i5, 4gb ram vs i7, 8gb ram laptop comparison question

Hello everyone,

I'm currently deciding between two idea pad laptops by lenovo (since I have access to the employee discount), both are in the 570 series, the main difference between the two is that one has a i5 at 2.33ghz with 4gb of ddr 1333mhz ramn, and the second one has an i7 with 8gb of ddr3 ram at 1333mhz and also a faster hard drive. I plan on using this for gaming, and school stuff (writing papers, internet, having lots of windows of different programs open at the same time). Can I go with option #1 (cheaper) or are there good reasons to go with option #2?

More details

#1
Part number: 086224U
2nd generation Intel® Core™ i5-2410M Processor ( 2.30GHz 1333MHz 3MB )
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64
NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M 1GB
4 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz
15.6" HD Glare with integrated camera 1366x768
Integrated 2.0MP Camera
Industry Standard Touchpad
500GB 5400
DVD Recordable (Dual Layer)
6 Cell Lithium-Ion
Intel 1000 BGN Wireless
Bluetooth Version 2.1 + EDR
HDMI (Out)

#2
Part number: 086226U
2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM Processor ( 2.00GHz 1333MHz 6MB )
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64
NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M 1GB
8 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz
15.6" HD Glare with integrated camera 1366x768
Integrated 2.0MP Camera
Industry Standard Touchpad
500GB 7200
DVD Recordable (Dual Layer)
6 Cell Lithium-Ion
Intel 1000 BGN Wireless
Bluetooth Version 2.1 + EDR
HDMI (Out)

Thank you for reading!

For games that uses more than two cores, the i7 would be better. However, a quad core also produces more heat than a dual core CPU, and heat can damage a laptop over time. It's recommended you buy a laptop cooling pad since a laptop can get really hot when playing games.

The 7200RPM hard drive allows you to install/uninstall, load/save faster, but also uses more power.

Generally speaking a Core i5 will be fine, unless you are a hardcore gamer who wants the best performance.