Budget 51-70k A mini comparo of Laptop processors and some recommendations

xkcd0137

Adept
I was looking for Laptops with good return on investment with respect to the Processor and what started as a basic exercise of arranging CPUs in increasing order of their performance led me to waste almost 4-5 hours. Since, I have already wasted precious hours of my life on this task, I thought of sharing it with the community so that others could benefit too.

I have marked my personal recommendation for a given processor or price in Green. Do keep in mind that some non-quantifiable parameters (like Build Quality) matter too which I can't compare in a table, so do account for that too before deciding. Benchmark scores have been picked from https://www.cpubenchmark.net/

Lastly, take this table as a mere suggestion and I hope this helps some in building the thought process on how to shortlist a laptop.

Link to updated table >> 26 April >> https://techenclave.com/threads/a-m...-and-some-recommendations.197323/post-2266729

ProcessorcpubenchmarkCore, ThreadModels (RAM, SSD, Weight, Display, Battery)
Ryzen 7 4800u173368, 16Lenovo Slim 7 (8/512 SSD/1.33kg/300nits IPS 100% sRGB/61WHr/3Yr Warranty) - 74k Az
15%
Apple M1150138,8MBA (8/256 SSD/1.3kg/400 nits 2K IPS/50 WHr) - 83.7k (with 10% Student Discount)
9%
Ryzen 7 4700u138158, 8Lenovo Slim 5 (8/512 SSD/1.39kg/300nits IPS/56.5WHr) - 60k Az
Ryzen 5 5500u134786, 12Acer Aspire 7 (8/512 GB/2.15kg/250 nits IPS/48WHr/GTX 1650) - 55k
20%
Ryzen 5 4500u113096, 6HP Envy x360 (8/256/1.32kg/300 nits 100% sRGB/51 WHr) - 65k,
Lenovo Slim 5 (8 non-upgradable/512/1.5kg/300nits IPS/56 WHr) - 52k (with 5k HDFC Cashback),
MSI Modern 14 (8 upgradable/512/1.3kg/250nits IPS/52 WHr) - 52k FK, 55k Az,

OOS: Lenovo Flex 5 (8/512/1.5kg/250nits/52.5WHr) - 58k
12%
Core i5 1135g7100834, 8Asus Zenbook 14 (8/512/1.2 kg/300 nits 100% sRGB/67 WHr) - 77k Az,
Acer Swift 5 (8/512/1 kg/300 nits 100% sRGB/56 WHr) - 72k,
Lenovo Flex 5 (8/512/1.5kg/250 nits/52.5 WHr) - 65k,
Acer Swift 3 (16/512/1.2kg/300 nits 100% sRGB/56 WHr) - 65.7k,
HP 15s (8/1TB SSD/1.75kg/250nits/41WHr) - 64.6k,
Asus Vivobook Ultra 14 (8/512/1.4 kg/220nits IPS/42 WHr) - 60k,
Lenovo Slim 5 (8/1TB+256GB/1.66 kg/300 nits IPS/57 WHr) - 59.5k,
HP 15s (8/512/1.69kg/250 nits IPS/41 WHr) - 56k,
Dell Inspiron 3501 (8/1TB+256GB/1.83 kg/??/???) - 55k,
Acer Aspire 5 (8/512/1.45 kg/250 nits IPS/48 WHr) - 51k
25%
Core i5 1035g179644, 8Lenovo Slim 3 (8/512GB SSD/1.85kg/250nits/45WHr) - 52k,
Lenovo S340 (8/1TB+256GB/1.6kg/250nits/52.5 WHr) - 52k,
Asus Vivobook 15 (8/1TB HDD/200 nits TN/37 WHr) - 43k,
OOS: Lenovo S145 (8/1TB HDD/1.85kg/220 nits/35 WHr) - 44k
Ryzen 3 4300u77084, 4Vivobook Flip 14 - 48k Az
8%
Ryzen 5 3500u71744, 8Lenovo S145 (8/512/1.85kg/220 nits TN/35 WHr) - 43k,
OOS: Honor Magicbook (8/256/1.5kg/250 nits IPS/3665 mah/Metal build) - 43k,
Acer Aspire 3 (8/512/1.9kg/250nits IPS/37 WHr) - 42k,
Asus Vivobook 15 (4/256/1.9kg/TN/??) - 33.4k
10%
Core i5 10210u65194, 8Mi Notebook 14 (8/512/1.5 kg/250 nits IPS/??/Metal build) - 43k
Core i3 1115g464012, 4Asus Vivobook Ultra 14 (4/256/1.4 kg/220 nits IPS/42WHr) - 42k,
HP 15s (8/512/1.75kg/250 nits IPS/41WHr) - 42k
Core i5 8265u61424, 8LG Gram (8/256/1 kg/300 nits 96% sRGB/60 WHr/3Yr Warranty/Aluminium build?) - 53k
Core i5 8250u60094, 4
Ryzen 3 3300u58484, 8Asus Vivobook 15 (4/1TB/15 inch) - 32k,
HP 245 G7 (4/1TB/1.5kg/720p??/???) - 28.5k Az
11%
Core i3 1005g152402, 4Vivobook 14 (4/256/1.6/??/??? ) - 36k,
Acer Aspire 3 (4/1TB HDD/1.9kg/220nits IPS??/37WHr) - 31k
25%
Ryzen 3 3250u41522, 4OOS: Acer Aspire 3 (4/1TB HDD/1.9kg/220 nits IPS/ 37WHr) - 28.5k
Core i3 10110u40892, 4Thinkpad E14 (4/1TB HDD/1.7kg/??/???) - 36k

