comparison of i5-10300H+GTX 1650 and i7-7700HQ+GTX 1060 for laptops
comparison of i5-10300H+GTX 1650 and i7-7700HQ+GTX 1060 for laptops
Hello everyone!
I'm looking for a "new" used laptop in the 450€ range (not a huge budget) to replace my old one, which is a HP Pavilion 15 with an i7-6700HQ, GTX 950M 2GB GDDR5, 8 GB DDR4 RAM, 15.6 FHD 60HZ IPS display.
Perhaps I'll manage to buy one of these two models for around 450€ or a bit less. The i5-10300H+GTX 1650 with 4GB GDDR6 (plus a 512GB NVMe SSD) is a Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3i, while the i7-7700HQ+GTX 1060 with 6GB GDDR5 and a 250GB SSD is an Asus ROG Strix GL703VM.
Both have 16GB of RAM and a 120Hz display.
When comparing the two, based on performance, temperatures, fan noise, and screen quality, which one should I choose? I plan to use them mainly for gaming, especially in a competitive way, so I'm not focusing on Ultra settings (PUBG, Rocket League, Halo MCC, Infinite, MGSV, Death Stranding, etc.). I understand they aren't extremely powerful machines, so I won't be able to run games like Cyberpunk 2077 in FHD Ultra at 60FPS. However, I'm fine with that since I haven't played games in High and can lower the graphics to achieve 60FPS.
I don't intend to sell the laptop in the future, so brand isn't a big concern for me.
Additionally, I prefer a slightly slower performance—about 10fps less—with good thermal management and minimal fan noise, rather than higher speeds with poor cooling.
So, within a 450€ budget, would it be a good deal? And if yes, which one should I pick? I'm more inclined towards the Lenovo because I had a chance to see it in a store previously. The keyboard felt comfortable, the touchpad was better than mine, and the screen bezel was much thinner compared to my current laptop. My main worry right now is the GPU: the GTX 1060 is superior to the GTX 1650, but by how much? And regarding the CPU, having a 10th generation with a GTX 1650 could compensate for the GTX 1060's 7th generation?
Thank you all!
I don’t see any need to skip the newer hardware here. Three generations on the CPU mean a lot, mainly in clock speed rather than real efficiency gains, but it’s still okay. The only real point against it would be the 4GB of VRAM compared to the 6GB. But since you’re doubling the VRAM, it should last longer. You’ll likely see around a 10-20% performance boost for the 1060. Still, cooling and efficiency matter. The 1650 will run cooler, which is a plus. How much power each model uses versus the other will be more important for actual speed. Unfortunately, those figures aren’t usually shared. The 1650 is advertised as up to 50W, while the 1060 is around 80W. The i5-10300H and i7-7700HQ use about 35-45W each, totaling 95W versus 125W for the 1060. Check the power adapter you’re using—if it’s not powerful enough, the battery will drain faster while gaming.
The Lenovo should work well with a 135W power supply and the Asus with 180W, so battery concerns are clear.
I’m planning to choose the Lenovo since it offers newer hardware, particularly for the CPU which should improve daily performance, and a better GPU will make the system cooler and quieter.
Regarding the price, will it be a good offer under 450€?
Thanks!
It seems like a decent offer, though I'm uncertain about the ideal used prices. During the GPU shortage, laptops weren't as expensive as desktops, except for the top models that were mainly used for mining. Prices in the US didn't reach such levels, but you can find some brand new units around $600—usually older 11th generation hardware with dedicated graphics. This likely accounts for the current stock availability.
Unfortunately, if you're looking for a new laptop with a discrete GTX graphics card, you'll need to invest at least 800-900€ (850$-950$). For instance, upgrading to a Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3i with similar specifications but using an i5-11300H instead of the 10300H would require spending 1000-1100€. With a budget of 600€, you can opt for a new laptop featuring a Ryzen U processor and no dedicated graphics, such as a model with a MX 330 costing around 800€. This is why I prefer used options—I bought an HP used one five years ago and it worked perfectly fine.