Need help choosing a laptop - Intei3 2350M vs AMD A6-3400M + HD 6520G

[daman40k]

BEFORE READING: I have made a post already using the given outline but after research, for laptops under $500 these appear to be my only options. If you have any other suggestions, feel free to post.

Hey guys, looking to buy a new laptop.

So my dilemma is deciding between:

$450 HP Pavilion G6 - i3-2350M + Intel HD Graphics 3000, 4GB RAM, 640GB HDD, 720p 15.6"
$450 REFURBRISHED HP Pavilion DV6 - AMD A6-3400M + Radeon HD 6520g, 4GB RAM, 640GB HDD, 720p 15.6"
$490 Acer Aspire AS5560 - AMD A6-3400M + Radeon HD 6520g, 6GB RAM, 640GB HDD, 720p 15.6"


So clearly the main problem here is the choice between AMD and Intel. What is my best course of action here? I will using this laptop for mainly school purposes and student activities, such as typing, some Photoshop and video editing, web browsing, etc.

I consider gaming a luxury as I have a personally-built $800 machine at home, but I want this laptop for the next ~3 years so gaming isn't totally out of the picture, especially when since I might take it overseas with me.

So point is, what is the better deal here in terms of the processor for my uses, seeing as the price is all the same? If it's the AMD route, the HP and Acer have the same specs (Acer has 6GB RAM though). Which one is the better one in terms of battery life, build quality, and overall reliability?

In the end, it's about bang-for-buck, including laptop design and battery life.

 

[rolltide101x]

BEFORE READING: I have made a post already using the given outline but after research, for laptops under $500 these appear to be my only options. If you have any other suggestions, feel free to post.

Hey guys, looking to buy a new laptop.

So my dilemma is deciding between:

$450 HP Pavilion G6 - i3-2350M + Intel HD Graphics 3000, 4GB RAM, 640GB HDD, 720p 15.6"
$450 REFURBRISHED HP Pavilion DV6 - AMD A6-3400M + Radeon HD 6520g, 4GB RAM, 640GB HDD, 720p 15.6"
$490 Acer Aspire AS5560 - AMD A6-3400M + Radeon HD 6520g, 6GB RAM, 640GB HDD, 720p 15.6"


So clearly the main problem here is the choice between AMD and Intel. What is my best course of action here? I will using this laptop for mainly school purposes and student activities, such as typing, some Photoshop and video editing, web browsing, etc.

I consider gaming a luxury as I have a personally-built $800 machine at home, but I want this laptop for the next ~3 years so gaming isn't totally out of the picture, especially when since I might take it overseas with me.

So point is, what is the better deal here in terms of the processor for my uses, seeing as the price is all the same? If it's the AMD route, the HP and Acer have the same specs (Acer has 6GB RAM though). Which one is the better one in terms of battery life, build quality, and overall reliability?

In the end, it's about bang-for-buck, including laptop design and battery life.

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i3-2350M+%40+2.30GHz Intel
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=AMD+A6-3400M+APU AMD

Personally I would go for the Intel. They seem to hold up better than AMD and Intel graphics is fine for basic functions

I would also get this laptop it is a Thinkpad with a 7200 rpm hdd. Cant beat that, I can pretty much tell you none of those have a 7200 rpm hdd so it will blow any of those out of the water as far as speed. Ram is so cheap it is pointless to even make it part of your decision. Lenovo is of higher quality than any other brand you listed and it is new
http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:category.details?current-catalog-id=12F0696583E04D86B9B79B0FEC01C087&current-category-id=BBBEEC129AD0F3BBFF7C74F77391020F&action=init

 

[wrazor]

If gaming is in the picture, get the AMD. Better graphics, capable of playing modern games at medium settings on those low resolutions of laptops. Get the Acer Aspire.

