HP EliteBook 840 G9 - i5-1235u vs i7-1255u

[PatrickSar]

Hi,

I am in a process of buying a new laptop, in this case an update to my HP EliteBook G5 i7 that have been great, super quiet and good performance.

Now I am looking to the new G9 but I don't know which one to choose, the i5-1235u or i7-1255u.

When I search for performance results, I find 13814 for the i5 and 13107 for the i7 (Cpubenchmark).

My main goal are quiet because I dont need performance in a daily basis, but I would appreciate your help on this.

Thank You.

[banhien]

@PatrickSar 

You can see hundreds of options/configurations/combinations on the following list

                https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-elitebook-840-g9-notebook-pc-customizable-4b849av-mb#techSpecs

At the end of the day, depending on your wallet, you should be able to pick one for your needs

Regards.

[PatrickSar]

Hi Banhien,

Thank You for your answer, what I am looking for is to find out if the i5 is a better option compared to the i7 regarding performance/heat/noise.

Best Regards.

[TzortzisG]

 Hi! You can check out notebookcheck's comparison if you like, the Austrian site is very trustworthy.

In a nutshell, starting with the TigerLake INTELS, i5 and i7 "-U"s don't have a different number of cores. Only difference is the frequencies, both base and maximum. Due to the very low power limits HP and other laptop manufacturers use on the CPUs, the i7s throttle right away and very hard. Therefore, i7s are actually only better when used for short burst intensive work and i5s are basically better everywhere (long duration sustained power, less heat/quieter fans, better battery, etc.}

[PatrickSar]

Hi @TzortzisG,

Thank You for your feedback. I have checked the notebookcheck's but they don't have reviews on the Intel's G9 yet. 

When you say "i7s throttle right away and very hard" do you mean short tasks like compiling code in Visual Studio for example (which I do a lot) or exporting a video on Adobe Premiere?

In the day to day actions like opening windows, compiling code, etc. - does the i5 can get better then the i7?

Thank You.

[TzortzisG]

Hey again. I meant check the comparison of the two cpus in notebookcheck as you did in cpubenchmark.

-When you say "i7s throttle right away and very hard" do you mean short tasks like compiling code in Visual Studio for example (which I do a lot) or exporting a video on Adobe Premiere?

TDP down default is generally 28seconds or less, and then the cpu has to stay there until it finishes processing and the power demand is less.

-In the day to day actions like opening windows, compiling code, etc. - does the i5 can get better then the i7?

I only own tigerlake HPs personally, but except for the number of cores...they're very similar to gen12 (alderlake). From what I've personally seen, throttling on the i7 versions due to high frequencies and demand for power is a disaster. The i7s are not only slower in day to day actions, but are also more expensive. Of course if you are able to bypass the power limits, that's a whole different story....

[PatrickSar]

Hi again,

If you would need a laptop for day to day actions like mail, browing, compiling C# code, some few photoshop editing operations and a big fan of a quiet environment :), which one would you prefer, the 840 G9 with the i5 or the i7?

[TzortzisG]

The i7 will run its integrated iGPU a little faster and better (I don't know how much that means to you because of the photoshop), but if you need a good graphics card you should buy a laptop with a dedicated gpu anyways. Other than that, and for all other intents and purposes: i5 is better. Why? Because the i7 will be so limited by the HP motherboard settings that it will mostly run throttled.

[PatrickSar]

I don't need Graphics really, I thought that the i7 could deliver a much more prompt answer to those tasks of mine without getting in "stress mode" 🙂 because they are most of them short and simple I think.

[TzortzisG]

You are correct in your thinking, it's just that the i7 won't be utilized to it's full potential. However, to be 100% honest, only by actually buying the laptop will you be able to see exactly what restrictions HP has put on the i7. From experience, higher frequency cpus nowadays are just limited harder by the laptop manufacturers to avoid issues (thermal, power, WARRANTY). It's sad but true that you buy an i5 and the whole laptop setup makes it so that it outperforms an i7.