m11x core duo vs. i5

hey, im new to gaming, idk much about all the processors and what they mean, i can however tell which numbers are bigger and bigger must mean better...right?
i just purchased my m11x, the $599 model and customized it with 8GB RAM, 320GB Hard drive, bluetooth, and whatever else, it came out to be about $950 bucks, and the one time i dont do my research it comes back to haunt me.

the day after i placed the order, which wont arive for 2 weeks, i saw the newer i5 models, for $999, with the promo of a 500GB hard drive and 8GB RAM, sounds awesome, so yesterday i go to cancel my order and get the i5, but the servers are down for a "global update" so they cant check the status. and today i call back, systems up, and i find out that you cant cancel a custom order i just have to ship it back in two weeks. so i decide to use my credit and get another one and send the core duo back when i get it so i dont have to wait a month for my computer, 3 days is already killing me.
but over night they secretly jacked up the price $400 bucks, What are the odds?!?! i cant afford the extra $400, and i dont think i should have to. i sent them an email saying if thier system wasnt updating i would have done it then and it wasnt my fault, but niether was it thiers, and lets be cool and hook me up in return for my brand loyalty.
im waiting to hear back but of couse as these things go they probably wont help me out and just say "sorry, best of luck next time...sucker!"

so, my question is should i be satisfied with my OLD computer, or should i send it back and wait for something else.
i hear asus is good, and more for your money but alienware has apeal and that counts!

i was looking and DC Universe online and company of heroes and even theatre of war 3: korea (even i dont think i can get away with that one) for my m11x, even overclocked (i do know what that is! did it to my evo) i know it doesnt seem like enough power for the listed min. requirements for these games. so am i going to regret this? i want to keep it but i feel like i need to take a stand lol. i want good settings, i played the sims 3 on crappy settings and i couldnt stand it, it was pointless, i felt like i had a stigmatism. and it cant be choppy or ill have to chop my computer in half, but i wont be playing COD on it, or really any MMOs other than DC if i even play that?
so, in short, can this computer deliver?

 

iv never had any games lag on my core 2 duo m11x r1. its an amazing computer. iv got mine pin-modded (overclocked processor past oc mode in the bios) and my gpu heavily overclocked. and everything runs smooth as butter

 

Wait for them to run a special (once or twice a month) the M11x will go $200 off with sometimes even deeper discounts. I got the r2 i5 8gb ram, 320gb for $636 free next day shipping. Check the website slickdeals.net which usually posts up the m11x deals as soon as they are available.

 

Can get a 13" Acer 3820TG from Canada for $730 with a i5-480M + HD5650+HD. Bronksy on here has his overclocked to 3.7Ghz. That is a serious little powerhouse which represents a lot more bang-per-buck than the m11xR2 you've shortlisted. The twin pipe cooling system also supports generous GPU overclocks.

Otherwise the people on here are doing 35% overclocks on their i5/i7UM M11xR2 systems using Throttlestop, getting them near fullpower processor performance. Makes then significantly faster than even an OCed m11xR1. Worth waiting then for a R2 to appear at a good price.

 

Give it a couple days. This happened to me, and I was disappointed. However, it happened about 5 more times in the 3 weeks afterwards. I also got a better deal than $999 (specs in signature...)

 

How stable is a 35% oc? I know my phone would crash itself all the time, and how is the heat?

 

It's a best case scenario, with 180mhz BCLK. Some R2s won't make 160 while others can keep going onwards.

 

Apol DavyGT. I was quoting the % improvements I saw in http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m11x/524257-how-supercharge-m11x-core-i5-i7-um-cpus.html by using TS to increase TDC/TDP 'turbo' values where I saw 35% mentioned as the performance improvement.

What is the total % performance improvement (wprime32, tsbench, WEI CPU) when O/C the BCLK and use TS with a i5/i7UM m11xR2?

 

Sure you can get the 13" Acer 3820TG that has more power.
How about going 15" or 17" and getting even more power.

I personally like the 11" size / performance ratio.

There is nothing out there that can beat the m11x for that.

Another thing with me is screen rez and screen size.

To me an 11" is as big as I would want 1366X768 to be. Its amazing to me to see so many people even with 17" that only have 1366X768.

In my opinion a 13" should have no less than 1400X900 or something and 15" should never have less than 1600. A 17" should never have less than 1080p.

Otherwise you are carrying around small rez and loosing portability.

 

Hear hear! This was the clincher for me. I was just about to grab a 15" with a similar video card and better processor, plus an optical drive, for the same price. But I can't stand to look at anything less than 1440x900 on a 15" screen anymore.

 

Did you know that a 13" 3820TG occupies less volume and is lighter than a m11xR2? m11xR2 is thick and relatively heavy for a 11.6" system.

 

TS isn't overclocking... It's fixing the low TPL that the UM chips have.

Performance should increase linearly since clockspeed is going up. Ie: 5% gain for 5% extra overclock.

The 3820TG is one fine machine. Just wish it was available sooner outside of Asia. Cheaper, lighter, faster with no major issues. About to be succeeded by the Sandy Bridge 3830TG so those overclocks are the end of an (short) era.