Some observations -
1) in a general order of premiumness:
for acer - Swift (7,5,3) [usually Metal build] > Aspire (7,5,3) [mostly Plastic build]
for hp - Spectre > Envy > Pavillion [Plastic]
for asus - Zenbook > Vivobook Ultra > Vivobook S [Plastic] > Vivobook [Plastic]
for lenovo - Slim ~ Flex > S340 [Metal chassis] > S145 [Plastic]

2) For items where if the display is TN or IPS is not mentioned - Generally, all 200 nits display are TN panels. Most 220 nits are TN and very few are IPS and all 250 nits display are IPS. Unless, there is IPS mentioned specifically in spec-sheet, the display would be TN. Now, most of 250 nits and even some 300 nits display are 45% NTSC ones. If you want a good display, look for atleast 300 nits one with 100% sRGB or 60%+ NTSC.

3) Also, do keep in mind that prices are bound to change especially during the upcoming Holi sale, so the value proposition will too and many laptops I have mentioned here may go OOS and some which I have not mentioned will be back in stock, so keep a check on that.

PS - Kindly keep in mind that I had prepared this list for my personal use and if you don't like the format or my choices, you are welcome to ignore this thread entirely. Don't need to brag on this thread on how you could've chosen some other super-computer in the given budget! Whereas, Constructive discussion is always welcome. Also, don't expect to be spoon-fed, I have shared Specs as well as links of as much items I could, but as I am err-human and I can't know everything, somethings may be missing or mis-matched, kindly do your homework and confirm everything from the links provided or better yet, Google it!

PPS - I have not compared Gaming laptops (or Gaming Processors) as I am not looking to buy a gaming laptop. Also, with different Graphic Cards, their different TDPs and cooling solutions, it would've been another ballgame to compare them.
 
Nice list, but my first feedback would be that if you say you've arranged in increasing order of performance, perhaps your table shouldn't be in decreasing order of performance :]
Also, what is the percentage figure next to several processors?
 
Just 1 correction - Swift 3 display is not 300nit and it does not have 100% sRGB , it is ~220. The only weak link in the otherwise Swift 3's exceptional package is its display.
 
Just 1 correction - Swift 3 display is not 300nit and it does not have 100% sRGB , it is ~220. The only weak link in the otherwise Swift 3's exceptional package is its display.
..but its mentioned there in specs.

Screenshot_20210325-190123_Flipkart~2.png
 
Yeah, the new 2021 model seems to have been improved. BTW, you can mention the 16:10 aspect ratio for the new model.

Had a demo of the Lenovo Slim 7 - Top Class!
 
Table updated on 26 April, 2021
Corrected prices and added some newer models.

