Yet another i5 vs i7 thread (m14x)

Hi everyone, been scouring the forum for a few days now and researching my upcoming purchase like mad but had a question that I haven't seen addressed yet:

I do some gaming, but nothing major. I'm currently running a modified Dell SC420 server (2.8ghz 2gb RAM XPsp3) with an ATI x756 (256mb) card and have only recently started running into the wall as far as what I've wanted my machine to do.

However I am also a musician/engineer and use my machine for a lot of audio projects and a few minor video projects. I use Cubase 5 (32 bit) and far too many VST plugins for my own good. I have run into heat issues with my server before, generally during warm weather and bad desk placement (I used to hide it in this slideout desk caddy that would enclose it and keep fan noise low enough that I could record with a large-diaphragm condenser mic within a few feet of it and not pick up fan noise).

Because I'm wary of heat issues I've been considering the i5 CPU especially since my gaming needs really aren't that high (TF2, L4D2, Portal2, the occasional WoW session, etc), but I figure that upgrading to the i7 would be a really good idea to benefit working with audio.

I do realize that fan noise will most become a problem when it comes to recording in the control room, but I can work around that. I'm just worried about heat issues when running a Cubase session for 4-5 hours with 60+ tracks and lots of VST plugins. I don't want to fry the poor thing during a mix session.

An m17x isn't completely out of reach, it just means I have to wait a little bit longer, which of course I'm far too impatient to want to do. Plus the portability of the m14x is what makes me want to go with it. I have plenty of large monitors around to make up for the lack of screen size, but the heat issue could really end up being a deal breaker. I planned on using one of my more insane mixes from the last album I engineered as a benchmark for heat during the return period.

Should I be concerned about the heat? Or are the heat issues primarily from high CPU -and- GPU loads? Any advice is appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

well, as far as I know with the m14x, the fan only comes on when gaming. I think the m17x is better if you don't really need the portability of the m14x for the following reasons.

-Better Cooling
-Dual HD bays
-larger screen
-largest thing for me personally is being able to upgrade the GPU down the road. This extends the life of the machine greatly.

Those are my observations of the M17x. Its more powerful at the expense of a big less portability, but Its an amazing machine. The m14x is no pushover though. Its the most powerfull laptop in its category, just doesn't have room for all the goodies the m17x packs

 

This, and perhaps consider a XPS 17? Since you dont do much gaming i feel it will suit you better unless you want the aw's looks.

 

First of all, thanks so much for the replies!

I don't really need the portability, but I do want the portability. I work as a night auditor and our dead season is coming up, It'll be really nice to be able to bring my laptop to work with me to work on some mixes in the dead times. I currently have a nice bag and laptop cooler for my old Thinkpad T23 that will work with the m14x as well.

I agree with it being nice to be able to upgrade the GPU, but I'd be more interested in upgrading the CPU, which appears to be an option with both the m14x and m17x. I've gone almost 6 years without having to upgrade the GPU in my desktop and came to find out that I had absolutely no options to choose from. It's pretty likely that the same situation will happen with this machine. I can't imagine there being too many good upgrade alternatives to the GPU in the m17x in 6 years, but I could be wrong.

Of the four points you outlined, the only one that really hits my needs is better cooling, and that's exactly the dilemma I'm pondering. I could either go with an i5 and pay $100 less, or go with an m17x and pay $200 more.

Well, if I went with an XPS I'd go with the XPS 15, because the 17 really isn't necessary for my needs. Plus upgrading the processor to an i7 is more expensive in the XPS15 ($175 vs $100). I do like the look and design of the m14x over the XPS but it's not a deal breaker by any means.

The pricing breaks down like this:

m14x: i7 (+$100), 900p (+75), Bluetooth ($+20) -$100 coupon = $1194
XPS15: i7 (+$175) 1080p (+$100) -$100 coupon = $1124
m17x: stock -$100 coupon = $1399

So for just a $70 difference I would rather get the m14x over the XPS 15. I can't imagine the XPS handling cooling issues that much better than the m14x, plus it's a downgrade from the video card (the gt555 is an extra $100). The XPS15 does come with 6gb of RAM instead of 4gb, but I was planning on upgrading later on via aftermarket anyway. But the m14x has better audio onboard and far less bloatware.

Like I said, the heat issue is my only real concern. The heat issues most people have mentioned have happened during gaming. I'm still wondering if this is because of high CPU -and- GPU usage? Working on audio won't work the GPU at all, but will work the CPU.

I guess by boiling it down, my real question is if the CPU heat alone enough to worry about overheating on the m14x?

Edit: Oh, one more thing I just thought about: Running audio software like Cubase won't even kick in the GPU unless I force it to. It'll run off of the integrated video. That might even cause the CPU to run hotter?

