i7 680UM - Processor Question!

Hello,

I'm considering buying an Alienware M11x. Everything is looking fine, but I'm puzzled with this "low power" feature.

So, the processor "i7 680UM" has 2 cores - and is 1.46Ghz. With turbo boost it is 2.53 Ghz.

Does that mean that my 5 years old toshiba laptop with "Core 2 Duo T7300 2Ghz" is better in processor performance? How often would the "power boost" kick in? Would it be able to go @ 2.53Ghz for as long as there's demand, or would working in that "higher power" mode for extended periods of time damage machine in the long run etc?

Would this machine have problems running multiple applications like Cubase and Reason (working in the slave mode)?

thanks in advance, I really have no idea how much processor performance is affecting my laptop experience...

 

The processor doesn't have a low power feature, the entire CPU itsself is ultra low voltage, which means its slower than a regular CPU but uses much less power and produces less heat. Looking at benchmarks, the CPU is still faster than the Core 2 Duo T7300, so you should be fine.

Turbo boost is the processor automatically overclocking, so for example if you start doing something CPU intensive, like gaming, the processor will automatically overclock to 2.53ghz. If you're not doing much, such as just surfing the web, it will go automatically to its normal 1.46ghz speed.

 

i wouldn't recommend getting a m11x with first gen icore processors. that is already 3 years old and very dated personally. If you want the system to last i would look at getting a newer version. Also look at the sager 11.6 laptop as an option. Not sure if its any better then the alienware one or cheaper but keep your options open. Also use notebookcheck.net as a good site to look at reviews and their database too. It is by far the most detailed and accurate database but keep it in mind those numbers are averaged from many different systems so pay attention to the highs and lows below each number. low end are usually systems that are lowend all around and high end is usually a system with all highend parts. The average though is a decent number to judge parts by. Please just use some common sense.

also turbo boost wont hurt it even on for long periods. The thing that hurts laptops are temps. Also the reviews on notebookcheck.net talk about those things in some detail too. Also notebookcheck.net has details about very processor out(or close to it) and explains their features. I would definitely at least recommend a Sandy Bridge version of the m11x because of power savings and better integrated gpu. Again though I would still buy one with Ivy bridge version system due to all the new features and power savings and performance but i dont know if your budget supports that.

 

thanks for this reply! i couldn't find any direct comparison of the two processors, but i guess benchmarking is all about that... is the difference noticeable or just small?

 

the biggest benefits are a better integrated gpu, power savings, longevity, and i bet ti comes with a better dedicated gpu and the gpu will be more power efficient.


post the specs of the two different or 3 different model and prices and i can better tell you.

if i dont respond its because i forgot about this thread so feel free and remind me by pming me

 

Having owned all 3 revisions of the M11x, i can tell you that the CPU is more than adequate and significantly faster than a T7300.

It all comes down to price and what you want - The M11x R2 can be bought from $500-600, for the 11.6" Sager you're looking at a few hundred more than that, not to mention it does not have a backlit keyboard and has a full quad-core CPU which means less battery life (i'd love to see you get 6+ hours of gaming out of that Sager).

What is your priority - Gaming or Portability? If your priority is gaming though, then you need something more than an 11.6" laptop, period. The specs on these aren't outstanding for a reason, and that's because they've gone with portability and power consumption over raw performance. But having said that, they blow away everything else at the same price point and my M11x R3 has replaced my G73 (both in sig) as my primary machine and i couldn't be happier. Half the size, cost me half as much, but it does it all.