Laptop Upgrade advice...

[kallen]

So, I purchased a laptop to give as a gift. However, due to some circumstance, the gift was not given. My current machine is about 3-4 years old, and is sufficient for my needs. My son (9) needs a computer for homework and such.
My current specs:
HP Probook 4530s
Intel Core i3-2310M
8gb Ram
1T HDD

New Laptop:
HP 15-ba009dx
AMD A6-7310 APU
4gb Ram
500gb

Current laptop has full physical access to HDD, RAM, etc. The new one is a partial disassemble to access these components. If I keep the new laptop for myself, I will swap the HDD's and upgrade the RAM. My question, is it really worth the effort? I believe the biggest difference between these laptops are the processors. I, however, am not up on my processors. So, is it worth the hassle to upgrade the newer laptop and of course migrate my files and reinstall everything? Or are the machines/processors similar enough to not make it worth while?

I used a database on www.cpubenchmark.net to compare the processors, but it has not helped. Here is a screenshot.



I'm not sure how to interpret this data. I would appreciate some thoughts on this

[David (PassMark)]

The CPUs are close in performance despite the 4 year age difference. Close enough that you likely won't notice the difference.

There are other factors to consider.
- The screen resolution
- If the old machine has USB3 ports
- Battery life (the new machine might be better)
- Weight
- Warranty (the old machine won't have any)
- Video performance, especially 3D & gaming.

Swapping the HDD for a SSD will make a huge difference however. Well worth it in general.

[kallen]

Thanks for the reply. Someone mentioned that my current ProBook has an upgradable CPU while the new HP does not. I am considering now that as a viable option to upgrade my old unit and give newer one to my son...he doesn't meed much power so the low RAM is fine...I'm not much of a gamer, but I hadn't considered resolution or USB3. Not really worried about USB3 honestly...

The CPUs are close in performance despite the 4 year age difference. Close enough that you likely won't notice the difference.

There are other factors to consider.
- The screen resolution
- If the old machine has USB3 ports
- Battery life (the new machine might be better)
- Weight
- Warranty (the old machine won't have any)
- Video performance, especially 3D & gaming.

Swapping the HDD for a SSD will make a huge difference however. Well worth it in general.