i5-2410M vs. i7-2630QM

About to make a purchase on my Clevo P151HM1 model with the Nvidia 560m.

I just saw that Malibal has a new lower priced option to go for a cheaper cpu, originally the lowest option was the i7-2360QM.

Intel® Core™ i5-2410M, 3MB L3 Cache, 2.3-2.9GHz

Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 6MB L3 Cache, 2.0-2.9GHz +$80

I'm planning to play Diablo III with this new rig when it comes out. I know from reading up on gaming forums and such that Blizzard games like Starcraft and Diablo are generally CPU heavy.

Would going for the lesser CPU make a big difference in performance for my CPU heavy based gaming? Or is it just best to shell out the extra 80?

Anyhow, thanks for your time. Would love you here the NBR expertise!

 

I'm not sure what the requirements will be for Diablo specifically, but which CPU is best in general depends on the application. The 2410m is a higher clocked dual core (2.3ghz) versus the 2630 as a lower clocked quad core (2.0ghz).

For games and apps that only use two cores, the 2410m will be better due to the higher frequency. However, games that can take full advantage of quad cores will do much better on the 2630qm.

If you have the money, the 2630 will obviously offer better performance in the long run as more apps are written to use multiple cores. In standard benchmarks using all cores, the 2630 is nearly 50% faster than the 2410.

Check out the comparisons here:
Mobile Processors - Benchmarklist - Notebookcheck.net Tech

 

For an extra $80 you'll be getting 2 extra cores and 4 extra threads, I personally think it's worth it, but if a game doesn't take advantage of four cores it's a "waste".