ProcessorcpubenchmarkCore, ThreadModels (RAM, SSD, Weight, Display, Battery)
Ryzen 7 4800u17336 (+171%)8, 16Lenovo Slim 7 (8/512/1.33kg/300nits IPS 100% sRGB/61WHr/3Yr Warranty) - 72k Az
Apple M115013 (+135%)8,8MBA (8/256/1.3kg/400 nits 2K IPS/50 WHr) - 93k ( -10% Student Discount)
I JUSTREALIZEDTHATI HAVEN'T COVERED Core i7. LATER, MAYBE.
Ryzen 7 4700u13815 (+116%)8, 8Lenovo Slim 5 (8/512/1.39kg/300nits IPS/56.5WHr) - 59.5k
Ryzen 5 5500u13478 (+110%)6, 12Acer Aspire 7 (8/512/2.15kg/250 nits IPS/48WHr/GTX 1650) - 56k
Ryzen 5 4500u11309 (+77%)6, 6HP Envy x360 (8/512/1.32kg/?/??) - 71k,
Lenovo Flex 5 (8/512/1.5kg/250nits/52.5WHr) - 58k,
Lenovo Slim 5 (8 non-upgradable/512/1.5kg/300nits IPS/56 WHr) - 56k (- 5k HDFC Cashback),
MSI Modern 14 (8 upgradable/512/1.3kg/250nits IPS/52 WHr) - 55k
Core i5 1135g710083 (58%)4, 8Asus Zenbook 14 (8/512/1.2kg/300 nits 100% sRGB/67 WHr) - 77.1k.
HP 15s (8/1TB SSD/1.75kg/250nits/41WHr) - 70.5k,
HP Pavilion 14 (16/512/1.41kg/250nits IPS/43WHr) - 70.4k
Acer Swift 5 (8/512/1kg/300nits 100% sRGB/56 WHr) - 65k,
Lenovo Slim 5 (8/1TB+256GB/1.66kg/300nits IPS/57 WHr) - 61k,
Lenovo Slim 5 (8/512/1.4kg/300nits IPS/57WHr) - 58.6k
Acer Aspire 5 (8/512/1.45kg/250nits IPS/48 WHr) - 51k
OOS:
Acer Swift 3 (16/512/1.2kg/300nits 100% sRGB/56 WHr) - 62k,
Core i5 1035g17964 (+24%)4, 8Asus Vivobook 15 (8/1TB HDD/1.8kg/200nits TN/37 WHr) - 45.9k,
Lenovo V15 (8/256/1.85kg/TN Panel/30WHr) - 43.5k,
Lenovo S145 (8/1TB HDD/1.85kg/220 nits/35 WHr) - 43k,
Asus Vivobook 14 (8/1TB HDD/1.6kg/220nits TN/??) - 41.2k
Ryzen 5 3500u7174 (+12%)4, 8Asus Vivobook (4/512/1.8kg/250nits IPS/??) - 44k
Lenovo S145 (8/512/1.85kg/220nits TN/35 WHr) - 43k,
Asus Vivobook 14 (8/1TB HDD/1.5kg/220nits IPS/??) - 43k
Asus Vivobook 15 (4/256/1.75kg/IPS/45WHr) - 41.3k
OOS:
Acer Aspire 3 (8/512/1.9kg/250nits IPS/37 WHr) - 42k,
Asus Vivobook 15 (4/256/1.9kg/TN/??) - 33.4k
Core i5 10210u6519 (+2%)4, 8Mi Notebook 14 Integrated Camera - 47k
Mi Notebook 14 (8/512/1.5kg/250nits IPS/??/Metal build) - 45k
Core i3 1115g46401 (0%)2, 4Asus Vivobook Ultra 14 (8/512/1.4kg/250nits IPS/42WHr) - 45k, Az
HP 15s (8/512/1.69kg/250 nits IPS/41WHr) - 44k,
Asus Vivobook Ultra 14 (8/512/1.4kg/250nits IPS/42WHr) - 41k
Thinkpad E15 (4/256/?/TN Panel/???) - 40k
HP 14s (8/256/1.46kg/IPS/??) - 38k, 38k Az
Core i5 8265u6142 (-4%)4, 8LG Gram (8/256/1kg/300nits 96% sRGB/60 WHr/3Yr Warranty/ Aluminium build) - 53k
Ryzen 3 3300u5848 (-9%)4, 8Acer Aspire 3 (4/1TB HDD/1.9kg/TN Panel/37WHr) - 28k
IMOANYTHINGBELOWTHIS SHOULD NOT BE PURCHASED
Core i3 1005g15240 (-18%)2, 4Lenovo S145 (4/256/1.85kg/220nits TN/35WHr) - 34k
Lenovo S145 (4/1TB/1.85kg/220nits TN/35WHr) - 32k
Ryzen 3 3250u4152 (-35%)2, 4Lenovo Ideapad 3 (4/1TB HDD/1.85kg/TN Panel/??) - 29k
Core i3 10110u4089 (-36%)2, 4Thinkpad E14 (4/256/1.69kg/TN Panel/??) - 37.5k
Thinkpad E14 (4/1TB HDD/1.7kg/??/???) - 36k

