kindly help me decide between i3 ulv i5 ulv or i7 m

[rovopio]

i'm about to buy a new laptop since my last one dead all of a sudden.
for background context my last laptop was a 2nd gen i3-2330m, i was fairly satisfied with it even though wanting more sometimes.

i've read this benchmark and another one and now i'm confused which one i should buy that could fit my need, and would be a smart spending for me.

here's my needs for the laptop...
1) Browse lots of tabs at the same time.
==> When i read an article with lots of hyperlinks, i open the links on the article simulatenously while reading. for example atm, my browser just now just opened 8 sports article that i opened simultaneously from B/R sports front page. I can open up to 40-50 tabs in my average usage.

my old i3 lags a bit when i opened 10 tabs at the same time made me wanting for more

2) I watch 1080p movies daily/weekly that are 8-12 gib in size, and i hook my old laptop to my 23" IPS monitor

That's my 2 basic needs.

3) I find my old i3-2330m a bit lagging.... The normal daily condition i usually do with my old i3 laptop was, opening 10 tabs at the same time from a web home page, keeping 50 tabs open at once, split screen watching movie hook to external 1080p 23" monitor, while doing basic word processing, and downloading 1 file with IDM... all at the same time

4) i dont do autocad, video render / editing, or complex math softwares... just the above...

there's literally almost no i3 i5 ivy bridge / haswell mobile processors in the country where i live at the moment, only i3 i5 ulv, ivy / haswell.
they do have i7 mobile and ULV though.

when i saw the above benchmarks from both site an i3-i5 3rd gen ULV scored 2200/2900 and 2500 on the 2 benchmark webs, while the i7-4700hq scored 6800 on both web

i have $1100 budget, but i dont have a lot of financial leeway, so while yes, smooth snappy experience is important for me but, "smart spending" is more important.

the price of the i3 3rd gen and the i5 i'm about to buy is $630 and $720 respectively, and the i7 is $1150.

all other specifications are the same, mediocre screen, mediocre speaker, same graphic card nvidia gt740m...

my question is... is there any performance jump at all between the i5 ULV and the i7? and if there is, how big is it? does it justify the $430 price difference?

and is there any performance jump between the i3 ULV vs the i5 ULV...?

*my logic is that if the i5 ULV and the i7 performs the same considering my needs... and if the i5 ULV and the i3 ULV performs similarly, i'd go for the i3.
OTOH, if the i7 mobile performs leaps and bounds to the i5, i might consider biting the i7.

===
my 2nd gen i3-2330m dead laptop opening 10 tabs at the same time, it will lags for a couple seconds... im wondering if it s going to still lag on i7 or whether it'll feel snappy...?
===


Cheerssss,,!!

 

[ShintaiDK]

Please show what exactly models you wish to buy. Link them.

I doubt your old laptop lagged due to the CPU. But rather HD or memory.

 

[bgt]

Rovopio, forget the i7 like ShintaiDK says, a SSD in your laptop is far more important. I recently delivered an Acer laptop to a custommer with an i5 in it but the HDD was ruining the smooth experience. After installing a SSD it was OK. The i3 can still give you a bit of lag.

 

[rovopio]

i installed intel 330 120gb on my dead low-end asus i3-2330m. the ram is 6 gib. i kept the original ram stick and put in a 2 gib corsair ram.

regarding software (at least the ones i used), i'm a power user in sense that i know enough not to mess up with registries / drivers / bios settings / clicking through installations / viruses...

so yeah, on my 2330m even with SSD opening 8-10 tabs at the same time lags a bit.

=====
when comparing 3rd/4tg gen ULV i5 with 3rd gen mobile i3... does mobile i3 perform faster for my needs?

say i3-3110m vs i5-4200u or i3-3217u...?
=====
atm since my laptop's dead i'm typing this with a dell i5-4200u my family lent me, i put my intel 330 ssd in, it lags even more opening like 8 10 tabs at the same time compare to my i3...

that's why i was thinking of going extreme and go i7 mobile route since i3 i5 ATM here where i live only ULV is being sold, no mobile,, but $400-500 is a lot of price jump for me...
=====
ps:this i5 ULV laptop is dell. i found from simple googling that a few dell model has severe lagging issues with intel speedstep enabled
For context... opening VLC media player without any change on BIOS (speedstep enabled), takes 5 seconds, opening IDM from the metro, 5 seconds, that's unacceptable.

