General advice about CPU for the 17

I'm going to purchase a new 17 (or 18 not sure yet). I'm already set on minimum specs of 780m and 120hz screen option. I plan on going for minimum specs for ram and HDD options as I plan to upgrade those myself. Currently I have the R4 with 680m and 3840qm and am very happy with the performance. The MOBO is giving single beep with black screen on a daily basis and it needs repairs. Although its still under warranty until 07/14 Dell is not willing to service anymore and are just refunding everything. I actually really like the R4. I wish I could stay with it but since Dell is offering full refund I'm going to take it and just reorder the new model. I read the Alienware boards here on almost a daily basis and have probably already read some of the answers to the questions I have but I'm having trouble finding the answers. I pretty much want to max out the new system but if anyone could help with these next questions it would be helpful.

1. Is the i74930mx worth it? I know all the options for CPU's are fast but, other than breaking down benchmarks, is it worth it to go from the i74900mq to the i74930mx? (is the mx vastly overpriced?)

2. What issues are the main problems with the 17 and 18 that I should be aware of? Bottlenecking with any configurations?

3. If there was one problem you would want your mother to know if she were buying a 17 or 18 what would that be?


The bottom line for me is I want to max out all games on ultra, and I mean max out, not turn anything down. I know a nice 780m, good amt of RAM and SSD will solve fast workstation and maxed out games but I don't want any buyers remorse here. I'm open to going with the 18 for the dual GPU options but I would rather stay at the 17 for the size is more suitable plus the 17 with i74900/780m 3yr warranty vs 18 with i74930mx/780sli 3yr warranty is over $1000 difference.

 

here is what i know
1. in my mind it is worth it because u can overclock it a lot easier but being the 18 has the secureflash you'd have to buy a chip to do fancy OCing but.....if your looking to max out id go with it but none of them should bottleneck and if maxing out 780M SLI is great. my i7-2920XM bottlenecks on 3Dmark but i'm certain yours wont but they run all on ultra for me



2.someone correct me if i'm wrong but aren't the fan tables screwed up in the 18

3. i don't think there are many problems that she'd understand but if anything you could tell her it has the best warranty for a gaming laptop mines a lot older then your R4 or the new one ur buying for sure mine was the first revision but its still going strong and dell is still covering it a lot of the other brands dont offer Accidental Damage

 

Thanks for the reply Trickster29 and HA! its not for my mother and she is not buying it for me. I'm 34 and earn a decent living. I guess I used 'mother' as a way to say if you were telling someone you really cared about what would be the one cavet you had for them. I'm really trying to justify spending the extra scratch on the 18 as it would be quite a bit more cost. When I think about the actual benefit from it all I can really think of is the extra GPU. The single 780m should Max all anyways right?

 

well one of my 780Ms died (the company is replacing it as we speak ill have it back Friday) but somehow it did run a game at max but I'm sure it wont do that forever or for longer then a year i used to have 460M SLI and it ran for 3 years running all on max and the 460 died 2 years earlier as well as my 460Ms could out run a 580M single (dell screwed up put 1 580M with 1 460M so i took it for a test drive and it couldn't do what my 460Ms used too for longer then 3 seconds then i called dell and they gave me back my other 460 and took back there mistake) so id take SLI anyday but yea it will hold for a while but i'm sure it wont do CRYSIS 3 on max XD id prefer the SLI runs longer then single

you can compare 780M Single Performance and SLI with these two links scroll down youll find 3dmark scores/ fps ratings to games

Single 780M http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-780M.88993.0.html

SLI http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-780M-SLI.93346.0.html

 

Depending on what you are doing, you can expect as much as double the GPU performance with SLI.

Here's a nice single 780M 3DMark11 run: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-3920XM Processor Extreme Edition,Alienware M18xR2

And, here's a nice 780M 3DMark11 run: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-3920XM Processor Extreme Edition,Alienware M18xR2

Notice the graphics score for each. I would recommend going for the 18 with 780M SLI. It will crush the 17's performance today and will take a lot longer to need an upgrade to keep up with future games compared to a single GPU system. It will cost more now, but if you can eek an extra couple of years of gaming from it you'll actually be better off.