PS - When purchasing from Flipkart/Amazon, you can avail a 5% unlimited cashback if ordering via SBI Yono app. Highly recommended.
 
Last edited:
Table updated on 26 April, 2021
Corrected prices and added some newer models.

ProcessorcpubenchmarkCore, ThreadModels (RAM, SSD, Weight, Display, Battery)
Ryzen 7 4800u17336 (+171%)8, 16Lenovo Slim 7 (8/512/1.33kg/300nits IPS 100% sRGB/61WHr/3Yr Warranty) - 72k Az
Apple M115013 (+135%)8,8MBA (8/256/1.3kg/400 nits 2K IPS/50 WHr) - 93k ( -10% Student Discount)
I JUSTREALIZEDTHATI HAVEN'T COVERED Core i7. LATER, MAYBE.
Ryzen 7 4700u13815 (+116%)8, 8Lenovo Slim 5 (8/512/1.39kg/300nits IPS/56.5WHr) - 59.5k
Ryzen 5 5500u13478 (+110%)6, 12Acer Aspire 7 (8/512/2.15kg/250 nits IPS/48WHr/GTX 1650) - 56k
Ryzen 5 4500u11309 (+77%)6, 6HP Envy x360 (8/512/1.32kg/?/??) - 71k,
Lenovo Flex 5 (8/512/1.5kg/250nits/52.5WHr) - 58k,
Lenovo Slim 5 (8 non-upgradable/512/1.5kg/300nits IPS/56 WHr) - 56k (- 5k HDFC Cashback),
MSI Modern 14 (8 upgradable/512/1.3kg/250nits IPS/52 WHr) - 55k
Core i5 1135g710083 (58%)4, 8Asus Zenbook 14 (8/512/1.2kg/300 nits 100% sRGB/67 WHr) - 77.1k.
HP 15s (8/1TB SSD/1.75kg/250nits/41WHr) - 70.5k,
HP Pavilion 14 (16/512/1.41kg/250nits IPS/?) - 70.4k
Acer Swift 5 (8/512/1kg/300nits 100% sRGB/56 WHr) - 65k,
Lenovo Slim 5 (8/1TB+256GB/1.66kg/300nits IPS/57 WHr) - 61k,
Lenovo Slim 5 (8/512/1.4kg/300nits IPS/57WHr) - 58.6k
Acer Aspire 5 (8/512/1.45kg/250nits IPS/48 WHr) - 51k
OOS:
Acer Swift 3 (16/512/1.2kg/300nits 100% sRGB/56 WHr) - 62k,
Core i5 1035g17964 (+24%)4, 8Asus Vivobook 15 (8/1TB HDD/1.8kg/200nits TN/37 WHr) - 45.9k,
Lenovo V15 (8/256/1.85kg/TN Panel/30WHr) - 43.5k,
Lenovo S145 (8/1TB HDD/1.85kg/220 nits/35 WHr) - 43k,
Asus Vivobook 14 (8/1TB HDD/1.6kg/220nits TN/??) - 41.2k
Ryzen 5 3500u7174 (+12%)4, 8Asus Vivobook (4/512/1.8kg/250nits IPS/??) - 44k
Lenovo S145 (8/512/1.85kg/220nits TN/35 WHr) - 43k,
Asus Vivobook 14 (8/1TB HDD/1.5kg/220nits IPS/??) - 43k
Asus Vivobook 15 (4/256/1.75kg/IPS/45WHr) - 41.3k
OOS:
Acer Aspire 3 (8/512/1.9kg/250nits IPS/37 WHr) - 42k,
Asus Vivobook 15 (4/256/1.9kg/TN/??) - 33.4k
Core i5 10210u6519 (+2%)4, 8Mi Notebook 14 Integrated Camera - 47k
Mi Notebook 14 (8/512/1.5kg/250nits IPS/??/Metal build) - 45k
Core i3 1115g46401 (0%)2, 4Asus Vivobook Ultra 14 (8/512/1.4kg/250nits IPS/42WHr) - 45k, Az
HP 15s (8/512/1.69kg/250 nits IPS/41WHr) - 44k,
Asus Vivobook Ultra 14 (8/512/1.4kg/250nits IPS/42WHr) - 41k
Thinkpad E15 (4/256/?/TN Panel/???) - 40k
HP 14s (8/256/1.46kg/IPS/??) - 38k, 38k Az
Core i5 8265u6142 (-4%)4, 8LG Gram (8/256/1kg/300nits 96% sRGB/60 WHr/3Yr Warranty/ Aluminium build) - 53k
Ryzen 3 3300u5848 (-9%)4, 8Acer Aspire 3 (4/1TB HDD/1.9kg/TN Panel/37WHr) - 28k
IMOANYTHINGBELOWTHIS SHOULD NOT BE PURCHASED
Core i3 1005g15240 (-18%)2, 4Lenovo S145 (4/256/1.85kg/220nits TN/35WHr) - 34k
Lenovo S145 (4/1TB/1.85kg/220nits TN/35WHr) - 32k
Ryzen 3 3250u4152 (-35%)2, 4Lenovo Ideapad 3 (4/1TB HDD/1.85kg/TN Panel/??) - 29k
Core i3 10110u4089 (-36%)2, 4Thinkpad E14 (4/256/1.69kg/TN Panel/??) - 37.5k
Thinkpad E14 (4/1TB HDD/1.7kg/??/???) - 36k

