i5 vs i7 ..is it worth it?

I'm looking to buy the m11x for one purpose, to play world of warcraft away from home through 4g lte tether from my droid razr. I'm interested in the i7 mostly but i dont know if it's much difference from the i5. I will have 3 wow programs up at once and itunes with internet, so would the i7 help with all that up at once?

 

i5 - 3MB cache / 1.6GHz dual-core with hyperthreading / turbos up to 2.3GHz / 1.15 GHz GPU
i7 - 4MB cache / 1.5GHz dual-core with hyperthreading / turbos up to 2.6GHz / 950 MHz GPU

Totally up to you if you think the slight performance gains (about 2-4% extra) of the i7 justify a $200 price increase over the i5. Also bear in mind the stock clocks (non-turbo) of the i5 are higher and its integrated GPU is faster.

I would say that the 2GB 540M would give you more performance gains than the i7 would, but overall yes i think getting the i7 with the 2GB GPU would give you better performance than the i5 with 1GB.

However i'm not even sure if even the i7 would be able to handle running 3 WoW clients with iTunes and lets say Firefox running all at the same time... It is still only a dual-core CPU.

 

i5 - 3MB cache / 1.6GHz dual-core with hyperthreading / turbos up to 2.3GHz / 1.15 GHz GPU
i7 - 4MB cache / 1.5GHz dual-core with hyperthreading / turbos up to 2.6GHz / 950 MHz GPU
i7(2637m) 4MB cache / 1.7Ghz dual-core with hyperthreading / turbos up to 2.8 Ghz / 1.2 Ghz GPU

I'd go with the newer release i7 that they put with M11x now, the 2637m, considering that mmo's are quite cpu intensive.

 

no no no no, no.... the 2gb gt540 will not make ANY difference at all. video memory does not matter. hes going to be running @ 1366x768 for crying out loud, and therefor the video memory will not matter. 2gb video memory is only needed at resolutions of 2560x1440 or more.... you are right about the processor tho.

 

Hard to decide .. i really think the m14x I'd enjoy more, but my budget would be 1260.00 before taxes.

 

Why not grab a refurbished M14X then? It'll definitely fit your budget.

Call the Dell Outlet US and see if they have what you're looking for. Right now there's a -15% discount floating around BUT you have to call them and have them find one for you. Other option is ebay. Both options range from 1k-1.2k for i7/900 screen.

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As for the M11X i5 vs i7 R3, the i7 is a big waste of money. Only reason to get the i7 is if you're planning on using dual-external monitors. This is when the 2GB VRAM comes into play. Otherwise, i5 all the way. The cash difference is better spent on an SSD.

 

Wow, i'm sorry i didn't realize you were a mind reader. I completely forgot that part where he stated that he was purely going to be using the laptop screen for gaming without any possibility of external displays.

I have an i5 with 1GB 540M and i do 90% of my gaming @ 1920x1080 on my 42" plasma. If i was using 3 WoW clients simultaneously there is no way i'd do it on this small 11.6" screen. If i had anticipated the use of external displays, i would have got the 2GB GPU.

 

most people don't do that. and, the amount of Vram doesn't make a lick of difference..

 

For running multiple clients at high resolutions it does... especially if he is split-screening. You're making assumptions that he's not going to use it, I'm just giving him the option and letting him decide if it will be worthwhile. He demands more from it than i do mine, yet i wish i had the 2GB. So by simply deduction, the 2GB would be more suited to him than the 1GB would.

Stop making up peoples minds for them and deciding what information you think is relevant.

 

If i5 is "just" enough now then I would certainly consider going up. Its not like you can just pop in another cheap CPU

 

Im playing wow only, im ok with just having one client up as long i can still have itunes/youtube(music source) and maybe fraps. Im not split screening as i have that at home on my custom desktop. I just thought the i7 was a big difference then the i5, but i see in other threads most say it's not worth the extra $200. I want to be able to put wow on ultra and also (window mode) which it says may decrease performance. My mllx r3 i had 8 months ago played wow on ultra never droped lower then 60fps, i had the i7 with 8gb ram. Never had an i5 so im just not looking to be disappointed, i may also play battlefield 3 and a few other online games.

 

lol not a single game out there will even use the full amount of Vram. besides, if someone was gonna run multiple monitors wouldn't they do that on a DESKTOP? there is no point in having 2gb of video memory on such an underpowered chip... seriously, I build and repair computers for a living. I know what im talking about. even my GTS 450 playing at 1080p doesn't max out the memory. and that's WAY WAY more powerful then anything the m11x has. or my 2gb 6970 doesn't use more then 1.2gb of video ram maxing out bf3 at 2560x1440

 

Whats the difference in the m14x i7 below and the m11x i7?

