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      07-13-2011, 09:38 AM   #1
hl0m4n
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Question PC Gurus: Gaming Laptop CPU, GPU, & RAM Question

i haven't posted in awhile, and boy do i miss the OT , but i have a quick question for you pc gurus. im on the market for a gaming laptop and i am stuck between the following options:

CPU: Is it worth the $150 to upgrade from i5 to i7 cpu?
Stock: Intel® Core™ i5 2410M 2.3GHz (2.9GHz w/Turbo Boost, 3MB Cache)
+$100: Intel® Core™ i7 2630QM 2.0GHz (2.9GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)

GPU: worth paying $100 more for the 3gb 555m chip?
Stock: Nvidia 460M
+$50: 1.5GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus™ technology
+$100: 3.0GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus™ technology

Ram: i have 2 ram options available both no price difference, so 1333 or 1600 speed? and 4gb is more than enough for windows 7 and games right?
Stock: DDR3 1333 MHz
Or: DDR3 1600 MHz

help much appreciated, thanks guys .
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Last edited by hl0m4n; 07-13-2011 at 10:24 AM..
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      07-13-2011, 09:41 AM   #2
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"gaming laptop"

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      07-13-2011, 09:44 AM   #3
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"gaming laptop"

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      07-13-2011, 09:45 AM   #4
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the i7 isn't worth it.
it looks like its' only 50 bucks difference for the GPU, for 50 bucks I'd do it
RAM seems like a silly question, always go higher?
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      07-13-2011, 09:48 AM   #5
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Don't hate, there are some good ones out there.
<--------------You see this?

This is me hating.
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      07-13-2011, 09:49 AM   #6
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i never knew it took so much CPU power to simply upload some pics of Chelsea...

on the computer note - don't forget about power useage since you're configuring a mobile device.
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      07-13-2011, 09:57 AM   #7
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im not 100% gonna use this laptop for gaming but when i want to, i would like to have the ability to.

does the i7 with 6mb cache make a huge difference? for gpu i guess spending $100 more for the 3gb 555m chip is the way to go and for ram although they are same price any downsides of going with the 1600 MHz?
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      07-13-2011, 10:02 AM   #8
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<--------------You see this?

This is me hating.

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      07-13-2011, 10:03 AM   #9
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Four GB should be fine atm. Check out the latency timings for the RAM, if they're the same, go with the 1600. A higher RAM clock with higher CAS latencies defeats the purpose. And as far as L2 cache goes, that's usually something that gaming taxes pretty hard so it may be a factor.

It's going to be really power hungry when you play, so keep that in mind. Also you'll have to pay attention to cooling it while stressing the hardware, so if it's going to be on your lap, maybe get one of those special cooling mats as well.

And yes, definitely get the upgraded GPU.

Also, with all that hardware, you better be running a SSD.
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      07-13-2011, 10:28 AM   #10
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^ thanks rage. they don't list the latency times for the ram and the 256GB SSD is a $600 option .

there is a 6gb 1333MHz ram i can get for $60 more from the stock 4gb. i can't go wrong with either 1333MHz or 1600MHz right as they are both the same price. would you just get the 1600 though?

bump from i5 to i7 for $100 more?
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      07-13-2011, 10:32 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hl0m4n View Post
^ thanks rage. they don't list the latency times for the ram and the 256GB SSD is a $600 option .

there is a 6gb 1333MHz ram i can get for $60 more from the stock 4gb. i can't go wrong with either 1333MHz or 1600MHz right as they are both the same price. would you just get the 1600 though?

bump from i5 to i7 for $100 more?
Get a SSD yourself for much cheaper, use it as your main/booting drive.

