SU7300/4GB RAM or i5/2GB?

Just a quick question: if you had to pick between the R1 with 4 GB memory and the R2 i5 with 2 GB...what would be better suited for gaming? I am trying to keep the price around a $1000 CAD.

Any advice appreciated.

 

It depends on how you are going to use your machine. Since ram memory you can always buy later, the main difference between r1 and r2 is the cpu (SU7300 or i5-520UM). Take a look in the SU7300 VS i5 thread. If you need a vga port and don't have cpu demanding games/softwares, just get a r1 (save money and battery, maybe also some headache with optimus issues). Otherwise, get the i5 or even the i7 model.

 

Optimus is NOT the golden grill of graphic switching. imo manual switching is better.

 

For gaming, I would go for the i5, 2gb ram ( future wise)... After a while, you could just upgrade your ram pretty easily. Changing a processor is impossible with the m11x because it is integrated to the motherboard.

 

Get 4gb on the i5.. 2g is extremely too little. Trust me. I'm using this computer for average everyday things and I'm always hovering around 1.5-2.3gb. lol

 

thanx everyone, so I guess I will go the i5. But is 2GB memory enough for games like Company of Heros, Napoleon Total War, MW2, GTA4 etc.

 

Yeah, 4GB is pretty important for me. Still, he could get his M11X with 2GB and then upgrade it by himself easily after.

 

No, I don't think so. GTA 4 is a pretty demanding game and it requires pretty much a good pc overall. Having 2GB could be a bottleneck there. For the other games, well I'm not sure.

 

The i5 is much smoother for day to day use, and more future proof.
Memory is upgradable to 4GB down the road, the processor is not.
Buy the i5.

 

Isn't the 4GB ram upgrade like $50? I would just bite the bullet now. Buying a 4GB kit later will cost like $100.

 

Nope, its $100 to upgrade to a 4GB kit.

 

That sucks. Its only $50 in the US.

 

I am curious... what made you change your mind from your thread comparing r1 and r2 machines? At that point you was very much pending to the r1 choice.

PS: In my opinion, both machines are good, r1 and r2. Everything depends on if you are going to use your machine looking more to the future (new games) or to the past (non-last-generation-games). Moreover, some people like to have more control of their equipment and then the whole optimus idea/concept just becomes annoying.

 

Is the optimum really annoying on the R2? I have seen posts where ppl are complaining about a game's performance on an i7 while the SU7300 is running it great.

 

My M11x R2 has been running pretty much perfectly since I got newer Nvidia drivers. I understand optimus more now and haven't had any problems since using newer drivers.

 

Dell made me an offer I couldn't refuse to keep the new one. Long story short.

 

get i5
since dell doesn't upgrade gfx driver for R1

 

Get 4 GB. Helps a bit when you have many applications open.

Btw, LOL @ "Future proof"

 

Yeah, I should have written "future" or just "tomorrow"...
The point is, you get some extra processor power, but nothing that guaratees that you will play new games at full specifications (or at all...).