 

[rolltide101x]

if You want gaming get this

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:category.details?current-catalog-id=12F0696583E04D86B9B79B0FEC01C087&current-category-id=4F3DAF14BD23937C39998EBCBEDC5FB2&action=init

Cheaper than the Acer with a newer gpu


But the Thinkpad is superior for battery life and overall performance but will NOT be able to play modern games. Since you already have a gaming PC and the Thinkpad will handle older games just fine (+5-7 years or older) I would stick with the Thinkpad

 

[daman40k]

If gaming is in the picture, get the AMD. Better graphics, capable of playing modern games at medium settings on those low resolutions of laptops. Get the Acer Aspire.

Any reason why you picked the Acer?

 

[rolltide101x]

I just noticed a made a mistake. The GPU in the Acer is slightly better than the Lenovo. If the Acer is new it should be a fine choice for you.

 

[daman40k]

I just noticed a made a mistake. The GPU in the Acer is slightly better than the Lenovo. If the Acer is new it should be a fine choice for you.

Why the Acer though? Currently I have two laptops in consideration: HP Pavilion G6 & Acer Aspire. Both with the exact same specs. Which would you recommend? I am going for build and battery life.

 

[rolltide101x]

I would get an HP over an Acer any day if the specs are the same.


But HP did this to me so I ended up with a Lenovo

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum2.php?config=tomshardwareus.inc&cat=35&post=77403&page=1&p=1&sondage=0&owntopic=1&trash=0&trash_post=0&print=0&numreponse=0&quote_only=0&new=0&nojs=0

 

[daman40k]

I think I'll check out HP. I can return to Best Buy if I have a problem.

 

[rolltide101x]

I would not buy it from Best Buy you get a much better deal (and support) if you buy it from HPs website

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/store_access.do?template_type=landing&landing=notebooks

 

[Avro Arrow]

Ok, I don't even know how to follow what I've just read. The OP specifically says he wants the laptop to last for the next 3 years or so and that battery life is important. So the first responder recommends a laptop with a GPU that isn't even DX11 capable and recommends a battery-draining 7200RPM hard drive. OOOOkay, well, it appears you may have missed something in your research because I know for a fact that you can get an A8-3500M for $480 from newegg which has pretty much the same CPU side as that A6 but with the Radeon HD 6620G instead of the weaker 6520G:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215187
Most importantly, this laptop is BRAND-NEW. I used to work at Tiger Direct and I tried out a couple of refurbished laptops but they both had something wrong with them. When it comes to laptops, I would always recommend a new one when possible. It is within your budget and it's a sister design to my own A8-based laptop which I can tell you does not feel slow AT ALL.

 

[Wisecracker]

Llano notebook prices under $500 look good.

If you can hold out for a month, 17w Trinity and Ivy Bridge mobiles will be rolling out, along with the low-watt AMD BrazosT

 

[rolltide101x]

Ok, I don't even know how to follow what I've just read. The OP specifically says he wants the laptop to last for the next 3 years or so and that battery life is important. So the first responder recommends a laptop with a GPU that isn't even DX11 capable and recommends a battery-draining 7200RPM hard drive. OOOOkay, well, it appears you may have missed something in your research because I know for a fact that you can get an A8-3500M for $480 from newegg which has pretty much the same CPU side as that A6 but with the Radeon HD 6620G instead of the weaker 6520G:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215187
Most importantly, this laptop is BRAND-NEW. I used to work at Tiger Direct and I tried out a couple of refurbished laptops but they both had something wrong with them. When it comes to laptops, I would always recommend a new one when possible. It is within your budget and it's a sister design to my own A8-based laptop which I can tell you does not feel slow AT ALL.

The 1st Lenovo listed wold have better battery life than the one you listed....


It doesnt have a dedicated gpu and that sucks more power than a 7200 rpm harddrive. But that 1st Lenovo would destroy any other pc listed in performance with better battery life. Its only drawback is it sucks for games. You CAN NOT get a decent gaming laptop and good battery life