New laptop for work/casual gaming, how important is the processor??

[btramer]

So the laptop I'm looking at is an Inspiron 15 7000 "gaming" laptop, it's got 32 GB RAM and GTX 1050 TI, the only thing I'm stuck on right now is that it comes with i5-7300HQ which is fine except it lacks hyperthreading.

Just wondering if I'm giving up anything noticeable by opting to go with the i5-7300HQ as opposed to looking for something that does support hyperthreading.


EDIT: Actually found one with the i7-7700HQ for not a whole lot more money, just gonna go with that - I don't see any option to delete this post.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Yup, i7 is the right decision. Happy gaming.

If you delete your post, nobody can learn from it. This is a forum, not a helpdesk.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

I was in the same boat and opted for the i7 and the 1060. I figured for the extra money and my use of Lightroom and some gaming, it couldn't hurt.

 

[nerp]

Makes sense to spend more with initial purchase and get the higher end parts. You tend to not regret it in the long run and with a laptop, you don't want to regret not getting the better specs.

 

[ondma]

You made the right decision to go with the i7, if near the same price, although either cpu would be fine for a lower level gpu like the 1050 Ti. But better to get more cpu grunt.

 

[kmmatney]

I agree with going for an i7, with one exception. The i5-8250u is perfectly good for work and gaming - it has 4 cores and hyperthreading, I have a laptop with the i5 8250u (Dell Inspiron 15 5570) and after using Intel tuning software, it actually outscores the average 8550u. Here are some benchmarks:

Cinebench R15: 682
Passmark cpu score: 9133

The Intel cpu tuning settings stay on after reboot which is nice. I have the cpu undervolted by -0.09V, and the graphics undervolted by -0.04V. When I do this, the benchmark scores are in line with a 8650u cpu, which costs hundreds more. Without undervolting, then my scores fall back near normal 8250 levels. The great think is that undervolting is dead easy - just set and forget.

For reference the Passmark 3D score with the undervolt on the UHD 620 graphics is 1259, so it can sort of play games, but you'd want something better (1050 Ti would be a great match).

 

[stateofmind]

I would actually consider the Dell 7577 which can now be found for around $700-$750.. Yes, you'll get an I5-7300HQ (4C/4T), but it will be faster for gaming than an I9 + GTX 1050 Ti, say.