Battle Which Intel Processor should I get: 13th Gen 10-Core, Core i7-13620H, or Gen 7 Core Ultra 5, 125U for my next laptop?

[Viking]

I'm looking to buy a new laptop in a couple of months as my current 8 year old 17'" Acer (i7 6700HQ) laptop is starting to show its age. The left side hinge has snapped off & the battery is draining quicker now.

My budget is $1,400

After carefully considering all brands with the specs i want., and the price I am willing to spend, I finally chose Lenovo.
I want a Intel chip as I feel more comfortable with it, I have never had a AMD chip in any of my past PC/Laptops.

I am looking at 2 laptops :

* Lenovo 15.6” IdeaPad Slim 3i Core i7 16/512GB (13th Gen 10-Core Intel Core i7-13620H, 64GB Ram -
LPDDR5-4800 $1.197
Lenovo 15.6” IdeaPad Slim 3i Core i7 16/512GB Notebook

* Lenovo ThinkBook 16 Gen 7 16" Core Ultra 5, 125U Processor, 16GB RAM 512GB, DDR5-5600 Laptop $1,299
https://www.centrecom.com.au/lenovo...a-core-ultra-5-16gb-ram-512gb-business-laptop

I am interested in these 2 chips: The 13th Gen 10-Core Intel Core i7-13620H, vs The Gen 7 16" Core Ultra 5.

The i7 chp is more powerfull, but the new Ultra 5 chip has a much better battery life which I like.

Do you think that the new Ultra 5 chip is worth buying? Being a newer chip, I would like to keep up with current technology.

Any thoughts on which of those 2 chips I should go for?

I was also comparing Lenovo IdeaPad Vs ThinkBook, & found that the ThinkBook is a better choice, in terms of a sturdier construction. (from youtube reviews).

I use my laptop for:

- General web surfing (email, facebook etc)
- Youtube
- Online Shopping (ebay & other specific online stores)
- Online Banking

I am NOT a gamer

PS I want either a 15.6.or a 16 inch screen which has 16GB DDR5 RAM

Thanks

 

[Bot]

Based on your usage, both processors would serve you well. However, if battery life is a priority, go for the Ultra 5 in the Lenovo ThinkBook. It's newer and more energy-efficient, and the sturdy construction of ThinkBook is a bonus. The power of the i7-13620H would be more beneficial for heavy tasks like gaming or video editing, which you don't need.

 

[HarborFront]

You read the instability issues of 13 and 14 gen Intel cpus. It seems to affect PC and laptop as well

Are you safe from Intel CPU failure? Download this critical update coming soon

Intels CPUs are failing, but this update is coming in mid-August

www.laptopmag.com

Something I also noticed. Current NAS don't have 13 or 14 gen Intel cpus. Latest is 12 gen

 

[nickstar1]

I still love my HP spectre x360 laptop from 2020 i would recommend getting the new version. It's been very very reliable you will not be disappointed.

 

[bazang]

I use my laptop for:

- General web surfing (email, facebook etc)
- Youtube
- Online Shopping (ebay & other specific online stores)
- Online Banking

I am NOT a gamer

The Lenovo IdeaPad is a thin form factor. What that means for the i7 13620H versus Ultra 5 125U debate is the one that will likely perform better is the one with the better cooling solution. The i7 13620H maximum CPU performance will be throttled by the thermal limitations of the thin case.

Screen brightness and display quality could be the deciding factor between the two models.

Myself, I would choose the i7 13620H, install ThrottleStop on it and set the Speed Shift EPP to value= 0. This will configure the CPU to be run at maximum frequency. Combine this with Performance power mode. Then use something to lift the laptop off the surface by 2.65 centimeters to promote air flow intake.

 

[lokamoka820]

I know it is not in the OP but if battery life is what you are looking for, I think you should give a look at AMD Ryzen instead of intel.

 

[jamey910111]

Why not skip both and wait?

