Laptop CPU - i7 2nd Gen vs i7 3rd Gen vs i7 4th Gen

simprosimple on 09/07/2015 - 21:49
Last edited 10/07/2015 - 11:19

My current laptop is 3.5 years old bought in end of 2011 for $599

PROCESSOR: Intel Core i7-2630QM(2nd Gen)
MEMORY: 8 GB DDR3
STORAGE: 750GB

Is it worth to "upgrade" to Intel Core i7-4500U(4th Gen)? Or is it a "downgrade"? Or should I get a 3rd gen i7-3630QM with higher cpu mark?

Intel Core i7-2630QM @ 2.00GHz - 2nd Generation Average CPU Mark 5567

Intel Core i7-3630QM @ 2.40GHz - 3rd Generation Average CPU Mark 7640

Intel Core i7-4500U @ 1.80GHz - 4th Generation Average CPU Mark 3826

Is the CPU Mark = Speed of CPU?? Is it better to get newer gen or higher cpu mark?

I dont have much knowledge on Computer, just checking the CPU Score as reference

Computing

Comments

  • plmko on 09/07/2015 - 22:05
    +2

    The higher the score the better, the older ones you've listed are also true quad-cores so will be much faster.

    But the newer one is a U class CPU so is more battery saving.

    Depends what you prefer, to me the older CPU's will keep you happy for longer.

  • iridiumstem on 09/07/2015 - 22:07
    +6

    What's your purpose for using the laptop? QM stands for Quad-Core, Mobile, whereas U stands for Ultra-low power.

    So QM one would probably be bulkier, bigger and/or requires more power but packs more processing power whereas i7-4500u would probably be lighter and would last longer on battery. Though it would depend on the model you are looking at.

    Since 4th gen did improve on battery life a lot compared to 3rd gen, and since it's ultra-low power CPU, you'd probably see far more battery life from i7-4500u, with less processing power.

    http://www.intel.com.au/content/www/au/en/processors/process…

    That said, don't just look at specs on paper. I personally put slightly more weights on heat dissipation and build quality (i.e. I tend to avoid plastic chasis and tend to avoid those laptops that overheats a lot), though I think it's more of my personal preference than anything. Also changing HDD to SSD might be something that'd improve the experience you have with your laptop. Cleaning the laptop out may reduce throttling (if it has a dust build up), which would make your laptop run faster than now. Though, I think that's digressing slightly from what you've asked.

    • simprosimple on 10/07/2015 - 11:25

      Facing dilemma between Bulky & Heavy VS Lighter & Convenient

      • iridiumstem on 10/07/2015 - 14:47

        Your choice, though, as Scrimshaw and others have said, you'd not feel that much performance increase from CPU change (rather, things like SSD, more RAM etc from the new laptop). That said, battery life increase from going to 4th gen U processor would definitely be something that will be obvious (That said, if the manufacturer decides to reduce weight by taking out battery, that may affect that). Just my opinion.
        Though if you move with the laptop a lot, I'd personally go with lighter option (If the laptop model is any good that is).

  • cypher67 on 09/07/2015 - 22:25
    +4

    I cant imagine why you would be considering upgrading tbh. How is this laptop not meeting your requirements? If your computer is running slow, do a fresh install of windows and it will run like new. If you want to play games you should be comparing Graphics cards not CPU. If you want things to load faster I would be looking into SSDs. Upgrading to the 3630 I would doubt u would notice any difference, 5-10% at most. Switching to the 4500U would also be a minimal change, maybe 5-10% less but you would probably see a 10-20% increase in battery life. All minimal returns compared to an SSD or GPU depending on your needs.

    • simprosimple on 10/07/2015 - 11:26

      Thanks !

      • Gina Rinehart on 10/07/2015 - 13:00

        Yes, you should definitely look at simply putting a cheap 256gb SSD into it, which will GREATLY improve the performance on your current laptop. You'll have to reinstall windows onto it but that's not too hard. Did this with my mum's old lappy and it's still going strong, approx 6 years old now.

        • aim54x on 12/07/2015 - 15:10

          I went down this route, slipped a 512mb M550 into my Asus U36SD and it has been a pleasure to use ever since (Sandy Bridge i7 -2620M so only a dual core)

  • ItsMeAgro on 09/07/2015 - 22:41

    Just from what you've posted, the 4500U is a downgrade and the 3630QM won't be enough of an upgrade to really notice it for most things most people do on their laptops.

    (Though passmark is a crappy benchmark that doesn't always reflect real performance well).

    What do you hope to gain from the upgrade? Better game performance? Faster… web browsing?

  • CyberMurning on 09/07/2015 - 23:21

    Already i7 why want to upgrade? Unbelievable…

    • simprosimple on 09/07/2015 - 23:23
      -4

      cause its almost 4 years old :(

      • scrimshaw on 10/07/2015 - 01:55
        +4

        Spend $250, buy yourself a 480GB SSD. It's the best performance boost you will get for a relatively small spend.

        You could spend $1000~1500 dollars and get a Core i7 QM Haswell laptop with all the latest bells and whistles but you WILL NOT get the huge quantum leap in performance that you've hoped for. It might be better in the CPU department by about 10%, but that's really it.

      • fredblogs on 10/07/2015 - 11:03
        +2

        You don't upgrade because it's old, you upgrade because it's slow.

        The slowest thing in your laptop is the HDD, and like everyone else is saying, upgrading to SSD will give the biggest improvement.

  • hypie on 10/07/2015 - 00:10

    Dude switch to an SSD first, You will see a 40% increase in the speed on opening and closing. Just buy a cheap one to test it out, you might be able to keep you going for another year or two. You will get better battery life. Then buy a Surface Pro 3 as your mobile PC.

  • KaTst3R on 10/07/2015 - 01:42

    The 6th gen Skylake CPU is coming out in a couple of months, can you wait a little longer?

    • simprosimple on 10/07/2015 - 11:28

      Thanks !

      • jaypick on 10/07/2015 - 19:32

        Not necessarily for performance, I'd be more looking toward better power consumption. As far as the laptop/mobile side goes this is what you're wishing for. Better to go for an SSD if you want snappier performance. The only time you're really looking for performance bumps is on the desktop side.

  • Kawaii69 on 10/07/2015 - 03:17

    You wouldn't even notice a difference, like Scrimshaw advised get an ssd. Much better option

  • NeilBritto on 11/07/2015 - 04:18

    The difference in speed is not much.You should keep the old one.

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