A question on Sandy Bridge

having gotten tired of waiting for hp envy 17 3d to come out with sandy bridge, i decided to purchase the hp pavillion dv7t quad which does have sandy bridge now. while making the purchase, i see three options in the 'Select Processor' page:

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2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz

2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2720QM (2.2 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.3 GHz

2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2820QM (2.3 GHz, 8MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.4 GHz

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the first option is the default option, u need to pay $200 extra for the second option and $ 400 extra for the third option. I do need a fast laptop for the work i am doing, but i have only a vague of the difference in computational power and speed between the three processors. I was planning to go with the third option but decided to seek a second opinion on whether the extra price is justified. Please help me decide.

 

Personally? I'd say no, not worth that much money. If you were doing paying work that was extremely CPU-intensive, then perhaps, but if this is just for "regular" personal use, I doubt you'll notice the difference most of the time.

 

I've always wondered do higer end processors help GPU intensive games, or it makes no difference? I've read last night that for example the i7-940XM Extreme chip only helps improve frames per second at about 1.5 frames? Wow! That's nothing for a chip that costs over $1,000. So the bottom line for games, don't be fooled into buying the best processor, just buy the best GPU?

KJ

 

The CPU helps only when you've got an extremely fast graphics card. Which is never the case for laptops due to size and heat reasons.

 

Sorry, missed this one. No, generally higher end processors will not help GPU intensive games significantly. It's kind of like asking if a more powerful engine (in a car) would help keep you from skidding out on a road. Sure, it might be able to help some, but your tyres will be much more important at that point. Similarly, in a GPU intensive game, your GPU does most of the heavy lifting, so as long as your CPU is powerful "enough", you won't notice much of a difference going beyond that.

 

Thanks for the good answers.

 

Said like a true gamer. I even tell people if you are getting it for gaming even a good i5 dual core on an envy will do the job, save yourself from the extra heat.

 

It was one of the reasons why I end up getting the EliteBook with the i5. I know the Arrandale can still handle games really well, but I wanted a very good GPU, cause that is where all the power goes in gaming. Sure Sandy Bridge is powerful, but for the gamers, it is still not justified enough to get vs. the GPU.

 

I just did the same thing, getting a new laptop for the wife. I decided to go with the second processor option. The speed difference between option 1 and 2 at $200.00 was much more reasonable than the additional $200.00 more between option 2 and 3...the extra 2mb in the cache not withstanding. Just couldn't see the $200 for a .1 difference. The .2/.4 was worth it to me.