Need help please!

Hi, I think I'll buy a M15x because they still sell it on europe, I think he is better than the M14x in term of battery, gaming, it gets less hot, no fan issue(?), ect...
But it is pretty expensive in europe and I need help to choose the CPU:
Intel® Core™ i3 Processor 370M (2.4Ghz, 3MB, 2C) [Inclus dans le prix]
Intel® Core™ i5 Processor 520M(2.40GHz,3MB cache) [ajouter 140,00 € ou 4 €/mois-1]
Intel® Core™ i5 Processor 540M(2.53GHz,3MB cache) [ajouter 190,00 € ou 6 €/mois-1]
Intel® Core™ i7 Processor 620M(2.66GHz,4MB cache) [ajouter 350,00 € ou 11 €/mois-1]
Intel® Core™ i7 740QM (1.73 Ghz, 6MB, 4C) [ajouter 220,00 € ou 7 €/mois-1]
Intel® Core™ i7 Processor 840QM (1.86 Ghz, 8MB, 4C) [ajouter 690,00 € ou 22 €/mois-1]
Recommandé par Dell.
Intel® Core™ i7 Processor 940XM (2.13 Ghz, 8MB, 4C) [ajouter 1 370,00 € ou 45 €/mois-1]

As you can see the lower i7 is +350€ and the better is +1370€ that is ing expensive!

The GPU is 1.5GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 460M and un can't change it, but I think it'll be really better than the GT555 from the M14x.
The LCD is 40cm (15.6") Wide HD+ (1600 x 900) WLED display and un can't change it, battery 9 cells.
The base config with i3 Processor 370M (2.4Ghz, 3MB, 2C) and 3gb 1333, HDD 160Gb is 1099€.

 

If you can afford the 840, I would recommend that, for the quad core.
I went with the 820 a year ago and am very glad I did, even though it was considered overkill. It is protection against the future.
My signature looks similar to your prospective machine, my GTX still rocks too .
AW rocks and others see it and drool ( from a distance! ). -h-

 

My recommendation would be getting the cheapest porcessor and upgrade it yourself to a 920xm (from ebay or similar, costs about €250).

Anyway, a lot of people are selling their M15x atm in the marketplace, you might want to check out some offers.

 

Is this easy to change? I don't really want an used m15x...

 

620 pure raw clock speeds, then upgrade to xm if you wish.

 

Yeah, it's pretty easy, but you need to prepare yourself and take enough time to do it. When you exactly know the steps it isn't a big deal. If you've already done similar jobs you will have about 10 minutes, if it's the first time you're doing this it will take a bit longer, probably about half an hour.

Here you can find the service manual which describes all the necessary steps, and here's a nice teardown video of the M15x.

 

Can you please link me to a website that sell it for 250€?

 

I already created (I don't know how to say it) my own PC (buyed all components in internet) but that was a desktop, I think Laptop is almost the same.

 

Voilà: ebay search "intel 920xm"

There are a couple of very good sellers selling 920xm CPUs.


Edit: If you've already built your own desktop it shouldn't be too hard for you.

 

Thanks +rep.
Should I go with 3Gb or 4Gb? I think 8Gb is too much since I'll don't do 3D modeling or video editing, I'll just play games and use it as my school PC, and I'm not going to plug it into an external monitor.

 

The upgrade to 4 GB is about €30 if I remember correctly, I recommend getting 4GB. You can still upgrade it further when you use it, Dell wants too much money for 8GB imo.

By the way, the CPUs on ebay are engineering samples (ES), not OEM versions, but the performance is the same, only the price is a lot cheaper. Most users here have ES versions (me too) and they work great.

 

Yes I noticed that it's the ES version and I was wondering if the difference is important between the OEM version, thanks for the explanation.
And yes the 4GB upgrade is 30€.
Can you confirm that the temps are lower than the m14x, the fan less louder and the battery better?

 

I have never worked with a M14x, so I don't know most of this... but I know that the battery life of the M15x is worse, especially with the extreme processor. The M15x is more powerful and highly upgradable. I have no issues with the fan noise at idle temps and during gaming I don't care since I use headphones. Temps depend on the ambient temperatures... my processor idles at about 45-50°C , the GPU too. GPU and CPU gaming temps depend on the clocks and the type of the GPU/CPU. With a well applied thermal paste you shouldn't have any heat issues with this system.

 

If I don't plan to overclock my system is the 940XM worth it?
And I was talking about the temps at stock, and for the battery life do you have idea like just when surfing on the web or watching a film? I think gaming on battery is not a good idea anyway and it will be connected almost the time.
Another question is about the power cable, if I buy my m15x in france, when I'll go to the Canada, just buying a cable for m15x in Canada will be ok? I don't want to use an adaptator because it will be my school PC and it'll be anoying.
EDIT: A guy in this thread say that the new models have weaker GPU, is this true? Is the GTX460m weaker on the new models?