Core i7, Core i5 or Core i3 (laptops, RAM, hard drive)

[AleeGee]

Is the laptop I outlined at the bottom a good deal? There are others with Core i5 ($129.00 b4 tax) and Core i7 ($190.00 b4 tax). Everything else about them is pretty much the same as this one (RAM, etc.). They don't come with webcam, but you can add that for $5.00. You can even boost your RAM for $50.00.
Should I get one of those instead? I will be using it for my paralegal studies and for movies. I want to attach a printer eventually.

Refurbished 12" laptop w/ Windows 10 & Norton, 4 GB, DuoCore i3, webcam,160GB, $165.00 total

[thelopez2]

I bought a refurb i5 for $200, then upgraded the hard drive to a small ssd. I bought it mainly because it came with Windows Professional. The screen sucks compared to today's laptops, but I use it mainly with an external monitor. I use an eSATA SSD backup since it only has USB 2

Things to consider:
Battery Life
Screen image quality
Ports -USB3? monitor port?
What type of WiFi adapter
Easy to upgrade
Weight

[Peregrine]

What's your max budget? Let's just start there. I would not recommend a Core2Duo.

[JonahWicky]

A 12" screen is not going to make for a very satisfying movie viewing experience. I'd go with at least 15" full HD. Also consider the graphics chip. Buy the most processing power you can afford.

[TurcoLoco]

Originally Posted by Peregrine

What's your max budget? Let's just start there. I would not recommend a Core2Duo.

As others mentioned, 2 critical questions you will need to answer honestly and accurately:
- What is your max budget?
- What will you be using it for?

If you have a preference on size and brand, then once you determined them, the above two will determine almost all hardware aspects that you need.

[gguerra]

If you just want to compare just the CPU's google it.

The will compare i5 vs i7 7th generation CPU's. You can do this with any two CPU's

"i5 7600k vs i7 7700k"
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C...30.el99ze5zmpU

I just did and the i7 is just 5% faster. In this particular case, if it was me I would go with the i5, depending on the price of course.

[TRex2]

Originally Posted by gguerra

If you just want to compare just the CPU's google it.

The will compare i5 vs i7 7th generation CPU's. You can do this with any two CPU's

"i5 7600k vs i7 7700k"
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C...30.el99ze5zmpU

I just did and the i7 is just 5% faster. In this particular case, if it was me I would go with the i5, depending on the price of course.

Depends on which benchmark you go by.
Not only do the processors overlap, somewhat,
but the benchmark tests have some difference
of opinion as to how fast they are.

[gguerra]

Originally Posted by TRex2

Depends on which benchmark you go by.
Not only do the processors overlap, somewhat,
but the benchmark tests have some difference
of opinion as to how fast they are.

I was only looking at "Effective Speed", the first category on this page.
https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compar...00K/3647vs3885

And yes, it's only one of the benchmarks. With benchmarks there is no opinion, it's an actual test using real data. It is only the CPU's they are comparing and nothing else.

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by Peregrine

What's your max budget? Let's just start there. I would not recommend a Core2Duo.

If it's an i3, i5 or i7 it won't be a C2D. All of them are likely to be dual core given the price point and likely age.

In early Core i mobile CPUs the difference would likely be turbo boost not being in the i3, and slightly more cache and boost in the i7 compared to the i5 to the tune of a few % points difference in benchmarks.

[dkf747]

I had an i7 in a 2011 MacBook Pro, but in this 2017 MacBook Pro I also have an i7. They are not the same. When looking at specs, how do you know which is which without knowing the year?