m17x R3 processor upgrade after getting a 780m?

System m17x R3

12gb 1333mhz RAM
320 gb HHD
i7 2630qm
gtx 780m (was 560m )
240W power supply

I recently upgraded to a 780m GPU and thought that my processor will hold out quite well with it. Which it does in most game, I even found out my turbo boast was shut off in BIOS and I learned how much of a difference it can make. What I discovered is MMO's are clock driven games that like to laugh in your face by only using 20-40% of your cpu and never use any core to max keeping and keep the gpu under utilized. WOW is an example of this. So after discovering turbo boasts effects my cpu is still the bottleneck in highly populated areas of games.

I would like to know can my system support a i7 2960xm or should I go with the 2860qm to be safe. I like to overclock my 780m so i'm not sure if a 2960xm will have enough left over power on top of that, what if I want to overclock it to XD. Mabye just a the 2960xm and keep it at stock even? I know some have it, just not sure if they are using the 330W power supply from the m18x's

cooler master U3 PLUS takes care of any cooling issue I would have 69C overclocked gpu

any suggestions or experience would be very helpfull

 

Or is Heat an issue >.>

 

You can definitely stuff a 2920XM in the R3. Just use good quality thermal paste and keep an eye on temps. You should be able to hit 4.1 or 4.2 ghz on all 4 cores.

 

I think the 2960XM overclocks a bit better.

 

well i'm eyeing the 2960xm, but to know that it should be fine is great, and wow all cores over 4ghz. I read if I'm doing that speedstep needs to turned off. can I just overclock and keep speedstep on and get a turbo boast of 4.2ghz. All cores is a ton of heat. No super overclock needed but a little extra is always nice. Doesn't mean I won't see how far I can push

any other thoughts are welcome and mabye tips on overclocking

thanks guys

 

oh and I got some MX-4 thermal paste left over from gpu upgrade so that should work

 

I would get something a bit stronger.. I've had MX-4 with my 3940XM and its performance is let's say not adequate... I would suggest something like ICD7 or Gelid GC Extreme...

 

well when I get it i'll try the mx-4 I have and hope the pasting job is good, I know that effects the temps way more then the specific paste I use. Though if i'm not getting what I want, I will deffer to those fore sure. Thanks for the heads up.

 

just purchased my new little friend :thumbsup: just plug and play I hope.

2960xm in the end due to supposedly lower heat then 2920xm (though I read opposite to) and better overcocking.

 

2920 and 2960 are the same chip haha, just with slightly different base clocks. Maybe (big speculation) intel may have used their real top end silicon for the 2960XM, but of course there is no reason why they wouldn't do that for the 2920XM either.

Anyway, enjoy. Still saving to purchase an XM processor. Haven't had anything as "fun" since my Core 2 Quad Q9100 engineering sample with unlocked multipliers and no temp sensors.

 

main reason I went for 2960xm over 2920xm, it was cheaper . I did get a used one off ebay but hey for 290 usd that's not bad shipping included. I rather get used that has a return policy and protected by paypal then brand new for over twice the cost. Just something to consider. keep saving that money your 2920xm is calling you :thumbsup:

also my used gpu working out amazing.