help please, full hd.

Hi i´m about to buy a 17´ alienware, do you guys think full hd makes a big difference? It costs an extra 240 euros here.
Configurations:
i7 620m
4mb
Crossfire hd 5870
1T
2300 euros. So i really need full hd?

 

Depends on how often you will use the built in LCD and if you need the higher resolution.

If you primarily use an external like I do, it would not be worth it. I kinda wish I would have saved a couple hundred and not got mine. It looks good, but it's just too tiny to be usable at a desk while using an external keyboard (ends up being 2 ft from me at that point so I can't even appreciate the higher res or play any games at the max resolution anyways). So I use my cheapo $150 acer LCD instead.

 

Hi JFV,

Depends really on what you plan to use it for, and how much space it will take up. I use the full 1TB, but I only ordered it with a single drive and added the second drive later. It's easy enough to do if cost is an issue. 500GB drive offers a lot of space to start with, and you can always add on to it later.

Hope that helps

 

Hey Wolf, I think OP meant full High Def But yeah, depends on how you use it. For gaming, I actually like the 1440x900 for performance, even internet and word for text size. You can always change that stuff, but that's why I have the gaming desktop with a 24" monitor. Save money.

 

You should go for it, it's only 240 euros over however many years you keep the laptop, and it's not it's easily upgradable like RAM or hard drive...

 

oops my bad

 

tks for the answers guys.I will use the notebook for gaming and graphic programs, is just that 240 euros is a lot, comparared to the 15´that costs only +50 euros. Many games use that high resolutions?

 

Most modern ones can. Only some of my older games can't go very high but most of us don't buy these laptops just to play older games.

 

The full HD screen (1920x1200) obviously has the benefit of being "fullHD" for games etc BUT it also is an RGBLED screen as opposed to the lower native res option (1440x900)

You will definetly notice the difference between the two in terms of their abilities.

There is a thread on NBR about the differences - have a read here : http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...sion/333840-m4400-wuxga-vs-wuxga-rgb-led.html

It should throw some light on the subject for you - personally, for the money you are spending, you shouldnt be without the RGBLED version.

Hope that helps.

 

ok just read that really nice, now i have another problem, do i buy a i7 740qm or the i7 620m, the 620 is +100 euros. I´m reading a lot about this but diferent people says diferent things, whats the best choice?

 

Again, depends.

Lots of people say to buy the lowest cpu available and swap it out right away with a 940xm bought of ebay for ALOT less - keep the original incase of returns / warranty. Thats good advice if your comfortable doing a cpu swap out on your laptop. Apparently, its not hard on the AW systems and there is lots of info on it on NBR.

As for the choices above you listed, the 620 has a much faster stock clock speed so is ideal for gaming....the 740qm wont be as good for gaming but it aint no slouch either...it will win over the 620 in multitasking etc due to its "hyperthreaded" quad cores meaning you will have 8 cpu cores where as the 620 is, in esscene a dual core with hyperthreading, meaning you get 4cpu cores.

So, if all you plan on doing is gaming, id be inclined for the 620 but if you want versatility, id go for the quad core 740qm.

Have a look here : http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...rmarket-upgrades/450403-i7-620m-vs-720qm.html - obviously this is comparing a 720qm, but the only difference between 740 and 720 is +133mhz on the base clock speeds....

 

The higher clocked mobile i7 620M will not be better for gaming than the i7 740qm or 720qm simply because the vast majority of games are very GPU intensive. I have tested the i7 620m and my current i7 820qm and there was no performance difference in gaming other than the 620m struggling with GTA IV.

If you have a CPU intensive title that is Dual Core dependent then you might get a little less performance with the i7 720qm but those titles are usually multi core anyway.

 

Most cpu's struggle with GTA IV anyway....i would say, at the moment, that there are more games out there that DONT rely on a quad core than those that DO such as the aforementioned title.

Granted, over time, there will be more titles that will support quad cores or be enhanced for them, so, from that perspective, a quad would future proof the OP in such a scenario.

