Bit of advice needed on upgrades onM17

I am deciding on a M17 and the various options for upgrades.


Here are the things I'm pondering:

-What's the performance difference between the 2.53ghz Dual core and the 2ghz quad core.. Is it worth the extra £40?


-Is the screen upgrade really worth £164?

I will be using this laptop for gaming mainly. So I will have the 2 3870's in crossfire. I'm not to fussed on the release of the crossfire 4870's (I think it's those) as they will be out of my price range. I will be playing the CoD Series of games, Fear, Farcry, left4dead, gtaIV and a bit of WoW.


So i'm wondering if the upgrades above are really worth it? Thanks

Ali

 

Go on m17 General Information Thread It lock so it on the treads above. Se how people are doing with dual core and quad core.

Right now I would go quad core not worth it. But like Windows 64 Bit over time it going to be needed.

 

I'm not sure about the CPU performance difference...

But I would definitely go with the screen upgrade. Having 1920X1200 is amazing, and is well worth it.
And even though it is a high res for a 17" screen, webpage text is still quite readable from an arm and half's length away. ^^'

Hope this helps!

 

I dunno much about the CPU, but once you goto 1920x1200, theres no turning back.

 

My advice, based on what I've read - for now, the faster dual core is of more use in current games. The future may be a different story, but I'd think for now take the faster chip.

For my system, I elected to go this route, with the realization that if and when the quad-core optimization comes around for games, I may be looking to upgrade the processor.

Truthfully, though, I don't think this is going to happen too soon - I think in the meantime you'll enjoy the faster processor all the time, vs. the offhand chance you'll have a game that is optimized for quad core (and, evens so, the dual processor you'll have is no slouch...) The only real reason to go quad is for non-game applications or multitasking (or running stuff in the backround of your games), not games themselves.

Of course, this is just my opinion... but I don't see you going wrong with the faster processor here - I think you'd be happier with that overall.

EDIT to add: I also love my 1920x1200, so I have to recommend that if you can swing the extra cash...

 

The 1920 x 1200 res looks great while gaming and watching movies. I have that on my M9750. However, I didn't get it on the M17 I ordered because even though I don't require glasses, it's difficult for me to read text and many, many people who have seen my screen have commented on how small the text is. I would advise you to find someone with that size and res so you can see it in person. The screen is the most important interface between you and your computer and isn't easily changed (nor is it cheap). Plus the lower res drains less from the Gpu's and I like to play in native res. IMHO

 

i did not get the 1900 rez screen because i wanted to save 200 because i didnt have another 200, but i can tell you i like it and the font is nice and i can comfortably max out most games

the faster dual core is going to out perform the quad core. games just dont push a quad all the way

 

the screen here is personal perfernce(when did we get to the screen) i have the 1920 by 1200 and woah so much better then my hp 1440 by 900.

 

Go for faster dual core than slower quads..
&
1900x1200 is better than 1440x900 I used had on my old laptop.. unless you have a bad eye sight..