Questions: CPU memory controler & more!

I'm looking to educate myself on the following matters:

1) If the 2nd generation Core i7's have a 1333mhz memory controller, then is 1600mhz RAM necessary? Or even 1866mhz? Will it run with all its clock speed when the memory controler is not as fast, what are the benefits/drawbacks? Will it blow up?

2) How important is Level 3 cache exactly? Im a gamer, what benefits do larger cache sizes yield for me? Will I get more performance when playing hard demanding maps on Starcraft 2 like Marine Arena with more than 1000 units spawning everywhere?

3) I keep reading about AMD 6990M being more powerful than Nvidia GT580M and being a lot cheaper as I saw, wich one should I get in terms of problemless usage and reliability? The last thing I want is StarCraft 2 crashing on me or getting the BSOD (havent had that problem on my laptop, see sig for specs, but I had it on my PC last year, on the HD 5770 CuCore)

4) Should I get an SSD or just 2 laptop HDD's on Raid 0 for most reliability for gaming? (I had problems with an A-Data 500 series SSD 32GB last year, had it installed in my PC and had problems booting up. Once booted, all was fine, restarting was fine, but powering off then back on - cant boot until I fiddle with the cables again. Was a nightmare, returned it.)

5) Should I get a Bigfoot Killer 1102 WiFi on my upcoming laptop? Benefits? I am using my Linksys router for gaming and plan to keep using it, since my laptop is placed 50cm near it. No problems so far while gaming.

I hope you guys can shed more light on these topics, I really wanna plan out my gaming laptop that I will be getting before Christmas!

 

1) faster memory will downclock to match your processor bus.
2) It's not. Larger cache probably won't make a huge difference.
3) Unknown. Someone who knows more about current GPU hardware can answer that one.
4) Raid0 for reliability is amusing. Get an SSD, offload data to an external if you're short on space. Don't go "A-Data" or "B-Data" or "C-Data". Go Intel.
5) You're unlikely to notice any jitter benefit in SC2. If you're 50cm away, grab an ethernet cable and plug yourself in. 50cm is close enough that you could actually have really poor performance because of interference between the laptop and router.

 

1. Memory speed on laptops is a marketing ploy that yields nil real life performance, unless you game on integrated graphics (which you won't be doing)

2. As stated, won't do much. The basic quad core CPU such as the 2630QM will be more than sufficient and there won't be much difference going up a model (except in price).

3. AMD is generally better in terms of performance/cost, at least currently. You should read reviews on how the game performs on the desktop equivalent model of the 6990M and GTX 580M. Just remember clock speeds are lower in notebooks due to decreased heat dispersal.

4. SSD + HDD >> RAID 0 HDD. Get an Intel, Crucial, or Samsung SSD for the best reliability/performance balance. Choosing which one really depends on pricing in your area.

5. If you can go wired, go wired. If you cannot, several users have reported benefits with Bigfoot's wireless and if you're getting a gaming laptop, another $20 or so is definitely not a bad investment.

 

I can ansnwer questions 1, 2 and 4.

1) The supported (unlocked) memory speed supported by Intel i7 mobile processors depends on the exact model since some are more higher-end than others. You can check what memory spec your CPU model supports via the links below:

Supported memory specifications by Intel i7 mobile processors listed by model

Supported memory specifications by Intel i7 Extreme mobile processors listed by model

2) A larger L3 cache will mean each individual processor core will be less likely to require access to system memory. This improves access latency to data and also means the processors cores don't have to sit idle for a number of nanoseconds at a time - the duration it takes to fetch the corresponding data from system memory. Ideally you want as few cache misses as possible. The difference between 6MB and 8MB L3 cache will be minor compared to say 2-3MB and 6-8MB. Games over the years have gradually been using more cache (be it L2/L3) and you will see a performance hit if you go below 3MB.

4) Reliability would be if you go for RAID1 as RAID0 is simply striping thus should one HDD fail your whole array (data) is dust. RAID0 will be considerably faster in general use (thus the access times won't change, just the bandwidth) but an SSD will still come out king due to ultra low access times and equally impressive (if not higher than RAID0 traditional 2.5 inch HDD's) transfer speeds. You do pay the cost though both in your terms of your wallet and and capacity - current SSD's only go up to 500GB and cost an arm and a leg.

 

Even if higher speed memory is supported, it still has no benefit to real life performance, so it doesn't really matter if it's supported. As for RAID0, I don't find it significantly faster in real life either since general "snappiness" is more from access times (which isn't changed) and random R/W speeds (which are far less than 1MB/s). SSDs are better in every way, they can even have higher density than HDDs but are only prohibited by cost. If you want 1TB+ SSD, it's feasible (some companies can make it custom) and can be had but the cost is exponentially higher and is such a rarity that it is not usually advertised.

 

Thanks for answering guys, I have a good idea what Im gonna buy now. Estimating around November-December as I get my bucks together.

About the SSD - I've read they can malfunction quite easily, their lifespan being much shorter than HDD's, is that true? Some guy made a review where he damaged the SSD from too many read-write operations. Any comments on that?

On the Processor side of things - I think 1333mhz ram will be enough too, based on what I've read so far. But take a look at these new CPU's:
--->Intel Core i7 2760QM
--->Intel Core i7 2860QM
--->Intel Core i7 2960XM

They are listed as the same price the old ones had (the 2720, the 2820 and 2920). That means - new CPUs with more JUICE at the same price! Hell, that makes the waiting even more worthwhile!!!!

 

Lifespan of an SSD depends on the brand you choose. Go with Intel, regardless of the $/GB comparison. The actual failure rates are somewhat similar, IF the drives are being properly used. It would help if you could link that article.

 

1GB 2.5 inch SSD's are out there in production but are hugely expensive.

I think it was about a year ago, Pure Si released a 1GB model made of carbon fibre but at the time of release it was only for military use. That might have changed now though.

 

I'm pretty sure that in the scenario he asked about, more processor cache would make a difference. SC2 is extremely CPU dependent, especially when there are many units.

 

What about these new CPU's? Any thoughts?


--->Intel Core i7 2760QM
--->Intel Core i7 2860QM
--->Intel Core i7 2960XM

 

These are just higher clocked variants of what's already out there aka 2nd generation Sandybridge mobile chips. If you can wait a little then it would make sense to buy a laptop with one of those rather than what's currently out but just don't expect miracle jumps. It will be nice to have but not earth shattering, think 5-10-15% over what you have today performance wise.

At the end of the day remember that there's never a good time to buy IT hardware because there will always (for the foreseeable future) be something newer and better on the horizon. Once the 22nm chips will be out you'll be wanting one of those.

Either way laptops are well and truly on track to replace most desktop PC purchases in forthcoming years due to the sheer power you can buy in a small form factor that's also mobile.

PC2-12800 DDR3 is just the icing on the cake when it comes to current high-end laptops, visible more bandwidth but little in the way of real-world performance.

 

Patience is the problem. Cant wait for 22nm to hit the market. Not that I "need" a new laptop, Im just addicted to game on max settings. Laptop im using atm in my sig, does SC2 on medium-high no problem, texture on ultra. But i wanna enter the world of Ultra settings and high performance laptops anyways.

Im counting the days to December where I will get all the money together and spend them on my new toy! Gonna max out SC2 and play some Marine Arena madness.

 

Well, put it this way, if you can wait from now until December then you obviously know how to work on your patience when necessary. Stretching that a little more might be worthwhile for you. As the saying goes, patience is a virtue.

You will end up spending a lot of money changing to a new laptop each year to 18 months purely because the one you currently own doesn't quite cut the "ultra" requirement in newer games.