intel core i3 or AMD e-350?

Hi,
I'm deciding between thinkpad x201i and ideapad s205. The major difference is that the x201i runs on intel core i3 and s205 runs on amd e-350. The reviews I've read rate the core i3 as superior in performance and speed. Although both have 6 cell batteries, personally I'm quite keen on getting the s205 as the e-350 is supposed to be more energy efficient. But I'm worried about its speed being much slower than the x201i which runs on core i3.


I will be using my laptop for work (reading pdf files, web surfing, running MS word/excel and a couple of statistical programs) and will also want to play some music and movies off-work.

Would the s205 be sufficient?

 

I think you'll be fine with the amd. In fact either will work just fine for what you do.

 

Seriously? I guess I'm deciding between speed and energy efficiency You think I need not invest in an intel core i3 for my type of usage? I expect the laptop to be able to open at least 3 or 4 applications at the same time.

The e-350 seems to do pretty bad in comparison with i3. [Phoronix] AMD Fusion E-350 Linux Performance Review

 

Not sure but how about battery life on each laptop?

 

on a 6 cell, I expect the s205 to last about 5 - 6 hours and the x201i a couple of hours less for heavy usage.

 

Personally I would get the x201i. The processor are not even on the same range. While the s205 might be sufficient for your needs, you might feel that it is sluggish from time to time. Not to mention that the x201i is a thinkpad, which are build better and are more durable.

 

I agree with K2001, if they're priced similarly then I would opt for the X201 due to the performance and build quality. Plus power efficiency on the X201 is actually rather good if you tweak around with the Power Manager.

 

Definitely the i3, then. Plus the build quality and keyboard are worlds better.

 

You are not going to get 5-6 hours from s205 for heavy usage. I have an X120e (same E-350 APU), and I get 2.5-3 hours of battery life from light internet browsing.

For light use, I expect s205 to get similar battery life to X201i. For heavy use, the battery life will still be similar, but since the s205 is slower, you will get less computational work done.

 

On a 6-cell battery?! I can get anywhere from 5.5 to 7.5 hours, depending on screen brightness. I never use my X120e at full brightness, since it's really bright.

Regarding the OP's decision, if the price is similar, the X201 will provide a much better overall experience. While the E-350 is fine for general use, it is noticeably slower than my Core 2 Duo P8700 in my T500--the Core i3 would provide you with some more CPU overhead power.

Do take note that the integrated graphics of the E-350 is more powerful than that of the i3 processor, although both can handle 1080p content perfectly fine. The difference only comes up during 3D gaming, which it doesn't seem you will do much of.

 

2.5-3 is low for a light internet browsing, I get around 6 hour on my 6-cell. I think that the s205 would be around 5 hours for the 6-cell and the around 2.5-3 for the 3-cell.

 

I think that Excel and the statistical programs will suffer most from the E-350's slow performance. Music and movies shouldn't be a problem, and reading PDF's, surfing and Word should also work fine. If you plan to do any heavy statistical work, then you'll want a fast CPU.

This has more to do with the amount of RAM than CPU speed. Buying a 3rd party memory upgrade is a good idea if the laptop's base configuration has less than 4GB of RAM (at $20 for 2GB it's a worthwhile upgrade).

 

With 3-cell battery. Sorry -- I should have made that clear.

My point stands: the OP will not get 5-6 hours from a 6-cell battery in heavy usage.

 

the Zacate E-350 is anemic compared to i3 or any ulv core2duo. But compared to netbook atoms or dual core atoms, it destroys them.

 

You didn't mention the graphics though. It destroys any non-SB integrated graphics. That's one of the major selling points.

 

That's true, the Radeon HD 6310 is pretty good for the price and size/weight of the x120e, the only bottleneck is cpu.

 

i would get the X201i.

 

Can I not just add 4G of ram on the e-350? would this make it equally fast compared to core i3? Are my tasks (reading 5 large pdf files, excel + word + 1 stat program and maybe 10 IEs all at once) cpu or ram intensive? what's the difference?

 

Adding more RAM won't make the processor any faster. It's still the case that the e-350 is much slower than the i3.

