U51/500 or UX52???

Hi, I'm knew to this forum and hoping someone can give me some advice. I've basically narrowed down my next laptop purchase to either the u51 or the UX52VS, but I'm unsure which one to get.

Now, I'm upgrading from a 720QM processor with a Radeon 4500 video card. (yes, it's pretty old). Now, when I upgrade computers, I really like to see the speed increase. Thus I am worried about upgrading to the i7-3517u in the UX52 because its Passmark score is not that much more than the 720 QM. Is this really the case? I know benchmarks do not tell the whole story, so I'm wondering if in real world tests, the 3517u will handidly outperform the 720QM.

I am trying to not buy the u51 because of its cost, limited battery life, limited HD storage, and its cost. (yeah, that's not a typo...the u51 is expensive). But, I'm worried I will need the full voltage i7 in order to see a marked improvement over my current system.

What do you guys think? Will I be happy with the 3517u and Nvidia 645? Or do I need to step up to the u51? Btw, the only pc games I really play are the Total War series, but I do dabble in 3d modeling / animation as a hobby.

Also, I am going crazy waiting for the UX52 to come out. I've called Asus (U.S. center) 5 times since Windows 8 came out, and they have no information about the laptop. I have to step them through so they can see it on their own website. One rep actually questioned if the zenbook.asus.com site was official..(slaps head).

Thanks in advance.

 

I think how you perceive what a noticeable step up is, is relative. But you also mentioned that you might need the standard voltage i7; the u500 doesn't appear to have it. The 3612QM is a low voltage i7 - but it's also two generations ahead of your current CPU, and 500MHz faster (if I remember correctly).

Benchmarks give you a real world (no "hypothetical" specs) idea of what to expect, but you also need to take into account what system that CPU was tested in when you are trying to draw comparisons to make a buying decision.

Lol

 

Thanks Prostar. I misspoke. I don't need the full voltage i7, but I might need the full voltage mobile processor in the u500 vs. the ULV dual core in the UX52VS. The 3612QM crushes my old 720 QM, but the 3517u ULV's benchmark isn't much better than the 720.

Do you think I will perceive a difference between the 720 and the 3517? Or will I see similar performance, albeit with much better battery life and less heat.