to buy is this one.
http://www.snapdeal.com/product/asus-x550lcxx325d-laptop-4th-gen/500328806
Also I have another question if I get core i5, will it generate more heat than i3?

 

[Rajat Kumar Biswal]

Is it correct? i5 will be cooler than i3 & i7 will be cooler than i5 for same load. So I think I'll go with i5 as I don't want to raise my budget more for i7. I can raise if I get better display.

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

My mistake, I missed the "web developer" bit. In that case an i7 isn't necessary.

That laptop has an i5 4500U, and any CPU denoted with a "U" means that it's a low-power CPU which is designed to maximise efficiency and battery life. As a result, you may find that the lack of power becomes an issue. If you aren't particularly concerned about battery life then a regular mobile CPU (denoted with an "M") will be better.

An i5 may generate more heat then an i3, but it depends on the individual CPU. You can use this website to establish the specification of individual CPUs; http://ark.intel.com/.