Games need more CPU power?

Im just wondering do modern games like crysis 2/battlefield 2 etc need a lot of CPU power? The new i7 2920xm costs over 1k and being a gamer myself, do I even need that much processing power? Can I still stick with a regular i5/i7 and be able to play all the games as smoothly as the 2920xm? (Since games/fps requires more GPU power over CPU?)

 

Certain games are more CPU bound (Starcraft 2, Civ 5, GTA4). In reality a Core i3/i5 should be sufficient for 90% of games out there, and i7 would be better for maybe 10%.

 

Actually, if you're looking towards the SB CPU's, then getting the 2630QM or i7 2720QM would more than suffice for cpu intensive games, and they are much cheaper compared to the i7 2920xm while maintaining very high (and relatively close) performance.

Aside from that, you'd probably be good with coupling the cpu with a high performance gpu as well, or at the very least a mid-range one such as the Ati Mobility Radeon 5650 (though if you are planning on gaming at high resolutions, then a performance gpu is a must).

 

Generally speaking games are first and foremost bound by the GPU prowess of your system but in reality some games like the ones mentioned above are also heavy on CPU usage and benefit from more CPU cores. If you've ever played GTA IV you'll know how much real-life code runs within the city all the time and even though I see it using only one core, reports are it likes a quad core CPU over a dual core CPU, possibly something to do with synchronising the program threads etc.

Go for the most you can afford or go for the cheapest and then upgrade the CPU yourself as an after market upgrade. This option will likely be cheaper than ordering it from the laptop OEM manufacturer. On the negative side it does mean you'll need to get inside your laptop, this in turn will require some skills etc.

Don't go for the Extreme edition unless you grow cash on trees or really need bragging rights. The next 1-2 models down below the Extreme model will work almost just as fast and save you loads in cash. I would put the cash in a faster graphics card personally.

 

dude, you're a gamer, get the best of what you can.

 

quick question:
is there a difference btw between a Qxxx and a xxxQM?

 

Different generations. Qxxx is a Core 2 processor, while QM is a mobile Core i processor.

 

Oooohh. thanks Judicator!
is the difference bet. the two big? Which one's better? Q940 vs 740qm?

 

are you sure the Q940 isn't meant to be 940QX, if it is then its the same generation but ALOT better

 

IRDK bro. Also checked a laptop of a friend. it says Q740. checked the list of i7 processors, nothing starts with a Q. :|

 

its 740qm, windows just names them differently

 

Oh, sorry, I thought you were referring to Intel naming conventions like the Q9000 or Q9100 (which were the Core 2 non-extreme quads). If it says Q740 in Windows System Information, the others are right, it means the i7-740QM. If you want to know a specific processor, just ask us and we can tell you exactly which one it is (or at least is likely to be).

 

Thanks! so a Q940 is really a 940xm?

 

If you see "Q 940 @ 2.13 GHz", then yes, it's an i7-940XM.