Tells you power, but you gotta watch out for how they performed the dyno/mathematics... was it done on the crank or at the wheels/chain/etc.?
For example, 150 hp in a boat motor... was it done at the crank or the prop? Most are done at the crank, with the exception of Mercury in the 80's... they did prop ratings... as a result, those old inline and v6 outboards offered by Mercury really put a whooping on the other brands at the time, even when 'rated' at the same hp. And some of those Mercs still kick some butt to this day. IIRC, they do prop ratings now.
Same thing happens with cars, saws, and anything with an engine. I'd rather have a 200cc engine that puts out 15 hp rather than a 350cc that puts out 10. If I want torque, the 350 would definitely have more, and I would choose that.
Or if you want torque, figure a little less hp the engine will be rated for. Great examples of that are diesels, and some really undersquare (bore smaller than stroke) gas engines. Even a gas engine designed in such a way can put out more torque than horsepower.
In the end, you should really pick what feels right to you and fits your hands well, and send it off to one of the experts here that port and mod the saws... they'll get that saw to wake right up... the EPA has proven many times that they are really choking OPE power output.
Sometimes all that is really needed is the catalyst element to be torn out of the muffler, and the outlet opened up a little bit... and then retuning for proper idle and cutting speeds or sound.
Remember, it's not all about rpm in the cut... some saws bog and slow way down, thus actually taking longer than a heavy torque machine. Factor in the biggest bar you plan to run, and how often is it gonna be buried in the wood? Are you dealing with hard wood or soft wood? White oak will be harder to cut than pine...