Help w/ New Dell Studio XPS 16 Order

So Dell is taking back my Dell Studio XPS 16 laptop b/c of heat issues and a complete line of stuck pixels on the screen. However, since there is nothing else on the market that I really like, I am thinking about ordering a new one with the P8700 processor instead of the T9550. How much reduction in heat output could I expect from the P8700 and what type of performance decrease am I looking at? I read the thread below regarding the difference in the two processors but I'm more curious about the real world difference. Also, should I opt for the 1GB of video RAM or the 512 MB version (and will the 1GB increase heat output)? I opted for the SSD option for heat reduction as well. I'm including my specs below and would appreciate any other suggestions. Thanks.

Intel Core 2 Duo P8700
4GB, DDR3, 1067 MHz
16:9 1080p FullHD RGBLED LCD W/2.0 MP
ATI Mobility RADEON M96XT - 1GB
256GB Dell High Performance Solid State Hard Drive
BluRay Combo Drive
Intel WiFi Link 5300 802.11AGN Half Mini Card
Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Internal

 

The heat reduction is hard to say. The laptop will need less juice, meaning in theory it should help with heat. But if its your hard drive or your GPU thats heating up, it won't help those. Arctic Silver 5 on the GPU will help, and installing a SSD should help with HDD heat.

Really, the above configuration is ideal for heat and battery life (except the discrete graphics option, which will shave about an hour off the battery life from integrated and warm it up regardless).

The 1GB card is different than the 512MB card. The 1GB card is the 4670, which is alot better performance-wise than the 3670. However, it does consume slightly more power which might contribute to slightly higher temperatures. Really, the difference between the two heat-wise is probably minimal. If you game, get the 4670 (the M96xt) since its an improvement. If you don't play alot of games (even just a few like WoW) then the 3670 should be alright for you.

Hope this helps.

 

I don't think you'll physically notice any differences in heat output.

If you monitor temperature numbers using Everest or HWMonitor, you might see a difference.

Just my opinion.

 

Thanks guys. Also, will I notice a difference in performance going from the T9550 to the P8700?

 

Not unless you are running your CPU at 100% (if you don't know if you are, then you're not

 

You will notice it if you play GTA IV. Otherwise, differences are non existent.