AMD A8-4500M vs I5

[technically_challenged]

Hello,
I'm need to buy a new laptop for school and travel. I am not sure if an AMD A8-4500M is equal to an I5.

I will be using the laptop for web, ms office applications, youtube and maybe watching movies/listening to music so it will definitely have to multi-task.
Things I would like it to have:
dvd player, web cam, usb 3.0 port
battery life of at least 4hrs (6 cell battery)
I5 processor or AMD equivalent
minimum 640GB and min 6GB RAM
fairly light (lighter and smaller than a Dell Inspiron 1520)
Windows 7
no more than $600
OPTIONAL: full number key pad, HDMI, separate display adapter or dedicated video adapter

I've looked at the Toshiba 15.6" AMD A8-4500M/750GB HDD/6GB RAM/Windows 7 and the Toshiba 14" AMD A8-4500M/8GB/640GB

Ideally, I would like to have the laptop for 3-5 years.

Any assistance/advice/comments are most greatly appreciated as I am super confused.

 

[Daedalus12]

Since you are not going to be gaming at all, I think the i5 will be the better buy for you. It is a stronger CPU than what is found in the A8.
http/compare-processors.com/6228/6228/

If you do plan on doing some gaming, go for the A8. The integrated GPU is much better than the i5 and will serve you much better for that purpose.

 

[technically_challenged]

Since you are not going to be gaming at all, I think the i5 will be the better buy for you. It is a stronger CPU than what is found in the A8.
http/compare-processors.com/6228/6228/

If you do plan on doing some gaming, go for the A8. The integrated GPU is much better than the i5 and will serve you much better for that purpose.

Thank you so much, really appreciate the advice. Are the two virtually equivalent (I5 and AMD A8)? The reason I ask is b/c so far, I have only been able to find AMD A8 processors in the laptops that seem to match my other needed specs....meaning would it make that much of a difference in my speed and multi-tasking abilities?

Thanks for the link btw, checked it out and it exlained more than the other sites I searched for comparisons to no avail.

 

[SchizTech]

CPU-wise AMD is far behind Intel, even if the clock speed is higher. The i5 would be faster in that respect (everything but gaming/graphics), though perhaps the Intel versions are a bit pricier.

 

[technically_challenged]

Thanks a lot for your comment. So I guess I should go for the I5 then...
You wouldn't happen to have any suggestions for a lap top with the above (first post) mentioned specs and either a Toshiba, Dell or HP?

Thank you in advance

 

[SchizTech]

That said, the applications you listed aren't all that intensive by modern standards, so the AMD APU should be "fast enough." It will be a fine multi-tasker as a quad-core CPU (thanks to the number of cores it should feel quick and snappy on the desktop, etc).

 

[Daedalus12]

I think I found one that should work.
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230648

Here is a link to a bunch of others that should hopefully fit the bill.
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230648

 

[technically_challenged]

Thank you so much! Have a great night!!

 

[technically_challenged]

Thank you very much, finally I am no longer confused between the two! Have a great night.

 

[attk mast3r]

i've owned 2 toshiba laptops, i can tell you, you'd be lucky to get 3 years out of it, my old one sitting in my living room is almost dead, should be on life support.

try this: http/www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/Laptops/HP-Pavilion/C2H22AV?HP-Pavilion-g6t-2200-Select-Edition-Notebook-PC

hp tech support isn't that great, but toshiba is 10000000x worse, it took me 1 month to get a replacement charger. trust me you don't want a toshiba.

now, this does not have 6gb or ram, or 6400gb hdd, and the processor is 2nd gen rather than 3rd, i recommend you upgrade the processor and that's it. the ram would be $620 slightly over, you don't really need 6gb 4gb should be enough maybe a little bit of lag and 640gb is more than enough my desktop is almost full of icons and i have a lot of pictures and stuff and i have 506gb left of space if that tells you anything. what i recommend is you get this one instead and buy 4gb of ram from crucial.com for like $25 instead of $50 from hp.

toshiba just sucks.

