Question about buying...SSD and CPU

Hey, i am looking at buying an Alienware with a 780m. I am not near as knowledgeable as many people on here so if these were the only 3 differences in the specs and they were the same price, which one would you buy? I will say that performance FPS is my biggest concern because i want to crank the settings up without lag. Also any info why would be useful too so i can become more educated and make the best decision. Thanks everybody.

Spec 1 : i7-4700 cpu and 256 GB SSD and 16 GB RAM

Spec 2: i7-4800 cpu and 80 GB SSD and 16 GB RAM

Edit: They are actually both 16 GB RAM, thought Spec 2 was 8 originally.

 

The CPU, SSD, and RAM won't affect the FPS in games. At least not enough to the extent you should considering one over another. The 780M will allow you to play any game without lag itself. You shouldn't worry about the CPU...

As for the best combination of specifications: The first specification list you have there (4700MQ, 256GB SSD, 16GB RAM) is probably the best package. This means you'll have fast boot times and load times of programs/games because your operating system will be installed on the SSD. In the second option, the 80GB SSD is used as a cache drive for the standard HDD - this is totally different from the 256GB boot. Also, the 16GB's of memory will come in handy with programs these days. You can easily hit 4GB's just doing every day tasks for work or school.

If you plan on getting 780M SLI in the Alienware 18, you'll definitely be able to play any game, although, I may suggest the 4800MQ over the 4700MQ to add a little room to stretch for performance. However, the 4700MQ will suffice for gaming in both single and SLI setups running the 780M.

 

Thanks, yeah i was thinking that one was the best but i dont have a lot of knowledge eventhough for almost a decade i have been gaming and buying gaming notebooks, i just always bought one with the latest gpu. But now i am trying to learn a little more about it.

Also shouldnt i put my games on the 256GB?

 

If it were me i would buy one with 780M and maybe i7-4900MQ and not worry about SSD,you can always easily upgrade to SSD such as Samsung 840 EVO or 840 Pro both support rapid and are much better drives than what Dell supply at a later date. Money saved from not having the SSD would almost cover the cost of better CPU.....at least in Australia. When i bought my Alienware 18 November last year Dell Australia had a free upgrade to 780M from 770M and the upgrade to i7-4900 was only about $300. If you dont know much about computers changing cpus and graphics cards would be daunting whereas changing a HDD to SSD is relatively simple especially with the cloning software that samsung include with their drives.

 

These days, you don't need the best CPU to play games. The 4700MQ is more than enough to support a single GPU for gaming. If you have other tasks like video editing and design work, or if you're an overclocking enthusiast that utilizes the CPU for more than gaming itself, then I suggest upgrading the CPU. But for gaming and average every day work, there's no point. The CPU is also very easily upgradeable, and should be upgradeable to Broadwell (if what we've heard in reviews are correct).

Yes, you should put games on the 256GB SSD, if you want them to load much faster - that's up to you. You should definitely put the OS on it, though. You could also get the second option and later upgrade to an SSD... This is a very easy thing to do.

There are many options available, you have to decide what's best for you. If you're considering upgrading the CPU because you think you need more power for gaming, you don't.

 

Agreed for gaming only then yes 4800MQ would be fine but what if he did want use it for work tasks as well or trans-coding video etc? I was just thinking from an upgrade later point of view for someone that would possibly struggle with that,its much harder to remove and replace cpu since you have to remove the palmrest etc as opposed to simply removing the back for access to HDD.

 

It's not as difficult as you may think... To access the CPU (or GPU), you only need to remove the back cover, unplug the battery, remove the fan and the heat sink, and then you've got access to the CPU (unscrew it, etc.). It's pretty simple on these new machines. The palm rest needs to be removed for access to secondary RAM slots and the mSATA slot, as well as the screen and whatnot. More time consuming than anything else, really. The new Alienware machines are pretty easy to work on.

 

Only real reason to factory update the cpu vs the drives is to save "usable" items.

Upgrading the c;pu later leaves you with a cpu just collecting dust. Where as hard drives can be used in any other system.

 

Fair enough honestly thought the cpu would have been harder to get to than it really is