So i tried that suggestion out, when the speedstep is disabled via bios the laptop is fast now. in feel at least as fast as my old i3. opening idm / vlc from metro is instant.

ofc i also know from googling that its best to keep default (intel speedstep enabled), so now i change it back. Maybe this one is model related, not sure.

that's why i ask generally speaking... does i5 always performs better than i3.. even ULV.. and how does i7 fare against i3-i5ulv for my very basic needs?

(i never tweak my asus bios)

===
i use my laptop 8-11 hours a day but i never play with other people's laptop so, i really don't know other than the feel. but yeah even with i3 mobile + SSD, opening 10 tabs at the same time from say, sports website homepage, will lag the laptop a little bit...

 

[ShintaiDK]

say i3-3110m vs i5-4200u or i3-3217u...?

i5 4200U is far the fastest. 50% faster than the other 2.

You can lookup the CPus here:
http://ark.intel.com/

As I said, I doubt your issue is CPU. More like memory usage.

 

[rovopio]

so... for my needs, is the $90 price difference justify the jump on i5 ulv performance compare to buying i3...?

so i should forget the i7 mobile because i won't feel the difference for my needs?

---
one other thing, with the budget i have, i have an option of building a simple desktop with an i5-4570 plus an i3 ULV laptop... that same budget can also be used to buy an i7 mobile laptop, and there's gonna be nothing left.

so.. i wanna ask another thing as well, between i7 4700hq and i5-4570 desktop... will it feel different in terms of snappiness for my needs?

===
https://www.asus.com/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/K43SA/ that's the old laptop model

===
do you need the new model?
it's between https://www.asus.com/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/K46CB/ i4-i5 ulv or this one https://www.asus.com/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/N46JV/ i7 mobile

 

[bgt]

Rovopio, a desktop will always feel snappier then any laptop. The 4570 is a nice CPU but buy a Z87 MB + a K model i5(or i7), OC it a bit and you'll be happy.
BTW 5 months ago I delivered an i7 laptop, Asus K95VJ-YZ10H, to a custommer. It felt very snappy but my 3770K was much better. A laptop is always a compromise.
If I test my i3 setup, see sig, with a laptop with an i3 Haswell in it..........................big difference.

 

[yulgrhet]

I am suggesting I-5 plenty for your uses and good for future too. I am agreeing SSD is very important.

 

[SilthDraeth]

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...reen-Laptop-Intel-Core-i5/productID.288024500

Core i54200u
1080p IPS screen.
backlit keyboard

all for $499

Throw in an 8 GB memory stick, and a decent capacity msata, or ssd, and still be under your $1100 range, unless you want 17" screen.

 

[bgt]

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...reen-Laptop-Intel-Core-i5/productID.288024500Core i54200u1080p IPS screen.backlit keyboardall for $499Throw in an 8 GB memory stick, and a dedent capacity msata, or ssd, and still be under your $1100 range, unless you want 17" screen.

Isn't the 4200 a 2core+2HT? So it will be a lot slower than the 4570!

 

[rovopio]

not from the US guys... i cant buy from any links you send me... apologies if that links contain affiliates i cant buy from it either

they sell the 14" version only here, no 15.6" version. the resolution is only 1366 x 768, cost 870 bucks haha

 

[SilthDraeth]

Oh, you can't get stuff from the Microsoft store? Dang. My bad. I know you aren't in the US, but didn't realize that restriction.

 

[rovopio]

Rovopio, a desktop will always feel snappier then any laptop. The 4570 is a nice CPU but buy a Z87 MB + a K model i5(or i7), OC it a bit and you'll be happy.
BTW 5 months ago I delivered an i7 laptop, Asus K95VJ-YZ10H, to a custommer. It felt very snappy but my 3770K was much better. A laptop is always a compromise.
If I test my i3 setup, see sig, with a laptop with an i3 Haswell in it..........................big difference.

hi bgt!! tq very much for the answer.

my budget is tight at $1100.

and the only thing i need as on the post #1, to open loads and loads of tabs at the same time (open 10 tabs simultaneously, and keep 50 tabs at idle) without lagging, while typing, split screening video and downloading with IDM.
No complex math softwares whatsoever.

in your opinion, should i go i3 ULV or i7 mobile? considering $630 to $1150.. $520 difference between them.

also... does the i7 mobile (i7-4700hq in particular beats i5-3570 or i5-4570)?

