Can anyone help me decide which of these is the better system for just everyday normal computer stuff (no real gaming or video editing). I can’t decide how the faster AMD processer with L2 cache compares to the Intel 2.4Ghz process with L3 cache nor if the video on the AMD system is any better than the integrated video of the Intel system.
Any help???
System 1:
* Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
* Intel® Core™ i3-370M Dual Core Processor (2.40 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) + Intel® HD Graphics
* 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* 640GB 5400RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* No Additional Office Software
* No additional security software
* 9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (over-sized)
* 15.6" diagonal High Definition LED HP Brightview Widescreen Display (1366x768)
* SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
* HP TrueVision Webcam and Digital Microphone
* Intel Wireless-N Card
* Standard Keyboard
System 2:
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
AMD Phenom™ II Dual-Core Mobile Processor N640 (2.9GHz, 2MB L2 Cache)
512MB ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5470 switchable graphics [HDMI, VGA]
6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
FREE Upgrade to 500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
No Additional Office Software
No additional security software
9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (over-sized)
15.6" diagonal High Definition LED HP Brightview Display (1366x768)
SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
Since we’re in IMHO, I’ll tell you I’d get the latter one, without even bothering to look up the specs you wanted checked. Radeons are just usually better than Intel chips, and the processing difference is rarely relevant.
But you seem to want a GQ style answer. Give me a minute, and I’ll give you one.
As I suspected, the Radeon is a much better chip. There doesn’t appear to be an Intel chip that’s even close. The Radeon is at least 2.5x faster. Cite.
As for the processor: I couldn’t find good benchmarks on the AMD chip, but this page indicates that it’s similar to the i3-M350, which is, of course, slightly slower than the i3-370.
This is actually how I assumed it would work out, and I still think the AMD is a better choice. The CPU is rarely the bottleneck for anything anymore. The difference is so slight as to be negligible in normal computing, and high intensity computing usually needs a pretty good graphics card, and would be seriously slowed down by the Intel chip.
Assuming these are the same price, I see no reason for anyone to get the Intel model.
In fact, the Passmark site has some Intel graphic cards that are better than the Radeon, at least by their marks. Can you maybe find out the specific Intel GPU model?
ETA: And I noticed that, drachillix. I’m thinking the site I was using is out of date.
Heck, apparently Intel puts out a graphics card that is just called Intel HD–how weird. If that is the chip mentioned, it barely wins on the Passmark site, which I find very odd since an Intel chip with a higher score (Intel Media Accelerator HD) loses handily on notebookcheck.net.
Do you, drachillix, know how Passmark arrives at their graphics scores? Why are they so different from the 3DMark series?