PS - When purchasing from Flipkart/Amazon, you can avail a 5% unlimited cashback if ordering via SBI Yono app. Highly recommended.
Amazing work. Thanks for putting together and sharing great content. Lovely to see this
 
Hp pavilion 14 with core i5 1135g7 price has gone up by more than 10% since I bought it last month

Btw the battery is rated 43 whr ... you can update the table if you like.
 
@xkcd0137 Thats a nice job out there!
Would suggest that arrange the processor category chronologically as currently its all mixed like i3 coming after ryzen3 and then again i5 etc.
Just arrange them as per processor performance/generation and it will be easy for the buyer to choose from.
 
@xkcd0137 Thats a nice job out there!
Would suggest that arrange the processor category chronologically as currently its all mixed like i3 coming after ryzen3 and then again i5 etc.
Just arrange them as per processor performance/generation and it will be easy for the buyer to choose from.
Thanks for the suggestion.

I have arranged them in a rough increasing (or decreasing as @calvin1719 mentioned) order of cpubenchmark scores which correlate with performance, core count and specs to an extent, so that one can see how much should he/she spend to get a better processor/specs.

In a few cases, a better processor/specs is available for lesser or same money or a reasonable increase, which one won't be able to realize if arranged alphabetically, imo.
 
Thanks for the suggestion.

I have arranged them in a rough increasing (or decreasing as @calvin1719 mentioned) order of cpubenchmark scores which correlate with performance, core count and specs to an extent, so that one can see how much should he/she spend to get a better processor/specs.

In a few cases, a better processor/specs is available for lesser or same money or a reasonable increase, which one won't be able to realize if arranged alphabetically, imo.
Right but arranging it processor wise is how peeps look at..ryzen 3/5/7/9 and i5 3/5/7 etc. but anyways your way is also cool!
 