===
from what i infer i3 and i5 ulv doesn't differ that much because ULV processors is neutered even compared to mobile processors, is the $100 price difference between i3 and i5 ULV justify the performance jump on ULV processors?


cheers...

 

[Arkaign]

Do you *need* a laptop? It sounds like most of your usage is at home.

I wonder if you might be served better by a desktop for home, and a cheap but good tablet (tons of those out there now) for your mobile needs.

Bonus is that :

(1)- You get better performance on a desktop all other things being equal.
(2)- Dramatically easier to upgrade should you want to (you could even add your old laptop stock HDD and SSD to it).
(3)- If you download a decent amount over connections, you can queue that stuff up to DL while you're gone, while still having a device to use on the go.
(4)- Tablets are actually more convenient than laptops IF it's simply being used on the go as a content-consumption/entertainment/browsing device. If you need to do legit work on it, forget the tablet.
EDIT - forgot to mention this ..
(5)- Much cheaper/easier to repair. Most likely your current laptop has a dead motherboard, which on a desktop is a $100ish or less single component that's easy to replace out of warranty.

Overall I'd say if you use the thing at home 80% of the time or more, get a desktop. IMHO.

 

[rovopio]

Do you *need* a laptop? It sounds like most of your usage is at home.

it certainly sounds like that. im out during the day. but where im at on daytime, there's always outlet, so battery life doesn't matter (almost at all to me). of course i dont do split screen movies / idm / word / firefox during the day... hehe

so i need a laptop yeah.

to make a quiet PC, with the pricing here, i need $1400 even with a mediocre graphic card. so i decide to hold off on pc since i only have $1100. that's also why i ask if i7-4700hq will beat i5-3570 / i5-4570 or not. since if it does, i'll hit two birds with one stone.

but if i5-3570/i5-4570 still run around circle on i7-4700hq then i might as well get i3/i5 ulv and save the money... (considering all i need is snappy while opening 10 tabs at the same time). i hv ssd and i was using one with the old laptop.

Oh, you can't get stuff from the Microsoft store? Dang. My bad. I know you aren't in the US, but didn't realize that restriction.

i used to live in east asia, you can buy if it's a develop country... i did buy ergo keyboard before... not to south east asia though. the last time i bought a mechanical keyboard from the UK, the tax cost as much as the keyboard i bought.

 

[Arkaign]

On CPU, you definitely want to stick with a legitimate quad it sounds like. And forget the U version of anything. They are heavily compromised to offer extreme battery life and low heat (for ultrabook and micro device usage), but a lot of $ for something that is outran by a desktop i3.

 

[rovopio]

On CPU, you definitely want to stick with a legitimate quad it sounds like. And forget the U version of anything. They are heavily compromised to offer extreme battery life and low heat (for ultrabook and micro device usage), but a lot of $ for something that is outran by a desktop i3.

Does the i7 mobile (i7-4700hq in particular beats i5-3570 or i5-4570)?
or by your reply does that mean quad core i7 mobile can't even beat a desktop i3?


if so, i wouldn't bother buying the i7 mobile, i'd rather save my cash to build pc later on and be satisfied with i3 or i5 now. ULV though sadly, no mobile here now since 3217U and the likes (

=====
the reason i ask meticulously is because,

1) if i5 ulv is far better than i3 ulv, then i'll take i5 ulv bar the $100 price difference.
2) if the performance jump is very minimal and doesn't justify the cost i'll take the i3 ulv and save my money.

the money saves will go towards my $1400 quiet pc piggy bank

but while browsing i discover a $1150 i7-4700hq mobile processor laptop. so option number 3 is
3) just buy the i7-4700hq and cancel buying pc...

*provided that i7-4700hq can open 10/15/20 tabs simultaneously without being laggy like my old i3, if installed with ssd... i'd probably settle with that, especially if i7-4700hq beats the i5-3570, then i'll definitely go with i7-4700hq laptop.

but if it can't even beat desktop i3 then, i'll scrap the i7 notebook plan...

 

[Sweepr]

(considering all i need is snappy while opening 10 tabs at the same time). i hv ssd and i was using one with the old laptop.

My 3rd Gen i7 ULV (paired with 10GB DDR3 and a Samsung 840 Pro SSD) feels plenty fast for web browsing (+30 tabs most of the time), image editing, video editing and even some modern games (discrete NVIDIA GPU). Its night and day compared to my older Core 2 laptops.