A (overly) simple way to think about CPU vs memory is that the CPU speed affects how quickly you can get something done, and memory size affects how much you can do at once. It sounds like your workload is pretty light in terms of number crunching, which is what the CPU is good at, and it sounds like you want to have a lot of things open at once. The E-350 would probably be fine, especially with more than 2GB of RAM.

That said, if you're not doing things like 3D gaming, I would try to snag a refurbished x201 or even an x200. They'll both outperform the x120e in anything but 3D-type tasks.

 

Yeah seriously both will do what you need fine. But youre comparing a full processor to an ALU design. Its like comparing an atom to an i3, of course the i3 will blow it away. But when it comes to usage both will do the work.

 

Agreed. In response to this:

I think it's more a comparison between 3D performance and cost (the E-350 wins) and general computing speed (the i3 wins). Both are fairly comparable in terms of energy efficiency.

If you don't need 3D performance, then you're deciding between processing speed and cost. The i3 will be snappier but probably more expensive, and the E-350 will be slower and cheaper. That's why I was recommending finding a refurbished X200. The 3D performance will be much worse, but it'll cost the same as the x120e and have much better performance.

Like Sphinx said, any of these CPUs will do fine with your workload.

 

Hmmm. But how much of your day is made up of zipping and unzipping files? And then compare that to how much of your day is browsing Flash websites. Now, maybe you're a professional unizipper and unRARer. And in that case, the E350 is probably not for you. But, I'd say for most ppl, the ability to view flash at low watts will be a lot more important.

Now, can someone point to a battery drain test between the HD3000 vs. E350 running Flash content?

 

You know I was just thinking if Lenovo should do an X120 with an i3 instead of the Fusion, and this thread popped up.

 

5 hours should be achievable on the X120e with the 6-cell.

6 hours might stretch it a bit, but it all depends on settings and workload.

I have 3-cell as well on the x120e, and I get about 2.5-3 hours.

 

Thanks guys! I think the intel core i3 would be more appropriate then.


So am basically deciding between x201i and this new model I came across Edge e220s (not yet released and I'm deciding if it's worth the wait). Which one would you recommend?




e220s

1366 x 768 ‧Intel Sandy Bridge Core i5 ultra low voltage‧Intel HD 3000 graphics, max 4 G DDR3 ram, 320 GB HDD, 128 GB SSD、80 GB mSATA, 4 cell build in battery (estimated 4hours in real use), screen: anti-glare.
‧802.11 b / g / n wireless，support WiMAX
‧VGA、HDMI、RJ-45、3 USB ports、4-in-1 card reader, 2 year warranty

details:
Product Description Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E220s 5038 - 12.5" TFT
•Dimensions (WxDxH) 12.2 in x 8.1 in
•System Type Notebook
•Built-in Devices Stereo speakers, wireless LAN antenna
•Embedded Security Trusted Platform Module (TPM 1.2) Security Chip
•Processor Intel
•RAM 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM - 1333 MHz
•Hard Drive 320 GB•Display 12.5" TFT
•Graphics Controller Intel HD Graphics 3000 Dynamic Video Memory Technology
•Audio Output Sound card
•Networking Network adapter - Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
•Notebook Camera Integrated
•Input Device Keyboard, TrackPoint, UltraNav
•Power AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )
•Operating System Microsoft: Win 7 Pro 64bit

X201i
1280x7800,Intel Core i3 380 2.53GHZ 2GB DDR3 320G SATA
7200rpm, Intel GMA HD,1066MHz, 12" WXGA LED, 6 cell (5.5hours real use), 3 year warranty.

details:
•Built-in Devices Speaker, wireless LAN antenna, ThinkLight, cellular antenna, SIM card reader
•Embedded Security Trusted Platform Module (TPM 1.2) Security Chip
•Cache Memory 3 MB - L3 cache
•RAM 2 GB (installed) / 8 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM - 1066 MHz - PC3-8500
•Graphics Controller Intel HD Graphics Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0
•Audio Output Sound card
•Telecom Fax / modem - 56 Kbps
•Networking Network adapter - Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n
•Input Device Keyboard, TrackPoint, UltraNav
•Power AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )
•Battery 6-cell lithium ion
•Run Time (Up To) 6.7 hour(s)
•Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Edition

 

Buy the x201i. Thinkpads are much better built.