Will I be able to buy a 680m and ivy bridge CPU 2-3 years from now?

I'm planning on buying an Msi gt60 that comes with a Gtx 670m and I'm fitting it with an I7 3610m CPU. The warranty is void if I upgrade the GPU or CPU, so I'm wondering if a few years from now I'll be able to purchase a 680m and a 3920xm to keep up a little more with future graphics once the warranty expires?

 

Likely. But in 2-3 years, will you be satisfied with a 680m for $500 or put that towards a $1000 laptop that will put the 680m to shame or at the very least match its performance? CPU + GPU will likely cost $700-800 at best even in 2-3 years time which will likely put it behind whatever $1000-$1200 laptops are available at the time.

 

I don't think it will be quite that dramatic. A 285M still beats a GT555M/GT630M (top of the line card 3 years ago) which is the best GPU you are going to find in an 800 dollar laptop. It'll be close, but I would stick with the 670M and try to sell it and recoup the costs.

 

Right. But CPU + GPU would likely cost about $800. I guess you could recoup some cost but 670m + 3610QM would go for a song by then, maybe get $200 at best. So I guess it'd be weighing performance and aged laptop vs. whatever is new at the time.

But to answer the question, there should be little issue in finding the components in 2-3 years' time. Might have to buy used, but likely be available.

 

Two to three years from now, Haswell will be old news, Broadwell will be boring and Skylake/Skymont will be what everyone will be talking about.

Upgrade cpu and gpu on a mobile platform? Waste of $$$$ and time...

 

I doubt that is right, a used 5870M MXM still goes for 150+, and that is a nearly a 3 year old top of the line GPU these days. 285M is 200+, again you definitely won't be making money, but you aren't losing 90% of the value, that is the nice part about buying high end GPU's.

 

I mostly agree with HTWingNut. The key here is the GPU. You should be able to upgrade past the 680m. I see Sagers from first gen i7 machines installing 7970m GPUs. I don't how long cards will be compatible with that MSI, but I'd think you should be good for at least one or more generations. The CPU upgrade though is a gigantic waste of cash. You are right that you won't be able to get anything better than the 3920xm (or I guess there will be a 3940xm soon, right). But the 3610qm will still be decent 2-3 years from now (it's really not that much weaker than the 3920xm).

So just forget about the CPU, and pay attention to the new GPUs as the come out.

 

I guess if you have a 670m, the 680m is roughly a double bump in performance, even better than 670m in SLI. Hopefully the next card iteration will fit MXM IIIb so it will offer even more powerful options.

I'd say buy the laptop for what you'll need today and near future and worry about any upgrade options later. While I know you may not want to spend the money now, it's probably close to a wash as far as investment today vs. what you would pay in 2 years time for a 680m. +$300 today will be cheaper or same price than selling your 670m in 2 years for $200 and buying a 680m for $500-600, but get the benefit of the 680m all that time.

The way I've been going every 12-18 months, I can sell my current laptop for ~ 60-70% of new and put that towards another new laptop. Spend $2000, Sell for $1300, put that towards another $2000 machine. Still cheaper or close to a wash for a CPU / GPU upgrade.

 

why not get a 680m now. 680m according to tests take less power consumption then one 670m. So getting the 680m you get double the performance of 670m and the 680m takes slightly less energy to run. A 670m is like similar to what you could get in 2010.

 

Moral of this story: buy at the top or buy at the bottom.

(Just don't pay current prices for old tech - that is almost everthing that is sold 'in the middle'...).

 

3 years? 670m for 200$, 680m for 500$? Uh, I REALLY don't think so.

Even an MXM 2.1 GTX 280m is less than 500$...

Or, if possible, buy only new tech GPUs and SSDs while getting the cheapest oldest motherboard to support them.

 

485m is still $500, and that's a 2.5 year old card (January 2010). 280m/285m is 3.5 year old card and is bested by the 650m.

 

580M GTX is $325 on the marketplace, that's a steal, but <$400 is average on ebay, not $500.

 

I see $390 to $700 on eBay: 580m gtx | eBay

and $450 for 485m.

In any case you'll be lucky to find a 680m for $400 in two years' time, and a 3920XM chip for less than $600 will be a lucky find. 2920XM CPU's with a quick search show at least $600. So that's $1000 for antiquated hardware that you can buy nearly a new laptop for not much more than that with CPU and GPU that will likely at least match the power of the 680m and 3940XM in 2 years or so.

In any case chances are good that the hardware will be available. Whether it's a good financial decision is up to the buyer. I think just going for the GPU isn't such a bad deal if you can sell your original 670m or 675m for $100-$150 though.

 

Good advice all around: future proofing seems to be difficult at best and a total unknown re: what is coming down the road. I am going to go with what fits my budget and gives me the best for 'right now'.

 

the 485m was released in 2011, not 2010. it i a 1.5 year old card.