If the OP isnt planning on doing lots and lots of heavy multitasking etc, then the difference to be gained over the lowest end quad OVER the 620m is gonna be fairly negligable...

The 620m wont consume as much battery as the quad due to its lower TDP and it will also run cooler which is quite important during heavy gaming session.

The 620m will clock up to 3.33ghz on one core , wheras the 740qm will only clock up to 2.93ghz - which obviously makes it ALOT faster than the quad in those circumastances - and, assuming the OP doesnt actually require 4 cores or 8 in hyperthreading, the 620m is the faster cpu.

If his gpu setup is constant (ie - chooses x/f 5870's regardless of cpu) then, if the use is for gaming, thats the one i would be looking at...the only other reasons to go for the quad is that it supports 1333 memory and the 620 doesnt and also, for futureproofing for quad core enhanced games.

Basically, the 620m will hammer anything that ISNT quad core enhanced , assuming the OP has the same gpu setup, due to out and out speed.

Just my opinion anyhow....

 

they are more gpu intensive yes, however, the 740 and 720QM processors are also clocked a lot slower than their desktop counter parts. a 7xxQM working with 2-3 threads(windows by itself will also always utilize 1-2 threads) is a 1.73-2ghz processor, which is very slow. The 620M is a 2.8ghz processor when all 4 threads are in use. Benchmarks and in-game testing testifies to the advantage the dual cores have over the low-end quad cores, and they're not small advantages either. Unless you absolutely need 4 cores (and some games can use quad cores) the 720/740/840QM's are probally the worst processors to buy. the dual core cpus have the muscle that desktop processors have, and the XM works in a special way that makes it yards ahead against even another XM in another laptop. The middle options are sort of just a waste unless you absolutely do not want to buy an ES XM latter on or for whatever reason absolutely need 4 physical cores.

honestly, you'll never see those 1 cpu core speeds. you'll more often see the 2-3 core speeds, and in this regard the 620 shines. The bclk for the 620 is 2.66ghz, and the 740 is 1.73ghz, if 4 cores are in use on both processors, the 620 will still clock up to 2.8ghz, where the 740 will be limited 1.86ghz. That's a huge difference. With TS on my 740, I typically only see 2-2.2ghz on dual-core games.

 

So, in a nutshell lozz, the 620m is a faster better gaming cpu than the 740qm UNLESS the game dictates for quad core enhancement? - yes?

 

yes, by a large amount.

 

Thats what i was saying. For gaming, 620m hands down....

 

I am not disputing that the faster dual Core mobile i7 620m is the more logical choice if you will be using mainly dual core optimised games or applications, but the fact remains, a slower Quad Core in a GPU intensive game will get the same frame rate as one using a faster Dual Core as long as the CPU is a reasonable speed. The only benchmark that will show to the contrary would be a synthetic benchmark.

 

Get the full HD, BUT DON"T GET IT FROM THEM!

Obviously price is a major factor in this for you. Buy the 1200p screen from this site instead and install it yourself.

Alienware M17Xi7 compatible Laptop LCD Screens. Brand-new (never used).

You'll save probably over 100 euros.

 

that's much easier said than done I'm afraid.
Review Alienware M17x (i7/HD 4870 X2) Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews
is a review with a 620M, but without a comparable i7 with the same drivers and hardware it means little.
As I said before, 90% of the time, my 740 and my previous 720's have not been in dual core mode, it's a pipe dream to assume that it will be when acutally playing a game. Windows will either continually ping 1-2 cores for background apps or the processor will just throttle down, if you don't believe me, trying running 2 instanes of prime 95 while idling on the windows desktop... Playing Napoleon total war *with* TS on I typically see 1.9-2ghz, which is 8-900mhz less than what the 620 will boost to regardless of how many cores are active.

infact, I did it for you. perfect example of the problem. 2 threads in use, and the cpu is down to 4 thread power- 1.86ghz. on a 620M, you'd be a full 933mhz ahead.

post editing makes conversation difficult :/

 

I'd take the full HD RGB LED upgrade. The screen is beautiful and it's not worth the trouble if you decide you want the better screen later on. IMO it is worth the extra cash.