Choosing processor for new Alienware's m11x

[kattandpeist]

Hello,I'm thinking of buying this laptop and i don't know if the corei7 is worth the price. how better is it over the corei5 option?

 

[Maziar]

Hello and welcome to the forums
What's your usage ?

 

[kattandpeist]

Internet, steam, 1080p through gpu, and probably some linux compiling (gentoo) at the weekends

 

[Maziar]

For those tasks,an i3/i5 suffices IMO.

 

[kattandpeist]

Is there any site that compares this processors? or are there any benchmarks done?

 

[lostandwandering]

You can find some benchmarks here: http/www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmarklist.2436.0.html

 

[kattandpeist]

Thanks

 

[$amurai]

If you want to play Steam games on higher settings, you probably want something else, because the M11x has a not-so-good GPU.

 

[lostandwandering]

If you want to play Steam games on higher settings, you probably want something else, because the M11x has a not-so-good GPU.

The GT 335M may not be the best, but it's fine for games at medium settings. Here's Anandtech's thoughts: http/www.anandtech.com/show/3620/alienware-m11x-worlds-smallest-gaming-laptop/4

 

[$amurai]

It appears I underestimated the GTS 335m. L4D2 on maxed apparently does 44 fps.
I change my recommendation--you can probably make do with that.

 

[necropolis]

Well If you are buying a new laptop and you would like it to last a good 2-3 years then your better off getting a Core-I7. Yes, you don't need it at the moment but in the long run your laptop well retain more value and be able to run games at a later time with out the need to upgrade the CPU.

 

[$amurai]

i7 is of course better than i5, but because the GPU (while better than I had thought) is still not that great, most games are going to run into trouble with the GPU. For that reason, getting an i7 probably isn't worth it, because almost no games are going to need that good of a processor with a GTS 335m.
I don't think it's worth it, i5 is already great and i7 would make your computer pretty out of balance.

 

[IsabellaWinTeam]

Hi there,

I agree with the other users on the issue of the i7 vs. i5. The i7 is probably unnecessary for what you will be using your laptop for. If you want more information on processors and what affects their power and speed you can check out this helpful guide on PC Scout: http/www.microsoft.com/Windows/pc-scout/laptop-speed-facts.aspx.

Cheers,
Isabella
MSFT Windows Outreach Team

 

[kattandpeist]

Thanks, do you really think the 335 GTS isn't powerfull? I think 30fps are ok, am i wrong?

 

[Maziar]

GT 335M is a mid-range card and can handle games fine on medium settings

 

[$amurai]

GTS 335M is powerful enough to run games fine. You won't be able to max recent stuff, but medium settings should work for most games. The i7 is a CPU that could max recent games IF it had a GPU like a Mobility Radeon HD 5870. The GTS 335M is nowhere near that. You don't need the i7.

 

[Maziar]

Yes he is right,GT 335 is a mid-range card,here are some reviews
http/www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5548&review=alienware+m11x+ultraportable+gaming+notebook
http/www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/alienware-m11x.aspx

 

[Guest]

Actually thats quite wrong, the the i7 and i5 in question are of the UM version(i5-520UM, i7-640UM).
upgrading the CPU in such a system is pretty much unrealistic.
The i7's cache is 1mb larger and about 14% faster, the price is about 14% higher as well so you pretty much get the larger cache "for free".
I'd definitely go for the i7.