I7 question

Hey everyone hopefully this hasn't been asked before if it has i apologize. I Just have a simple question regarding the old I7s and the new I7s.

Long story short my R2 crashed and i had a I7 920XM. called dell they are sending me an R3 in exchange they told me they would give me an 2630QM and on passmark the 2630QM is rating higher.

My question is how is the 2630QM beating the 920XM on passmark when the 920XM has better specs in every aspect such as cache and turbo-boost?

 

I'm not sure exactly how, but that was one of the big things about Sandy Bridge CPUs, they could perform better than previous generation CPUs while they are at lower clock rates. I think it has to do with Sandy Bridge being manufactured using a 32nm process rather than the 45nm process of the first generation i7s.

 

They are roughly the same if looking only at a CPU performance benchmark. Sure, the 920XM has better specs but the 2630QM can maintain Turbo Boost for a lot longer time because it is 45W and doesn't produce as much heat.

If you add in that the 2630QM has the integrated GPU, it is the better all around choice. But for just CPU performance, either would be ok.

 

ahh that might explain it i forgot to think about that. my main concern is that i wasn't getting cheated out of a better processor!

 

You aren't. The 920XM might have a slight edge, but the they are almost exact in what they can do.

 

Okay good to know because the specs they gave me for my exchange were alot better then what i had in my R2 so i thought they were cutting edges some where glad to know they aren't! Thanks

 

Tell them you had the xm cpu. They May overlook other aspects and good you up. That's what i would do anyhow. Plus you paid a premium for the 1st gen xm processor. Bottom line, doesn't hurt to ask.

 

well its funny i did not really pay for it see what happened was i bought an R1 with a core 2 duo then it crashed they gave me the R2 and it crashed now im at the R3 haha!

 

Did you have dual gpu's? If so then ask for dual gpu's...18x. Then you can get an system with similar specs.

 

no i first had a GTX 260m then they gave me a 5870 AMD and now they are giving me a 580M just one. but trust me i got a SSD and the 580m because of all the trouble ive had now for the endless wait time for them to make it =[

 

Nice! 260m -> 580m is pretty sweet.

 

yea i was pretty happy about it! when they told me i just had a bad cut feeling that Dell was cutting edges some where but i guess i shouldnt complain going from a core 2 duo to a 2630QM isn't to shabby haha!

 

Man this forum is full of stories of people who get great up to date systems from Dell after their old ones die!

Getting a 580m and SSD, who cares what CPU they give you (as long as it is a sandy bridge), you made out!

 

Heck yeh.

Even that CPU at stock smokes that old i7 you had. Spec wise, you are getting a killer system.

 

Funny, cuz if my R2 died, I would push hard for an R2 Too many things about the R2 that I absolutely love. But the one thing I like nowadays, is Sandy Bridge, those CPU's are crazy effecient.

 

Technology is always advancing. I have the R2 with 820QM processor, I'm not gonna upgrade anything into my R2, I decided to get the M18X with the 2nd gen i7s and the latest GPU from AMD.

 

well my R2 had a 920XM, 8 gigs of ram, a 5400 HDD and a AMD 5870 HD a RGB LED screen. (1920 x 1200)

With my R3 im getting a 2630QM 8gigs of dual channe ram a 256 SSD a GTX 580m and a WIDEFHD LED (1920 x 1080).

i personally think i lucked out but i dont know!

 

Yeah you lucked out majorly, the 5870m--->580m is a great upgrade by itself. I would push them to the 2820qm though or see if you can snake tongue them into a 2920xm. The 920xm>>>>2630qm, the two are no comparison even at stock let alone with throttlestop and oc'ing factored in.

 

yea i tried and they said well if you go to passmark the 2630QM is higher ranked then the 920XM and i didnt really know how to argue that!

 

Bull, passmark isn't worth anything tell them to review any other cpu benchmark on the planet such as a futuremark benchmark or wprime32/1024. Also compare the clock speeds and L3 cache. I'd fight that like crazy. They've already offered that so they won't downgrade anything, you don't really have anything to lose.

 

very true but heres the deal the order has already been placed is it possible for them to send me a different CPU for them to install with an on site tech?

just kinda afraid to fight it because they could have offered me another R2 with the same spec but yet they upgraded me so!

 

Yeah they can but they haven't put it in production if it was submitted today, it takes them just a few mins to cancel it and put it back in once approved.

 

oh its been a week since it was ordered

 

now they are giving me crap about how they upgrade from the R1 that crashed and all this grrr lol

 

It's up to you then, if it was me I would fight it, they upgraded you to the R2 so if they screwed that up and it requires a replacement the warranty that is now on the R2 clearly says same or better specs, the 2630qm is in no way same or better than the 920xm.

 

They are not only downgrading your cpu. Your chassi is being downgraded from anodized aluminium to the plastic/rubber coating of the R3.

If I were you I would push to get the i7 2820QM because that is the correct match for the i7 920xm.

 

well i called the person in charge of my case he was not there so i received the person under him and requested that i be given a 2820QM. basicly i said if you could meet me half way i had a XM model and im just asking for a QM he said he would review it and give me a approved or rejection notice in 24 hours due to the fact that the manager was not there!

hopefully they will say yes

 

Oh yeah, what a CPU downgrade

It sounds like you're getting a pretty good deal.

If you bought this system for gaming, the 580M is going to be a bigger upgrade than the 2820. To everyone else: Replacing an R2 with the best processor AND best video card of the R3 seems a little ludicrous - even if it's a "chassis downgrade"

 

I just got done talking to my rep and he said that there was not much he could do since im getting an upgrade from my HDD and video card. they said they would not notice the loss of speed since it is new architecture it will be just a little slower. hey i guess i can live with it and since im gaming with it i probably wont see the decrease

 

To those who prefer single gpu's they May agree but speaking for only myself, upgrading the R2 with two of the best gpu's is definitely the more appealing route. Mainly for the build/screen. I <3 R2

 

but i do have a question? realistically stock for stock will i see any difference in the 2630 and the 920 ( cause i never overlocked my old system didnt need to)

 

In a word: Nope.

 

didnt think so thanks for everyones help