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    Best CPU for M15X

    Discussion in 'Alienware M15x' started by eXplosetoi, Dec 3, 2011.

  1. eXplosetoi

    eXplosetoi Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hi there,
    Changed my GTX 260 for 6970M recently.
    Wish to upgrade my I7 720 CPU.
    I got around 300 euros for this.

    What would you recon?
    Without price preference, which is the best too?

    Thx
     
    eXplosetoi, Dec 3, 2011
    #1
  2. LannBot

    LannBot Notebook Consultant

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    Without price preference and keeping throttle (easily fixed) out of mind, the i7-940XM is the best followed by the cheaper i7-920XM.
     
    LannBot, Dec 3, 2011
    #2
  3. khetik

    khetik Notebook Deity

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    The best upgrade for the cpu is the i7-940xm, one notch lower would be the i7-920xm. Be sure not to overclock both your cpu and gpu otherwise you will run inti throttling issues and shutdowns.
     
    khetik, Dec 3, 2011
    #3
  4. saadleo

    saadleo Notebook Consultant

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    I was really wondering if 920xm along with 6970M created power issues? I mean what we call as 'throttling'?
     
    saadleo, Dec 3, 2011
    #4
  5. saadleo

    saadleo Notebook Consultant

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    Coz it only 150W we have got here!
     
    saadleo, Dec 3, 2011
    #5
  6. JohnnyFlash

    JohnnyFlash Notebook Virtuoso

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    You don't need to push the XM CPU's for gaming. My standard TDP is 70W and that's the one I use when gaming. Profile 2 is set to 80W, and that only get used during Photoshop or other CPU only situations. This is why Throttlestop is awesome. If you flash your 6970m to 1.0v, you should be able to use 62-65w without issue.
     
    JohnnyFlash, Dec 3, 2011
    #6
  7. saadleo

    saadleo Notebook Consultant

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    But under volting does decrease performance of the card, right?
     
    saadleo, Dec 3, 2011
    #7
  8. JohnnyFlash

    JohnnyFlash Notebook Virtuoso

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    No, voltage has no direct effect on performance. It could limit your ability to overclock, but seeing as you're having throttling issues, that's not an option anyways. Lower voltage means less heat output and power usage.
     
    JohnnyFlash, Dec 4, 2011
    #8
  9. saadleo

    saadleo Notebook Consultant

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    Well thats great.. Thanks :)
     
    saadleo, Dec 4, 2011
    #9
  10. eXplosetoi

    eXplosetoi Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanx for the answers.

    Around 215 Euros for 920XM
    Around 800 Euros for 940XM

    There is quite a gap in between.
    Does someone knows how much performance is added like...??

    I7 720 - 100%
    I7 920 - 150%
    I7 940 - 300%

    Thx
     
    eXplosetoi, Dec 4, 2011
    #10
  11. highfly

    highfly Notebook Consultant

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    would plugging in the m17x power adapter solve the throttling issue as it has a higher wattage than the m15x one?
     
    highfly, Dec 4, 2011
    #11
  12. saadleo

    saadleo Notebook Consultant

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    It wont coz the M15x mobo is configured for 150W. The only benefit would be smooth power supply of 150W
     
    saadleo, Dec 4, 2011
    #12
  13. saadleo

    saadleo Notebook Consultant

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    If you are saying
    720M - 100%
    then,
    920M - 250%
    940M - 300%
     
    saadleo, Dec 4, 2011
    #13
  14. JohnnyFlash

    JohnnyFlash Notebook Virtuoso

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    With Throttlestop there's absolutely no reason to pay more for a 940XM, they'll run pretty much the same.
     
    JohnnyFlash, Dec 4, 2011
    #14
  15. saadleo

    saadleo Notebook Consultant

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    yeah, JohnnyFlash is absolutely right. Just like he explained before in the thread about throttlestop.. It's quite a waste of money rather than that go for SSD or GPU upgrade.
     
    saadleo, Dec 4, 2011
    #15
  16. saadleo

    saadleo Notebook Consultant

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    Rep+ to JohnnyFlash for help!
     
    saadleo, Dec 4, 2011
    #16
  17. unclewebb

    unclewebb ThrottleStop Author

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    When fully loaded:

    i7 720 ~ 100%
    i7 920 ~ 200% to 220%
    i7 940 ~ 200% to 220%

    The 920XM and 940XM are virtually identical after you fully overclock both of them with ThrottleStop. Going for the 940XM over the 920XM is not money well spent.

    When not fully loaded, the i7-720QM will run faster so an XM might only be 140% to 150% compared to it. It depends on what apps you run and how many cores are utilized. Have a look at a ThrottleStop log file while gaming or running an app and you will see a very accurate average multiplier. A good XM might be able to run reliably at the 25 multiplier when loaded so compare to that.
     
    unclewebb, Dec 4, 2011
    #17
  18. saadleo

    saadleo Notebook Consultant

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    Great analysis Unclewebb, Rep+ to u too
     
    saadleo, Dec 4, 2011
    #18
  19. xeroxide

    xeroxide Notebook Deity

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    at stock i had no issues apart from the usual stealth mode bug, but don't expect to overclock without tripping the PSU.
    it's pretty much at maximum capacity with that combo.

    also expect to clean out the laptop regularly, it requires optimum setup to deal with the heat.
     
    xeroxide, Dec 4, 2011
    #19
  20. eXplosetoi

    eXplosetoi Notebook Enthusiast

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    Many thanx
    I'll go for the 920XM then
    Cheers
     
    eXplosetoi, Dec 5, 2011
    #20