960m i5-4210h or 960m i7 5700hq

[Matheen]

I was planning on buying a laptop for gaming
I have 2 choices, one has an i5 4210h processor with 960m and the other with i7 5700 with 960m and I was wondering would the i5 be able to handle all modern and future games on high settings? or do I have to opt in for the i7, which is above my budget by £100 to £120 more.

i5 laptop - http/www.dabs.com/products/msi-pe60-2qe-205uk-intel-core-i5-4210h-8gb-1tb-gtx960m-2gb-15-6--windows-8-1-9s7-16j214-205-BDMK.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc%20product%20search&utm_campaign=Computing%20-%20Laptops%20and%20Netbooks%20-%20Laptops&gclid=CIXD79bJ78gCFSoEwwodPNoFkA

i7 laptop- http/www.dabs.com/products/msi-pe60-2qe-204uk-intel-core-i7-5700hq-8gb-1tb-15-6--windows-8-1-9s7-16j214-204-BDMC.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc%20product%20search&utm_campaign=Computing%20-%20Laptops%20and%20Netbooks%20-%20Laptops&gclid=CPX5k_bJ78gCFSIOwwodV5AK7A


So overall, would the I5 be good for gaming e.g. LoL, GTA, battlefield hardline, crisis or do I need the i7?

 

[dudmont]

that I5-4210 is swappable. I recently bought a cyberpower fangbook, specifically cause the cpu is in a socket. you can upgrade it all the way to the 4940mx. the video is probably also swapable. alot of laptops have something like a pcie port, some have 2 and allow you sli 2 980ms. almost all systems can have ram upgraded. most also have an open drive bay.
the 5700 is faster now, but I doubt it's faster than the 4940mx. an ebay search will give you an idea of what you could sell the 4210 for and allow you upgrade for almost certainly cheaper than the actual price difference of a system that comes with the 4940.

 

[dudmont]

did some research, the 4210h is not socket 3, it's an embedded. forget what I said in the last post. if you're going to buy a haswell mobile system, make sure you get an m chip. an h is an embed and not swappable.

 

[Matheen]

I know once I buy it the only thing i will upgrade is the ram and hard drive.. so instead of upgrading cpus etc should i just go for the i7? Does the cpu play a big part in gaming, so is there a big difference between the i7 and i5?

 

[dudmont]

In your case, buy the fastest system that has 4 actual cores, the I5 only has 2 actual cores. Buy the I7. Have fun

 

[Matheen]

But how would my gaming experience be with the i5 with the 960m?

 

[dudmont]

well, the 960m is less powerful than a desktop 950 and the i5 is comparable to a low speed I3. It will run 1080 ok, almost assuredly not on max settings on the newest titles. That being said, the I7 machine won't either, due to the 960m not having enough juice. I don't know for sure, since my own system is in the process of tearing apart and rebuilding with beefier parts, but I don't think anything less than a 965m will run 1080 well. That was one of my purchase criteria when I was looking for the last couple months. O/cing might help greatly, I don't know yet.
If you're not running the latest, most challenging titles, a 960m will work fine. If you want the newest and bestest, then you'll have to step up to 970m or even worse, the 980m. Both are big jumps in cost. The reason I took the route I did, with the Cyberpower, was the ability to strip the most costly items out. I figure I can add them later and sell the like new stuff and more than make up the difference. I looked at all sorts of machines, MSI, Asus, Gigabyte, Dell(Alienware), Ibuypower, Acer, and you name the other custom makers. My criteria were at least a 1080 17.3", at least a 965m graphics, and as much upgrade-ability as possible, and obviously for as little as possible. Laptops are tough, much more challenging and many fewer options.
CPUs and graphics are where the big costs are. Every jump seems to make a huge increase in cost.
Are you thinking of plugging in an external monitor?

 

[dudmont]

Here's my 2 cents. Buy the I7 machine, but make sure you can upgrade the graphics system too. Having my system open, it's going to be a little work, but definitely do-able. I would think yours' would be too. Graphics is what will make 1080 really shine. Too bad a mobile graphics system that can run it makes it so expensive.