How does an AMD E2-1800 processor compare to an i3 or i5? I'm looking to replace my laptop and the AMD processors seem much cheaper. Sorry if this sounds a bit like "how long is a piece of string" to some people!
At times in the past AMD did better chips but right now Intel is streets ahead. AMD has little choice but to go for the lower end in price.
But you need to ask yourself what you actually need. Any computer does fabulously for word processing and browsing. And it if is gaming you want then you aught to be especially concerned about the display performance.