Laptop upgrade - is a i5 2.27 Ghz >>> over Athlon X2 QL-62 2.0 Ghz, both dual core?

[WhipperSnapper]

I'm currently have this laptop, but with 4 GB DDR2 for the RAM, and yes, it's on the original Windows Vista:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834107024
Compaq CQ60-210US
AMD Athlon X2 QL-62 2.0 Ghz (dual core)
4 GB RAM
Nvidia GeForce 8200M integrated graphics
15.6"

Would this laptop be a significant upgrade for $313 in terms of how fast it runs Firefox and a single threaded game? It's only still a dual core, though much better with Win 10 and 8 GB RAM. Is the Core i5 430M a significant upgrade over that Athlon X2 QL-62 chip?

http://www.discountelectronics.com/toshiba-terca-a11-core-i5-windows-7-15-6-laptop/
Toshiba Tecra A11-S3520 - $313
Core i5 430M 2.26 Ghz
8 GB RAM (upgraded)
240 GB SSD (upgraded)
Windows 10 Home (upgraded)
15.6"

Would either of these dual Core i7's be a significant upgrade over the Core i5?

http://www.discountelectronics.com/lenovo-thinkpad-t420-core-i7-14-windows-7-laptop/
Lenovo Thinkpad T420 - $424
Intel Core i7-2620M 2.7 GHz
8 GB RAM (upgraded)
240 GB SSD (upgraded)
Windows 10 Home (upgraded)
14"

http://www.discountelectronics.com/dell-core-i7-latitude-e6410-windows-7-laptop/
Dell Latitude E6410 - $424
Intel Core i7 2.67 Ghz
8 GB RAM (upgraded)
240 GB SSD (upgraded)
Windows 10 Home (upgraded)
14"

 

[Piroko]

On the CPU side - yes, all of them are solid upgrades.

On the GPU side - I think the Lenovo Thinkpad with its Intel HD 3000 is probably the way to go, that should be some 3 to 4 times faster than a geforce 8200m depending on game? The Toshiba Tegra is faster as well, but not by much. The Dell Latitude I can't tell.

 

[i-know-not]

If you had to chose between those three, I would take the Thinkpad.

The CPUs in the Toshiba/Latitude are Nehalem/Westmere architecture and are thus 1 generation before the Sandy Bridge CPU in the Thinkpad, which is itself 5 generations behind the most recent generation, Kaby Lake.

Perf/price wise, however, all three of them are bad deals. You should be able to find Thinkpads/Latitudes/HP pros with more recent CPUs (Intel 4xxx and up), and buy ram/ssd upgrades yourself. Check Lenovo and Dell outlet site...

I don't think this forum can help you very well. If you wish for more comprehensive suggestions, there are places like suggestalaptop subreddit. If you want to look at more deals, there are websites like slickdeals.

 

[nathanddrews]

None of those look like very good deals. For $299, you can get a like new laptop with i5-6200U CPU with HD520 graphics which blows the doors off all those other models:
http://www.microcenter.com/product/..._Laptop_Computer_Refurbished_-_Obsidian_Black

Plus, it's not terrible at gaming, assuming you play 720p-1080p, low-mid settings:

 

[richierich1212]

I would not buy any of the laptops mentioned.

There's always great deals on Dell laptops from their outlet with coupons. Make sure to look at both Home and Business sections: http://www.dell.com/learn/us/en/22/campaigns/outlet

Since your budget is around $425 it would be hard to find a more current i7 but you can get lucky. But a modern i3 and i5 would run circles around the 1st gen and 2nd gen Core Intel CPUs and your current laptop.

You just have to search everyday and be quick at pulling the trigger if you see a good deal. Resellers snatch up systems super fast.

 

[Valantar]

https://tinyurl.com/k3gw2oe[/B]]According to PassMark, yes. The i5 should be about twice as fast.

I use a ThinkPad X201 with an i5-520m, 8GB of DDR3 and an old Intel X25m 80GB SSD, and it's fine for office tasks, web browsing and light 2D gaming. Anything 3D (at least newer than games like Star Wars: Rogue Squadron) is too much for it by far. That includes modern "2.5D" or pseudo-2D games. I saved an old HP Envy 14" with an i5-460m (I think) and a dGPU (Radeon... 6450?) from a dumpster once, and it's slightly better for games, but still quite bad. Nothing remotely mobile from that era can really handle any kind of gaming.

As such, I'm torn between your options. Outside of gaming, I'd choose the ThinkPad T420. Build quality should be excellent, the keyboard is great, and the user experience will undoubtedly be good. It's Sandy Bridge-based too, which means slightly better iGPU than the others. On the other hand the Acer E5 linked above should be significantly faster, especially for games, and it will consume less power. On the other hand, the E5 is essentially an eMachines laptop, which means crappy keyboard and screen, utter sh*t build quality, and probably as bad cooling as they can get away with. It's probably next to impossible to maintain/upgrade too. So there's that.

I'd look around for a deal on an Ivy bridge or newer laptop from a decent product line, as the iGPUs on those are far superior to the i5-430. Then again, those will probably cost you more.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Thanks for all your advice guys. I think I'll pass on the DE stuff, then. I haven't really priced this stuff out for years. I'm in Austin right now using my old crappy latptop and could potentially purchase in person, which is why this all came up. It was basically impulse shopping.

 

[ElFenix]

i got a dell outlet 13" 2-1 for $270 (w/ texas taxes), added 8 gb of ram and got some ebates so total cost is about $300 for a skylake i3 with 1080 screen. now to find a cheap ssd and i'm set.