 

[bpark0313]

i've owned 2 toshiba laptops, i can tell you, you'd be lucky to get 3 years out of it, my old one sitting in my living room is almost dead, should be on life support.

try this: http/www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/Laptops/HP-Pavilion/C2H22AV?HP-Pavilion-g6t-2200-Select-Edition-Notebook-PC

hp tech support isn't that great, but toshiba is 10000000x worse, it took me 1 month to get a replacement charger. trust me you don't want a toshiba.

now, this does not have 6gb or ram, or 6400gb hdd, and the processor is 2nd gen rather than 3rd, i recommend you upgrade the processor and that's it. the ram would be $620 slightly over, you don't really need 6gb 4gb should be enough maybe a little bit of lag and 640gb is more than enough my desktop is almost full of icons and i have a lot of pictures and stuff and i have 506gb left of space if that tells you anything. what i recommend is you get this one instead and buy 4gb of ram from crucial.com for like $25 instead of $50 from hp.

toshiba just sucks.

woah, woah remember, HP stands for "Horrible Products" dont get hp they break down and tech support is terrible i dont know about toshiba, but get dell, they are reliable

 

[attk mast3r]

i've owned 2 toshiba laptops, i can tell you, you'd be lucky to get 3 years out of it, my old one sitting in my living room is almost dead, should be on life support.

try this: http/www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/Laptops/HP-Pavilion/C2H22AV?HP-Pavilion-g6t-2200-Select-Edition-Notebook-PC

hp tech support isn't that great, but toshiba is 10000000x worse, it took me 1 month to get a replacement charger. trust me you don't want a toshiba.

now, this does not have 6gb or ram, or 6400gb hdd, and the processor is 2nd gen rather than 3rd, i recommend you upgrade the processor and that's it. the ram would be $620 slightly over, you don't really need 6gb 4gb should be enough maybe a little bit of lag and 640gb is more than enough my desktop is almost full of icons and i have a lot of pictures and stuff and i have 506gb left of space if that tells you anything. what i recommend is you get this one instead and buy 4gb of ram from crucial.com for like $25 instead of $50 from hp.

toshiba just sucks.

woah, woah remember, HP stands for "Horrible Products" dont get hp they break down and tech support is terrible i dont know about toshiba, but get dell, they are reliable

This is 2014, not 2007. HP has changed for the better. My mom got a $600 laptop from them and it's very good quality for the price. The plastic even feels like aluminum, and that cold metal feel when the CoolSense is doing a good job...It's awesome. Toshiba is pure garbage, my laptop is $100 less and the only 2 good things about it are the touch sensative buttons for Eco, WiFi, etc. and the Harman/Kardon speakers. Dell used to be a great brand, but their investors DESTROYED them, their newest products are unbeatable but their budget laptops are no where near decent yet. HP is a good idea for budget, and as far as the customer service goes they are thousands of times better than they used to be at least from what I experienced.

 

[bpark0313]

i've owned 2 toshiba laptops, i can tell you, you'd be lucky to get 3 years out of it, my old one sitting in my living room is almost dead, should be on life support.

try this: http/www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/Laptops/HP-Pavilion/C2H22AV?HP-Pavilion-g6t-2200-Select-Edition-Notebook-PC

hp tech support isn't that great, but toshiba is 10000000x worse, it took me 1 month to get a replacement charger. trust me you don't want a toshiba.

now, this does not have 6gb or ram, or 6400gb hdd, and the processor is 2nd gen rather than 3rd, i recommend you upgrade the processor and that's it. the ram would be $620 slightly over, you don't really need 6gb 4gb should be enough maybe a little bit of lag and 640gb is more than enough my desktop is almost full of icons and i have a lot of pictures and stuff and i have 506gb left of space if that tells you anything. what i recommend is you get this one instead and buy 4gb of ram from crucial.com for like $25 instead of $50 from hp.

toshiba just sucks.

woah, woah remember, HP stands for "Horrible Products" dont get hp they break down and tech support is terrible i dont know about toshiba, but get dell, they are reliable

This is 2014, not 2007. HP has changed for the better. My mom got a $600 laptop from them and it's very good quality for the price. The plastic even feels like aluminum, and that cold metal feel when the CoolSense is doing a good job...It's awesome. Toshiba is pure garbage, my laptop is $100 less and the only 2 good things about it are the touch sensative buttons for Eco, WiFi, etc. and the Harman/Kardon speakers. Dell used to be a great brand, but their investors DESTROYED them, their newest products are unbeatable but their budget laptops are no where near decent yet. HP is a good idea for budget, and as far as the customer service goes they are thousands of times better than they used to be at least from what I experienced.

well, im still not buying horrible products anytime soon