 

[rovopio]

My 3rd Gen i7 ULV (paired with 10GB DDR3 and a Samsung 840 Pro SSD) feels plenty fast for web browsing (+30 tabs most of the time), image editing, video editing and even some modern games (discrete NVIDIA GPU). Its night and day compared to my older Core 2 laptops.

do you keep 30 on idle, or do you click 30 at the same time with ctrl+click, like say clicking wiki footnotes or article numerous hyperlinks?. oh its i7, nvm, i thought it was an i3 ulv.. i misread it

 

[nurturedhate]

Is your issue the loading of the 30 or so pages?

 

[rovopio]

Is your issue the loading of the 30 or so pages?

no the loading itself is fast. i know the loading depends on my internet speed. but while i clicked it simultaneously, the laptop crawl.

say i open 10 pages of news at the same time, 3-5 load instantly while the other 5 takes some time due to limitation on my 3-4mbps internet speed.

while i scroll down or press page down on the fully loaded page, pressing page down or scrolling down on the fully load page is still crawling / slow, if the others are still loading.

when everything's done loading, then the laptop snappiness goes back to normal.

also, for example when i opened those 10 pages and i wanted to close 2 pages due to clicking mistake, when i wanted to closed, firefox doesn't close it instantly, it has lags which i assume due to the laptop processing the other loading pages.

 

[Arkaign]

Does the i7 mobile (i7-4700hq in particular beats i5-3570 or i5-4570)?
or by your reply does that mean quad core i7 mobile can't even beat a desktop i3?


if so, i wouldn't bother buying the i7 mobile, i'd rather save my cash to build pc later on and be satisfied with i3 or i5 now. ULV though sadly, no mobile here now since 3217U and the likes (

=====
the reason i ask meticulously is because,

1) if i5 ulv is far better than i3 ulv, then i'll take i5 ulv bar the $100 price difference.
2) if the performance jump is very minimal and doesn't justify the cost i'll take the i3 ulv and save my money.

the money saves will go towards my $1400 quiet pc piggy bank

but while browsing i discover a $1150 i7-4700hq mobile processor laptop. so option number 3 is
3) just buy the i7-4700hq and cancel buying pc...

*provided that i7-4700hq can open 10/15/20 tabs simultaneously without being laggy like my old i3, if installed with ssd... i'd probably settle with that, especially if i7-4700hq beats the i5-3570, then i'll definitely go with i7-4700hq laptop.

but if it can't even beat desktop i3 then, i'll scrap the i7 notebook plan...

i7 Mobile Quad Haswell can beat all i3s handily, and usually match the desktop i5s as long as the clock speed is moderately close.

i7 Mobile Dual Haswell (ie : the i7 U models such as the i7-4500U/etc) are not true quads, they're dual cores with hyperthreading and low clock speeds. As such, they're handily slower than any normal desktop i3 CPU (which are also dual cores with hyperthreading, but at much higher clock speeds!).

IOW for mobile you will want an i7 with a Q in the name. For desktop any Haswell i5 or i7 will suffice to give great performance. Just make sure you have SSD and 8GB of ram, boom done.

 

[bgt]

for mobile you will want an i7 with a Q in the name. For desktop any Haswell i5 or i7 will suffice to give great performance. Just make sure you have SSD and 8GB of ram, boom done.

:thumbsup:

 

[rovopio]

i hv the ssd already from the old one. i've taken the 4gb ram expansion cost into account as well.

okay last question...

considering laptop only have 1 years warranty, though asus have 2 years though, and it's hard to replace laptop when it's broken.
do you think it'd be better if i go i3 ULV route for $630 and save my remaining budget to build a $1400 PC with i5 later on (like in 6 months or smthn) or should i just blow all my budget and buy the i7 mobile?
(considering my hardcore tabs opening yet non-rendering/encoding/editing softwares...)


this i3 ULV performance cut is making me confused because yes the battery's longer but the performance isnt as good as mobile, even the i5 that im using... yet because of exchange rate, all electronic price here spike by 25% haha ~_~

===
sorry i ask repeatedly, im not exactly swimming with coins either . love to get i5 mobile but they dont hv it here, and i feel that the i5 ULV is lacking but the i7 mobile is too expensive.

 

[bgt]

sorry i ask repeatedly, im not exactly swimming with coins either . love to get i5 mobile but they dont hv it here, and i feel that the i5 ULV is lacking but the i7 mobile is too expensive.

Get a desktop with an i5. An expensive laptop is more risk than an expensive desktop:sneaky: