Corei7 is an old tech that is still being improved with each production. Because of its multi-core processing capabilities, it is usually the go-to processor for folks performing many business-related tasks. In this article, we cover a list of laptops that operate on the Core i7 chip or its equivalent. Here is a list of notebooks that fall within the scope of this article.
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#1 HP EliteBook 840 G3
The HP EliteBook 840 G3 exists in several configurations. The base models are equipped with a conventional hard drive, a Core i5-6200U, and 4 GB of RAM. You get a free M.2-slot, a second memory slot, and a slot for the LTE modem, so upgrades are no problem. The current high model is equipped with a Core i7-6500U, a 256 GB SSD, 8 GB of RAM, and a matte high-resolution panel with 2560×1440 pixels.
The 14-inch device (16:9) has 1920×1080 pixels (Full HD). The display panel has an anti-reflective surface and a high luminance, which is not reduced by battery power. Other display options include HD (1366×768 TN matte) and WQHD (2560×1440 IPS matte). The SSD(256 GB, 164 GB free for the user), a Samsung product, does not perform very well in the storage benchmarks.
The result is a general performance advantage for the rivals, which is also reflected in the measured application performance. HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3 and the ThinkPad T460s manage much higher transfer rates thanks to their NVMe modules with Samsung’s UBX controller for reading and writing operations.
#2 HP EliteBook 850 G2
Depending on the chosen configuration, the EliteBook is shipped with either a WXGA (1366×768 pixels) or a Full HD display (1920×1080 pixels). The former panel remains reserved for a few entry models. When necessary, the display, which is illuminated by an LED backlight, can shine with up to 294 cd/m². This allows using it even inside bright offices. Clouding or other illumination flaws mostly do not apply to the screen, except for a mild PWM flicker at reduced brightness.
Is this Budget Intel Core i7 laptop your best bet?
The installed Core i7-5500U consists of two CPU cores capable of Hyper-Threading, and it reaches via Turbo Boost frequencies of up to 3.0 GHz (2 cores: 2.9 GHz). Alternatively, HP offers many more configurations, but all of them come with either a Core i5 or Core i7 chip from the 15-watt product line.
Additionally to the onboard graphics chip, this budget core i7 laptop can come equipped with a dedicated AMD Radeon R7 M260X with 1 GB GDDR5 memory. However, it only jumps into action when extra 3D power is actually needed. The rest of the time, only the frugal HD Graphics 5500 is active. AMD calls this technology, which can be seen as the counterpart for Nvidia’s Optimus, Enduro.
In comparison to the Core i7-4600U of the previously tested EliteBook 850 G1, the new Core i7-5500U features a 300 MHz higher base speed (2.1 GHz vs. 2.4 GHz), the same dual-core turbo (2.9 GHz each), as well as a slightly lower single-core turbo (3.3 GHz vs. 3.0 GHz). In combination with a 5% higher per-MHz performance of the Broadwell architecture, a slightly improved multithread performance can be expected, whereas the single-thread performance should fall slightly behind the predecessor.
#3 Lenovo IdeaPad 3
Lenovo has always made nice-looking laptops, regardless of the price, and this new IdeaPad 3 is no exception. It certainly doesn’t look like a budget laptop with its brushed aluminum lid and keyboard surround. The underside and screen bezel are both plastic, but the build quality is good, and it’s nice to see an interesting color with my review sample arriving in a stylish dark Cherry Red. There’s also an attractive Abyss Blue option, too, along with Platinum Grey and Business Black.
It’s not a particularly thin laptop at 20 mm, and even the taped corners don’t hide this much. It’s hardly unusual for a laptop this price, and it’s a reasonable weight at 1.6kg. The 14-inch display offers a Full HD resolution and an anti-glare coating, which works well. While Lenovo lists an IPS panel as an option, you’re likely to find a lower-grade TN screen on most models. While the screen is fine, it’s nothing more than that with a limited brightness of 189 nits. It means that you’ll probably just leave it on 100% all the time, and it will be ok for indoor use if you’re not in direct sunlight.
I’ve tested the IdeaPad 3, which gets you an Intel Core i3-1005G1 processor along with 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. However, you can get a cheaper model with an Intel Pentium Gold if you’re ok with less power.
#4 Lenovo IdeaPad 3i
As mentioned at the top, there are also IdeaPad 3 (no “i”) models with AMD processors, and there’s more choice here with Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5, and Ryzen 7 chips all available. The Ryzen 5 model gets you double the RAM and SSD storage while keeping things under $400.
You might not feel the need to spend extra, though, as the Core i3 works perfectly well for day-to-day tasks, with the fans rarely kicking in. The main limitation is the RAM, so you’ll quickly run out of memory for things like Chrome tabs, meaning they will often have to reload when you click them. According to Lenovo, the IdeaPad 3i doesn’t have much to offer when it comes to battery life, with up to nine hours, although only 7.5 for this particular model with a 35Wh cell.
This budget core i7 equivalent laptop lasted for four hours on running tasks like email and web browsing, plus a 45-minute video call. This was with the screen at 100% brightness, so I needed to use it without squinting. It kicks into battery-saving mode after three hours and doesn’t charge quickly either, getting to only 26% from dead in thirty minutes.
#5 Lenovo Thinkpad T470s
The fabled T-series ThinkPads have come a long way since they were first introduced. One of the latest models in the line, Lenovo’s ThinkPad T470s, sits somewhere between its bulkier T470 sibling and the thinner X1 Carbon. With a WQHD display option, an Intel “Kaby Lake” processor, and a wireless modem option, it appears that the T470s is a worthy successor to the T460s. The T470s chassis is immediately recognizable with its carbon fiber, magnesium build, and flat black paint. There is still some sparkle in the paint when the light catches it right, but for the most part, it isn’t very noticeable.
Performance
T470s came equipped with a seventh-generation Intel Core i5-7300U vPro processor, which is a bit faster than the Core i5-7200U and, of course, not as powerful as the Core i7-7500U and i7-7600U vPro processors.
If you’re buying the T470s as a business partner, the Core i5 delivers plenty of power for word processing and web browsing. If you’re looking at this laptop for higher-end performance, you’ll definitely want to go with the Core i7 option.
There’s also 8GB of DDR4 RAM, with a ceiling of 20GB. Lenovo has soldered 4GB straight to the board and has a secondary slot, which means you can upgrade the RAM yourself later down the road if you want to save some money now. Also upgradeable is the WLAN card. Graphics are handled by an Intel HD 620, and while it isn’t designed for gaming, you can get away with some light-to-medium action. Playing Minecraft with the settings maxed out was enjoyable, and a quick run-through of Civilization VI wasn’t bad either. In comparison to other laptops, though, the T470s falls a bit short.
Inside the T470s are two small batteries. The front battery is 23.5 WHr and the rear battery is 26 WHr, for a total of 49.5 WHr, which Lenovo says will last about 12.5 hours. No doubt, the non-touch configuration draws a little less power, while the WQHD draws a little more. Choosing to include the LTE-A mobile upgrade will also negatively affect the battery.
#6 Dell Latitude E7470
The body of the latitude sits between a premium-built machine and that of one on a budget. It is a business notebook that brings in the building style of an ultrabook, weighing just 3.4 pounds with a slim look.
The overall design of the latitude 37470
At 3.4 pounds(including the battery), the business notebook is one that you can easily carry around in a small bag without having too much stress on your spine. All the ports on the machine can be accessed from the device’s back panel, which seems odd. Ports available include:
- Two USB 3.0 ports
- An HDMI port
- A mini Display port
- An Ethernet Jack.
On the edges of the device, Dell mounted the frequently used ports like the SD card slot, a Sim port, and a single USB 3.0 input.
Let’s begin with the display type. Dell offers two varieties of display panels for the Latitude E7470. On the one hand, there is the basic and less expensive standard 1080p display. This is crispy and produces vivid enough colors for performing productive work. However, the display quality of the standard model wouldn’t match the upgrade option, a quad-HD panel with an optional touch screen feature.
The screen brightness of the devices is outstanding, sitting close to 338 nits, according to a test carried out by laptopmag.com. However, that brightness dwindles if you install the standard model, which is about 288 nits.
Does it Perform?
Moving on to the component running the machine, that is, the RAM, CPU, and GPU. it is great that the standard model already comes with 8GB of RAM. You won’t need to spend extra money trying to beef up the performance. You can easily run multiple tabs on google chrome, stream an HD video, and perform other tasks in the background without noticing any serious lag or slowdown. However, the RAM isn’t the only facility giving the system its power.
Although we have added this machine to the budget laptops with a core i7, it actually comes with a core i5 6th generation. We have added this here because the Corei5 can be upgraded to a Corei7 6600U. With the Core i7 CPU, you get better performance, especially with multi-threading. Although the device has a great CPU, the GPU doesn’t produce as much fascination. It features Intel HD 520 graphics, which can only play some basic games that do not demand high-end graphic cards.
For storage of the device, the laptop comes with a 256GB SSD which can copy documents at the speed of 132.32MB per second. Like most laptops, you can opt to upgrade the SSD. On the battery side, you won’t be disappointed. The 33Wh battery can run for about 9 hours on low-duty tasks like surfing the web. The latitude is definitely worth being on our budget list of laptops with Corei7.
#7 Dell Latitude 5490
The Dell Latitude 5490 is a relative of the Latitude E7470, and just like its relative, this notebook fits into the business category of laptops. Besides the more obvious difference in build from the E7470 on this list, the latitude 5490 factors in security protocols make this device most suitable for very data-conscious businesses.
Dell provides many upgrade features for this device, so you can start on a minimum budget and slowly improve the laptop to your taste. Although, the base model comes installed with a Corei5-8250U quad-core processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 500GB HDD.
First, let’s see the display. The base model features an HD display panel. The display’s brightness, at around 211 cd/m2, would force you to only utilize it in in-door conditions. Notwithstanding, the screen produces rich, high-contrast images, which would be more than suitable for office-related productivity tasks.
Performance?
Moving on to the components running the machine, that is, the RAM, CPU, and GPU. This machine is definitely a beast, given that it features a quad-core processor and 8GB of RAM. The Intel Core i5-8350U packs enough power for tasks like word processing, browsing with multiple tabs on Chrome, etc. However, having multiple cores cripples the single-core processing power of the CPU, and the frequency speed is cut down to just about 3.6 GHz.
Would the GPU impress a gamer? Most likely not. Graphic processing completely on the base model relies on the integrated UHD Graphics 620. This is a business notebook, after all. However, you might want to do some video production. In that case, you can decide to install GeForce 930MX-dedicated graphics. The Dell Latitude 5480 is far from a gaming laptop.
Having 512GB of hard disk space on the machine may hinder the potential performance of the machine. For more processing speed, you could opt-in for an m-SATA SSD.
#8 Apple MacBook Pro 2014
Apple products look the same, and unless you’re a professional, you can hardly differentiate one product from the other in the MacBook Pro series by just looking at the outward appearance. So we will jump right into the performance and display quality of the device. Although the MacBook Pro comes with a Core i5, I have included it here since it can match the performance of other devices in this list.
The display panel size remains unchanged and indistinguishable from its predecessors. It retains the 13-inch display panel with a 2560 x 1600 resolution. Apple is known for producing outstanding displays with crisp, clear, and bright screens(389 nits).
Looking beyond the aesthetics of the device, the motherboard houses some exciting components. The CPU, a Corei5 5th generation, of the device is clocked at 2.7GHz. While the number might seem small, Apple is known for being the best at handling memory usage. Thanks to OS X Yosemite. Also, the RAM is upgradeable to 16GB. So there shouldn’t be many concerns when running tasks within the device’s scope.
Alongside the CPU is the integrated graphics, Intel Iris Graphics 6100 running with additional video memory of 1.5GB. This gives Apple the advantage and probably the device with the best graphic processor on the list of budget laptops with a core i7 processor.
Conclusion
We all need a laptop, but getting one that fits within our budget and can perform certain tasks can be quite difficult. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of budget laptops with the core i7, which is capable of running specific productivity-related tasks easily. You should choose based on your budget and needs, and not just the aesthetics of the device alone.
