AMD or Intel - Power vs Battery Life ??

[azz1844]

Hi all,

I'm thinking of getting a new laptop for uni work and general use, and I'm torn between two models of HP. The two models are as follows:

HP Pavilion 15-n274sa
Processor: AMD Quad-Core A10-4655M APU with Radeon HD 7620G Graphics (2 GHz, 4 MB cache)
RAM: 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3L SDRAM (1 x 4 GB, 1 x 4 GB)
Storage: 1TB HDD
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 7620G/8670M Dual GPU (2 GB DDR3 dedicated)
Price: £425

HP Pavilion 15-n205sa
Processor: Intel® Pentium® N3520 with Intel HD Graphics (2.4 GHz, 2 MB cache, 4 cores)
RAM:4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3L SDRAM (1 x 4 GB)
Storage: 500GB HDD
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics
Price: £319

UPDATE: There is another model using the same Intel processor and graphics chip as the 2nd model, but features 8GB RAM and a 1TB HDD - This is £400 and therefore only £25 less than the AMD model. I guess 8GB vs 4GB wouldn't make a noticeable difference given the average speed of the processor?

My main uses for the device will be work (which includes multiple IE/Chrome tabs open, Word, Excel, SPSS, PowerPoint, and some light graphics), general internet use and videos. Gaming isn't a big deal and will be mostly constricted to retro emulation and older games. Of course a more powerful machine that CAN run more graphics would be nicer and if I had it I would probably use it. However, battery life is also of major importance.

My present understanding is that, although the CPUs are both quad-core and run at similar frequencies, the AMD unit will deliver better performance due to the Radeon HD card. However, I'm also aware that the AMD processor has a significantly higher thermal design power (25W vs 7.5W for the Intel) but I am uncertain as to how much this affects battery life when doing day-to-day tasks.

I am also aware that the Intel machine has only 4GB or RAM as opposed to the AMD's 8GB - will I notice this when multi-tasking, or will the processor ultimately be the bottle-neck anyway?

In terms of storage I intend to remove the HDD and replace with a SDD.

So to summarise, I would like to get opinions on which laptop would be the best option to buy, based on value for money (around £100 price difference), performance (I want good performance, but without losing TOO much battery life), and battery life.

A direct comparison of the processors can be found here: CPU-World comparison
Benchmark comparison via CPU benchmark.net says: AMD = 2580, Intel = 1934
The numbers speak for themselves, but I don't know how these work out practically when taking into account the graphics chips and their effect on battery life.

Many thanks in advance,

Azz

 

[Nordein]

Generally the hotter the machine gets, the shorter the life span is. Especially since you are choosing an AMD laptop. I would say the shelf life of the battery would be better on the this Intel laptop. But I do not think the extra heat from the AMD will destroy it, especially if you are willing to take the proper steps to make sure it stays cool.

In my opinion, go with the AMD laptop.

 

[azz1844]

Generally the hotter the machine gets, the shorter the life span is. Especially since you are choosing an AMD laptop. I would say the shelf life of the battery would be better on the this Intel laptop. But I do not think the extra heat from the AMD will destroy it, especially if you are willing to take the proper steps to make sure it stays cool.

In my opinion, go with the AMD laptop.

Hi Nordein, thank you for that. I was more thinking about the battery life in terms of usage on a regular basis - i.e. how much time will I get before the battery goes from 100% - 0%, rather than its shelf life.

If I'm not pushing the machine with games or HD video, is the AMD processor and GPU likely to make the battery run down a lot more quickly than the Intel, or will there only be a notable difference when I'm doing graphic-intensive stuff?

 

[Nordein]

Generally the hotter the machine gets, the shorter the life span is. Especially since you are choosing an AMD laptop. I would say the shelf life of the battery would be better on the this Intel laptop. But I do not think the extra heat from the AMD will destroy it, especially if you are willing to take the proper steps to make sure it stays cool.

In my opinion, go with the AMD laptop.

Hi Nordein, thank you for that. I was more thinking about the battery life in terms of usage on a regular basis - i.e. how much time will I get before the battery goes from 100% - 0%, rather than its shelf life.

If I'm not pushing the machine with games or HD video, is the AMD processor and GPU likely to make the battery run down a lot more quickly than the Intel, or will there only be a notable difference when I'm doing graphic-intensive stuff?

From 100%-0% more than likely it might, due to the fact that you are stressing stronger hardware. But if you are not pushing it to the max, there should not be a noticeable difference.