You might ask about the latency, the fact its the same price makes me think it's either shittier RAM, or the RAM is broken up into smaller pieces (i.e. taking up more slots).

and I see what rage is saying about the cache benefits of the i7, but I still hold it wouldn't be worth it, especially for a mobile machine. but that's my 2 cents
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      07-13-2011, 10:40 AM   #12
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the laptop is an alienware. now i know you guys are all gonna say it an overpriced pos but i do have a $300 gift card there and they have a promotion for a free xbox so im getting a great deal from it.

i see what your saying freak, but doesn't alienware use corsair? since they don't display the latency timings, just get the 1600mhz at no cost or stay with the default 1333?
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      07-13-2011, 10:57 AM   #13
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The 460M is more powerful than the 555M, the only benefit of the 555m is better battery life, but you might as well just spend that $50 saved towards a better battery if they offer it.
For the CPU, if your not doing other things like video encoding and HD video editing, the i5 will be faster for your needs.
For the RAM, there must be some reason they are charging the same for it and because of that I would stick with the 1333Mhz. Some more research into this would be a good idea.
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      07-13-2011, 04:50 PM   #14
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just max out the grapics then processor then ram. in that order for gaming
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      07-13-2011, 05:10 PM   #15
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Go look at Malibal laptops, they offer way better prices and no proprietary garbage. Alienware is a rip-off!

The 560M GPU is total crap has only 192-bit bandwidth, opt for the 485M or 580M if you have the money, though the 580M offers only 20% more performance than the 485M at 50% more cost.

It is definitely worth it to go witht the bigger L2 cache, hence an i7.

What RAM is concerned, the more the better, and 4GB right now is nothing!

Good luck and again, stay away from Alienware!

Edit: I don't want to sound like a Malilbal rep., so here are a few more resellers: Xoticpc, Originpc (Ex- Alienware execs)... I bought a laptop for work from Malibal and they are hands down the best when it comes to service.

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      07-13-2011, 05:20 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BimmerPod View Post
i never knew it took so much CPU power to simply upload some pics of Chelsea...



Still waiting for pics.
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      07-13-2011, 06:03 PM   #17
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Still waiting for pics.

Look at the palm of your hand and you'll see Chelsea.
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      07-13-2011, 08:25 PM   #18
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Gaming Laptop= Oxymoron
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      07-16-2011, 11:43 PM   #19
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final question on this topic before i pull the trigger. is it worth upgrading from a 1366x768 to 1920x1080 on a 15.6" laptop? there are so many searches but all with mixed thoughts. it is a $150 upgrade...
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      07-16-2011, 11:59 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hl0m4n View Post
final question on this topic before i pull the trigger. is it worth upgrading from a 1366x768 to 1920x1080 on a 15.6" laptop? there are so many searches but all with mixed thoughts. it is a $150 upgrade...

Everything will be smaller if you go higher resolution and you don't want to squint on a 15" monitor.


For games you want pure speed. Fastest CPU with highest Mhz and fastest VGA/GPU, but you dont need 3GB of ram on a video card. You will need that much RAM when you use large monitors over 24" with high resolution. And you dont have either one, so 1.5GB will be more then enough.
The extra 3MB L3 cache will make a noticeable difference in all applications.

The difference between 1333 ram and 1600 ram is about 2fps in most games.
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      07-17-2011, 12:07 AM   #21
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Pros:
- More space to open multiple windows, more space for pics on web pages (like in the 'You fap' thread :P)
- Movies/Pictures look better

Cons:
- Laptop may not be able to handle running games at native res and running non-native res' doesn't look as good. (1366x768 will look better on a 1366x768 screen than a 1920x1080 one)
- This may be subjective, but I find that without making the text bigger, it's harder to read on a higher res screen.

The higher vs lower res debate is hard because a lot of it is subjected. For me I would take the higher res screen because for the small amount of gaming I do in comparison to everything else, the lower res screen is just not worth it.
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      07-17-2011, 12:17 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cloakster View Post
Pros:
- More space to open multiple windows, more space for pics on web pages (like in the 'You fap' thread :P)
- Movies/Pictures look better

Cons:
- Laptop may not be able to handle running games at native res and running non-native res' doesn't look as good. (1366x768 will look better on a 1366x768 screen than a 1920x1080 one)
- This may be subjective, but I find that without making the text bigger, it's harder to read on a higher res screen.

The higher vs lower res debate is hard because a lot of it is subjected. For me I would take the higher res screen because for the small amount of gaming I do in comparison to everything else, the lower res screen is just not worth it.
Its not a hard debate at all, its very simple. If the screen size stays the same, then you go with lower resolution. If the size of the screen increases, then you go with higher resolution.
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