AMD A10 or Intel ci3 for a Computer Science major?

College Life
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<p>Hey guys, I will hopefully be pursuing my degree in Computer Science and Engineering in 2 months and I am currently looking for a good laptop which will serve both my engineering and gaming requirements. I've looked at the hp g6-2312ax laptop which runs on the AMD Quad-Core A10-4600M (2.3 GHz, 4 MB L2 cache) processor. It comes with an AMD Radeon HD 7660G as well as a 7670M(2 GB DDR3 dedicated). </p>

<p>The other laptop which I like is the HP Pavilion Ultrabook 14-b003tx which has an Intel Core i3-3217U (1.8 GHz, 3 MB L3 cache) and an NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M (1 GB DDR3 dedicated).</p>

<p>Which of the two is the better laptop for my engineering requirement as well as for games such as Skyrim/AC3 and such. Also, is the AMD A10 more than enough for coding/compiling and will it support all the software that a computer science major needs?</p>

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<p>Both of those laptops have very low processing power. Is there anyway you can find it in your budget for a model with at least an i5? I’d say stay away from AMD, you can do much better with intel.</p>

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<p>Both is more than enough for comp sci coursework.</p>

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<p>The i5’s which I’m seeing are beyond my budget :((
But thanks :)</p>

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<p>If you want gaming, the video card is everything. Look at the Lenovo Y500. In case you are worried about engineering, it exceeds he requirements for MIT.</p>

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<p>Coding never requires much processing power. You could get away from an i3, but personally, I wouldn’t risk it. If I were you, I’d give up the suave of an ultrabook for something a bit more heavy. You’ll probably meet (if not even go under) your budget doing so. The GT630m should be able to run those games well. However, if anything, I would highly recommend a Lenovo - the y400 and the y500 are both superb brands, are exceptionally cheap and offer amazing performance. </p>

<p>Hope I helped!</p>

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<p>Alright, thanks for your help guys…btw I found a decent Dell laptop. The Inspiron 15R. Is Dell a good brand for the type of work I want to do on the laptop? I’ve heard their sales have decreased and a lot of people are complaining about them…But the Inspiron 15R is exactly the right laptop for me as its within my budget, has a ci5 as well as a dedicated 1 gb AMD Radeon HD 7670M</p>

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<p>What computers does your school recommend? If you have problems, the IT department is more likely to be able to support recommended computers.</p>

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<p>If you’re going to get anything from Dell, get a Latitude or XPS as the Inspirons and Vostros have much greater issues with build quality and QC. </p>

<p>Personally, if I’m sticking on the PC side of things…I’d go for a Lenovo. Reasonable build quality…and above and beyond the consumer-line HPs and Dells you’re citing.</p>

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<p>I’m not enrolled in college yet so as of now I have no idea what the school is offering. But thanks for your feedback everyone :)</p>