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    i5 vs i7 Battery Life Difference R3?

    Discussion in 'Alienware M11x' started by bleachpedro3, Nov 18, 2011.

  1. bleachpedro3

    bleachpedro3 Notebook Guru

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    Hi guys so I'm new to these forums,great place I've been lurking for a while now.I'm finally ordering a m11x for black Friday and I was wondering what was the difference between these two cpu's? The only reason I'm getting the i7 is because I want a laptop that can last the most time without needing to upgrade. I'm thinking of the R3 8GB Gobi i7 one but not sure if the battery life is downed a lot by the more power-hungry CPU.And is there a trick to get games to divide the workload from the CPU to the GPU memory?Thanks :)
     
    bleachpedro3, Nov 18, 2011
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  2. Voodooi

    Voodooi AFK for a while...

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    There's no noticeable difference between the i5 and i7 (side note: both underclocked and duo core; i7 in M11X's are never quad cores).

    Save your money and buy an SSD instead which will be very healthy for your laptop. It's not only blazing fast, but it extends your battery life as well, which is your goal. I've seen reports of up to 1 hour increase.

    SSD is a much, much better option than i7 imo :)
     
    Voodooi, Nov 18, 2011
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  3. kent1146

    kent1146 Notebook Prophet

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    +agree with Voodooi's post.

    There is no noticeable difference between Core i5 and i7. You will not notice a difference in heat, battery life, or performance. They might as well be identical processors. You will also not be getting anywhere by trying to "future-proof" your laptop by buying a Core i7 instead of a Core i5. Just about the only thing you can expect out of a Core i7 is the personal satisfaction that you bought "the best." But for all practical purposes, the Core i7 will not give you any real-world benefit.



    The smart buy would be to get the Core i5, and use the money you save to get a Solid State Drive (SSD). Spending $170 - $200 on an SSD is an upgrade that you absolutely will notice every single time you do anything with your computer.
     
    kent1146, Nov 18, 2011
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  4. bleachpedro3

    bleachpedro3 Notebook Guru

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    Thanks for the quick response! Only thing is I haven't seen anyone play BF3 on an i5.
     
    bleachpedro3, Nov 18, 2011
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  5. Voodooi

    Voodooi AFK for a while...

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    The i5 will have the exact same performance as the i7 for BF3 and any game for that matter.

    If you find a video/trailer/commentary of a game and the user has an M11XR3 with i7, expect that performance with your i5 :D

    I just wish more people knew about this, because like the M14X's 1.5GB vs 3GB GPU, both are a complete rip off/cash grab :(

    Anyways, if you end up getting an SSD, wait for the Black Friday sales or Boxing Day.
     
    Voodooi, Nov 18, 2011
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  6. deadboy90

    deadboy90 Notebook Evangelist

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    I have to agree, if you are going to spend the 1200 bucks you might as well get an m14x
     
    deadboy90, Nov 19, 2011
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