Are these upgrades worth it?

Hey guys,

I tried to make a post from my phone but it didn't show up, so sorry if it double posts later in the day.

Basically I have the current setup
-7970M
-12GB at 1600mhz on 2DIMMs
-Intel Advanced with Bluetooth Wireless (I don't really use Bluetooth)
-HDD Caddy
-Stock Thermal Paste

The 7970M has been delayed, so i am considering getting the 680M. If that is the case, I will go with the Special Edition of the P150EM/NP9150. It will have the following:
-680M
-16GB at 1600mhz on 2DIMMs
-Intel Ultimate 6300 Wireless
-Basic DVD Drive (I will buy a caddy from Amazon: Amazon.com: NEW SATA 2nd HDD caddy for 12.7mm Universal CD/DVD-ROM: Computers & Accessories)
-IC Diamond Thermal Paste (I know that I can apply this on my own, but its included in the price of the special as far as I know).

The cost of this upgrade will be $200, and $220 if I ask for Xotic PC to include the HDD caddy. Do you guys think its worth it? Otherwise, I would just wait until the 16th for the 7970M to become in stock again.

Thanks,
Josh

 

Its up to you really.
What do you intend to use the gpu for?
If its just gaming, and if you cannot wait, then 680m might be a good option to get... performance wise, 7970m and 680m are basically the same, however the AMD will run circles around 680m in OpenCL and compute performance (which Nvidia gimped from their consumer Kepler series).

If I was in your position, then I'd wait because I see no point in spending $200 extra for 'upgrades' that will result in same system performance-wise with 8GB more RAM (which you can probably get on your own for same or cheaper price), and since I would personally find use for OpenCL and compute performance (but that's me).
If you find CUDA and PhysX of importance (which are more of a stunt than a usable/worthy feature) then go with Nvidia.

Differences between Intel Advanced and Intel Ultra... not sure if there's a large difference worth mentioning to be honest.

Drivers-wise, AMD seems to have repaired most if not all issues that they had with 7xxx cards... so at least from a software point of view, this shouldn't be an issue... and IC you can get yourself (besides, I wouldn't really be so confident in the manufacturers ability to apply thermal paste seeing how they have a rather consistent track record in putting too much of the stuff on chips).

 

For the most part, this laptop will be used for gaming, but I can wait for it. I would just rather have it sooner since the payment was cleared on the 13th of last month. I've been waiting for a while now, and my patience is starting to run out especially since the 7970Ms ran out.

 

there's actually a pretty big difference (i.e. 2x2 vs. 3x3 MIMO) if you have the router and use for it. think streaming HD video with multiple devices on the network. no bluetooth with the 6300 is the tradeoff but i don't have any use for that either.

 

I forgot to mention that I will also most likely overclock the GPU but not overvolt (maybe later on when I need more FPS).

 

The 7970 overclocks fairly well, but the 680 stomps on it though..........You need to get a bit adventurous with the BIOS and volt settings for the 680, but ppl have pushed 30-40% OC's with it, however it's unlikely that they are stable for long-term gaming. It's honestly always been hard for me to recommend the 680, it carries far too high of a premium. If you are not concerned at all about the $$$ the 680 is the best card in terms of drivers and ever so slightly quicker, so it's up to you where you want to spend your money.

 

Overclocking the 7970m or 680m doesn't seem viable to be honest - I think you have better chances of buying a new laptop with a far better GPU in say 2 or 3 years down the line before you resort to OC-ing.
While the 680m will probably OC better, question remains whether its going to be stable (benchmarks are one thing, but real world usage another). And you have to take into account temperature increases (though both seem to handle OC good with marginal temperatures increase due to their architectures).

Gaming-wise, I don't think the 7970m or 680m will be 'obsolete' anytime soon.
And if they do, you might have the ability to simply swap out the gpu for a new one (provided the slot isn't changed).
The new GPU's coming out this year likely won't experience more than 15% or 20% increase in performance (we have to wait and see), and you will probably be able to match that easily on either GPU with an OC (though I would sooner undervolt the gpu on stock clocks and then try to overclock in order to reduce power draw and heat while increasing performance at the same time).

Either way, I personally cannot justify a $200 increased cost for a system that offers next to nothing in terms of performance - but as I said, its up to you.

 

I have to agree it's your choice to spend that money but if the end is same performance that is 2x aka CPU speed your not going to notice much difference in the end. That money could be spend on larger SSD or more RAM that would benefit you more in the end. That cost other then RAM and SSD/HDD won't do much unless your heaving into video or CAD/CAM/CAE or music/photo but those in the end would require alot more specs to full fill their needs as well. But if you want to spend the money by all means do so but just remember unless your performance is akin to 2x the CPU speed your not going to get much in return.

 

Some games are optimized for the 7970m moreover than the 680m, but AMD in general does not have the same kind of market penetration that NVidia does. If you're looking to better future proof yourself and you want to overclock, I think the price difference is justified, not only for the GPU upgrade, but also the RAM and WiFi card (albeit the subtraction of Bluetooth, assuming you need it at all).

 

Emphasis added. You have to pay a fair premium for these routers, so if you don't already know you have one, expect to pay a Benjamin or so on a new router... maybe a couple Jacksons after selling your old one, depending on what it is.

I wouldn't pay that much for that upgrade. You presumably need no more than 12 GB RAM as that's what you were going to get initially, and the price to upgrade will only fall, so don't buy more now. And the other stuff is all small/of arguable benefit... not worth that much money. Which leaves the delay as the only reason, and $200 is a steep price to pay for essentially getting something a week sooner.

 

$220 isn't worth it for an extra 4GB of RAM, a wireless card that's marginally more functional than the one in your build, and saving a few days off the delivery.

Thermal paste upgrades are a classic definition of skimming off the top - making you pay for something not necessary. The company would not sell the notebook with the stock paste if it wasn't effective enough to make the notebook work in its specified operating conditions.

 

i think it's probably more the GPU upgrade that OP is really contemplating here. the rest of it just so happens to be thrown in.