Intel or AMD laptop?

[Eks]

Hello GTPlanet, I have to decide between 2 laptops. (I couldn't get the i5 laptop I ordered a while back)

I need you guys' opinions on which one would be best. I plan to use this laptop for gaming (nothing major, just Minecraft and maybe SimCity) and I hear the AMD may be the better choice, but I'm open to opinions. Here are the 2 laptops. :

Toshiba Satellite L850D-BT3N2
-CPU: AMD Dual-Core A6-4400M Accelerated Processor 2.7GHz (3.2GHz with AMD Turbo Core Technology 3.0), 1MB Cache (How would I bump it up to 3.2GHz? Also, I can upgrade to a Quad-core if necessary to beat the i3)

-GPU: AMD Radeon™ HD integrated graphics
-RAM: 4GB DDR3 memory

Price: $430 ($470 if Quad-core is selected)

And the other laptop is a Toshiba Satellite L850-BT3N2.
-CPU: Intel® Core™ i3-2348M Processor
-GPU: Intel® HD integrated graphics
-RAM: 4GB DDR3 memory

Price: $450

Now, someone on Tom's Hardware said that if I go with the AMD laptop, I should add 6gb RAM instead of 4gb since it uses an APU and you'd want the extra RAM so the APU can use more of it as VRAM. Is this true? Would it make a difference?

 

[LaBounti]

If gaming is a a major purpose then the AMD APU is the best choice, however. Don't get the A6. Its an enhanced A4. Go with the A8, I say this because I am using an A8-4500 laptop and I use it for gaming. The I3 will be better for everything but gaming compared to the A8.

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/AMD-A8-4500M-vs-AMD-A6-4400M

My Acer A8-4500m was $429.99 but go for the $470 one if you like the laptop.

Me personally, I'm waiting for next gen of APU's to upgrade. I truely love my laptop's gaming ability. Even games like Skyrim and Dead Island are very playable on it. My previous laptop was a gaming laptop and cost $980 back in 2008 and this one for less than half runs circles around it(but has less features).

 

[Eks]

Thanks, so as it stands the i3 beats the A6 and the A8 beats the i3 at gaming?
Well, all I really need it to play is Minecraft but running it better is something I also want so I may go with the A8..do you know how to get it to 2.7GHz? It's 1.9Ghz by default but can be upped via AMD Turbo Boost but how would I activate this "Turbo Boost?"

Also, is AMD integrated graphics better than Intel's? I'd assume AMD considering they make actual graphics cards..

And as for yours being $429.99..link? Lol. I'm all up for getting the same for less. 👍

 

[Submerged]

The CPU boosts the clock when it needs to.

So when you are doing a fair amount of work, then the processor will step it up to 2.7Ghz or whatever the Turbo Boost settings are.

Its mainly to save power on battery and to make it last a little bit longer.

 

[Rykon Zero]

Back when I was looking at laptops on a budget, I was told that AMD integrated graphics are better, and that the A6 and A8 are enough to run some pretty intensive games.

 

[LaBounti]

Turbo is automatic depending on system load. It runs from 1400Mhz to 1900mhz under normal processes. But it kicks in to 2800mhz under heavy processes. You'll know because it will get hot, very hot. Yes Amd APUs are more powerful than Intel graphics. Just not for everything else.

Mine is no longer for sale but I got it from best buy last summer. Its outdated now but newer ones may be a little more. If you are going to keep it for a while its good to get an A8 over the A6.

 

[Eks]

So would the AMD laptop (A8 APU, Radeon graphics) be better than the Intel? (i3 CPU, Intel HD graphics) for gaming? So the Intel laptop is the better "general purpose" machine..?

 

[doctorrg]

So would the AMD laptop (A8 APU, Radeon graphics) be better than the Intel? (i3 CPU, Intel HD graphics) for gaming? So the Intel laptop is the better "general purpose" machine..?

Pretty much, yes.

Thanks, so as it stands the i3 beats the A6 and the A8 beats the i3 at gaming?

More like A8 beats A6 beats i3.

