M11x processor concerns. Why so weak?

So i was excited to see the release of the M11x but i was then disappointed to see no i3/i5 processor option.

I decided to lookup the mobile benchmarks for the top option the SU7300 and i was further disappointed to see that it Ranks 66th in intels performance list according to notebookcheck and it Ranks 176th in the list when you add AMD's mobile processors?

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmarklist.2436.0.html

so is anyone else surprised at the choice for processor? i would have expected a T9xxx series or core i3/5.

The choice of a processor thats several years old is probably to keep costs down but i personally would rather pay a little for performance.

 

IF it had a ULV core i-whatever, I might consider it.

No way I am buying an SU7300, for sure....

 

yeah, thats how i feel.

 

If they put an i3/i5 then battery would drop substantially. 90% of the games are based off the GPU mostly so you don't need an i3/i5 to run games.

 

the i5 ULV us not really that much stronger than the su7300 - this was tested somewhere

and the su7300 can be BIOS oc'd to 1.6 GHz

 

True and not true. True for gaming i understand that. However having used some SU class processors in the past i can tell you that they are weak. And by weak i mean they suck.

Processor speed and cores directly influence a products lifecycle. The SU7300 began it's lifecycle several years ago and in my opinion should'nt be considered.

I have a latitude e4300 with a t9300 (i think) 2.5 ghz and it rocks windows vista/7. and it'll handle the next windows version too. I wish i at least had that option for the M11x.

If i wanted a weak processor i would have ordered a netbook. So I dont expect anyone to be terribly impressed with the M11x for everyday use if you run AV and more than one app at a time the SU7300 wont be up to the task.

It may game but come on, if you wanted to game on the road and you have the option wouldn't you bring your M17x?

just my perspective, I'm an IT consultant and advise my clients to purchase longevity based on technology lifecycles. The processor is at the heart of the longevity questions imo.

 

I think a 11-inch size forces too many compromises, a 13-incher would have been preferable... It's true that most games are GPU-dependent, but some popular games are quite CPU-dependent... Try a 25-man raid in WOW with the SU7300, for example.

I'd like to see the results of the ULV i5. Any idea where to find them? A processor with Turbo mode seems the best combination of energy saving+performance when needed (there are also ULV i7 processors).

 

It's weak because it's a netbook

 

ding ding ding. How do people not get this? You don't buy an M11X for intensive tasks. It's a netbook! Most people getting one already have a desktop or gaming laptop. If I wanted more power, I'd go with an M17X. I get this for class, work, email, browsing, and maybe one in a while a game to kill time.

 

Sorry if I sound harsh.

You sound like your really skilled. But Premoting that skills show Lack of skills. You really sound like the techs in Houstion that alienware hired that had two of my system 11 times in 3 years and they could not fix them. I waiting for my next system.

What you need to do not premote your skill. YOU NEED TO USE IT and help us. I could go I am a Intel tech I have all skills. (note I am not a Intel tech) But showing your skills on the forum as a action is more powerful then going I am a IT conultant.

Just be someone. Use your skills to help us.
I am not trying to upset you I trying to help.

Act like a person not not a pro.

 

I guess it's a matter of perspective, I tend to agree with the posters point of view, the processor in the system is just too weak (and yes, I work in IT as well since 1993, productive processor life is a serious issue). What Dellienware did here was make a gaming machine using a so-so processor for a profit margin now, and roping in a bunch of folks on the refresh, while claiming big battery life which is key to the success of any netbook design. I would have sacrificed several hours of gaming for a stronger system myself. Don't get me wrong, I WANT one of these, but after springing for the m17x-R2 (if it EVER ships) I will get one on the first refresh of the m11x to the i7 processor, but the current processor leaves me just meh.

 

You see, first it's going to have a ULV processor in there whether it's a core 2 ULV or an i5/i7 ULV. (There is no i3 ULV!)

The i5/i7 ULVs range from 1.03GHz (or was it 1.06GHz) up to 1.2GHz for the quickest.

The ONLY two significant advantages they have are turbo-boost and hyperthreading. Neither will make a massive difference in modern games, most of which are dual-threaded.

The i5/i7 ULVs will not be able to turbo when both cores are loaded. So when you have both cores loaded they would only be a little bit faster than a Core 2 ULV.

And then there's overclocking. The Core 2 ULVs they're using can be pushed to 1.6GHz through a simple BIOS option. This actually means they potentially perform better than an i5/i7 in two-threaded apps.

The ULV i5/i7 processors do NOT pose a large advantage over the Core 2 models, are only very slightly faster, and may actually perform worse in 2 threaded apps where the C2D ULV can be overclocked, to sum up my argument.

They simply cannot get anything above a ULV into the form factor, partly because of power but mostly because of heat. This means either way you'll be stuck with a 'weak' processor.

 

Thank you EviLCorsaiR -

I don't know that many people here have owned netbooks. I've owned lots (Eee 701, 900, 1000h, N10J, Aspire 1410), none have satisfied me. The Toshiba T115D that I own currently (and just recently) is pretty darn close and it only has an AMD Neo X2 and HD 3200. You can also ask the folks who own an Eee 1201N or an HP Mini 311. The ION is pretty powerful and can handle the latest games quite well despite the Atom CPU, while even the dual core version Atom is lethargic for any CPU intensive tasks. The SU7300 is significantly better than the Neo X2 and especially the Atom.

Regarding multitasking, the Acer 1410 I had came with an SU3500 Core 2 Solo 1.4GHz CPU, and it could multitask perfectly fine. I don't know where this idea of not being able to multitask came from. I could alt-tab out of a game, do some web browsing, extract a file, or whatever without issue. Sure it might have taken a little longer but not by much.

Bottom line is that you won't be able to squeeze much more in this size package. The SU7300 is the best compromise for performance and thermal considerations. I don't know why people think they need the latest tech for it to perform well.

The m11x is absolutely the best bang for the buck you can get in this size package. If there's an i3 or i5 refresh, I'd like to see it, but I doubt any time in the next six months unless someone else kicks out something better than the m11x with an i3 or i5 and I doubt it.