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Question

Buying a new laptop, which configuration is better?

Nov 4, 2012 2:12AM PST

Hey guys, I'm looking to buy a new laptop, but I'm stuck between two configurations. Which configuration will give me the better all around performance, speed-wise.

g6t-2200 Select Edition series ($620)
Operating system: Windows 8 64bit
Processor: 3rd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3210M
Processor Speed: (2.5 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz)
Graphics card: Intel(R) HD Graphics
Memory: 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Hard drive: 500GB 5400RPM Hard Drive
g6t-2200 series ($590)
Operating system: Windows 8 64bit
Processor: 2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2370M
Processor Speed: (2.4 GHz)
Graphics card: 1GB AMD Radeon(TM) HD 7670M Discrete-Class Graphics
Memory: 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Hard drive: 500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive

So basically: the Select Edition g6t has a newer 3rd generation Intel Core i5 processor, compared to the Standard Edition g6t, which has an older 2nd generation Intel Core i3 processor. But the Standard Edition g6t has more RAM, a faster RPM hard drive, and a high performance AMD graphics card. The Select Edition only has that integrated Intel HD graphics card.

They are both roughly the same price, but I want to hear some opinions first before making my purchase. Thanks.

Discussion is locked

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Answer
For all around speed
Nov 4, 2012 2:21AM PST

As in what folk would do short of gaming, the faster RPM HDD could win most use scenarios.

The GPU while still a mobile one could, in theory play a few games but these still strike me as value machines and not what a gamer would want.
Bob

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Some Clarification
Nov 4, 2012 2:25AM PST

I'm not using this laptop for any serious gaming. Just for everyday use like internet surfing, email, creating slideshows, video editing, some minor gaming, powerpoint and excel, listening to music and watching videos. That kind of stuff.

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Still a hard call.
Nov 4, 2012 2:28AM PST

The HD video has me write "no gaming" and the slower HDD while it can be swapped out can bring that up to a better video editor laptop (which is just as bad an oxymoron as a gaming laptop) if I only had the choice of these 2 I'd pick based on if I was serious about game play.
Bob

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So you'd choose the second one?
Nov 4, 2012 2:43AM PST

So you're saying the dedicated AMD graphics card, a faster rpm HDD, and more RAM is more important than the newer/faster i5 processor with turboboost?

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If those were my only choices?
Nov 4, 2012 2:51AM PST

Because the video card is more important to games, it's the only one that I'd try on games. The other has the non-dedicated video solution and with a better HDD could do better at compute work and finish video work a little sooner, the nod is to the one that could game.
Bob