Your thoughts on Yoga 700 core m3?

[zedane]

Repost from Notebook Clinic as no feedback given

"I'm very curious about the performance of the skylake core m. Also because it is priced nicely at under $900 for the upcoming CEE 2016. It is extremely light too which is an added bonus!

Usage wise, it would be used mainly for watching online videos, surfing the net, doing some excel work ie nothing too demanding.

There are many different views on the performance of core m but from my understanding, since it is still part of intel core series, the performance shouldn't deviate as much as intel atom or celeron?

Any user of core m series willing to share their feedback?

One downside would be the screen size at 11.6". It is small yet not that small considering it was designed for portability.

My first choice would be the yoga 900 but I simply can't justify spending above 2k for i7-6500U 2cores/4threads when there are much more powerful laptops equipped with the new i7-6700HQ 4cores/8threads processor going for less!"

 

[superzheny]

I use an asus ux305 (core m 5y10 4gb ram 128gb ssd), came from a quad core i7, 12gb ram, 750gb 5400rpm hhd.

First thing I notice was just how much faster the ux305 was. It all boils down to the ssd. Majority of everyday lag u see is not due to ram or processor, rather your storage.

Some things to note..

1. I assume ur laptop is passively cooled. Do not buy into sales claim that due to the low tdp of the chip, the laptop doesnt get hot. It gets hot, up till the point of discomfort. Due to passive cooling, a core M cannot sustain heavy loads for extended periods. Temps will creep up to mid 70s and stay there. After a while it will start to throttle regardless of temperature.

2. A core M can do almost all everyday tasks, word documents, casual serving internet. However using chrome, 1080p60 videos will induce a cpu bottleneck. Initially might still be ok, after cpu throttles will lag and shutter. Only chrome has this problem, microsoft edge uses significantly less power and doesnt lag

3. Dont even think of gaming. Just dont.

4. Get the lowest end core M chip available. All core M laptops cannot sustain max load for long. A chip with a higher turboboost will actually throttle earlier. You can read how the 5y10 beats a 5y71 in articles online.

5. Once you experience passive cooling, anything that moves or spins will irritate you. So becareful of what u wish for.

6. Battery life at idle is impressive. However under the same load, it is not much better than an i5/i7.

 

[zedane]

I use an asus ux305 (core m 5y10 4gb ram 128gb ssd), came from a quad core i7, 12gb ram, 750gb 5400rpm hhd.

First thing I notice was just how much faster the ux305 was. It all boils down to the ssd. Majority of everyday lag u see is not due to ram or processor, rather your storage.

Some things to note..

1. I assume ur laptop is passively cooled. Do not buy into sales claim that due to the low tdp of the chip, the laptop doesnt get hot. It gets hot, up till the point of discomfort. Due to passive cooling, a core M cannot sustain heavy loads for extended periods. Temps will creep up to mid 70s and stay there. After a while it will start to throttle regardless of temperature.

2. A core M can do almost all everyday tasks, word documents, casual serving internet. However using chrome, 1080p60 videos will induce a cpu bottleneck. Initially might still be ok, after cpu throttles will lag and shutter. Only chrome has this problem, microsoft edge uses significantly less power and doesnt lag

3. Dont even think of gaming. Just dont.

4. Get the lowest end core M chip available. All core M laptops cannot sustain max load for long. A chip with a higher turboboost will actually throttle earlier. You can read how the 5y10 beats a 5y71 in articles online.

5. Once you experience passive cooling, anything that moves or spins will irritate you. So becareful of what u wish for.

6. Battery life at idle is impressive. However under the same load, it is not much better than an i5/i7.

Fantastic insights! Thank you for taking the time to type

Do you know of any yoga alternatives(foldable into a tablet) that uses 6th gen i5/i7 chips and isn't passively cooled? I know this is going to almost double the weight but no harm asking

The turbo-boost feature is actually one of my concern too
I'm just worried the throttling will affect user experience when watching a fhd clip

I think graphics isn't going to be an issue as there wont be any gaming / minimal gaming if any

 

[Vincym]

Using M3 Surface Pro 4. I don't have problem watching FHD youtube with chrome though. It is fast enough for normal office work/browsing,

If weight is a concern, M3 is the best due to thinner and quieter design. It feels like using an iPad rather than a laptop as no moving parts.

 

[zedane]

I have shortlisted 3 models. Would love to hear the inputs from you peeps.

1) Lenovo Yoga 700
2) HP Pav x360 convertible
3) Asus Taichi FH014H

Yoga 700
core m3-6y30
128gb ssd
8gb ddr3 ram
11.6" FHD IPS touchscreen
win10
360 degree flip
2years warranty
$899

HP x360
core i5-6200U
1TB HDD
8gb ddr4 ram
13.3" FHD IPS touchscreen
win10
360 degree flip
2years warranty
$1199

Asus Tachi
core m-5y71
128gb ssd
8gb ram ddr3?
12.5" 2560x1440 touchscreen
win8.1
detachable keyboard
2years warranty
$999


Right now I am leaning more towards the Asus but am skeptical about it being detachable. It seems more likely to get damaged earlier on.

The HP is tempting due to its ddr4 rams and core i5 processor.

Yoga for it's cheaper price and 6th gen core m processor.

Any thoughts?

 

[caterham7]

just bought the yoga 700 11-inch on friday, at pc show; $899

first impressions...

screen lcd shows flexing when tilting the screen

keyboard travel not great, not backlit

firefox runs well; actually edge browser seems fastest, but no support for extensions like adblock plus or evernote

seems to run cooler with external fan blowing on it; cpu can run up to 50c and beyond under load; around 35c during normal web browsing [figures from speedfan]

edges have a rubberised coating; help reduce scratches when in tent mode

cpu seems to throttle, can feel a bit of lag when multi-tasking

SD card sticks out; cannot use slot for permanent storage expansion

error message "display driver stopped responding and has recovered" popped up twice, when i was multi-tasking; went to lenovo support website and downloaded latest graphics driver; ok for now

other than the above niggles, running ok

 

[watzup_ken]

I think when you are switching to an Core M powered laptop, you need to be prepared for lower performance. For the TDP @ 4.5W, I have to say it works great. However, it is not a chip meant for CPU/GPU intensive kind of tasks. The chip is very power starved and cannot sustain running at full speed for long. If you are loading both the CPU and GPU, do expect it to be significantly slower.

 

[watzup_ken]

I use an asus ux305 (core m 5y10 4gb ram 128gb ssd), came from a quad core i7, 12gb ram, 750gb 5400rpm hhd.

First thing I notice was just how much faster the ux305 was. It all boils down to the ssd. Majority of everyday lag u see is not due to ram or processor, rather your storage.

I believe the improved experience is as a result of the SSD rather than the processor. Anyone switching from a mechanical drive to a SSD will immediately feel that the system is significantly more responsive.