Lovely, it didn't post. I'll try to put what I had. 

The VA gave me a HP laptop for school, but I'm not exactly sure what I have compared to what I currently use. This is what that one has: 
Processor: AMD A10-8700P Radeon R6, 10 COmpute Cores 4C+6G 1.80 GHz 
Installed RAM: 8.00 GB RAM (7.45 GB usable) 
System type: 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor 

I currently have this on my Toshiba: 
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4500U CPR @ 1.80GHz   1.80 GHz
Installed RAM: 8.00 GB RAM 
System type: 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor 




So, what exactly do I have on my hands in the HP, and how does it compare to the Toshiba with the intel processor? Is it equal, superior, inferior? Can it run games on Steam, stuff like that. Basically, if you were the take the AMD, and make it an intel, would it be an i5 or i7? Because I have no idea... I've always used Intel...

Supposedly Intel is sooo much better.

My laptop is an Intel core i5 and I've been able to use it with no problems for more than 2 years. After 2 years, the only steam games I can't run are the ones with a ton of graphics like Skyrim and Rust.

So runing the HP on i5 should be much better than running it on AMD, and I assume there wouldn't be too much of a different for the i7, so either should be fine.

zanderlex : The Dell is going to become my school one, and the HP with the AMD is going to become my personal use one, mostly for browsing, streaming, and playing the occasional game.

thing1 : Well, if you're going to split up the computers work load, then you should be able to use both comfortably and each one should run well enough.

The i7 is faster than the i5, but you likely won't see the difference unless you are doing something that can use hyper-threading. (Which you most likely won't)
So for gaming, you should be fine with the i5.

I don't have much experience with the APU AMD processors, so as far as performance, I can't really speak to how much better it is.
Currently, I use AMD and I've had this PC for a few years now. Processors aren't as crucial to gaming as they used to be. The RAM and video are more important.

Vanelan : I don't have an i5; I have an i7. I'm gonna have that one for school because I'm a computer science major. I'll leave that one just (well, mostly), for school work. This new one will be for all fun.  
From what little I have been able to gather, they seem practically identical though. The only thing I can complain about this HP so far is that it has a crap battery... but maybe because it's been downloading and installing stuff for the past 3 or 4 hours nonstop? 

thing1 : Depending on how complicated your programs get, you might end up using hyper-threading, so you are better off with the i7.

Laptop batteries always suck too. I always have mine plugged in, which kinda defeats the purpose.

HP laptop plus AMD? That's gonna be an instant oven. I don't know, I just don't trust HP as much as any other brands. Even Acer which is also known to overheat performs better than HP in general.

As for gaming, i5 is enough. You'd just need i7 if you're into video editing, intensive 3D modeling, or scientific and mathematical software development (you're gonna love MathLab, definitely the best for math stuff).

For the most part of the Computer Science curriculum (I'll be finishing this December), you don't need anything more than Intel Core 2 Duo. i5 is already overkill, let alone i7.

Juliet : Thanks for answering what I asked. 

I'm using the i7 fore school because when I got my curriculum, I got a sheet suggesting what I need. And since I already had all the programs on the i7, I'm just going to keep using that one. 

As for the AMD plus HP, I know. Ugh. I specifically asked for no HP or Toshiba, but my case manager for the VA program that I am going through had some sort of contact or something, I don't know. Basically, it's a distributor that the VA uses. And what do I get? An HP. If I didn't put the fan I got for the Dell (the i7) on this thing, this computer would be hotter than the grill I was just using. The top is cool right now, but the fan vent is a bit warm. 

zanderlex : Yeah... read what I said above. The battery is currently at 96%, and it says 2 hrs and 17 minutes. I don't think the fan is affecting that much because my Dell can last about 4 or 5 hours with piratically the exact same programs being used, same number of tabs, everything. But, at least this computer came with a 3 year warranty paid for by the VA, so when it craps out, I can get it replaced instead of being out of a thousand dollar laptop (the Dell is a grand. I paid $630 for it because it was on display for 2 days, and nobody was looking at it)

The intel laptop will run cooler and process more efficiently. 

The AMD laptop will have better graphics performance but will run HOT.  It will also chew more battery. 

gtwalq : Definitely on the battery. This laptop can go 100 to 0 in 2 and a half hours if I use it a certain way. The Dell with the Intel can last somewhere in the 5 and a half to 6 hour range doing the same stuff.