Lenovo Ideapad i5 330s - Time for a new model

HollyandCo

Hello

I think my laptop is 6 or 7 years old now and I want to treat myself to a new one.

I only really know of Curry's to buy laptops.  So I have found what I think is an upgraded model but there of aren't any reviews.  I do want to stick with at least the equivalent of i5, but I see other brands of laptops have different processor names and I don't understand if they are decent enough.

Can someone have a look at my old spec below and then tell me if I should stick with another Ideapad or go for a different make/model?   I did have a look at touch screens but I am worried that its just something else that can go wrong.


Below is the info of the one I think should be at least as good, I can see the memory is bigger and it still the same i5 but I don't know if that actually means a great deal?!?

LENOVO IdeaPad Slim 3 14" Laptop - Intel® Core™ i5, 512 GB SSD, Luna Grey

Windows 11

Intel® Core™ i5-13420H Processor

RAM: 16 GB / Storage: 512 GB SSD

Full HD+ screen

Battery life: Up to 15 hours

£459.00 Save £140.00

Was £599.00 (from 29/10/25 to 18/11/25)

Many thanks

fwor

A lot depends on what you use it for. If you do lots of different things at the same time (e.g. multiple browsers each with multiple tabs, spreadsheets, text editing, email client, etc) all at once then you might need 16Gb of memory, but if you're just browsing with a few tabs open, 8Gb should easily be enough. 

Similarly, if you do processor-intensive things you might gain from getting a recent Corei5 or equivalent - but most people who just browse stuff online probably don't need much more than the equivalent of a Corei3 or (dare I say it) even less.

Ayr_Rage

What do you use your laptop for?

If that old spec runs everything you need to do then that replacement looks fine.

I'd go for

Intel i5 or AMD Ryzen 5

(Both Intel and AMD still have the same processor range numbers but they evolve every few months so will be much better than anything 6/7 years old)

Integrated graphics if you are not a gamer

16 GB RAM

512 GB or 1 TB SSD

Screen size that suits you.

There are numerous deals out there and many manufacturers sell direct too.

Vitor

The i5-13420H should be double the speed of the older processor, it has double the number of cores so will perform better if you have multiple apps and web-sites open at the same time.

16GB is fine for Windows 11. If you are OK with Lenovo no problems sticking with that brand, I'd avoid cheaping out with Asus or Acer.

HollyandCo

Thanks.  I'm not a gamer.  I do have lots of tabs open at the same time.  I currently have 16 open!  Generally, as well as almost constantly surfing, flicking through youtube video's, using the regular, microsoft products, I don't really use it for anything else.  I probably would like better internal speakers but that is realistically all I'd like to change!

I definitely don't want to cheap out and I do think Lenovo are decent.  I can't afford a MAC and my son say's I wouldn't get on with the change either!

fwor

With that pattern of use, I seriously doubt you would notice the difference by "downgrading" to an i3 or equivalent - most of the cores on an i5 will probably be doing nothing most of the time.

HollyandCo

fwor said:

With that pattern of use, I seriously doubt you would notice the difference by "downgrading" to an i3 or equivalent - most of the cores on an i5 will probably be doing nothing most of the time.

No, I don't like the thought of down-grading on anything.  My sewing machine has lots of amazing features on there that I still haven't used, but you never know, I might just start to use them one day lol.

fwor

I know, you're reading my comment as dismissive. But it's not intended that way at all. 

The point is that modern chipsets are incredibly powerful, and most people tend to over-spec their laptops for what they need - that's all. 

Please don't take it as someone being rude about what you use your laptop for.

Vitor

Why limit yourself to the bargain bucket? Who knows what CPU and RAM will be needed for Windows and apps in 3 or 5 years time?

HollyandCo

fwor said:

I know, you're reading my comment as dismissive. But it's not intended that way at all. 

The point is that modern chipsets are incredibly powerful, and most people tend to over-spec their laptops for what they need - that's all. 

Please don't take it as someone being rude about what you use your laptop for.

Honestly not dismissing your comments.  I do understand and definitely appreciate what you are saying.  Its just a bit of silly psychology in my head.  The sad thing is, I know you are more than likely 100% right.  It's just me 

Eyeful

HollyandCo said:

Thanks.  I'm not a gamer.  I do have lots of tabs open at the same time.  I currently have 16 open!  Generally, as well as almost constantly surfing, flicking through youtube video's, using the regular, microsoft products, I don't really use it for anything else.  I probably would like better internal speakers but that is realistically all I'd like to change!

I definitely don't want to cheap out and I do think Lenovo are decent.  I can't afford a MAC and my son say's I wouldn't get on with the change either!

1. Why on earth does anyone need 16 tabs open at the same time!
2. I expect that you son is correct about the MAC.
3. It would be wise not to "cheap out". The way that Microsoft keeps bloating their OS, the cheaper PC's will more than likely become under powered far too soon. 
4. Get the store to let you try the model of your choice before buying it. 
5. Have you tried asking an AI chat bot, to give you review feedback (good & bad) on the model you have selected to buy?