XPS 15 - i5 with GT 435/445M

How many people would buy an XPS 15 if it had an i5 with a better graphics card? I'm guessing a ton. It's the sole reason i'm not getting one. The logic is perfect, use an i5 with a great discrete graphics card so that you can save battery life with switchable graphics.

 

Wait for Sandy Bridge.

 

Yeah, then we'll have even more efficient dual cores! Brilliant!

 

:laugh:

tenchars

 

Yeah, and when exactly can I get a delivered XPS 15 with SB architecture?

 

The problem of not being able to pair the i5 with switchable graphics is a temporary one. Dell can fix this any time it wants, because there's no real incompatibility. It probably has something to do with limited parts availability, or limited manufacturing capacity. They want to put people buying $1300 configurations ahead of people buying $900 configurations.

In any case, the switchable graphics issue won't last much longer, because the i7 processors in Intel's next generation will have integrated graphics, so the whole processor line will be switchable.

As for the graphics card, the 445 apparently doesn't fit in a chassis this size. It's a card for larger 17 inch laptops, because it needs a bigger heatsink.

 

Has anyone thought if buying a XPS14/15 with a quad i7, and replacing the cpu with a dual core i5/i7. Would it work with optimus?
Could make profit selling the quad...

 

​

CPU improvement: 20-30%
GPU improvement: 100%

compared to current i-series processors.

So, its HIGHLY advisable to wait till SB which is not far away

 

I am trying it with my xps 15 when it arrives. I have an i5 540m waiting.

I actually dont want optimus though, so far its been a complete PITA. Punkbuster games still arent working months on and there are loads of bugs. It caused me to return my m11xr2

 

It's not Optimus I want, its GT 435M and i5 I want.
Besides, Optimus isn't perfect, and apparently it causes lag (I don't know, just repeating what others said).

Are the dual core Sandy Bridge CPUs going to be much better than i5 dual cores? After all, one could argue i5 dual cores were not that much better than Core 2 Duos in real world performance, as 'promised' before they came out.

opeleg you are absolutely right. Loads of us were looking forward to the XPS and it was such a let down. Blame Dell.

IdeaStorm | i5 with high end graphics in new XPS line.

 

well, if im not mistaken the optimus only work with the i7 processor which is below 7 series

for example , alienware m11x that equipped with i7 680UM that comes with the integrated graphic which allow the user to enjoy the Nvidia optimus feature.

list of i7 processor with integrated graphics

Intel® Core? i7 Mobile Processor Family

 

Optimus currently only works with Core i3/i5 Arrandale family processors, and certain specialized setups (a la Alienware M11x). The Core i7 600 series processors in that link are in fact more closely related to the aforementioned, not the current quad core Clarksfield family i7 that does not have the integrated graphics. All those dual core i7 processors are basically Core i5 500 series processors, but with larger L3 cache.

 

Oh Sandy Bridge where for art thou Sandy Bridge.

 

"Wherefore" means why, so if you are questioning Sandy Bridge then you are right, because to me it seems they have maintained high TDPs with built in (yet not very fast) graphics.

 

Whilst a significant upgrade, SB doesn't seem quite as mind-blowing as was first being touted a year or two back. Same thing happened with Arrandale.

Even if Intel releases SB at the beginning of January, will Dell ship immediately or might they take a month or so?

 

Agree. i5 and i7s (with the exception of i7 620/640) were blown way out of proportion, they do not give that much advantage over Core 2 Duos.

Dell should have Sandy Bridge as soon as it is released (look how quickly they got i7s, damn them).

Question is, will we have a new product, one which Does address the needs of its consumers?

 

..........

 

Sandy Bridge. Ha! I am waiting for Intel's lightpeek optic thingy. No reason to get anything before that.

 

I think you mean Intel's lightpeek ultimate advanced platinum optic nuclear magic thingy, with triple power advanced timing.!!!

 

The difference between the SB 2720QM and the current 720QM should be quite enormous, since the current one is clock limited by its 45nm architecture.

720 - 1.6GHz base, 2.8 GHz turbo
2720 - 2.2GHz base, 3.3 GHz turbo

Add in the 20-30% increase in IPC and you've got a pretty huge step up - something like 50-70%.

The difference in the dual cores will be smaller since the current ones are already 32nm - something like 2.4/2.9GHz up to 2.5/3.2GHz plus the IPC difference. A total of 25-35% give or take.

