Considering selling R1 for R2

Hey there as posted i'm considering selling my r1 to get an r2. The main reason i want an R2 is to play bfbc2 and BF3 when it comes out. Opinions?

 

I don't think the R2 is that big a step up from the R1 and if the rumors are true, the R3 is due out pretty soon (with Sandy Bridge and better graphics) which should prove to be a much more compelling reason to upgrade.

 

I did purchase a R2 because the SSD and Ram upgrade was nearly as much as the whole new system.
If you upgrade, get yourself a SSD, it's not worth otherwise.

 

I just did this. I sold my R1 for $600 on eBay and bought a R2 refurb for $640. I've noticed a big difference in BFBC2. I'm running it with a 158mhz overclock and throttleshop. Being able to use newer drivers also makes a difference.

The matte finish is also nicer and optimus is more convenient. Also, it'll give you a longer warranty and give you a higher resale value when the R3 becomes an option.

If you want something, get it. Waiting for better technology to release is an infinite loop.

 

I agree with Zathu...although since you already have an M11x R1 (which is fairly comparable to an R2) - I would wait if I were you. Yes, the R2 is better in several ways...but the R1 is also better in several ways.

The R3 may not come out for months, but in the meantime you will not exactly be slummin' it.

Personally, I'm without a laptop at all so I am going for it and trying to turn off those thoughts about R3/etc.

 

This was not a discussion about an R2 Vs R3. This was R1 Vs R2 for BFBC2 and battlefield 3.

 

There will be a small performance bump in Battlefield Bad Company 2 going from an M11x R1 or R2. If you can do a swap with no out-of-pocket costs to you, then do it. But if you need to spend more than $50 out-of-pocket, then it isn't worth the small performance gain you would get.

 

I only get 12 fps on the snow maps i thought the i5 would be a bigger upgrade.

 

Well, I think the ridiculousness of that upgrade is becoming apparent. That's all I was speaking to. IMO hang on to that R1.

Although, in Anandtech's review of the R2 i7 it showed ~40% performance gains in BF:BC2.

DICE is recommending you have a DX11 card and a 64-bit OS for BF3. So upgrading to R2 for BF3 is not a good idea.

 

Ah, wasn't aware that the performance jump from M11x R1 --> M11x R2 was so high on BFBC2. I must've been thinking of Call of Duty: Black Ops.

 

I'm guessing that review is without throttlestop too. At the moment bfbc2 isnt even playable on my R1.

 

That is correct. The Anandtech review uses an overclocked M11x R1 vs. stock clocked M11x R2 Core i7. You would definitely be able to squeeze out more performance with an overclock and ThrottleStop.

I take back what I had said earlier. Battlefield Bad Company 2 is one of the few games where CPU horsepower matters. So if BFBC2 is a game that you definitely want to play, then it would be worth the upgrade from M11x R1 --> M11x R2.

 

@Kent and others---> When the R2 first came out, I too was wrong. I couldn't believe that several hundred mhz would make a difference. Now, through benchmarking I can prove all day long that even with an I7-720qm (m15x), 133mhz difference nets me from 4-6fps. BFBC2 (1.5 frostbite engine) needs both cpu and gpu. If the OP could perform the pin mod I think the difference would be huge. Also if you can switch to gpu discrete enabled in bios and use the latest gpu drivers from nvidia it might help as well.

I dont know why you are only getting 10 fps in snow. The snow map is the hardest on about every machine along with Atacama Desert.

Good luck. It's a tough choice.

Best Wishes,

StevenX