i5 460m + GT 420m vs i7 740m + GT 435M (+275$).

Hi All,

It's pretty much well established the FHD screen is a must for the L501X. But what about the budget conscious gamer like me? The more I read on the topic, the more it feels like the 435M is just a overclocked 420M (you can potentially overclock the 435M to regain some of the lost grounds). And a quad core is a waste of money if you are not going to be heavily multi-tasking. All the games are going to be GPU bound. Personally, I would have liked the option to pair a i5 with the 435.

I think we really need to answer:

What's the increase in performance with the Proc + GPU upgrade?
What's the benchmark when you overclock both the GPUs?

I found a similar thread that didn't lead to any conclusive results.

I've another thread going on, where I discuss the need for blu-ray + 9 cell, that being more of a personal choice than this. The more I look at the new offering from Dell, the word 'mainstream' from Anandtech's review start to ring in my head. I'm almost dishearten at this point and think am going to make a call later today (hopefully) dropping the Proc + GPU + Blu-ray + 9 cell options. I really thought this was it, but perhaps another iteration of the notebook GPU lineup and we'll get a bit closer. I'm there to be convinced if someone can.


Thanks,
Nik

 

It's clearly not worth the 275$ imo. But if you want a gamer laptop there are probably better alternatives aplenty. Try Asus G53 & MSi GX660.

 

I still say +1 to the 9-cell. Blu-ray isn't really needed imho.

 

I can't really answer any of your questions but if you are worried about the laptop being 'mainstream', you have to remember that the alternatives are going to be at the very least $300 more. For the price that it is atm, the XPS is a fantastic deal. Here are some videos of a guy with a GeForce GT 435M playing high end games at excellent settings: YouTube - kriios's Channel

 

Wonder if they will raise the price in Jan/ Feb when they change to Sandy Bridge, or even before then?

 

I've decided to keep the I7 + 435M, not after seeing the vids (I had already seen them) just by the virtue of getting a great price on my laptop:
i7-740M
GT435M
FHD
500 GB / 4GB
DVD drive (dropped blu-ray)
Wifi 1000 / Bluetooth
Backlit
1 year advanced service for 1000 bux + tax

I'll mostly be plugged in so 6 cell is enough..
Edit: I quoted 'casper', because I think he's right to get a better gaming machine is to spend a lot more.. you really need to trim the fat and order only what you will utilize the most (I'm not saying need, but, 'utilize').

 

I got the i7 + 435m, couldn't be happier.
I chose the 435m because I play moderate games like SC2, New Vegas, Diablo 3 next year, not too many FPS, do those on Xbox.
I really wanted the i7 as I like to transcode videos from 8gb to smaller files, Photoshop/Lightroom work, etc, and the i7 is night and day to my old Santa Rosa MBP. Plus it has 1333mhz DDR3 controller on it with a lot of RAM, this bad boy flies.
It does run hotter though, but thats the price you pay, I really didn't care about that.

 

D3 FTW.. btw you transcode - you need the I7.. I would have done better with the I5 and save some moolah.. but whatever.. can't wait to get my hands on the laptop..

 

Starcraft 2 is not intensive like some other grames, GT 420M will suffice.

 

I'm in the same boat (spend the $275 or not). I posed this to the L501 thread, but it's probably more applicable here:

Anand's review says that NVidia's Optimus GPU switching doesn't work with the i7 CPU. Does this mean you have just a normal discrete system (only the NV GPU driver loaded, no Intel GMA driver loaded)?

Also what sort of battery life have people seen with the i7 + GT435M?

 

I hear ya. Just ask yourself what do you need the laptop for. I think it makes for a formidable laptop at base config + the FHD + backlit keyboard.. everything else from there should have a purpose.. I do intent on gaming and think will get my moneys worth with my usage.. without gaming/video/photo editing the upgrades will be useless.. An i7 will call for a 435M, which will call for a 9 cell. so honestly, you are looking to spend 315$+ taxes.. (I dont need the 9 cell, since I plan on being plugged in most of the times)..

When I started configuring my laptop it ran me into 1500$ bux and I even went ahead and ordered one which ran me into 1200$.. I thought about my priorities, cancelled the first order and put in a new one and am happy with the it..

I highly recommend not going for the mem upgrade if you are on a tight budget - you can do it yourself later on and 4gbs is enough by most standards..

 

The i7-7x0 and higher series don't support Intel integrated graphics at all, so the only GPU you'll have is the nVidia one.

 

Ha! Thanks for the obvious answer, I completely missed that the i7 didn't have an integrated GPU.

I think the lack of Optimus (and integrated GPU) might actually be a selling point for me. I use Linux fairly often and NV's Linux drivers aren't going to support Optimus anytime soon, so not being stuck with the Intel GMA is a good thing.

 

i7 has no Integrated GPU and consume alot of power compared to i5
I suggest i5 as it will suffice for anything we do
For gaming at 1366x768 the GT420M will cut it
So overall spend that 275$ somewhere else
Dont waste it unless you encode alot and run Photoshop/Lightroom/Maya most of the time
Also for Photoshop use and all i recommend a Macbook

 

Why? They're no better at it than an i7 XPS 15. Screw OS X being "creative", Win 7 is just as good of an OS now.
Screen is worse on MBP than the B+RG too. I know, I traded out my 15" MBP for the XPS 15. It is faster on the XPS too, MBPs use outdated hardware packaged into a tiny, sexy little aluminum frame that gets hotter than Hades' lair. My XPS will slap the heck out of any Macbook out there.

 

dito
apple is ripping-off. overpriced and outdated hardware for thousands of dollars

 

Well, I don't know how good the B+RG is at 720p. LCD displays usually look the best at their native res.. but the GT435 might not be able to work up to 1080p in some (majority?) games.. there's not a lot to be had for the extra 275 in terms of hardware for this particular laptop.. rather if you have to spend it, spend it on the hard to replace parts CPU + GPU, than going for a, lets say, an SSD first up..

 

I have not tried PS on Macbook so i will stick with the sprtnbsblplya's reply
So overall the i5+Gt420M will suffice if ordering a WLED with 720p
Else,your wish

 

GT435 can play quite a few new games at 1080p, SC2, New Vegas. Haven't even tried OC'ing it yet.
Haven't tried any other.
I played SC2 at both 1080p and 1650x1000 (or whatever that next step down from 1080p is) and it looked fine.

 

I say that it's worth it. Gaming will benefit, as will PS, etc..

And to the person who said Blu-ray isn't worth it... are you smoking crack?

My SXPS 16 hooks up to my HT system with full 7.1 surround and 1080p making it more than worth having.

 

Yes and it supports 3D blu-ray on external 3D HDTVs. It's display just isn't 3D.

 

For me at least, I have an external blu-ray player, that's pretty much why I dropped the idea of spending extra for bly-ray on the laptop.

 

To all interested in L4D results:
L4D2 1080p gameplay vid

Now, I'm really excited about the 435M..

 

With the current sales, i'm looking at $100 between the i7+435m and i5+420m. As the price difference is negligable, is the size of the 9 cell and lack of optimus a big enough deal that i should go for the lesser processor/gpu?

 

if you still haven't made the call - you should only go for those option with the FHD IMO.. the 9 cell is a question of how mobile you plan on being with this laptop.. Go with the 9 cell if you ever plan on using it for 3+ hours on a charge.