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    17 r2 trade for 17 r3

    Discussion in '2015+ Alienware 13 / 15 / 17' started by bonkeng, Feb 4, 2016.

  1. bonkeng

    bonkeng Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hello guys. My friend offered to trade his newer 17 r3 to my 17 r2. I'm considering it as his cpu is newer. I'll post the respective specs below:

    Mine:
    I7 4710HQ
    FHD panel w/ touch screen
    980m 4gb
    16gb ram
    256 ssd + 1tb hdd

    Friend:
    I7 6700HQ
    UHD panel
    970m 3gb
    16gb ram
    512gb ssd + 1tb hdd

    I'm considering if it's worth to downgrade my gpu for an upgrade on cpu and ssd. He needs the touch screen while i dont need it.

    The trade is one to one without money involved.
     
    bonkeng, Feb 4, 2016
    #1
  2. iunlock

    iunlock 7980XE @ 5.4GHz

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    Hmmm....that's a tough one....

    If, you are a casual gamer then I'd do it in a heart beat. Especially if you work with a lot of cpu intensive programs....

    If, you're hard core gamer, I wouldn't do it. (That's just my opinion.)...as the 970M will run at least 10fps less than the 980M....the averages have been more close to 12fps....so it all depends...

    The UHD is really nice though and so is having a Skylake....that's just me though...
     
    iunlock, Feb 4, 2016
    #2
  3. bonkeng

    bonkeng Notebook Enthusiast

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    Yeah. Tough decision. I bought mine May 2015 with extended warranty til 2018.

    He bought his early January 2016 with 1 year warranty til 2017.
     
    bonkeng, Feb 4, 2016
    #3
  4. iunlock

    iunlock 7980XE @ 5.4GHz

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    Hmmm....

    Do you game a lot? Work with CPU intensive programs? How important is the display quality to you?

    This could end up being a coin toss haha...
     
    iunlock, Feb 4, 2016
    #4
  5. bonkeng

    bonkeng Notebook Enthusiast

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    I do game, but not a lot on pc. My main gaming platform is ps4 when at home. I bring my laptop when I'm travelling out of the country.

    Is the cpu a big upgrade? From 4710 to 6700.

    Ssd is not that important as I can just easily upgrade it myself.

    I don't know how big an upgrade the cpu is. But i do know that the gpu difference is roughly around 20-30% performance. Correct me if I'm wrong.

    Is 4k gaming really good? Haven't tried before.
     
    bonkeng, Feb 4, 2016
    #5
  6. Flaick

    Flaick Notebook Evangelist

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    I vote: GO TRADE!

    I'll only lose 980m, but i think you'll never crying for that. Expecially if you like playing on PS4.
     
    Flaick, Feb 4, 2016
    #6
  7. iunlock

    iunlock 7980XE @ 5.4GHz

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    In that case I'd trade. The CPU's are very close....the Skylake has a slighter lower TDP at 45W vs 47W on the 4710 and a faster Bus Transfer Rate of 8,000MT/s vs 5,000MT/s.....if I had to choose I'd opt for the Skylake any day, but that's just me.

    GPU wise, the 970M is more than adequate for comfortably gaming on most games...even on High settings. It does fall short of the 980M, but since the laptop isn't your main gaming rig, you'll be fine. Remember that there is always an Amplifier....
     
    iunlock, Feb 4, 2016
    #7
  8. MSGaldenzi

    MSGaldenzi Notebook Deity

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    Trade for sure! If you ever need more GPU horsepower there is always the amplifier.
     
    MSGaldenzi, Feb 5, 2016
    #8