 

do your audio programs support more than Quad cores? That might be somthing to look into. the i-5 might suit your needs perfectly as the extra cores wouldn't be used anyways. I think you need some feedback from somebody with an M14x to be sure though, not just from me

 

I'm running Cubase 5 32 bit right now and it does recognize quad-cores. I was planning to upgrade to Cubase 6 anyway. I still have my Cubase 5 DVD and can install the 64 bit version on the new computer, but I figure I might as well spring for the upgrade since I'm getting new stuff. That's also why I don't want to spend -too- much on the computer right off the bat, I've got to replace my burned out audio interface (Presonus Firestudio) and it'll cost me $200-300 for Cubase 6. I'm so used to Firewire for audio interfaces, but moving to the m14x means I should be looking at USB interfaces now. That's okay though, Firewire audio interfaces are incredibly picky about Firewire chipsets.

One bonus in the m17x camp is the max RAM capacity. I think it's 24gb versus the m14x's 8 gb. You can never have enough RAM when working with audio.

 

Get like a Clevo 15", best of both worlds there. I also wouldn't trust the M14x for extensive sessions, the cooling isn't that great on them (I wouldn't trust it for video rendering, which is what I do). So, in my eyes, you should go for the M17x or a 15" Clevo/Sager from Malibal or XoticPC.

 

m17x actually supports 32gb of RAM not that you can afford to put that much RAM in it atm, but its good to know you can upgrade to that much if you really need to down the road

 

I'd take either the Xps 15 or Alienware M14x (And select the i5 processor).
Owned both and the i5 ran much cooler in the Xps.
Granted it's a different machine but the i7 in the Alienware M14x could reach temps of 95'C+ when in turbo mode. The machine never overheated but I was looking for something cooler for my very heavy usage demands.

I'd aim for a 3 year warranty over ANY processor upgrade, especially in your case.

 

Yes The m14x will run a lot hotter because of its size. Op also dont be so sure the alienwares sound quality is better, ive seen many reviews where the xps and aw's sound are very close if not the xps being better with its 2.1 jbl sound system with built in sub on bottom of the machine. If i was in your shoes op i'd honestly take the xps 15 with the i7 without being biased.

Btw Calladon you have owned a lot of laptops

 

Sound advice (Pun intended - )
Only exception is what processor to take.
The XPS line has superior sound quality as I've sampled both. The JBL sound system is the best system I've ever heard on any laptop I've owned.

Sigh... Unfortunately yes my friend.
I'm both an indecisive bugger and a pedantic technological user who seeks perfection in a market that is always changing - It's like trying to find half a needle in a rolling haystack.

And the sad fact is I'm still not entirely happy - Considering an XPS 17 now..... it never ends...

 

Well these sort of laptops were talking about (high end machines) cost a fair amount so you have to be happy with it. I do love my xps without being biased towards other machines i feel maybe a little more power in the gpu side would of been nice. If it had a gtx 560m then i feel it would be perfect but i feel the 555m is a very capable card and that extra power CAN be gained through overclocking. With little temp increase i must say which is nice.

I also feel the xps looks a professional stylish machine compared to a AW and the build quality is superb. I chose a 17 over a xps 15 due to the better card, double hdd's, better cooling, slightly more powerful speakers and of course the bigger screen. Yes it is fairly heavy but considering it is a desktop replacement i feel it is perfect for me.

 

I ended up buying the m14x with the i7 upgrade. According to the Dell rep that I spoke to, the heat issues were related to an Intel problem in the chipset that has been resolved in the more recent (last couple months) builds.

I just wasn't able to find any information that could sway my concerns either way towards or away from the m14x, and I was definitely not interested in looking away from Dell/Alienware at this point and the price difference between the Alienware machines and the Dell XPS wasn't enough to make an impact. If we were talking $200-300 dollars, that'd be different, but when an XPS is going to be less that $100 difference for a lesser machine across the board, the choice was easy.

This makes my third Dell purchase in ten years and I've been very happy with the quality. This is a major part of why I wouldn't even consider a Sager/Clevo/other-off-brand computer. I researched quite a bit before deciding on staying with Dell/AW, and we'll see if I made the right choice. I'll have plenty of time to try and overheat my m14x on a few high powered mixes with way too many plugins running

 

congrats on your new system, once you get it, feel free to ask any questions you may have about it

 

Just received my m14x today, much earlier than I thought I would. My original shipping estimate was 12/14, and it showed up on 12/3. I ordered it on 11/28, so I was quite surprised when I looked last night and showed it as being shipping and due today! Got it around noon and brought it with me to work. Been running like a champ so far. Will be installing all of the audio software on it in the next couple nights so we'll see how it runs taxing mix sessions.

I ended up going with the i7 in the m14x. I just couldn't find any hard information either way on heat issues from audio applications. I guess someone has the blaze the path eh? I did mention my heat concerns to the Dell rep, and he told me that most of the heat issues were due to a chipset issue with Intel and that the issues were resolved. I'll be keeping an eye on the temps, so I'll see if that's true or not.

Thanks again for the help

 

any time dude, sounds like the system is perfect for you

 

the temps aren't really software issues... more hardware issues (aka crappily applied thermal compound... replace that and give good ventilation to your laptop and you'll be good)