Intel i5-7200U vs AMD A9-9420 processors

Hi,

Firstly can I apologise as I realise you probably get a lot of these types of posts but I'm trying to choose between two laptops, one which has the Intel i5-7200U processor and the other which has the AMD A9-9420 processor. Price is £50 difference, the AMD being on the cheaper model.

My usage is standard web browsing, Microsoft Office work and streaming iPlayer/YouTube etc. I don't game or do any kind of video editing.

Despite searching Google, I can't find anything that explains what differences there are, in laymans terms. All I get is about 'threads' and 'clocked' speeds, which I don't understand.

Will I notice any difference based on my regular usage? Can anyone shed any light on the differences?

TIA.

Reply 1

username612415

21

Original post by PaediatricStN

Hi,

Firstly can I apologise as I realise you probably get a lot of these types of posts but I'm trying to choose between two laptops, one which has the Intel i5-7200U processor and the other which has the AMD A9-9420 processor. Price is £50 difference, the AMD being on the cheaper model.

My usage is standard web browsing, Microsoft Office work and streaming iPlayer/YouTube etc. I don't game or do any kind of video editing.

Despite searching Google, I can't find anything that explains what differences there are, in laymans terms. All I get is about 'threads' and 'clocked' speeds, which I don't understand.

Will I notice any difference based on my regular usage? Can anyone shed any light on the differences?

TIA.

The short answer is that the Intel is better, and better enough to justify spending the extra £50.

The long answer is that these are two quite different processors, but for the tasks you'll be doing the i5's advantages are more useful. First of all, the Intel's cores are simply more powerful than the AMD's cores, meaning they complete processes faster and the computer runs better as a result. And while both processors have two cores (the more cores, the more tasks a processor can complete simultaneously), the i5 has something called hyperthreading, allowing it to behave similarly to a quad core processor during heavy multitasking. So whether you're doing only a couple of tasks, or lots of tasks at the same time, the Core i5 will handle your workload better. The AMD's key advantage is its more robust on-board graphics processing, but these improvements still don't compensate for the lack of a true graphics card and since you won't be gaming, it's largely irrelevant either way.

Reply 2

Spoda

1

I would go for the Intel!

Reply 3

BigYoSpeck

19

Original post by PaediatricStN

Hi,

Firstly can I apologise as I realise you probably get a lot of these types of posts but I'm trying to choose between two laptops, one which has the Intel i5-7200U processor and the other which has the AMD A9-9420 processor. Price is £50 difference, the AMD being on the cheaper model.

My usage is standard web browsing, Microsoft Office work and streaming iPlayer/YouTube etc. I don't game or do any kind of video editing.

Even on general tasks like those you've listed the performance advantage of the intel will be apparent. Opening and scrolling web pages, switching between apps etc will all just feel snappier on the intel. It's about 50% faster than the AMD.

Also worth considering is battery life, the intel is a 15W component vs the 25W of the AMD, combine that with the fact the AMD will be under load for longer because it's slower and I think you'd be looking at a fair bit worse battery life on the AMD part.

Despite searching Google, I can't find anything that explains what differences there are, in laymans terms. All I get is about 'threads' and 'clocked' speeds, which I don't understand.

Will I notice any difference based on my regular usage? Can anyone shed any light on the differences?

TIA.

Ignore the clock speeds. Basically that means how many times a second a CPU can perform an instruction so higher is better. But an intel CPU can perform more instructions per clock cycle so even though it operates at a lower clock speed, it performs more calculations per clock so is faster.

Go for the intel, it's faster, uses less power, and will produce less heat, it's worth the little extra.

Reply 4

PaediatricStN

OP

12

@BigYoSpeck Thanks both so much for your help. The Intel it is!

Reply 5

Blue_Cow

22

Going to really generalise and anger AMD fanboys, but AMD processors have a reputation of generating enough heat to sustain nuclear fusion.

Reply 6

username612415

21

Original post by Blue_Cow

Going to really generalise and anger AMD fanboys, but AMD processors have a reputation of generating enough heat to sustain nuclear fusion.

I don't think even the staunchest AMD fan was under any illusions about the TDP issues of AMD's pre-Ryzen processors.

Reply 7

Blue_Cow

22

Idk... This is the internet after all :s-smilie:

Easily intel.

What if the price difference is £200

Reply 10

Spratty

20

Original post by PaediatricStN

Hi,

Firstly can I apologise as I realise you probably get a lot of these types of posts but I'm trying to choose between two laptops, one which has the Intel i5-7200U processor and the other which has the AMD A9-9420 processor. Price is £50 difference, the AMD being on the cheaper model.

My usage is standard web browsing, Microsoft Office work and streaming iPlayer/YouTube etc. I don't game or do any kind of video editing.

Despite searching Google, I can't find anything that explains what differences there are, in laymans terms. All I get is about 'threads' and 'clocked' speeds, which I don't understand.

Will I notice any difference based on my regular usage? Can anyone shed any light on the differences?

TIA.

Get the AMD processor. It is cheaper and will be enough to do what you want. It is even capable of light gaming and can do video editing as it is an APU not a CPU.

Reply 11

TeeVeePeeWee

1

$200 difference between what chip and what chip?

Reply 12

ARealStudent

2

The intel chip is better, though for this use case just go for the cheaper option as you will not notice any difference at all. Look for laptops with SSD drives more than anything as this is what will give the most noticeable speed difference :smile:

Reply 13

AllenaD

4

I am about to buy the PC, which processor will be recommended as per the performance? I was ready a few comparisons between Intel Core i7-9700K vs Core i7-8700K here https://www.reviewsed.com/intel-core-i7-9700k-vs-core-i7-8700k/ and i saw this is as it covered every aspect and feature in detailed

After analyzing the differnece i also believe that Intel Core i7-9700K is a superior processor, but the performance would not be as good as the numbers state. It seems Core i7-8700K is the preferred option for me as well.

Intel i5-7200U vs AMD A9-9420 processors

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