Out of these two laptops, which should I go for?

[Guest]

Hi,

I'm currently a college student and am trying to find the right laptop for me. I've narrowed down my search to these two, but I can't make up my mind on which one I should get:

Laptop 1 (Newegg):

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834315302

Laptop 2 (Amazon):

https/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CGGOZOW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

[zer0c00l587]

You should note that, that particular i5 chip is actually a 2 core chip with 4 threads to give a quad core type performance. Traditionally with i-series chips were first released their difference were as follows:

i3 : Dual core with hyperthreading giving "4 core like performance" .....although technically speaking its a duo core. Also turbo boost.
i5 : 4 cores with NO hyperthreading with turbo boost as well.
i7 : 4 cores with hyperthreading giving you 8 threads almost like quad x2 and turbo boost.

Now i see new type of intel chips with i-series branding that do not tally with what people usually expect to find under the hood, and truth be told I have not really kept with tech as i should because personally i feel after 4th gen of i-series chips i started to loose interest really. I have an outdated i7-870 which is the 1st gen "powerhouse", well back then. The 2nd gen, 3rd gen in my opinion really did not offer substantial increase in power which will cause to me to upgrade, i rather spend money on graphics cards.

Personally I'd go for an i5 laptop that has true 4 cores rather than virtual cores created by hyperthreading with but to answer your question directly i will choose the acer simply because no real graphics specs are given on the HP thus i assume its intel shared graphics which is a no no. However if no playing games at all then choose the cheaper one because why waste money.

 

[Solandri]

You should note that, that particular i5 chip is actually a 2 core chip with 4 threads to give a quad core type performance. Traditionally with i-series chips were first released their difference were as follows:

i3 : Dual core with hyperthreading giving "4 core like performance" .....although technically speaking its a duo core. Also turbo boost.
i5 : 4 cores with NO hyperthreading with turbo boost as well.
i7 : 4 cores with hyperthreading giving you 8 threads almost like quad x2 and turbo boost.

That's true for desktop CPUs. Mobile CPUs have traditionally been:

i3: 2 cores, hyperthreading
i5: 2 cores, hyperthreading, turbo boost
i7: 4 cores, hyperthreading, turbo boost, 4MB cache instead of 3MB

Lately it's been muddied, first with dual core i7s (still with 4MB cache) being added. And now recently with quad core i5s being added. I would avoid the quad cores on a laptop unless you know you need them because they typically consume 3x as much power and will severely degrade your battery life.

I can't find any comprehensive reviews of either laptop. But the main differences which stand out are the Acer has a nvidia 940m GPU, which should increase gaming fps by 2x to 3x over the Intel GPU. The HP has got a DVD drive. Also, its SSD is in a M.2 slot, but the laptop also has a 2.5" drive bay. So you could always buy and add a HDD in the future and run in a SSD + HDD config if you need the extra storage space. Based on the reviews, the Acer looks like an either/or deal - you can have a SSD, or a HDD, not both.

So if you plan to play games, get the Acer (a 940m isn't exactly a strong GPU, but it should handle modern titles at 1366x768 resolution). If you need additional storage but still want a fast and responsive drive, get the HP.

 

[Johnson Mike]

Hi,

I'm currently a college student and am trying to find the right laptop for me. I've narrowed down my search to these two, but I can't make up my mind on which one I should get:

Laptop 1 (Newegg):

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834315302

Laptop 2 (Amazon):

https/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CGGOZOW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Acer laptop has 940M graphics which will let you play some good games so if you will play games on your laptop then I recommend Acer laptop otherwise get HP it has faster SSD storage but its limited to 128GB SSD. I will recommend Acer laptop to you as per overall performance and value for money.