2630QM or 2760QM?

Hi
I will be buying an M17X R3 soon
I cannot decide between the 2630QM and the 27 60QM, since the 27 60QM is pretty new its hard to find lots of information on it. Basically I want to future proof the laptop as much as possible, but if I am not going to notice a difference in speed between these processors in a few years to come (i.e. new games released which make more use of the extra speed) then it's pointless. But I don't know that, so if anyone with a 2760QM could help me out here, I'd be grateful.

Specs:
4GB 1333MHz RAM, SSD+HDD, ATI 6990m, 1080p 60Hz screen

Uses:
Gaming (BF3, MW3, Crysis2, Metro Last Light), watching HD 1080p films (NOT BluRay, rather H264. mkv's that have a very high bitrate and are about 10-15GB in size saved on my HDD)

I will NOT be using programs such as CS5, CAD, AutoDesk, nor will I do any programming. Although I am sure even with a 2630QM these programs would still run fine (not taking into account the RAM).

Thanks

 

For gaming, getting the best graphic card possible is the safest bet to future-proofing your laptop. The processor has a very minimal impact unless you're gaming on the IGP. This reason could possibly be the same for your HD 1080p films, but I don't have experience in that to really confirm.

 

i would save $$$ toward the best gpu. you can always oc the cpu. most of the time, hd video are handled by gpu with a good video player like mpc-hc. even when u use the cpu for hd video, hd contents use only about 5-8% of cpu.

 

The 2760qm provides a 25-33% performance boost under load over the 2630qm for $150. It's a no-brainer. More Power! More Speed! More Performance! More Fun!

 

I second this. There was a pretty big gap between the 2630qm and the 2720qm, and now an even bigger gap since the 2760qm is basically as fast as the old 2820qm. It is definitely worth the $150 upgrade. I probably wouldn't upgrade the CPU beyond the 2760qm though.

Not true. You can't overclock any CPU on the m17x R3. You can increase the BCLK rate a little bit but you're not gonna get more than a 2-3% CPU performance increase. In order to overclock one of these you need to be able to modify the multiplier, which you can't on the R3.

 

Some great points right here, not to mention you would be increasing its resale value in comparison to other m17x R3s in the future.

 

I don't think anyone actually has a 2760 yet to be able to give you first hand knowledge. They only were available for order as of the 6th. I ordered on the 8th and mine has not yet shipped.

in general though it should be ~20% faster in CPU limited tasks. (base 2.0->2.4GHz, Turbo 2.9->3.5GHz, integrated graphics 1100->1300MHz... all are around 20% increase)

 

It should be slightly faster than the 2820qm.

List of Intel Core i7 microprocessors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2630qm is 2.0 GHz, 2720qm is 2.2 GHz, 2820qm is 2.3 GHz, 2760qm is 2.4 GHz, and 2860qm is 2.5 GHz. The 28xx's also get a boost in cache over the 26xx and 27xx, which will make a difference as well.

All in all, the 2760qm has great bang for the buck.

 

Thanks for all your replies, I have decided to get a 2760QM, I especially liked the point about resale value; that never crossed my mind!

Thanks again

 

Good choice. i7 2760 for $150 more seems like a good deal

 

Actually I'm in the UK, its £120 GBP which is equal to $190 USD
But I am going to try and get ahold of one of those reps that are willing to haggle

 

If you aren't going to be doing CPU intensive tasks and this laptop is going to be primarily used for gaming and watchin movies, you don't really need to upgrade the CPU. So if you can haggle and get it cheap go for it, or else, dont sweat it..

I was in a similar situation a few weeks ago when i was ordering mine. 2720 or 2630? I decided to go 2630 because for me, the video card was going to be the most important thing. Plus the money saved allowed me to get more ram and a SSD which i think will make more of an impact on your computer usage.

 

Yeh, I'll try to get it cheap but if its still expensive I will go with the 2630QM. My previous alienware (M15X R2) had an i7 720QM so I imagine even the 2630QM will be a big upgrade.

But to be honest, I would love the 2760QM for bragging rights and better benchmarks

 

I say get it.. more power for a better future! As programs and apps before more cpu intensive, you'll be thankful you upgraded when your computer isn't lagging and slow to respond.

 

I agree.

Play Skyrim on a few computers and you'll quickly realize the importance of CPU power.

 

In typical cases I would say the the 2630QM is sufficient for gaming and it is not a shabby CPU at all. However, if you are not cash-strapped, the 2760QM is pretty good like the others said here for the price of upgrade ($150) and it will help with games that uses CPU tasking power as well. So it is really down to your budget.

Go and get the best GPU you can first as the GPU is the biggest significant factor to how games perform. However, if you are lying some leftover money in your budget, than don't hesitate to grab the 2760QM as the next biggest thing.

So yes I would agree that the 2760QM is worth every penny, but don't overlook your GPU first for it though if you are on a budget.

 

not that I want to point this out but this thread is from sept of last year, but it is good advice.