How slow is a core M3 vs core i5

[Tornation]

I'm looking at two models of the zenbook from Asus: ux330ca & ux330ua

 

The CA has a M3-7Y30

The UA has a i5-7200U

 

My use-case is mostly student applications, so office and web apps mainly. But I would also like to be able to use IDE's like eclipse without too much trouble, and maybe some very light video-editing.

 

The question: Will I have enough power for my use-case with the core M3 or should I spring for the i5?

 

 

[Shiv78]

M3 will be fine, Y vs U is max like 20-30% slower but much better battery so...

Video editing will be OK at like 1080p with 720p timelines 

[Droidbot]

m3 is fanless and silent

i5 has a fan and can get a lil loud under load. but m3 is enough for most tasks imo, it's a nice processor. my mum has a m3 based machine for watching video, web, etc, and it keeps up with her old i5-U based laptop fine.

[access denied]

5 minutes ago, Tornation said:

I'm looking at two models of the zenbook from Asus: ux330ca & ux330ua

 

The CA has a M3-7Y30

The UA has a i5-7200U

 

My use-case is mostly student applications, so office and web apps mainly. But I would also like to be able to use IDE's like eclipse without too much trouble, and maybe some very light video-editing.

 

The question: Will I have enough power for my use-case with the core M3 or should I spring for the i5?

 

 

If the price is similar, go with the i5 as they are way more powerful than any M3 (Not saying that M3 CPUs are weak).

Edit: Not "Way more powerful". They are considerably more powerful though.

[Tornation]

20 minutes ago, NoNamer12345 said:

If the price is similar

Unfortunately I'm in Canada so the difference is actually quite substantial.

[Tornation]

3 minutes ago, Droidbot said:

m3 is fanless and silent

i5 has a fan and can get a lil loud under load. but m3 is enough for most tasks imo, it's a nice processor. my mum has a m3 based machine for watching video, web, etc, and it keeps up with her old i5-U based laptop fine.

 

3 minutes ago, Shiv78 said:

M3 will be fine, Y vs U is max like 20-30% slower but much better battery so...

Video editing will be OK at like 1080p with 720p timelines 

Thanks for the input!

[access denied]

5 minutes ago, Tornation said:

Unfortunately I'm in Canada so the difference is actually quite substantial.

I don't think the i5 is worth the 20-30% increase in performance for a big increase in price. The MacBook also has a different model of an m3 processor so its something to be proud about!

[Tornation]

11 minutes ago, NoNamer12345 said:

The MacBook also has a different model of an m3 processor so its something to be proud about!

I think they took a few design elements out of apple's book too 

 

[aisle9]

11 minutes ago, Tornation said:

Unfortunately I'm in Canada so the difference is actually quite substantial.

Ah, saddled with the Canadiyen Rupeeso, are you?

 

I prefer the actual desktop chip over the Core M. Core M CPUs are able to handle basic netbook style tasks, but in the rare occasions that I've used them, they bog down quickly when asked to multitask.

 

And yeah, I do think the Core M3 is weak, so.....

[Shiv78]

6 minutes ago, NoNamer12345 said:

The MacBook also has a different model of an m3 processor so its something to be proud about!

........................................................................why would anyone ever be proud of matching a MacBook's performance??? m3 isn't a CPU that should be in a $1,300 USD notebook with one USB-C port - not even ThunderBolt 3

[Shiv78]

1 minute ago, aisle9 said:

I prefer the actual desktop chip over the Core M

The 7200U is nowhere near a desktop i5... for starters, it's a dual core, and is clocked like 1 GHz below desktop quad-cores.

[Tornation]

4 minutes ago, aisle9 said:

They bog down quickly when asked to multitask.

By "asked to multitask" give me an example... do you just mean a shit ton of browser tabs plus a few apps, or are you talking a heavier load?

[access denied]

7 minutes ago, Shiv78 said:

........................................................................why would anyone ever be proud of matching a MacBook's performance??? m3 isn't a CPU that should be in a $1,300 USD notebook with one USB-C port - not even ThunderBolt 3

The reason I said that because many people don't know the new macbooks are throwing away cash basically. You can just tell them easily that this Asus laptop has the internals of a MacBook, basically bragging.

[access denied]

14 minutes ago, Tornation said:

I think they took a few design elements out of apple's book too 

 

That looks.... beautiful! Much better than the new MacBooks.

[aisle9]

9 minutes ago, Shiv78 said:

The 7200U is nowhere near a desktop i5... for starters, it's a dual core, and is clocked like 1 GHz below desktop quad-cores.

It's a low-powered part, and yeah, it's a dual, but it works. I would never waste my money on a U-class i7, but a U-class i5 is, imo, the perfect CPU if you need a productivity (not gaming) laptop.

7 minutes ago, Tornation said:

By "asked to multitask" give me an example... do you just mean a shit ton of browser tabs plus a few apps, or are you talking a heavier load?

My typical workload for a laptop is a 2-3 Excel spreadsheets open, a couple of Word docs, Outlook up and running, Cisco IM running, 7-8 Chrome tabs open with various interfaces that I need access to. I've found that my RAM limitations (only 8GB...lol) have ruined my day long before the i5-5200U does.

[PlayStation 2]

Honestly, I'd just indulge in the i5 unless fanless is an absolute priority for you. While the i5 isn't hugely better than the m3, it's better, and is really meant to tackle that stuff better than the m3 can, even if the m3 can surprisingly handle it like a champ fwiw.