XPS 15 2620QM or 2720QM

Is it worth going through Dell's return policy to swap processors?

Apparently my computer hasnt shipped, but is already "in process" so they cant even cancel the order and replace it with a new one.

I wasted my whole lunch at work talking to 5 different reps, only one of which spoke english.

 

It is better to get the laptop and then return it without even opening it and order another. It is probably the most painless way I can think of doing a processor swap.

 

Long term happyness, I should return it, and not just keep the one I have coming?

 

To answer that question: Is the one you have a 2620M or 2630QM?

If it's 2630QM vs. 2720QM, the 2720QM is a fair bit faster and has virtualization/AES hardware that the other doesn't.

If it's 2620M vs. 2720QM, the 2620M will be faster at single and dual tasks, but the 2720QM will be better at extreme multitasking and multi-core processes. The former will also draw less energy/generate less heat at max loads.

Long-term happiness is all up to you. If you want to keep it for say > 3 years, the faster 2720QM will be more future-proof than the others.

 

2630QM has AES; it is just disabled by Dell. Virtualization and AES support is useless for 99.5% of the users.

2720QM is a waste of money. Stick with 2630QM.

 

Bob, I ordered: Core i7-2620M

 

didn't know that about the AES and the 2630.

AES instruction set - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

thanks for the enlightenment

 

For the OP's useage, yes, stick with 2630QM, very solid CPU.

For some other people's useage, no. I max out my 2720QM fairly regularly, but I'm not your typical XPS user I do a lot of CAD simulations on this machine too, those number-crunchings chew CPU power. I would have gotten the 2820QM but it was too much of a step up in price for the small gain, although the extra L3 cache would have been nice I guess.

 

....again, I ordered the 2620M. Not the 2630QM

Is it worth me going through the hassle of the return process for my use? Around my office here, I'm getting mixed views that maybe I should have gone wuth the quad regardless.

 

I understand you got the dual-core. I was talking to the other poster, my bad for helping get this thread sideracked

Personally I would have gotten the quad, but I'm a power-user. The quad would future-proof the system more I will say.

 

I still believe, unless you are doing anything that is multi-threaded, a faster dual core is better off than the quads. You already get two threads per core, and a lot of apps can't take on more than one or two more threads at a time.

Some stuff is impossible to program for more than one thread, and can't use more than one core.

Unless you use an application that you know will use all available cores I think the 2620 is the best bang for the buck. Maybe the tech will catch up, but a majority of base users will be better off with a faster dual core than a standard quad. I'm almost disappointed that the next Intel update "Ivy Bridge" doesn't even offer a dual core solution.

so CAD, encoding videos, or other professional or prosumer uses will benefit from a quad. Most normal uses will benefit from a higher single thread frequency. I'm sorry but I couldn't determine your use by the topic thread, but if you aren't doing something compiled for multi-threaded use, a dual core may be preferable.

don't feel so bad about the 2620m, its a pretty well rounded processor unless you have specific use.
people are becoming more aware this is a multi core world now, so maybe a quad will future proof yourself, but how long is it before you update normally?

 

3-4 years!

 

I can't really predict the future, but I would be happy with the 2620m, its what I chose. Unless you see yourself doing anything that requires 4-8 threads in the next 3-4 years, just enjoy it. Also remember the CPU on the XPS 15 is upgradeable. Depending on if Dell upgrades the BIOS or not, you may just be able to plop in a 4-core Ivy Bridge in 12 months. They are supposed to be pin compatible. Even if not, you can pick up an enginering sample or QS processor for cheap and upgrade to a quad sandy bridge, selling what would probably be a desirable 2620m. I paid $150 for mine (Pull, so OEM), and still haven't looked into selling my 2410m to recoup some costs.

I really wouldn't sweat it unless you are using apps designed for 4/8 cores

 

kizh is correct, and I've been trying to convey what he said in his last 2 posts but clearly in a poor way. For your uses TSR6, a dual will be plenty. It's up to you which way to go.

kizh, the turbo-boost on the quads gets pretty good boosts for single/dual-threaded applications. Not as fast as the 2620m, no, but close.