Which one is better?

The cheaper one has a dual core CPU and the other is a quad core. Intel mobile quad core CPU's end in "HQ" and if you plan to play modern games, then it's probably worth the extra $100.

If your plan is just to browse the internet and write papers, maybe some light gaming, then you could probably save the $100 and still be happy.
 


The cheaper one has ddr5 vram and the other one had ddr3 vram. Would the Vram make a huge difference or would the quad core still outweigh the ddr5?
 
I have to admit, I didn't notice that difference. There is quite a bit of difference between those VRAM in performance, but I find that the dual core in my laptop tends to be the bottleneck in my laptop. Honestly, it's a toss up, but I think I'd get the quad core.