College Laptop Help: i5 vs Core M?

[sciamwow]

Hey guys! So i'm about to purchase my college laptop, but I'm stuck. I've narrowed it down to the ASUS Zenbook, but there are many models. I definitely want a laptop that will last me all four years of college if possible, so I'm having some issues.
Here are the ones I am thinking of:

This is currently my first choice: http/smile.amazon.com/Zenbook-UX305UA-13-3-Inch-Generation-Titanium/dp/B01BMERZJ6/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_2485176782?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3DFYI38VSXMO8&coliid=I232MAMHODIH5D&ie=UTF8&psc=1&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl

And here's another option: http/www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX305CA-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Quad-HD/dp/B014VHWFKA?ie=UTF8&colid=3DFYI38VSXMO8&coliid=I2IFTNBJOZYQF2&psc=1&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl

The Core M is just scaring me. I've heard it's between a Pentium and i3 and I definitely want good performance all of the time. So the i5 seems like a good choice for me.

My parents are giving me $800, so anything over that I am paying for. Because of that, I want to stay within that budget.

I guess the real question in this is: Which Zenbook should I go with? Or should I look into something else? It seems like the best I'll get for the price, especially with the matte display, 512gb SSD, slim form factor, and fanless design.

Any thoughts?

And just for fun, I did look at this but it just seems to bulky and I think I want a 13.3" screen: http/www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ?ie=UTF8&colid=3DFYI38VSXMO8&coliid=IMXHHJ2U0G66&psc=1&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl


Edit: I know I should take this with a grain of salt, but I feel like the i5 should destroy the Core M... http/cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i5-6200U-vs-Intel-Core-M3-6Y30

 

[Calculagator]

I think your first choice is a great pick for a college laptop. It has a nice balance of power and portability. The i5 is quite a bit more powerful than the m3, especially for a sustained workload as long as the laptop has an appropriate cooling system for it. The comparison shows the m3 winning because it uses less power, not because it is faster.

 

[TJ Hooker]

CPUBoss scores tend to be pretty useless, don't pay attention to them.

The first laptop (i5) seems better in every way except for the resolution, and on a 13" screen I'm pretty sure 1080p will looks great anyway. Seeing as how they're roughly the same price, I'd pick that one hands down. If you want a more apples to apples comparison, look at the m3 version with a 1080p screen for ~$100 less.

What kind of stuff will you be using it for? If it's just for word processing, web browsing, etc, I imagine even the m3 CPU would be fine. But overall I think Calculagator is right, the laptop with the i5 is still probably the better buy.

 

[sciamwow]

I mostly plan on using it for word processing, YouTube, and maybe some photoshop here and there. Also, I don't think the Amazon listing is supposed to say 512gb SSD, so if I get it and it doesn't have that SSD maybe they can give me a discount or something. I think I'll take the leap

 

[sciamwow]

Alright! I just ordered the i5 version, it'll be in on Wednesday. But I'm $50 under my parent's allowed budget, so they said I could use the $50 to get any accessories I may need. Any ideas? I'm thinking maybe a sleeve like this: http/www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-NC1303152-13-3-Inch-Laptop-Sleeve/dp/B00CD8AF48/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1464657321&sr=1-5&keywords=laptop+sleeve just to keep scratches off. Maybe a wireless mouse. Any ideas?

 

[Solandri]

The Core M is just scaring me. I've heard it's between a Pentium and i3 and I definitely want good performance all of the time. So the i5 seems like a good choice for me.

The Skylake Core M is a Jekyll and Hyde deal.

If you're only doing short tasks, it performs like a mobile dual core i7. It uses the same core as the Core i processors, but has 4MB cache like a mobile dual core i7 instead of 3MB like a mobile i5. All three have hyperthreading (missing on the Pentium), and all three turbo boost (missing on the Pentium and i3). So if you compare CPUs with similar top turbo boost speed, the Skylake Core M will actually beat a mobile i5 on short benchmarks. (The Broadwell Core M would only turbo on one core, so perform significantly worse. Avoid them. But the Skylake Core M turbo boosts on both cores.)