 

Thanks Mr. Fox. I know how you feel about Haswell but can you tell me if the 4930mx is worth the extra over the 4900mq? I really spent the majority of my yesterday afternoon reading about the differences but still dont feel like I am comfortable making a decision on picking one over the other here. I guess it will be the 18 with 780m sli but which CPU? I'm not sure the extra scratch for the 4930mx is worth the preformance increase over the 4900mq. this is what I'm using to compare. Intel Core i7 4930MX Notebook Processor - NotebookCheck.net Tech
I value your advice and any assistance on this is appreciated.

 

I do not feel the 4930MX is worth purchasing over the 4900MQ for the AW 17. For the AW 18, this is an entirely different story.

You can ask these questions in the AW 17 Owner's Lounge, by the way. I'd be more than willing to answer any questions you have about the AW 17. I've owned two of them, I think I can answer pretty much anything you have to ask. There are also more than a dozen other active owners of the AW 17 in that forum.

For your third question: The only issue you need to be aware of is the fact that the 4930MX does not come with an unlocked BIOS, which basically means you cannot overclock it nearly as far as we used to be able to with Ivy Bridge. The farthest I've been able to clock the 4930MX in the AW 17 is 4.3GHz, stable, without using custom XTU profiles, etc. (This goes for both, the AW 17 and AW 18.)

 

I think it's worth it. It has greater performance potential and it's fully unlocked, including TDP. But, I am an overclocking/benching nut and love that as much or more than gaming. If you plan to enjoy that pastime, nothing less than an Extreme mobile CPU is acceptable. If you just want something that performs really well, you plan to leave it alone for the most part and just play games, then the 4900MQ should be fine. There are some examples of 4900MQ outperforming a 4930MX due to defects in Haswell architecture and erratic reactions to power and temperature, but these are primarily CPU benchmarks. I think part of it may have to do with enthusiasts still learning how to effectively deal with Haswelll's shortcomings as well. It behaves differently than earlier CPUs... even though the 4930MX is unlocked and has great potential, nobody has completely figured out the best way to fully exploit that feature... yet.

 

Mr. Fox and J. Dre, thank-you to you both. I've gained a lot of knowledge from the both of you from the work you do here on this forum. Just saying thank-you does not adequetly describe how greatful I, and others, are for the valuable advice and constructive feedback you continue to provide. That being said... Thank-you for all you do.
I can be as picky as they come when it comes to certain decision and deciding on a new model is no exception. Its a problem and I deal with it the best I can. I'm actually currently satisfied with the R4, 3840qm/680m. Dell offered a full refund for this system due to issues that they have not been able to fix and I'm okay with the refund. If I go with the 17 with 780m/i74900mq I'm sure I would be fine with that too and it would only be a couple hundred extra out of pocket. That being said I think I'm ready to step it up and go with the 18 for the dual GPU option. I'm just really on the fence about the CPU option. I don't think I'm on the overclock level you are Mr. Fox with the CPU but I don't want to have any hickups or sacrifice any preformance if I were to go the 18 route. The 18 route with the 4930mx is approx $1500 more out of pocket. Personally for me I wouldn't consider an extra 780m as a good reason to spend an extra $1500. Going with the i74900 would only be approx $1000 out of pocket. I'm sorry if I seem like I keep asking the same question but other than just hitting high overclock numbers is the 4930mx worth the extra cost? I'm a mess about decisions, I know.

 

No, if that is not important to you, then that it is probably not going to be worth spending a ton of money on the 4930MX. You can buy a 4930MX on eBay and install it yourself later on if you change your mind. If you're happy with 3840QM you should be happy with 4900MQ.

 

No problem, Cedar. The 4900MQ will serve you well. There are people with dual 780M's that have the 4700MQ or 4800MQ, and I have yet to read about either of those bottnecking performance, in regards to gaming. You will obviously see better scores with overclocking and benchmarking with an extreme edition CPU, but if you're not into that, the 4900MQ is the next best thing.

Let us know when you get your new system. Don't forget to post in the AW 18 Owner's Lounge with some pics and maybe even your initial feedback of the system upon opening and starting it up.

P.S. I don't know if it's much cheaper or easier for you, but there's a sealed (new) AW 18 with the specifications you want in the NBR Marketplace. You can check it out here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/not...-i7-4900mq-16gb-bluray-750gb-x2-80gb-ssd.html. Perhaps the price is negotiable.

 

Basically, if you have more money than you know what to do with, and don't have to work for it, get the 4930. You won't actually notice a difference in practical gaming (you won't even notice a difference between the 4800 and the 4930 other than in benchmark scores) but since you have too much money anyways, that doesn't matter.

