Any computer gurus out there????

[SalandJeff]

I tried this on the budget board, but no response...

Needing a new laptop....Can anyone tell me what the difference is between an i3 and i5 Intel processor? Would it be a very noticeable difference?

And what would be a step down from the i3 (and would that be a very noticeable difference?

I need a laptop for internet, email, ms office programs and would like to be able to watch movies.



Also, a totally separate issue, but I thought I remember something from a very long time ago where you are not supposed to have magnets anywhere near your computer - is this true, if so how far away do they need to be - thinking of magnets to hold things on a metal bulletin board or metal strip.

TIA

 

[Lintasare]

The i5 is a faster processor but for what you are using the chip for an i3 will be enough. I have an i3 in my laptop and it works beautifully.

 

[Sosai X]

Faster bus speed, more internal cache, higher MHz rating.

In short, it's good for general computing use and light gaming.

 

[bicker]

The decision between i3, i5 and i7 is really a matter of how much future-proofing you want to purchase (i.e., how long your want your laptop to be adequate for the software you're likely to be using, at some point in the future).

For example, four years ago, we bought a laptop and "saved some money" by buying it with a Pentium 4 chip. Within a year it was clear that there was software coming out that simply wouldn't work well with the Pentium 4; that we really should have bought the Core 2 laptop that was available to us. We've never made that mistake again.

By the same token, the most recent laptop we bought was an i5, not an i7. There is a limit to how much future-proofing is worth. The i7 has power that we are unlikely to make use of, any any reasonable projection of the useful life of a laptop.

In the end, the key is what you will be comfortable with: If you can reconcile yourself to the possibility that you'll have to be buying a new computer in just two or three years, due to the progression of your own needs, then buy a computer just for your current-day needs. If you want to reduce the chances you'll suffer the frustration of having to buy a new computer so soon, then project forward a bit and buy a computer with the processor at least one step up from what you need today.

 

[Christine]

I just bought an i3, probably would have preferred an i5 for, as bicker stated, future proofing. I found the i5 a little bit harder to find and all of a sudden getting out of my price range. The i3 is running fantastically and I'm very happy with it.

I did buy my desktop in an i5 because I tend to keep a desktop longer and put more stuff on it. It wasn't exorbitantly priced like the laptop. However, whew, making the jump to i7--now that was pricey.

 

[bicker]

Something to keep in mind, if you have a desktop and a laptop. It really gives you a lot more lee-way to let the laptop lag behind. You can plan to do all the "hard stuff" on the desktop. Indeed, if you have both, you may want to think of the laptop as two things:
(1) A tool (solely) for reaching into the desktop; and
(2) A media player.
Practically everything that typical people use computers for, other than games and videos, can be done on an i3 (even a Core Duo - that's what I'm using). So regarding (1), you can upgrade your desktop operating system to Windows 7 Ultimate (or some other enterprise-level Windows OS) and set it up to accept Remote Desktop connections (securely! - don't just do this... ask for help ensuring you're doing it securely, if you aren't sure how to). Then, you can actually run software on your desktop but have the applications display as if they're running on your laptop.

 

[golfgal]

If you buy the most current whatever on the computer it will last longer-from my totally not a computer guru opinion .