And this is entirely due to the much better integrated graphics, got nothing to do with processing power. The i3 beats both AMD chips in terms of processing power.

Also, is AMD integrated graphics better than Intel's? I'd assume AMD considering they make actual graphics cards..

For the particular examples listed, yes. The A8 has better integrated graphics than the A6 and the A6 has better integrated graphics than the i3. Though this isn't universally applicable, this really depends on the particular models.

If these were my only options and I was mainly worried about gaming I'd definitely get the A8, particularly because it's got better integrated graphics than the A6.

 

[Eks]

Ugh, if only I could have AMD's graphics with an i3..

Oh well, I think I've made my choice. Thanks all 👍
I'll be ordering either Friday or next Friday so I'm open for opinions until then.

 

[nick09]

Grab this laptop. Good brand and you can upgrade the memory up to 8GB with an additional 4GB DDR3 1600 stick. The reason why the additional memory would increase performance is because sometimes you might not have enough memory when the laptop is reserving 512MB for the GPU. But this increase is marginal and I would rather suggest you to own the laptop for a while and test it before you spend anymore money. You could need extra memory but then again you might not. It depends on the user.

 

[Eks]

Thanks for posting that nick. 👍
Not only does it appear to be better, it's cheaper! I just hope it'll still be in stock on Friday.

If 4gb is enough for Minecraft, I don't think I need 8gb. The option is always nice though. I might upgrade just so the GPU has more to use.

 

[doctorrg]

The reason why the additional memory would increase performance is because sometimes you might not have enough memory when the laptop is reserving 512MB for the GPU. But this increase is marginal and I would rather suggest you to own the laptop for a while and test it before you spend anymore money. You could need extra memory but then again you might not. It depends on the user.

Generally, once you've reached a certain amount of memory, any further increases in memory will not result in increased gaming performance. Faster memory, on the other hand, has been shown to make a huge difference particularly with AMD APUs.

Edit: Ok, "huge" may be slightly exaggerated.

 

[Eks]

2 questions :

1. I thought an APU was a CPU+GPU on one chip? How does the laptop nick posted have discrete graphics and an APU?

2. The discrete graphics on the laptop nick posted are better than the integrated graphics on the laptop I posted, right?

 

[doctorrg]

2 questions :

1. I thought an APU was a CPU+GPU on one chip? How does the laptop nick posted have discrete graphics and an APU?

Does it have discrete graphics?

Edit: I've just re-checked, and it says "w/ Discrete-Class Graphics", which isn't necessarily conclusive. What does "Discrete-Class" mean? Does it mean as good graphics as a discrete graphics card, even though they actually refer to the integrated graphics? I'd tend to think that they do refer to the integrated graphics, because it's the exact model number of the GPU on that A8.

2. The discrete graphics on the laptop nick posted are better than the integrated graphics on the laptop I posted, right?

The description says HD 7640G, which is the GPU on the A8. It would be the same GPU as on the same A8 on a different laptop, and it's a better GPU than on the A6, which is the HD 7520G.

 

[Eks]

Does it have discrete graphics?



The description says HD 7640G, which is the GPU on the A8. It would be the same GPU as on the same A8 on a different laptop, and it's a better GPU than on the A6, which is the HD 7520G.

I could've sworn it said "discrete class graphics." Guess I'm just tired.

Well, I'll probably go ahead and buy that Asus. It has the A8 plus is nearly $100 cheaper than the Satellite L850D which was more expensive regardless of the weaker APU.

Edit - Oh wait, it did say "discrete class graphics". Guess it's referring to the GPU's power

 

[nick09]

Doesn't matter what they say, it's still an integrated GPU. You also can't beat that it also includes a 1 year accidental warranty when you register it for free.

 

[Eks]

The Asus it is then. I'll order when I get paid next monday. Thanks all 👍

 

[LaBounti]

Good catch. I was going to get an A10 Laptop but decided to wait to for the next gen thats soon to launch. 4GB will be fine. I was going to upgrade to 8gb (1600) but I'm sticking it out till I get a new laptop.