Replacement M17x quote - need advice

FOREWORD: Those wishing to read the chronicles of my previous adventures with my m17x R2 can do so here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...ering-m17x-r2-cpu-upgrade-13.html#post8385132

So to cut a long story short, my M17x R2 broke again, and Dell have finally done the right thing and offered me a replacement R3. It's pretty decent of them, but I wanted to check the new hardware they are offering me here to see if it stacks up. I thought it might also be interesting for people who have wondered to see what Dell offer as a replacement for 18-month old hardware.

I won't list everything on the quote, just the main stuff:

Processor:
HAD: i7 620M
OFFER: i7 6720QM (would my i7 920XM be better again?)

Graphics:
HAD: 2x ATi 5870 1GB GPU
OFFER: 1x ATi 6990m 2GB GPU (I'm not sorry to say goodbye to crossfire)

Hard drive:
HAD: SATA 160GB 7200rpm
OFFER: SATA 750GB 7200rpm (I have a 120GB SSD so this drive will only be used for storage)

Everything else is the same, including 4GB DDR3 RAM. They offered me a DVD drive but I purchased a blu-ray drive through them later on, so I need to make sure they put one in the R3 to match it.

My main question is on the processor. The 2670QM is a quad core and obviously a step up from the 620M, but is it worth me taking it out and putting in my 920XM when the machine arrives? Will the 920XM fit into the CPU slot on the R3s motherboard?

 

i'd take that in a heartbeat. The 6990m is faster than 5870 crossfire...plus you don't have to worry about driver support or xfire scaling

920xm will not fit in in the R3 motherboard, you'll need a 2920/2960 sandy bridge cpu. However, the 2670 is no slouch. Although you can overclock the 920xm, stock for stock, the Sandy Bridge CPU's are much faster than the older clarksfield cpu's. You can always put in another CPU if you feel you need more

 

its not really a comparable system unless your original system from Dell was a single GPU R2. i would push for an m18x, as your not getting a proper replacement. i received an M17xR3 as a replacement for an m15x, so in your situation id be patient and push for an m18x since its a dual GPU system like you have now.

about your Cpu, the 920xm will not work in the R3 or the M18xm. the mother boards are different chips sets that dont support those cpus. also make sure when you send the Laptop back you send your original configuration, dont send the addons you place on the machine such as your Blu-ray drive, RAM or the CPU.

 

Were they still manufacturing the m15x when you got your upgrade? I'm not fussed about dual gpus, crossfire's given me lots of problems.

Should I ask for a 580m gtx card instead of a 6990? They're both 2GB but I always thought nvidia cards were better.

 

Like they said above, I'd push for an M18x, but that maybe just is not what you want. The reason I say this is because I've seen numerous R2s on this forum get replaced with M18x's, because that really the true successor. If you don;t want to use SLI/CFX, just disable it. M18x's are worth a lot more, and would be the better deal for you.

 

Okay cool, I'll push for an m18x. Your sig says you have dual Nvidia 580s, whats your experience with them been like? Have you ever used ATi cards?

 

Never been a fan of ATI/AMD. The 580Ms are working perfectly. There's a good amount of overclock room on them, and I love all the NVIDIA exclusive features. Plus, NVIDIA Vision 3D kinda sold me on my M17x, so 'll be getting a Vision monitor for the M18x soon