XM Upgrade?

My M17x R2 currently has the stock i7 720QM and 2x 5850s in it that it shipped with. In games like GTA: IV or TESV: Skyrim, I usually get ~30fps in large areas, and I was wondering if the processor is a weak link/bottleneck that's causing lower rates.

If so, would it be worth upgrading to the 920XM (ES/QS)? Also, is the R2 compatible with the 2920XM?

 

You might find some improvement in GTA IV (very bad port) but I don't think there will be too much difference in Skyrim. It could be more to do with your GPUs with that one.

And no sorry, the 2920XM isn't compatible with the R2.

 

Umm...the M17x r2 only comes in 5870 or crossfire 5870 x2. 5850's...???

 

Your CPU isn't the hold back in your system. Games are more GPU dependant, upgrading to dual 6970s or 6990s would be a better investment. Having the lower end CPU would also allow more room before you trip the psu.

 

Xfire 6970m is the best for M17X r2 . With 6990m you need better power brick(which is hard to find) . And gaming is depend on you GPU more than CPU, so you better replace you GPU 1st .
In my experience , a single 6970M would do better than the xfire 5870 .

 

Dual 6970's are a fantastic upgrade and well worth it. Since you are running a 720QM, you could upgrade to 6990's and most likely not experience the throttling issues that some have encountered with 6990s' and 920XMs.

More information is available on this thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...-6990-your-m17x-r2-single-gpu-crossfirex.html

 

Thanks for the replies everyone! And yes, the 5850 bit was a typo.

I'm completely unsure of what to do. This laptop is able to play everything I have at acceptable detail and maintain acceptable framerates most of the time, other games at maximum staying at 60fps constant. Obviously there's room for improvement - but if I spent $1,200 upgrading the video cards and processor, would it be worth it? Is there any way of getting a quantitative idea of what I might end up seeing? And would the throttling issues possibly remove the benefit of upgrading (or do they apply to the 6970 as well)?

At the same time, I could spend the same $1,200 on a desktop and have an eight-core processor with a 7970. I realize that it isn't a laptop, but given the similarity in price, I think it's still a valid comparison.

I'd like to keep this laptop for having something decent studying abroad, so waiting is another option. Is anyone in a similar position / has thoughts on the subject?

 

That's casting a pretty wide net. The last i7 desktop I built cost me about $1400. I already had a very nice case and I used existing optical drives. I did buy a nice 24" LCD in that price too, though. The latest and greatest video cards run in the $400 plus range. A power supply big enough to feed the card is not cheap either. Sandy bridge motherboards are kind of pricey. I'm going to say that a quality gaming desktop is in the $1500 range if you have to buy everything. You can go less but you'll have to make some sacrifices.

However, there's a world of difference between a gaming laptop and a desktop. There's no way to help you answer that. One of these it anchored to a particular desk in a particular room. The other can be moved about all day long. I use a laptop because I might feel like computing in the bedroom after work or I might feel like sitting on the couch. Occasionally I'll even take it into our "Computer room" but very rarely. That's just two completely different animals.

In my opinion, the harder question and perhaps the one you should be asking is "Should I sell my R2 and add $1200 to the proceeds to purchase a new R3 or maybe an m18X?" I don't know if I would upgrade an R2 if I was looking for faster CPU and GPU. I think I would head for a Sandy Bridge CPU and a 6990 or 580M. R3 if you want 3D and m18x if you still want dual GPUs although that will cost more than your system plus twelve hundred.

That's just my opinion and it's worth exactly what you paid for it.

 

It really does depend on what you are looking for and what you are looking to accomplish.

The 6970s I can say for a fact do not suffer from any throttling, they run cool and a pair of 6970s and a 920XM will easily compete (and in some cases surpass) an m17x-r3.

The 6990s "can" suffer from throttling, but typically under-volting them and not overclocking your system will prevent that.

For me, I run the stock 5% overclock in the bios, and have my 6970's overclocked to 715/900 (the same as a 6990...minus the shaders of course) and can run everything at ultra settings.

Of course, you could take the $1200 dollars and put it towards an m18x (plus whatever you could sell your R2 for) and maybe that would be a better option...or a desktop or whatever.

The questions to ask yourself are...do you feel comfortable upgrading your R2? Is it something you want to invest time and money in? Would you rather buy an m18x that already has the components installed? A desktop will always be easier/cheaper to upgrade over a comparable laptop so would you rather go that route?

Ultimately, it's up to you to determine what is best for you...and what will make you happiest.

I love my R2, and have been very pleased with the upgrade ability...at some point I would consider upgrading to an m18x-R2/R3 but I should be set for at least another 2 years.

Good luck with whatever you decide.