For anyone who has a limited amount of money, the question is: Is there anything I'd rather spend the money on? And the answer is YES.

 

Advo, I really wish I had more money than I knew what to do with.. HA!! No, I'm not 'rich' by any means. I work full time and support a family of 5. Other than the normal things that are important to me i.e. kids, wife.... my two passions are golf and computers. Mostly computers for gaming but I always get involved in something to do with computers other than gaming from time to time but the games are always a constant. I've always had computers and games my whole life. When I was younger my old man bought a Commodore 64 and we had tons of games for that. Montazumas Revenge anyone?? Then it was the Amiga and it just progressed from there. After college when I was able to earn enough to live on I decided to buy a gaming pc. I knew I wanted a laptop because I just had my first child and I wanted to put the thing away and be able to move from room to room with it. After about 6mts research I decided on Alienware. My old man had a Alienware tower (not sure which model) so I was familar with the brand. Like most I really didn't know much about the hardware and I ordered the r3 with the 460m (recommended on the dell website) and figured to max out the CPU for a good gaming experience. The 460m was basically a mess. Due to the problems I was having with the card I started reading forums. At first it was Alienware club but there someone mentioned this board. I started to come here and it basically has taken over my life. Before my recent visits here I had a better than your average user knowledge about computers but that quickly changed. With reading threads by Mr. Fox and others I now feel comfortable taking apart any tower or laptop and putting it back together. I now have an indepth understanding about various pc hardware parts and am able to read benchmark reviews and make informed decisions on parts. I now am our offices site lan coordinater. It will probably lead to a promotion to area systems coordinater at somepoint which is a large pay raise. At somepoint in the past year or so I've begun to realize that I can assist and feel comfortable responding to threads here and on other forums about technical questions people have about their systems. I by no means feel I am on the same level as individuals here such as Mr. Fox and many others but my knowledge has surpassed many who do tech support for a living. I owe it all to the people here who continue to do a great job answering questions, taking the initiative to provide information before it is asked and put in countless hours and time responding in a clear manner. Case in point is my initial question in this thread, I wanted to know if its worth it to go for the 4930mx or would the 4900mq be fine. The same day I received 3 different people giving constructive feedback on why the 4930mx should or should not be bought. I knew the specs, clocks and advertised Ghz for each card but with the 4930mx being a $500 upgrade is it worth it? Now the difference between say the 770m and the 780m the answer is yes. Previously I had the 675m but when you compare it to the 680m its not even on the same level. In my opinion anything less than the 780m/680m or similar AMD card should not even be an option to purchase with these laptops. Same goes for the prior options to get the 1600x900 screen. Whats the point? Someone new who thinks they are getting a laptop (advertised to be best gaming laptop) is going to be severly disapointed when they get a system they paid $1500 or more for and the screen isn't even up to par with their phones resolution. Anyways I could keep going but naw.. lol. I've had 4 replacements and countless tech support visits for my current r4 (which was an r3 to begin with). Currently the video card keeps artifacting/crashing or not being recognized at all, plus I power up then screen goes completely blank and getting single beep code (motherboard). I have been unable to correct it and phone support was not able to either. They were processing another exchange but then offered full refund which I accepted. Even though all of that has gone on, today I just purchased another Alienware laptop. The product is top notch, looks great and the warranty service is second to none. I wouldn't consider going with any other company for a gaming laptop. I bought the 18 with 780m sli and the i74900mq. Instant savings of $400, a few other discounts I qualified for due to my employment and the rep also threw in a 4th year of warranty and the new 18 backpack. After applying the refund to the price of the 18 I will still have about $1000 out of pocket to pay. But I figure that $1000 is getting the second 780m a 4th year of warranty and the 120hz screen that I did not have with my current model. I wanted some reassurance from some of the senior members here (thanks again Mr. Fox and J. Dre) that the 4900mq is going to be more than enough for the system or is it necessary to get the 4930mx. They reassured me that the 4900mq will not slow me down in anyway and that 4930mx would be more for the o/c part and getting the high benchmark numbers. Based on that info, for me personally, the 4930mx would serve purposes I don't need it for. Okay im just going to stop now but I am forever in debt to the great work done here and will continue to sing the praises of notebookreview.com!!!!!