CPU gaming related question.

I'm going to buy a toshiba qosmio the older gen not the one that just came out the x505-Q894 or the x505-Q893 the only real difference between them is the CPU being a i7-740QM or i5-460m , they also both come with a GTX 460M Nvidia chip so the graphics card is pretty much the best you can get without spending 2k+ on a laptop which is far out of my budget atm.

Now my question being will spending the extra 200 dollars to get the i7 be worth it in the end for games from my knowledge I don't think it will be but I'm not a computer expert I've just been told upgrading CPU is minimal for gaming compared to upgrading graphics cards (This coming from my desktop building I have done). I do realize building a desktop is far more cost effective and all that but I need a portable gaming system right now because I don't have room for a desktop to be setup plus I need to for some travel. Anyway the main game I will be wanting to get this laptop for is BF3 that will be coming out sometime soon i think within the next 6 months I could be wrong haven't kept up with it lately just remember it coming out in 2011 and I want to prepare for it. Thanks in advance.

Edit: To add I want to say I'm getting the Qosmio for the fact that it has a 18.4 inch screen I realize there are other laptops that do have better specs but simply don't want a 17.3 inch most have a small keyboard which would be hard to get used to after using a Acer 8730 18.4 haha.

 

It depends on the game. A quad core can really help BFBC2 and GTA4, but you get that at the price of reduced battery life and increased heat. My personal preference in getting a laptop is to get one that's mobile, and I'll take a hit in performance of a few things in order to keep it more mobile. That's why my Envy has an i5-540M instead of an i7. But given that you're getting an 18" behemoth, I don't think portability is high on your list The 740qm will give your machine a little bit longer life than the i5 would, as far as gaming goes. As for $200 worth... do you do any video editing or encoding or anything like that? Are you planning on keeping this laptop for quite a while?

 

Well I'm not going to be doing any type of video editing or things like that its purely for gaming and school as I'm in college but if I just wanted a computer for school I wouldn't be buying a 18.4 inch haha anyway I plan on using it for maybe 1 ½ to 2 years then I plan on building a desktop then whenever the market is best to get a good deal on parts ie when they release new things and the previous models go down in price heh.

Maybe I should of clarified that I was going to use it for about 1-2 years I just want to know if I will not be able to run games at all I'm not looking to run BFBC2 on ultra graphics or anything I high/medium will suffice but ultra on some games would be alright I wouldn't complain but I'm not about to do low graphics if thats what having a i5 vs i7 means

 

I run BFBC2 on all ultra graphics and 4x AA and 4x the other extra thing at 1080p and get 30 fps. I dont actually play it like that i like about 50 fps, but you will certainly be ok with a i7 and GTX 460m, and probably with a i5 as well.

dont forget to look in my sig I have a 720qm and a OCd 5870.

 

ya thanks darth I figure I'll just buy the 893 because I found a good deal on it thats 400 cheaper then the i7 version I can always buy the i7 chip for about 200-250 for a good deal and still come out ahead I looked up replacing the CPU and it's fairly simple for qosmios luckily

 

Congrats and Welcome to the Qosmio Team

 

...Here's a 940XM for sale at my sig. Check it out if you are interested.

 

I'm much more impressed with the 740qm in my Y560 than I was with the 460m in my y460 it replaced. Though, two hours of battery life is about all I ever need in one sitting, so ditching the integrated graphics wasn't too much of a loss (on a good day, I can manage almost 3 hours).