But Intel only specifies a 4.5 Watt TDP for the Core M. TDP is how much cooling they recommend. The mobile i5 has a 15 Watt TDP, so it can vent a lot more heat. Consequently, the Core M will thermal throttle a lot more quickly than a mobile i5. And on longer benchmarks the i5 (and i3) will beat the Core M.

So it really boils down to what you're going to do with the laptop. If all you're doing is using Office to write reports, browse the web, email, Facebook, and watch YouTube videos, the Core M is not a problem. I got the UX305CA for my dad and spent 3 days prepping it for him. The only time it felt slow was when it was uncompressing large files for installing programs. (My regular laptop is a i7 quad core.)

If you're going to do something that needs more CPU power for an extended period of time and thus will heat the CPU up - programming (compiling), video editing, heavy photo or audio editing, gaming, encoding videos, etc. - then the i5 will work better.

If you're not in any rush, the Microsoft store has been running sales on the Core M UX305CA for $599 for everyone, $539+ if you can get it via their educational portal. It comes and goes every few months. There are usually a few higher configurations available as well when a sale is on.
http/slickdeals.net/f/8666398-asus-ux305ca-13-3-laptop-539-for-m3-6y30-8gb-256gb-fhd-629-for-m3-6y30-8gb-256gb-qhd-touchscreen-microsoft-store-edu-portal?v=1&src=SiteSearch

And just for fun, I did look at this but it just seems to bulky and I think I want a 13.3" screen: http/www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ?ie=UTF8&colid=3DFYI38VSXMO8&coliid=IMXHHJ2U0G66&psc=1&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl

The mobile quad cores (i5 and i7) have a 45 Watt TDP, so they consume significantly more power than even the regular mobile Core i processors (15W and 11.5W TDP). So the battery life on the quad cores tends to be substantially worse. The one I have (Gigabyte P34W) has one of the larger batteries (63 Wh) and it can't even hit 5 hours.

 

[Purpletalon55]

Alright! I just ordered the i5 version, it'll be in on Wednesday. But I'm $50 under my parent's allowed budget, so they said I could use the $50 to get any accessories I may need. Any ideas? I'm thinking maybe a sleeve like this: http/www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-NC1303152-13-3-Inch-Laptop-Sleeve/dp/B00CD8AF48/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1464657321&sr=1-5&keywords=laptop+sleeve just to keep scratches off. Maybe a wireless mouse. Any ideas?

get the mouse, you will get more use out of it, those sleeves are garbage.

 

[sciamwow]

Thank you Solandri! I just feel safer having the i5, then, so that I have the option of taking on heavier workloads for longer (especially because I don't know what I want to major in yet). So I think I'll stick with that one. Especially with a 512gb SSD for $750?! That's surprising to me and I really hope it wasn't a typo. I think I made a good choice with the i5 version.

Purpletalon55, I probably will get a mouse but that leaves $40 I could still spend. I figured a soft case like that couldn't hurt if I put the laptop in that case then that case into my book sack. I'm definitely open to any suggestions you have on how I can use the money, though!

 

[Purpletalon55]

Thank you Solandri! I just feel safer having the i5, then, so that I have the option of taking on heavier workloads for longer (especially because I don't know what I want to major in yet). So I think I'll stick with that one. Especially with a 512gb SSD for $750?! That's surprising to me and I really hope it wasn't a typo. I think I made a good choice with the i5 version.

Purpletalon55, I probably will get a mouse but that leaves $40 I could still spend. I figured a soft case like that couldn't hurt if I put the laptop in that case then that case into my book sack. I'm definitely open to any suggestions you have on how I can use the money, though!

Yeah, reason i said that the sleeves are worthless is because they dont offer any real protection. Get something a little bit more durable to put it in if you really want to invest in a protector.