Decisions, decisions... which processor?

So, after much deliberation (and video watching and review reading) I finally decided that I'll be getting the m11x. Now my dilemma seems to lie in the finer details. please don't bash me because I don't know a whole lot about computers, but I know that the i7 is a lot better than the dual core processor. Right? But is it really worth the extra cash? And is it worth the lessened battery length and increased heat that will come from the machine? I won't be using it for more than gaming and doing stuff for university, so I don't know if an i7 and the upgraded hard drive is worth it. But the price difference isn't that outrageous. I don't know if the choice of configurations through the Dell website differs depending on which country you're ordering in, but I'm in Canada and the way they have it set up is like this on the site: Alienware M11x Laptop Details | Dell Canada

I'm having trouble deciding. I thought the premium would be the best since the price is only fifty dollars more than the standard one. But the "more power" one seems good too. But I'm not sure, what is the benefit of having a 500 GB hard drive as opposed to 320 GB? And is the i7 processor that much better than the dual core? or maybe I should just go with the standard i5 to save battery and heating problems? ahh I'm confused. Someone please help me out? Oh and also, I'm reading all these things about SSD. what is the advantage of that? And for any of you who bought Office Home and Student 2010 edition, does it come with the disk and the CD key or is it pre-installed? I might just buy the in-store edition so that I can share it with my brother's laptop and such. Finally, what would you guys recommend for the warranty? A friend told me the Advanced option is worth it.

sorry about the long post. I just want to make sure I make the perfect alienware purchase xD

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

i7 might be better than core 2 duo in some sense but definitely not by a big margin. remember both of them are ULV processors after all. power can be quite limited after all when compared to a full blown mobile processor. no one can predict anything especially when it comes to technology. anything can change overnight. but technically i7 is suppose to be the way to go in long run. core 2 duo is fine as of now but no one can assure how far it can go. battery differences is about 1 to 1 1/2hrs. so it depends you want more juice in the overall system or in the battery dept. i would say if just general notes taking of office productivity core 2 duo is more than enuf and it shines better here since you dont need those extra cpu juice to do those stuffs and yet you gain more battery performance. but in gaming wise so far they mostly turn out identical in performance except for some more cpu intensive games i7 tend to shine a little better but not by much thou.

i think the main thing between the 2 usually come back to hybrid gfx or optimus. if you like to play with new tech optimus is the way to go. but if you prefer total control in how you use your gfx then hybrid is the way to go. however do note that drivers support wise optimus tend to get update more frequent be it from Nvidia or from the community here by modding inf for latest drivers. While hybrid you will be more dependant from Dell and dont expect too much frequent update from them. this is all i can answer you

on a side note if you want optimus yet not willing to pay that extra for i7. i5 is a pretty good choice too as it perform pretty well too. similar to core 2 duo or can be better in some aspect too.

 

Thanks for the reply! So basically it comes down to battery power.. what is the difference between an i5 and i7 for battery power? And I don't follow what you said about optium and hybrid. What is the difference between these?

 

Also, if anyone knows, what is the difference between Cosmic Black and Soft Touch Stealth Black when it comes to case colour?

 

Jlucas, not sure if you meant to say core2duo. The i7 in the m11x is a dual core just like the c2d or i5. Which is better for you depends on what you are doing, here is a very simple breakdown:

C2D: Best battery life
Manual graphics switching
Cheapest
Has vga out

i5:
Good Battery life
Automatic graphics switching
Up-to-date drivers

i7:
Pretty-good battery life
Automatic graphics switching
Higher clock speed than i5
Up-to-date drivers
Most expensive


Honestly, seeing as the m11x is a gaming laptop, the i5 will be fine for most and will save them some cash. If you are uncertain just remember that things like bluetooth, wwan, and the processor can't be upgraded at a later date like the ram or hd can.

 

you also forget to state this.

C2D = 2 Cores / 2 Threads
i5/i7 = 2 Cores + Hyper Threading / 4 Threads

 

Yes sorry I meant to say core 2 duo. My bad. Thanks for that comparison; makes it a lot easier. I think I'm kinda leaning towards the i5. Still not sure though.

And now even more decisions... I've seen pictures and the Lunar Shadow seems to be a lot less of a finger-print magnet... dang when it comes to this laptop I'm as indecisive as Hamlet =P

 

cosmic black, which you can only get on the R1, is known for being a fingerprint magnet.
And ty Kopicha; I forgot that very important point!

I chose soft touch stealth black because it matches the inside of the notebook ^^

Just be sure you think about your choice, there is no going back once you're out of the return period.

Just ask yourself what you may be using it for...
If you really want to save cash and want to long battery life, go for the c2d.
If you're going to be playing versus computer players and you want to futureproof your purchase, go for the i5 or the i7.

If this is going to be your primary computer think more about the i5/i7 as it will multitask better if you won't be using this solely for gaming

 

Very true. And I mean it is very tempting, seeing as it's only a fifty dollar raise to get it fully loaded =P. I believe I'm going with the i7. Knowing it won't become obsolete for quite a while to come is comforting. One other thing... is the heat produced (like around the palm rest, etc) a lot different between the c2d, i5 and i7? Or fairly the same?

 

My M11x with the i7 gets rather hot when playing intense games, including around the touchpad, but it's not unbearable and I think most of that heat is generated from the graphics card and not the processor.

 

The only question really is what is more important - we all know the i5 is a better processor than the C2D - without a doubt - but if your driving spreadsheets and word documents and want to manually control the video card and max your battery life then C2D is the way to go.

Then gain if you want updated drivers - like the 4 thread option and possibly some extra speed then go i5 - other things like ram and SSD's can be added at a latter date when you have the cash.

I went for the C2D - that's me and everyone has a different view - I don't regret my decision and have already uped the ram to 6gig and installed a WWAN card and aerials so went for the low cost option cos I know heck if my atom powered mini 9 could run my spreadsheets and word doc's then the C2D would kill em. To give you an idea on speed the C2D OCed is about as fast as the old T2500 (2Ghz) CD CPU back in 2006 -2007.

 

And not that it has to do with the processor, but from what I've been hearing, the R2 has a lot of problems with running SC II (probably the Optimus?) Meanwhile the m11x with C2D performs just fine. Or so I've heard.
Forgive me but what is a WWAN card? I know you can't get it installed when it ships with dell, but that's all I know.

 

I have the R1 and it games great. I have no problems with Crysis, COD MW2, Mass Effect, etc. It also runs all of the applications that I need including Microsoft Office which I use to write novels with. I'm glad that I went cheaper and got the R1. I am very happy with it.