Intel CPU crashes: what you need to know—Intel explains the root cause and plans a final microcode fix for 13th and 14th Gen CPUs

A fix is here, but only for fresh Intel CPUs that aren't already affected.

www.pcgamer.com

Intel laptop CPUs are crashing, too, as the company remains silent

Shortly after blasting Intel for the high failure rate of the company's recent CPUs, Alderon Games claims laptops running on Raptor Lake chips are no exception. The...

www.techspot.com

 

[bazang]

Why not skip both and wait?

Intel CPU crashes: what you need to know—Intel explains the root cause and plans a final microcode fix for 13th and 14th Gen CPUs

A fix is here, but only for fresh Intel CPUs that aren't already affected.

www.pcgamer.com

Intel laptop CPUs are crashing, too, as the company remains silent

Shortly after blasting Intel for the high failure rate of the company's recent CPUs, Alderon Games claims laptops running on Raptor Lake chips are no exception. The...

www.techspot.com

The Intel CPUs that are crashing are 65W and not placed into laptops.

OP is looking for a laptop, not a desktop Windows PC.

Also, why pay 50% more for a new Intel CPU that provides only 10% or less performance gain?

 

[rashmi]

Lenovo laptops, including the pricier ones, often come equipped with TN displays that suffer from limited viewing angles and color accuracy. Check the display details to confirm if the laptop has the desired display.

 

[jamey910111]

The Intel CPUs that are crashing are 65W and not placed into laptops.

OP is looking for a laptop, not a desktop Windows PC.

Also, why pay 50% more for a new Intel CPU that provides only 10% or less performance gain?

That's what Intel says - so you are taking Intel's own words as truth - if you to trust a company that has 2 generations of CPUs in a row largely released as defective, be my guest. Keep in mind the mobile/laptop market forms a much bigger share of profits, so it's in their interes to say something like that, do you see the conflict of interest here? And these problems can sometimes take 2-3 years to show up depending if you lightly use your laptop as cpus are resilient components. Even before intel knew what the issue actually was back in june/july it was saying laptop chips weren't affected. How is this even possible???

ALso if you actually bother to look at my link above, the title is clear too: Intel's laptops are crashing too because of this issue:

Intel laptop CPUs are crashing, too, as the company remains silent

Shortly after blasting Intel for the high failure rate of the company's recent CPUs, Alderon Games claims laptops running on Raptor Lake chips are no exception. The...

www.techspot.com

"Intel laptop CPUs are crashing, too, as the company remains silent"


And why release microchip updates for 'laptop' chips thar are not affected? Intel said laptop HX chips are not affected right? Then why release patches for them in september before releasing patches for the affected products I mean intel was definitely saying laptop chips arenot affected, but then why have laptops been having the exact same issues, and it seems it just had to release the patch for them anyway?

Here is some evidence or quotes:

See post here for example: [INTEL]-How To Update Your Microcode for Intel HX 13/14th Gen. CPUs Laptops/Mobile Easily.

"[So much for Intel HX not being affected... then why keep releasing microcode updates for Intel HX CPUs too? something is fishy going on here :wtf: if it is actually not affected... then at least make it only for desktops :kookoo: ] "

"As long as Intel won't admit the problem... non of the OEMs will move a finger about it. Intel statements about Intel HX not being affected is BS. Then why does Intel keep releasing microcode updates for Intel HX 13th/14th CPUs? If they are actually not affected, what's the reason behind those updates? Why did Intel keep releasing it if they actually not affected?"

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-confirms-no-recall-for-raptor-lake-cpus-microcode-wont-fix-affected-units

"In any case, if a user’s processor is not affected, users will still have to flash new firmware (bad news to those who do not like updating BIOSes), either to support Intel Default Settings or to update the microcode, which supposedly addresses the problem."

In their answers, Intel repeatedly mentioned that the validation process is still ongoing, and even mobile CPUs are no longer mentioned as unaffected. We have included questions and answers in their entirety (except for questions without answers), Courtesy of The Verge:



If you want to believe what Intel says go for it - it's a risky gamble in my view, unless you have the money and time to resolve the situation if something happens.