Laptop CPU comparison and difference

[faridw0w]

Hello everyone,
I've recently started looking for a new laptop, and I'm stuck on choosing the right CPU, mainly for everyday use, university-level coding and university-level projects.
As I've noticed, both core i3 and core i5 are 2C/4T processors (until the 8th generation), with a slight difference in clock speed. On the other hand, i noticed that Pentium processors are 4C/4T (like N4200 and N5000), but I've heard it's better to avoid them.
Also, CPUs from the 5th, 6th and 7th generation all seem to be based on the 14nm architecture.
My question is, how much of a difference exists between these processors of each generation (5-7) and between each lineup (i3, i5 and pentium), how big is the impact of the difference in clock speeds, and what is a good middle ground to look for?

 

[Quarkzquarkz]

In terms of what gaming? or saving battery? The newer 8th generations really help with sipping on voltage to extend your battery life as well as delivering performance when you're coding away/rendering or even playing games. The jump from 5-7 to 8th is quite worth it in my opinion and as always laptops will always be a step behind pc's. But laptops such as HP spectre, Dell XPS series, and even Microsoft Surface lines are a good start for your foray.

Lastly, if you are doing university level projects that require vasts amounts of computational cpu power, consider the 9th generation cpu's but be prepared to burn a huge hole in your wallet. Good luck!

 

[faridw0w]

In terms of what gaming? or saving battery? The newer 8th generations really help with sipping on voltage to extend your battery life as well as delivering performance when you're coding away/rendering or even playing games. The jump from 5-7 to 8th is quite worth it in my opinion and as always laptops will always be a step behind pc's. But laptops such as HP spectre, Dell XPS series, and even Microsoft Surface lines are a good start for your foray.

Lastly, if you are doing university level projects that require vasts amounts of computational cpu power, consider the 9th generation cpu's but be prepared to burn a huge hole in your wallet. Good luck!

I don't plan to game on it, so an integrated GPU would be preferred. In terms of battery life, above 4 hours would be ideal. I'm looking for something around the 500$ mark, and, judging by the prices in my country, 7th generation is around there. I could rephrase my question, is there enough difference between these processors (i3 and i5, 5th-7th generation), to sacrifice RAM and go for 4GB or sacrifice an SSD and get a HDD?

 

[rgd1101]

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[faridw0w]

1. What is your budget? Around 500$

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? 15,6" or 14"

3. What screen resolution do you want? Preferably 1080p, but lower is also fine

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? Doesn't matter

5. How much battery life do you need? 4 hours at least

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)? No

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.) Web browsing, coding (Visual Studio, Eclipse), probably also dual boot Linux.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? 256 SSD is enough

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links. /

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? 3 years at least

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ? None

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons. Doesn't matter

13. What country do you live in? Bosnia and Herzegovina

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed. I'm stuck on choosing the CPU. Are Pentiums (like N4200 and N5000, which are 4C/4T) better than, for example, i5-6200u, i5-5300U (which have higher clock speeds)

 

[rchris]

In my opinion, forget Pentiums. Get at least an i5, or an i7 if you can afford it. I think you can find a good laptop with i5 or i7 within your budget. A touchscreen, however, would probably put it over your budget.
The newer AMD CPUs would also work for you, and probably save a little money.
Get at least 8GB memory and definitely an SSD.

 

[faridw0w]

In my opinion, forget Pentiums. Get at least an i5, or an i7 if you can afford it. I think you can find a good laptop with i5 or i7 within your budget. A touchscreen, however, would probably put it over your budget.
The newer AMD CPUs would also work for you, and probably save a little money.
Get at least 8GB memory and definitely an SSD.

Do you mean the Ryzen mobile lineup, or something older?

 

[rchris]

Do you mean the Ryzen mobile lineup, or something older?

No, the newer ones. For example, Ryzen 5 2400G (includes internal graphics), Ryzen 7 2700X, Ryzen 5 2600X, etc. Also, the Ryzen Gen 3 CPUs are supposed to come out around mid-year.

Oops! Sorry. Forgot you're looking at laptops (those are desktop CPUs). So, yes the latest mobile Ryzen line-up should be considered.