A6-4400M vs. i3-3120M

[kraizyswan]

Hi, I'm looking to purchase a new laptop for daily use.. facebook, youtube, netflix, etc.. absolutely NO gaming use, but i do upload some rather large pictures / videos from a HD camera..

Browsing BestBuy's website, I found a Samsung [NP365E5C-S03US] with AMD Dual-Core A6-4400M Accelerated Processor with AMD Radeon HD 7520G graphics.. 500GB Serial ATA II hard drive (5400 rpm)

I also found an Asus [X501A-SI30302Q] with Intel Core i3-3120M Processor and UMA graphics.. 500GB hard drive (5400 rpm)

both have 4GB DDR3 memory.. both are under $400...

i'm just curious which one is better, processor-wise, and graphics-wise.. thanks in advance for your help!

 

[kraizyswan]

isn't i3 significantly faster than pentium tho?

 

[atomicWAR]

it is faster yes but for your usage you won't notice it. edit i lied i didn't see the video upload on your post and if you covert said video it will be noticeable my apologies

 

[atomicWAR]

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230922 429.99 with i3 @2.4ghz asus

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834312429 lenovo (not bad) i3 @2.5ghz $449.99

 

[JD88]

Check this one out:

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230960&IsVirtualParent=1

It has the AMD A8 which is a quad core with much better graphics than either the A6 or i3.

 

[kraizyswan]

well my old toshiba had core 2 duo t6500 which i think is slower than the pentium g2020.. so i guess it probably wouldn't be noticable..

 

[atomicWAR]

Check this one out:

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230960&IsVirtualParent=1

It has the AMD A8 which is a quad core with much better graphics than either the A6 or i3.

we went over this she wants more CPU and does not care about gpu. read the forum posts plz.

 

[JD88]

Check this one out:

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230960&IsVirtualParent=1

It has the AMD A8 which is a quad core with much better graphics than either the A6 or i3.

we went over this she wants more CPU and does not care about gpu. read the forum posts plz.

I understand that, but the A8 is a superior processor than the Pentium without going over the $400 price point. The graphics are simply an added bonus whether or not they will be used doesn't matter.

 

[atomicWAR]

fair enough but an i3 is preferred and amd can't touch that at price point.

 

[JD88]

fair enough but an i3 is preferred and amd can't touch that at price point.

Agreed, if you can find an i3 for $400 then definitely go for it. Not worth an extra $30 over the A8 though at $430.

 

[kraizyswan]

I understand that, but the A8 is a superior processor than the Pentium without going over the $400 price point. The graphics are simply an added bonus whether or not they will be used doesn't matter.

Ok, so A8 is better than i3? what about i5? because i just found an Asus [K55A-SI50301P] with i5-3230M processor, 500GB hard drive, UMA graphics.. for $420

 

[atomicWAR]

I understand that, but the A8 is a superior processor than the Pentium without going over the $400 price point. The graphics are simply an added bonus whether or not they will be used doesn't matter.

Ok, so A8 is better than i3? what about i5? because i just found an Asus [K55A-SI50301P] with i5-3230M processor, 500GB hard drive, UMA graphics.. for $420

no an a8 is better then a pentuim b960 (the non i3 ones i showed you)...the i3 is better then the a8 and i5 is better then an i3
'

the i5 sounds like a good deal...

 

[JD88]

Ok, so A8 is better than i3? what about i5? because i just found an Asus [K55A-SI50301P] with i5-3230M processor, 500GB hard drive, UMA graphics..

If you found the i5 for under $450 I would go for it as it is probably worth it. Keep in mind, the tasks you listed aren't really all that intensive so any of the processors talked about here should work fine. We're just trying to help you get the most for your money. The only one I would stay away from might be the A6 because it could bog down under a lot of multitasking. Spending more than $400-$450 would probably be way overkill for your needs.

In order of best to worst.
i5
i3
A8
Pentium
A6

 

[kraizyswan]

so i guess that settles it then.... $420 for an i5 Asus... doesn't get much better than that, right? here's the 4 i was looking at:

http/www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus---15.6%22-Laptop---4GB-Memory---500GB-Hard-Drive---Black/7906079.p?skuId=7906079&id=1218862005026

http/www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus---15.6%22-Laptop---4GB-Memory---500GB-Hard-Drive/8453062.p?skuId=8453062&id=1218875456091
(this is the one you showed me on newegg)

http/www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba---Satellite-15.6%26%2334%3B-Laptop---4GB-Memory---640GB-Hard-Drive/8043148.p?skuId=8043148&id=1218863728681

http/www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus---K-Series-15.6%22-Laptop---4GB-Memory---500GB-Hard-Drive---Light-Covellite/7687045.p?skuId=7687045&id=1218858193076

 

[atomicWAR]

you will be very happy with that. good choice! be sure to pass on the solution love.

 

[JD88]

so i guess that settles it then.... $420 for an i5 Asus... doesn't get much better than that, right? here's the 4 i was looking at:

http/www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=cat13504&type=page&pageIdentity=searchDriven&useProductString=true&productString=1218862005026*1218875456091*1218863728681*1218858193076&unProductString=1218860987032*1218864514310*1218864514311*1218812718666*1218890759937*1218873335882*1218873336876*1218870365250*1218862003409*1218887713804*1218860268602*1218853502964*mp1306098555*1218863727903*1218814312626*1218873335095*1218873335349*1218870775016*1218862380870*1218810329526*mp1305832440*1218887714403*1218875456082*1218862010100*1218812309941*mp1305962925*1218887714870*1218854266261*1218816107945*1218816106001*1218812307784*1218853502418*1218875456090*1218882668391*1218814069884*1218861100061*1218861099039*1218848535039*1218813787869*1218817519787*mp1304924207*1218861571185*1218816101853*mp1305087710&catId=&usc=abcat0500000

Looks great. Please give atomicWar the "best answer" as he has been very fast and helpful in responding.

 

[kraizyswan]

yeah, i realize i could get any of these and be happy (they're all better than my core 2 duo i had).. but like you said, buying a new laptop, i just want to get the biggest bang for my buck... and the i5 Asus is the winner i believe...

 

[kraizyswan]

thanks you guys i really appreciate all your help!

 

[kraizyswan]

one more question, regarding battery life.. since my last laptops battery was in "critical condition" and ended up dying on me, what should i do to make sure that doesnt happen again? for example, do i keep it plugged in when i'm using it, or do i use the battery until its low and then plug it in, or what

 

[atomicWAR]

always drain your battery before recharging it will extend its life

 

[kraizyswan]

well i keep mine at home, i dont bring it with me anywhere.. so i'm always near the power cord.. so you're saying when its fully charged, i should unplug it, and i shouldn't charge it again until it drains completely? with my old laptop, i would use it until it got sorta low, then plug it in and keep using it until its charged, unplug it until it gets low again, then plug it in..