I"m trying to get some information on laptop computers to find which is better, the i3-370m or the A8-4500m but am getting different information from different sites.  Some say the A8 is better because it is a quad core but others say i3 is better.  The two computers I'm trying to compare are the HP dv6-3143us and the HP dv6-7010us.  The 3143 has the i3-370m with 4gb ram and Radeon HD 5650s.  The 7010 has the A8-4500m with 6gb ram and Radeon HD 7640g.

From some of the individual things I have found, it seems like the i3-370m is a better CPU then the A8-4500m and the Mobility Radeon HD 5650 is a better GPU then the Radeon HD 7640G.  So it looks to me like the dv6-3143 is the better choice.  The only advantage I can see to the dv6-7010 is that it has 6gb of ram (that can be shared with the GPU) and the dv6-3143 only has 4gb of ram.  Or am I not looking at the stats correctly?

Thanks for the help,

Mac

i know that the i3 is the bottom of the intel line.

normally it would be worth the little extra to get the i5, tho not the i7, since that usually involves a sizable price jump without the corresponding jump in performance.

the i3 is usually a bargain item.

more ram is almost always better.

@ MacKenrick


Quote:

I"m trying to get some information on laptop computers to find which is better

Do you have a specific issue or question?

Sort of comparing *apples* and *oranges*--the Intel i3 is a dual core CPU while the AMD A8-4500m is a quad core.

http://www.amazon.com/HP-DV6-3143US-Pavilion-Notebook-PC/dp/B0044XU4OG

http://www.amazon.com/HP-Pavilion-dv6-7010us-15-6-Inch-Laptop/dp/B0089KDD5C

http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&tbo=d&rlz=1R2GGLL_enUS385&q=intel+i3+vs+i5&rlz=1R2GGLL_enUS385&oq=intel+i3&gs_l=hp.1.1.0l4.563.4469.0.8156.8.7.0.1.1.0.109.609.5j2.7.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.1.666p7cWI_gw&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=8ce0432cfc0234d5&bpcl=38625945&biw=1680&bih=805

http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/386100/what_difference_between_an_intel_core_i3_i5_i7_/

http://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to/intel-core-i7-vs-i5-vs-i3/

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_nf=3&cp=13&gs_id=12&xhr=t&q=amd+vs+intel+processors&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&tbo=d&rlz=1R2GGLL_enUS385&oq=amd+vs+intel+&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=8ce0432cfc0234d5&bpcl=38625945&biw=1680&bih=805

http://www.techradar.com/news/processors/computing-components/intel-vs-amd-which-processor-is-best-936589

A little bit depends on whether you're an Intel fan vs an AMD fan.

Thanks Amish and Nightowl for getting back to me on this, especially Nightowl for all the links.  I saw some of those while I was searching also.  I'm getting a laptop for my grandson and these are the two choices I have.  What I'm confused about is that the i3 is a dual core and the A8 is a quad core so you would think the A8 would out perform the i3 but unless I'm reading the graphs wrong, it looks like the i3 is better.  A Cinebench R10 comparison rates the i3-370m at 6215 and the A8-4500m at 4946.  It also rates the Radeon mobility HD 5650, 23% higher then the HD7640G.

Here are the links for the comparisons I did.  Am I reading these wrong?  (The link for the GPU shows both the 5650 and the 7640)

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-i3-370M-Notebook-Processor.32767.0.html

http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-A-Series-A8-4500M-Notebook-Processor.74884.0.html

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-i3-370M-Notebook-Processor.32767.0.html

@ MacKenrick


Quote:

Here are the links for the comparisons I did.  Am I reading these wrong?

I think you are *reading* the results correctly--I think the answer might be here in the description of the test results:  http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-A-Series-A8-4500M-Notebook-Processor.74884.0.html


Quote:

The CPU cores are based on a reworked Bulldozer architecture, called Piledriver. Although marketed as a quad-core processor, the A8-4500M includes only two modules with four integer-cores and two floating-point cores total. As a result, the CPU is not a true quad-core processor.

So, looks like the manufacturer is playing games with the concept of *quad-cores* in this case.  The likely reason for the lower performance is that it is not what it seems to be.....!

Looks like of the two, the i3 system is the better bet, even though the specifications on the AMD notebook appear *better*.

Maybe someone else can offer other opinions.....

Thanks NightOwl.  Somehow I missed the notation in the write up that the A8-4500m "As a result, the CPU is not a true quad-core processor".  That's pretty tricky saying it's a quad-core when it's not.  Actually it's downright dishonest.

PS:  It was good coming back to this forum and seeing the old familiar faces.  You guys are great.

@ MacKenrick


MacKenrick wrote on Nov 21^st, 2012 at 12:31am:

It was good coming back to this forum and seeing the old familiar faces.You guys are great.

Well, thanks!  It's always good to have members stop by to join the ongoing conversation(s).

Don't be a stranger!