Help with choosing Processor

HI,
After a year of hard saving I now have enough for a new laptop. I would love an Alien-ware M17X. Which of the following processors would be best for gaming:

Intel® Core™ i7 740QM (1.73 Ghz, 6MB, 4C)
Intel® Core™ i7 Processor 620M(2.66GHz,4MB cache)

Also is it worth getting Dual video cards? ATI crossfire set up. Does it make much difference to games?

Many thanks!!
Russ

 

I would go with 740QM and yes I believe it is worth paying for dual video cards as more and more game accept Crossfire or SLI config.

It does make a big difference in games that work with dual config but again most of the latest games have SLI/Crossfire configs...

 

Since you have saved up I would try and go for the best that you can afford.
So if you can afford the dual gpus then definitely go for ATi Crossfire setup. It will help with gaming.

As for the CPU I would go for the 740QM out of those 2 choices listed above.

Cheers.

 

Welcome to the boards. As far as gaming, most games favor dual cores to the best of my knowledge, so I would be inclined to favor the 620M. Some games that may be CPU intensive might be better off with the quad core 720M. What games do you plan to play?

 

Hi, Thanks for the quick replies. I would love to play Crysis, Bioshock, Doom3, Call of Duty. My current PC just about runs half-life 2 on medium settings and low resolution!! I really need a laptop though and love playing games too!

 

Well an M17X will run all these games on high settings with 1920x1200 resolution.

I would strongly recommend the 740M if you are going to do other stuff than gaming like Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Maya, etc...

I would also strongly recommend the dual GPU config if you can afford it. It is going to be more future proof for you.

 

For games only i would go for the 620M aswell, for everything else encoding/rendering/multitasking i would go for the 740QM.

If you plan to cheaply upgrade later anyway, go for the cheaper one or the one you feel more comfortable with for the time being.

I can second all oppinions made so far.

 

Hi, apart from gaming I will only really be using office, internet ect.. I will use logmein (but that's just using my work PC when I can't get to it). So do you think the 620M will be the better option? I'm going to get the dual graphic cards.

THanks for all the replies!!!!!!

 

If anything the 620M Should be good for now, and if you feel the itch to upgrade, CPU's will drop in price in the future. Especially when sandy bridge makes it's debut. I'd recommend the 72 if you do things like video encoding or redering 3D stuff.

 

I would recommend going with a quadcore processor (ie: 740QM). Alot of the latest games are now being recommended with Quad Cores vs the old Dual Cores. If you look at some of the latest games being release, under recommended settings, you will notice "Quad Core Processor". I would also recommend a Crossfire Set Up... this is what makes Alienware Computers stand out and perform the way they do.

Regardless of what you buy, I recommend you get a 3 year extended/Accidental Care warranty through Dell when purchasing your machine. You don't have to purchase this warranty right away, you will have a year to buy it but its cheaper if you buy it when you purchase your machine. Cheers and welcome to the family!

 

I would have totaly said, yes the 620M is for you, but let me say you my oppinion and i didn't had quad before... I'm also doing the usual stuff and a bit more, but i would not want to miss anything less than quad with HT anymore for now. It comforts me alot when i can throw many different applications at it and the CPU still handles and proceeds them smoothly.

 

Cheers guys!! I think I'll go quad core! I'm going to order in the next few days. Any other suggestions before I order!

I can't wait to get gaming!!

 

RGBLED

/10char

 

Yeh no worries with throwing games at the 740QM buddy. I've played all those games and the newer recent ones and their awesome. Most of the games are more GPU intensive so unless you were comparing the 740 or 620 processor with the extreme 920 or 940 XM CPUs then you won't notice much if any difference in frames in games. Thats where the dual GPUs will kick in for you.

Definitely get the 3 year warranty. Anything else you can afford you can save for later future upgrades as you can get them aftermarket for much cheaper and theres more of a selection.

I 2nd the RGB LED indeed. That is a must have as you will be looking at the screen all the time.

Cheers.

 

+1

Also keep in mind that you can upgrade your HDD and RAM cheaper from newegg.com if you are thinking about upgrading in those departments as well. If you are upgrading that stuff, compare the prices for. And any warranty you can get will help. Perferably advanced (complete care) as that covers accidental damage as well incase you drop it or spill something on it.

 

I already have a 620M & i recommend highly .For the games your quoting u play get the 620M .Higher base clocks,Dual core turbo 3.06 .If i was getting a quad i wouldnt consider anything less than a 920 but hey my opinion.Plenty info on forum quad/dual .

 

Don't forget that you can usually get a discount in the price of the laptop if you order via phone.

 

Russchilds
Have a look links.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/482539-i7-620m.html

http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...rmarket-upgrades/450403-i7-620m-vs-720qm.html

 

Agreed, See sig for details

 

agreed. I wish I had skipped the $150 on a 1TB HDD upgrade that's sitting upstairs on the desk doing nothing now. Sometimes they have some ram upgrade specials that make it more worthwhile to get the 8GB through Dell, and then it's covered under warranty too.

 

Yeh theres no choice down under atm. 8GB DDR3 is the only base config they give lol.
So 8GB FTW ehehehee

Cheers.