AMD A4-5000 vs Core i3-3110m for general use

My wife's 5+ year old Toshiba laptop is on its way out, and we're looking for an inexpensive replacement. I have it narrowed down to two systems, one with an AMD A4-5000, the other with a Core i3-3110m. She only uses it for MS Office, web surfing/watching videos, and iTunes. The AMD's low heat and power consumption and its lower price (about $100 less than the Intel) are appealing. However, I know the i3 is going to be a faster overall performer, but does it really matter for her usage? All opinions are appreciated.

 

the i3 wont be a bad investment anyway, the amd's are slow.. it may even struggle with HD youtube videos.. (bad experience with AMD single core)

 

The quad-core 1.5ghz plus the 128 shader core gpu is plenty for your wife. I was using until recently a laptop with a single core Athlon 2 with integrated graphics to do the same sorts of tasks. That was plenty and the A4-5000 is a lot more powerful than that. I would say just make sure you get 4gb of ram.

 

I can't say how fast either of the CPUs in question are but I have an E-350 powered Thinkpad X120e. It can handle HD video and HD youtube just fine (my ISP is another mater ). I wouldn't worry about either handling basic HD video.

 

For normal use, I don't really think it makes a huge difference. Perhaps battery life you'll get slightly better figures with the Intel, but aside from that, go with what's cheaper IMO.

 

I agree. Almost any modern CPU used in PC's will work for your task.

Consider getting a computer that's likely to be more reliable in the long run - a Lenovo ThinkPad T- or Dell Latitude E-series from their respective outlets. Even one two or three gens back will be sufficient for almost any general task. Heck, my computer is in its fourth year (four Intel platforms back!) and works fine even for more intensive tasks like Sony Vegas and Photoshop.