Great job!! Thanks a lot!! Now a total noob question: What's the logical upgrade from 8th Gen i5 lg gram, the bottleneck has been the processor for moderately heavy MIDI tracks with 3-4 external plugins ( mostly Neutron 3), considerable lag after adding 5-6 tracks in Ableton Live 11.
Budget: not really an issue, but shouldn't go above 1500EUR, No M1 please.
 
What's the logical upgrade from 8th Gen i5 lg gram, the bottleneck has been the processor for moderately heavy MIDI tracks with 3-4 external plugins ( mostly Neutron 3), considerable lag after adding 5-6 tracks in Ableton Live 11.
Though @Amien can guide you better on this as I personally don't have much experience with processor heavy tasks, but I think more number of Cores should always help in such tasks so Slim 7 with Ryzen 4800u (8 core, 16 threads) should be a good option. Pretty VFM too for the specs. Just Josh and Jarrod's Tech on YouTube gave a reasonable feedback too.

A Ryzen 5xxx laptop should be even better but I have not found any yet except a few with Ryzen 5500u which is a 6 core.
 
Though @Amien can guide you better on this as I personally don't have much experience with processor heavy tasks, but I think more number of Cores should always help in such tasks so Slim 7 with Ryzen 4800u (8 core, 16 threads) should be a good option. Pretty VFM too for the specs. Just Josh and Jarrod's Tech on YouTube gave a reasonable feedback too.

A Ryzen 5xxx laptop should be even better but I have not found any yet except a few with Ryzen 5500u which is a 6 core.
One imp point that 5500u is based on older Zen 2 architecture. It is bit misleading on AMD's part.
 
I believe you guys may benefit from this list. The list is sorted by performance and not in order of series. There is no mention of laptop models or pricing. If you have two laptops with different CPUs, compare the CPUs from this list to see which CPU is better performer.

Laptop CPU comparison mega list

Here are the snippets:


  • AMD Ryzen 9 5980hx
  • AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS
  • AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
  • AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS
  • AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
  • AMD Ryzen 7 5800HS
  • AMD Ryzen 9 4900H
  • AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS
  • Intel Core i7 10875H
  • Intel Core i7 10870H
  • AMD Ryzen 7 4800H
  • AMD Ryzen 7 5800U
  • AMD Ryzen 5 5600H
  • AMD Ryzen 5 5600HS
  • AMD Ryzen 7 5700U
  • Intel Core i7 10850H
  • Intel Core i7 10750H
  • AMD Ryzen 7 4800U
  • AMD Ryzen 5 5600U
When you tap on a model number, you will see the following detail.

AMD Ryzen 9 5980HX​


Cores8
Threads16
Base Clock3.3GHz
Boost Clock4.8GHz
L1 Cache256KB
L2 Cache4MB
L3 Cache16MB
Unlocked?No
Fab7nm
TDP45+W
Max Temps105°C
PCIe Version3
PCIe Lanes16 (8+4+4)
SocketFP6
GPU TypeRadeon
GPU Core8
GPU Clock2100MHz
cTDP35-54W
ArchitectureZen 3
Launch Date1/12/2021
Chiplets1×8

Here the same for Qualcomm chipsets:

 
Bond, I know you're a supergeek, but don't post much here in TE.
We do have few resistent noobs here, who don't understand threads/ cores/ hyperthreads etc.
Can you or any gurus create a list on usage scenario ( like photography / office works/ multimedia consumption/ video editing/ music production etc)
Yes, I'm asking for a lot...just a request.
 
Bond, I know you're a supergeek, but don't post much here in TE.
We do have few resistent noobs here, who don't understand threads/ cores/ hyperthreads etc.
Can you or any gurus create a list on usage scenario ( like photography / office works/ multimedia consumption/ video editing/ music production etc)
Yes, I'm asking for a lot...just a request.
Thats my next step. This is a page and I will be creating posts that segregate these into usage, one post per usage scenario like home use, one for video editing etc. Working on desktop class CPU list right now.

PS: I am not a super geek. I love sharing information that I gather for the confused souls so that they can get the right product :D
 
Back
Top