i7 7700HQ over 7700U ?

[Kranolf]

Hey guys!
 

So I'm looking for a nice laptop for my girlfriend, she doesn't really play games, so it's not meant to be for gaming, but at least a gtx950 wouldn't be bad.

 

So my question is, should we get the i7 7700HQ over 7700U (or maybe i5 7300HQ). Performance wise (speed, etc) is it worth spending like 150$ more for the HQ processors? We want it to be good for the next 6-7 years.

 

Thanks for the help!

[Jurrunio]

7700u doesnt exist, get 8th gen instead.

 

gtx 950m (we're talking laptop parts here right?) is also old stuff. gtx 1050 is what you should get.

 

6-7 years of what? Paperwork? Then CPU doesnt matter that much and she doesnt need dedicated graphics at all, she just needs 16GB RAM and a large capacity SSD (480GB+ preferably)

[dizmo]

You should get none of the above. You should try and get one of the 8th gen CPUs.

Also, completely agree with @Jurrunio. If it's not gaming, you don't need much. Check out the reviews and get the chip (i5 or i7, sometimes one will be better depending on company usage) with the better battery life for the one you're interested in. Get 16GB of RAM (or at least more than 4, even though 4 is serviceable) and a huge SSD as nothing's worse than running out of space. Especially if it can't be upgraded.

[LordofSavages]

7200U exists and that's a dual core. 7700HQ exists and that's a higher clocked quad core. An 8250U is a lower clocked quad core. An 8700HQ is a higher clocked six core. The numbers are confusing but they do make a difference. Obviously the U series will use less power so if battery life is a concern then go for those. In general, the 8th gen processors are obviously going to be better. If you want something decent an MX110, 130 or 150 will do the job to make stuff more fluid.

[kirashi]

31 minutes ago, Kranolf said:

Hey guys!

So I'm looking for a nice laptop for my girlfriend, she doesn't really play games, so it's not meant to be for gaming, but at least a gtx950 wouldn't be bad.

So my question is, should we get the i7 7700HQ over 7700U (or maybe i5 7300HQ). Performance wise (speed, etc) is it worth spending like 150$ more for the HQ processors? We want it to be good for the next 6-7 years.

Thanks for the help!

What does she need it to do vs what does she want it to do? If she's not gaming beyond really casual stuff, then forget about the GPU and just get an 8th gen Intel i7, or at least i5, and be sure it includes lots of SSD storage space to grow into. This will provide the best battery life and last at least 3-5 years, as long as her needs and demands don't change too much.

[Kranolf]

Thanks for all the answers! Could you guys recommend an actual laptop? Budget is around 800-900$ (will prolly be a little more expensive here in europe)

[kirashi]

5 minutes ago, Kranolf said:

Thanks for all the answers! Could you guys recommend an actual laptop? Budget is around 800-900$ (will prolly be a little more expensive here in europe)

Please hold, Dell laptop recommendation imminent. Also, is that $800-900 USD or EUR? Asking because it will not be easy to find an i5/i7 with a large SSD and 16GB RAM for that price depending on your currency... Also, where abouts in Europe, so that I can find recommendations you can actually purchase.

[Kranolf]

Just now, kirashi said:

Please hold, Dell laptop recommendation imminent. Also, is that $800-900 USD or EUR? Asking because it will not be easy to find an i5/i7 with a large SSD and 16GB RAM for that price depending on your currency...

I'm talking about $ (USD) like I mentioned. We can go perhaps up to 1100$ but not more.

[genexis_x]

55 minutes ago, Kranolf said:

snip

Get a laptop with CFL-H CPU if you want the performance to last. Dell G5/G7 is a good choice, with TB3 which means you can plug an eGPU in future if the built in GPU is outdated.

[kirashi]

11 minutes ago, Kranolf said:

I'm talking about $ (USD) like I mentioned. We can go perhaps up to 1100$ but not more.

Gotcha. Then my recommendations would be as follows:

 

Dell Inspiron 13 - http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/inspiron-13-7000-touch/spd/inspiron-13-7370-laptop/dncwka005h

$1099 - i7-8550U - 16GB RAM - 512GB SSD - Integrated GPU - 13" 1080p TOUCH

 

Dell Inspiron 15 5000 2in1 - http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/inspiron-15-5000-2-in-1/spd/inspiron-15-5579-2-in-1-laptop/dncwdar0012s

$949 - i7-8550U - 16GB RAM - 512GB SSD - Integrated GPU - 15" 1080p TOUCH (flips into a tablet)

 

Dell XPS 15 9560 - http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/xps-15/spd/xps-15-9560-laptop/dncwxb1608v2

$1499 - i7-7700HQ - 16GB RAM - 512GB SSD - GTX1050 - 15" 1080p NON-TOUCH (matte display)

 

Depending on the country you're in, I don't know if these will be available, but they're the best bang-for-buck laptops that meet her needs based on your very brief description of not really needing gaming and wanting it to last for 5 years ish, give or take. Lenovo makes good quality business laptops as well, but I'm not familiar with their lineup at the moment as I've been pushing Dell for personal and business use due to their reliability in the mid to high end lineup.

[Arika]

What is it going to be used for? "Not gaming" doesn't say much. This can change the recommendations

[Kranolf]

6 hours ago, kirashi said:

Gotcha. Then my recommendations would be as follows:

 

Dell Inspiron 13 - http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/inspiron-13-7000-touch/spd/inspiron-13-7370-laptop/dncwka005h

$1099 - i7-8550U - 16GB RAM - 512GB SSD - Integrated GPU - 13" 1080p TOUCH

 

Dell Inspiron 15 5000 2in1 - http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/inspiron-15-5000-2-in-1/spd/inspiron-15-5579-2-in-1-laptop/dncwdar0012s

$949 - i7-8550U - 16GB RAM - 512GB SSD - Integrated GPU - 15" 1080p TOUCH (flips into a tablet)

 

Dell XPS 15 9560 - http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/xps-15/spd/xps-15-9560-laptop/dncwxb1608v2

$1499 - i7-7700HQ - 16GB RAM - 512GB SSD - GTX1050 - 15" 1080p NON-TOUCH (matte display)

 

Depending on the country you're in, I don't know if these will be available, but they're the best bang-for-buck laptops that meet her needs based on your very brief description of not really needing gaming and wanting it to last for 5 years ish, give or take. Lenovo makes good quality business laptops as well, but I'm not familiar with their lineup at the moment as I've been pushing Dell for personal and business use due to their reliability in the mid to high end lineup.

Thank you very much!

 

Will surely check them out!

[Kranolf]

4 hours ago, Sierra Fox said:

What is it going to be used for? "Not gaming" doesn't say much. This can change the recommendations

Well, mostly some school work in excel, word, power bi, watching movies, hangin on facebook etc...I wouldn’t mind if games like OW would run on it with like 60 fps low-medium.