 

Count me in. I am keen to buy the XPS 15 (good sound system) but find the 420M too weak. I would be happy to pay for the GPU upgraded but it is impossible (except buying i7 too)

 

Despite your idealistic hyping up of Sandy Bridge, it can't be worse than Core i5 and Core i7 right?

I prefer a more realistic look. 50-70% is nowhere near the real, attainable result.

 

And you know this, how? People are measuring a 20-30% increase in instructions per clock over the current chips, and the base clock speed is 37.5% higher. Assuming the low end of the IPC gain at 20%, 1.375*1.2=1.65 or a 65% increase.

 

Because those are idealistic, theoretical measurements.

I was referring to actual, real-world performance, not virtual benchmarking.

Similarly, did the current Core i5s' and Core i7s' performance match up to their predictions?

 

Well, whatever the benchmarks, it's not long to go before we get to see SB for ourselves.

Do Dell always update as soon as a new architecture is released or do they ever linger a bit? (bearing in mind they've just released the XPS 15)

 

2720QM, the cheapest SB quad core announced, has higher spec on paper than i7-940XM - the current fastest mobile i7 which was released not long ago. And according to wikipedia, the release price of 940XM was $1000. Is 2720QM really a successor to i7-720QM? I'm curious to how laptops with 2720QM will be priced - I mean all that wait will be for nothing if I have to pay $2000+ for a SB Quad core laptop...

 

In actual real world performance, the i5-540M sitting to my right is dramatically faster than the Core2Duo 2.4GHz sitting to my left, running the same applications on the same OS with the same I/O hardware.

 

Yes...that's what the "2" in front stands for - second generation. Similarly, there will be a 2820 and a 2920 as well.

Intel's Core 2011 Mobile Roadmap Revealed: Sandy Bridge Part II - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

 

2720?!!!!! WOW. that's like 2000 more than the 720!!!!!

I btter hold out for THAT

 

So does that mean intel is going to discontinue i7-940XM which was released 2010 Q3 and sell 2720QM at 720QM prices? Doesn't sound right to me but that would be awesome... I would most definitely wait until next year if that was the case.

 

I've seen some articles stating "Intel is expected to launch the new processor architecture Sandy Bridge at CES 2011 starting January"

So does that mean we'll get to see SB laptops in January? Or is January a little too early?

 

Asked the same question earlier. Anytime between the end of Dec to sometime in Feb is probably likeliest- I guess.

 

Or as an alternative you may dismiss the SB platform as dull without despising people who have a different opinion in a yet unfulfilled attempt to attire attention (meh, now I fixed that too).

Anyway I definitely recommend waiting for SB for those who want quad-cores (and of course, can afford to wait), they're getting a massive boost. It's closer for dual-cores, the performance increase isn't as huge (still there), but the new IGP is nice in a mobile context and so should be the improved power management.

 

No,the i7-940xm has high spec on paper.It has 8MB of L3 cache while the 2720qm only has 6MB.Besides,the 940xm has unlocked multiplier

But I'm still curious about the performance of i7-2720qm.It has the new architecture which seems much faster than the last generation

 

2720 base clock 2.4GHz
2720 single core clock 3.4GHz
New architecture
6MB cache

940 base clock 2.13
940 single core clock 3.33GHZ
Unlocked multi
8MB cache

I personally think on paper the 2720 looks beta

 

A question for people who are not biased towards Quads in general,

When the new Sandy Bridge comes out, if the entry level quad (like 2720) was very expensive when purchased with the laptop (i.e. a Dell), would it be better to get the Sandy Bridge dual core?

 

It's just impossible to find a laptop i'd be happy with. Everytime i'm waiting a little longer for something else come out. USB 3.0, Switchable Graphics, now Sandy Bridge. I just have to settle I guess.

 

I know what u mean, by the way, what does a unlocked multiplier do, what is it good for. Since im still thinking of returning my 920xm ES!!!

Dell put a 920xm ES into my laptop in exchange for my 820qm which they thought caused the throtteling....

 

Unlocked multiplier helps your overclock. It's pointless with the SXPS16's heat and power problems.

 

Oh and if anyone sees a 15.6" laptop with i5, GT335M or better, USB 3.0, great FHD display, and no heat issues, please let me know. I think if they came out with a new Envy 15 it would fit the bill.