VAIO L i7-2670QM VS. i5-2430M

Hello, everyone. I realize VAIO's L series is technically a desktop, but since it uses a mobile processor, I'm hoping this is the best location for my question.

Basically Sony is offering a Black Friday deal where the i7 processor is $80 cheaper, though normally it'd be $200 more than the i5. It seems like a no-brainer, but i have a few worries.

The i7 has a 2.2 ghz processor while the i5 has a 2.4 ghz. I worry that since I mainly use the PC for Photoshop and InDesign, I will not utilize the extra cores much and actually have a slower PC.

I'm also fearful the i7 will run much hotter than the i5. I like a quiet working environment and would want the fan to run as little as possible. I've heard earlier i7s had major heat/fan problems in notebooks, but this may not still be an issue with the more efficient Sandy Bridge processors. I'm afraid I don't understand well enough to know.

I don't replace my PC often, and I'm just afraid of making the right choice.

Thank you in advance. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

 

Yeah, this thread will be closed soon (note: notebookreview.com), but here is my take:

You can get a much quieter and more powerful 'normal' desktop system than this VAIO can offer.

The i7 Processor will be the one you want for PS and InDesign - as in almost double the performance from an i5. But of course, with all this power comes heat and (fan) noise.

This is why I would recommend an i7 2500K or 2600K or 2700K based platform with much more power and much better cooling/noise characteristics too. Don't forget that you can overclock these cpu's too (I'm running mine @ 4.5GHz) and the performance and the lack of noise is something to behold.

See:
PassMark - Intel Core i5-2430M @ 2.40GHz - Price performance comparison

See:
PassMark - Intel Core i7-2670QM @ 2.20GHz - Price performance comparison

See:
PassMark - Intel Core i7-2700K @ 3.50GHz - Price performance comparison


Good luck.

 

Thanks!

However the all-in-one nature is important to me, as well as it being aesthetically pleasing. Perhaps I ask too much! I've been a laptop user exclusively for ten years, but the hinge broke on my VAIO AR and decided it was time to upgrade. I realized I never really move the thing, but I still crave the compactness and, well, nice looks.

I'd go for the i5 no questions asked if the $200 were in question, but it almost seems wrong to pay MORE for less PC. Is the heat/fan increase significant?

 

The heat and fan noise will increase significantly if using the processor at full tilt. Even with the i5, the noise and/or heat could be too much for the 'all-in-oneness' form factor you crave.

For example:

See:
AnandTech - Dell Inspiron One 2320: Stuck in the Middle With You


50C on the HDD - ouch! I wouldn't run that system to check my emails with - I'd be expecting it to fail at any minute.

I, along with Anand (see also his HP review and his Toshiba AIO review) don't see these AIO systems as hitting a home run yet. I doubt that Sony has either.

Either the thermals, the component choices, the ease of use and/or the accessibility of getting to the (normally) replaceable components like RAM and HDD are compromised on one or the other available offerings.

Being based on a mobile chipset isn't a plus in my opinion - it merely means you buy an underpowered desktop from day one (compared to 'real' desktop platform/cpu performance)

See:
AnandTech - Systems

Good luck.