M14X - Help

So to everyone who knows anything about graphics cards, the M14X offers two:

3072MB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT555M
1536MB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT555M

What is the difference between them?

Second thing, I was going to go with the second configuration that costs $1,899 over the $1,199 configuration. Which configuration saves more money? (And don't say the $1,199 just because it costs less )

I want the better processor and also the better resolution.

i7 2720QM, 14.0" High Def+ (900p/1600x900) with WLED backlight, 750GB4 SATA hard drive

Those are the main components that I want. If the graphics cards don't really differ, then is the $1,199 configuration better for saving cash?

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Also I got some other questions:

Let's just say I want to run Crysis 2 on this laptop. Which settings do you think that I can put it on?

I have another game called League of Legends. How do you think this game will run on this laptop?

Thanks for the help.

 

Try searching the forum there is like 3 different threads on the 555. Long story short go with the 1.5 and base model config. The extra processor and graphics card wont help over the cost. If you have any student military insurance discounts use those. Alot of people are spending under 1100 on there models and they are well over stock. Also crysis 2 should run fluent on high according to benchmarks on the 555m overclocked graphics could push it to around 50-60 fps on high.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-555M.41933.0.html

scroll to the bottom to see fps on games. Also the graphics card will be the limiting factor not the processor so you will see this frame rates most likely.

 

^ That.

It's been discussed at length. The more powerful processors won't help you in gaming. The same goes for the higher graphics card. They're just gimmicks, in this instance.

Best value would be the base model with the 16x9 screen, a bigger HDD if you want it, or the SSD if you can afford it and really want faster boot times. I'd recommend also upgrading the WiFi card to the 6205. It's supposedly more power efficient.

 

So if I want to game don't get the M14X?

So what you're saying is that the better processor does nothing?

How does the wireless cards work?

I don't understand the difference between the 2nd and 3rd wireless cards at all.

And what is Wireless HD? Really confused.

 

Better processor does nothing really for gaming, if you plan to oc you may save a few degrees upgrading and turning off turbo perhaps, but it is not known for sure bottom line the stock config, it is the most power 14 inch laptop for gaming, and there isnt a game you cant play on medium settings at least probably and not get 60 fps

 

The better processor would gain you very little extra performance, maybe not noticable. You would benefit much more improvement with well optimized OS and kill as many programs as you can behind the game, such as AW command center and the face recognize thingy.

 

Not at all, the M14x is great, it's just that even the lowest processor is so good, the graphics card is always going to be the weakest part of the laptop (it's still very good though. The best in fact, for its size)

For games, and pretty much everything else, yeah. If you do a lot of video editing, then maybe it's worth it, that's about the only case.

The third one gives you WirelessHD, which lets you connect to a TV, so you can use the M14x with it, but you need to buy a seperate adapter for the TV, and it's not likely to be cheap, so it's probably not worth it. (Just use a HDMI cable instead)

Edit: Woops, my bad. I meant WiMax, not WirelessHD. Thanks Jetbo.

Between the second and first, I'm not really sure exactly. I'd assume the second one gives you a larger range, and better signal strength/reliability, and according to a couple of members here, it's also better on your battery, which would be a plus for me.

 

Third one has wimax

 

The people telling you that a better CPU won't help at all in gaming are full of it. If that was true then they should just use a duo for SC2. I would like to see how that would go over.

There will always be new games that get released that are more demanding and require a better CPU to get better FPS under demanding sections of the game.

The GPU is most of it but to say that the CPU doesn't matter is naive.

 

I just mean from cost I got the 2720 plan on keeping my turbo off for temps to save for gpu. But I also am paying under 1100. I honestly dont think the processor differnces will matter if you keep the turbo boost. I just dont think the 2820 is worth 200 more dollars for 100 mhz max

 

I can personally can attest that with Civilizations 5 on my i7 920 (desktop @ stock 2.6ghz), it takes almost 30 seconds to process the AI's turns near the end of the game when you have several AIs (6+). RTS games are the first ones that come to my mind when thinking about games that require processor power. I play on maxed out settings, but I don't think that makes a difference on the time it takes to process the AI's turn.

Ultimately, it really is your decision in the end. I don't think you'll be unhappy with either decision whether it be to keep $150 and buy other gadgets or go with a faster processor.

I plan to use this laptop for the next 4 years, so I went with the 2720QM (and added RAM boost) to add to the longevity of my system. I know a year down the road, this laptop won't be able to max out the newest high-end games, but I want the laptop to not be horribly obsolete 4 years down the road.

 

In what situation would the 3 GB of GPU be used?

And other posters said that the better processor really does not make a difference...so in what situation would it actually do something better than its weaker counterpart?

Let's say for instance I was playing a game that played smooth on the M14X on high graphics with everything. Would the better processor help with this or would it just do barely anything at all?

@Killer Juice

I don't want a laptop to be horrible obsolete 4 years down the road. Do you recommend a bigger laptop over the M14X then? I have had an IBM for about 5 years now and it is horribly obsolete...it still game with graphic settings on medium but the heat system is plain bad.

I'm spending my own cash -

I don't want to make the wrong decision.

 

expertise

the 3gb would only be used if you were playing at very high resolutions with full textures...ie 1920x1080

the m14x is lower res...at 1600x900, so the 3 gb is useless.