Intel® Core™ i7 2670QM (2.2GHz,3.1GHz,w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)

Trying to decide between the m11x and the m14x and i dont want to get the m14x if its just going to be bigger and thats all. This is the m14x specs id get
m14x specs

Intel® Core™ i7 2670QM (2.2GHz,3.1GHz,w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English edit
WIRELESS CARDS Intel® Wireless-N WiFi Link 1000 a/g/n 1x2 edit
MEMORY 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz edit
VIDEO CARD 1.5GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus™ technology edit
HARD DRIVE 750GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s edit
LCD PANEL 14.0" High Def+ (900p/1600x900) with WLED backlight edit
WIRELESSHD OR MOBILE BROADBAND None edit
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE 8x SuperMulti DVD±R/RW Slot Load Optical Drive edit
SOUND OPTIONS Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio edit
BLUETOOTH Internal Bluetooth 3.0

 

Isn't the only difference the GPU, GT 555M vs. GT540M? Here is a comparision of both card, with benchmarks and FPS for all kinds of games.

GT 555M

GT 540M

Here is that same site's review of both laptops. This should help you decide (personally, I'd go with M14x, just look at the FPS differences in BF3)

M14x Review

M11x R3 Review

 

The difference is that the M11XR3 is a duo-core i7 (underclocked) and that the M14XR1 is a REAL quad core i7.

A real i7 quad core shines in games such as BF3/Witcher 2 and a few others.

Owners in the M14X forums (last year) were reporting that they were getting up to 50% more FPS using the i7 2670QM compared to using a duo core i5 in Witcher 2 just to give you an idea in performance.

When comparing the M11XR3's i5 vs. i7, it's nearly identical in performance (2-3% difference) since they're both duo cores and for +200$ (upgrade), it's highway robbery, unless you have your M11X hooked up to 2 external monitors, which very few do (that's when the 2GB VRAM from the i7 shines).

 

What wifi card should i get? Im going to do alot of gaming online through tethering and was wondering if the stock m14x wifi card would be enough for gaming.

 

I have heard only good things about the Killer Wireless-N card they offer, I would upgrade to it.

 

If it helps, I have the stock card and get 2-3 bars at my university. My friend who has the killer card always has full bars everywhere he goes. Killer has much better range.

At home it doesn't really matter, but then again, the reason we get these smaller laptops is for home AND travelling.

 

You realize this isn't an e-peen measuring contest, right? I also don't care how long you've been "building PC's" (I've been building them since i was 15, big deal), that doesn't change the fact that you're not helping the OP at all.

Since you've obviously merely glanced over my posts, let me reiterate - I am NOT saying he should upgrade his GPU, i am using the extra 1GB of VRAM as an added justification for getting the i7, if he feels that it would suit his needs better. I have seen people on this forum genuinely have a need for the 2GB of VRAM and i don't think i have the right to tell someone what they do or do not have a use for.

Because i don't know about the Dell US site, but you can not change the GPU which you get on the M11x from Dell Australia. The base model is $1,500 (i5/i7 1GB only), mid is $1,700 (i5/i7 1GB only) and the top model is $1,900 (i7 2GB only).

From i5 to i7 you're looking at $300 for an upgrade. This is CPU only. So if he was going to get an i5 model and upgrade it to an i7, he would be bumping the 2 lower models to $1,800 and $2,000 respectively and that's just for a CPU upgrade.

However for $1,900 he not only gets the i7 but also 2GB of VRAM plus 8GB of RAM (as supposed to 4/6GB respectively) and 750GB HDD instead of 500GB from the base model.

I was merely trying to clarify the various options and how much value each of the configurations offered, so the OP knew what to go for once they knew what they needed and how much they wanted to spend.

 

I don't just build computers. its my job.... $200 to upgrade to the i7 is stupid. no one will notice the difference. and the 2gb of video memory means NOTHING, if it cant even be utilized. the chip is too underpowered to ever need it. so therefor, there is no reason to waste money and get the i7.

also, why not get the lowest gb hard drive you can get with the m11x and upgrade that yourself. also do the same with the ram because its cheaper to do it yourself.. I wouldn't give anyone advice to upgrade to dells parts that cost an arm and a leg.

oh, and next time don't be rude. I was just stating facts, I was not trying to make anything a contest. I was giving examples....

 

Could do if get an 13" Acer 3830TG with GT540M and socketted CPU instead. Though would need to work through it's factory flawed cooling system that otherwise sees throttling under full 3D gaming. The 3830TG occupies less volume, is lighter than a m11xR3 and has had some low prices during some sales in CA.

With Ivy Bridge cpus (22nm) and Keplar Nvidia gpus (28nm) being released in the next 3 months I'd suggest look for a bargain notebook just to tide you over. They will offer significant performance and efficiency improvements over current Sandy Bridge (32nm) and Fermi (40nm) tech.

 

That or if you run super eye burning high texture mods on Skyrim or Fallout. But yeah, really depends on the game you're playing. I highly doubt you will even get over 1Gig of VRAM. And most i7s are not worth the price, Hyperthreading?! Puh-lease. Although, still upgrade the CPU if you have the $$$.