i3-3217U vs Pentium B960 performance?

[wpcoe]

I'm considering buying an inexpensive laptop for use as my "home desktop computer" while I live overseas for six months.

I don't game or edit videos, and a typical session for me would be to have a dozen or more browser tabs open, with Photoshop open and an e-mail program, and maybe a word processor, in the background.

For such use would it be worth $388 for an Ivy Bridge Core i3-3217U laptop (2C/4T, 1.8Ghz, 3M cache) compared to a $275 Sandy Bridge Pentium B960 (2C/2T, 2.2Ghz, 2M cache)?

Or, would the raw speed advantage of 2.2Ghz w/o HyperThreading seem faster than 1.8Ghz with HT?

The 250GB SSD from my home desktop would be used in the laptop for the six months. I'm aware of better graphics capability of IB HD4000 over SB Pentium HD, but not so concerned about that.

This would be kind of a "disposable" computer. At the end of my six months, I'd probably gift it to my sister who is currently using an AMD Athlon 3700+ relic.

 

[Arkaign]

Save the $100+ and get the cheaper one. The only reason to go with the i3 is the lower power usage (can = better battery life and/or lower weight because smaller battery used).

 

[code65536]

It doesn't sound like you're going to be doing anything that involves intense multithreading, so the extra 2 threads of the i3 would be largely irrelevant.

The main difference would really be the power consumption. You have a 22nm ultra-low-voltage part and a 32nm standard-voltage part, but since you're going to be using this like a desktop, my guess is that you won't care that much about power.

Get the B960.

 

[Blue_Max]

Yep. Save the money - it'll feel about the same and still be a very nice gift (just pop that original HDD back in there when you're done with the lappy.)

Just make sure you have enough RAM for all those apps open.

BUT! If you have lots of stuff like Skype running in the background, those multiple "small" apps can start eating CPU cycles... just bear it in mind.

 

[razel]

Get the Sandy Bridge. I had a laptop with the Pentium B950 for awhile and I was shocked at how good it was. Don't let the Pentium name shy you away, it was not as hacked off as the older gen mobile Pentiums.

By the way that 1.8Ghz speed is the bottoms for a general use laptop. Honestly 2Ghz is the lowest that I'd recommend. AMD or Intel. My work laptop is an Ivy Bridge i5 2C/4T). When it's plugged in it ramps to 2.9Ghz when possible, but on battery it maxes out at 1.9Ghz by default.

1.9Ghz is bearable for general purpose use (web, video), but you can tell the difference in experience when it's plugged in. Particularly busy websites with lots of advertising that ramp up the CPU, like p0rn. Both speeds 1.9Ghz and 2.9 get the job done, but I tend to be happier when it can stretch it's legs.

 

[Arkaign]

Btw, if you're wanting to get max performance, and don't mind going through the process, reinstalling Windows from a same-version ISO (after blasting all the BS partitions they have) will give you the best possible results. Installing drivers is dead easy, and the results are wonderful. Even well-intentioned crapware is still crapware. A system with ONLY the stuff you want is a great experience, and with low-end hardware gives superior results.

I can't stand firing up an entry-level laptop, seeing 15 extra things booting with it, a bunch of trial-ware, and a so-called recovery partition taking up a good chunk of the drive capacity.

 

[wpcoe]

Well, that's unanimous in favor of the Sandy Bridge B960.

The only otherd difference I saw was that the IB laptop has a USB3.0 port, whereas the SB only has USB2.0, but that's not enough to push the balance in favor of the IB.

Thanks for your input! :thumbsup:

 

[Blue_Max]

Don't forget to REMOVE the battery if you're leaving it plugged in - that ruins the batt over time. Keep it in a drawer and it'll stay as good as new for when you NEED it!

 

[tential]

Get the Sandy Bridge. I had a laptop with the Pentium B950 for awhile and I was shocked at how good it was. Don't let the Pentium name shy you away, it was not as hacked off as the older gen mobile Pentiums.

By the way that 1.8Ghz speed is the bottoms for a general use laptop. Honestly 2Ghz is the lowest that I'd recommend. AMD or Intel. My work laptop is an Ivy Bridge i5 2C/4T). When it's plugged in it ramps to 2.9Ghz when possible, but on battery it maxes out at 1.9Ghz by default.

1.9Ghz is bearable for general purpose use (web, video), but you can tell the difference in experience when it's plugged in. Particularly busy websites with lots of advertising that ramp up the CPU, like p0rn. Both speeds 1.9Ghz and 2.9 get the job done, but I tend to be happier when it can stretch it's legs.

Thanks for covering the primary usage of a PC. It's amazing how few people give us the mutlitab browsing p0rn capabilities of a laptop/low end desktop. Lets be real, if you can't load those sites do you really have PC?

 

[SPBHM]

the main thing is HD 4000 vs "HD 2000"

the pentium is going to be a little faster for ST, but not clearly I think, the i3 is faster per clock and supports HT.

but it's a huge price difference, so the pentium makes more sense.

just make sure the rest of the laptops is exactly the same or at least comparable

 

[sm625]

Don't forget to REMOVE the battery if you're leaving it plugged in - that ruins the batt over time. Keep it in a drawer and it'll stay as good as new for when you NEED it!

Eh? Do you have any data documenting the loss of battery capacity over time if left plugged in? Unless the loss is greater than 20% max capacity per year, I'd be inclined to leave the battery in place simply due to its built-in UPS feature.

 

[Blue_Max]

Eh? Do you have any data documenting the loss of battery capacity over time if left plugged in? Unless the loss is greater than 20% max capacity per year, I'd be inclined to leave the battery in place simply due to its built-in UPS feature.

I suppose I could search for some, but I've had several family members and customers destroy their batteries despite their laptop never leaving the plug even once.

 

[Herald85]

Eh? Do you have any data documenting the loss of battery capacity over time if left plugged in? Unless the loss is greater than 20% max capacity per year, I'd be inclined to leave the battery in place simply due to its built-in UPS feature.

Charging a battery means the voltage in the cells is higher. Higher voltage -> harder on the cell. If you're almost at 100% all the time (100% -> 97% -> 100% etc) you will quickly wear down the battery. It's best to charge your laptop to 90% and then unplug it until you have a fifth of a charge left.

An old Sony Vaio of mine had a button to only charge the battery to a certain percentage instead of charging to the maximum.