Best deal for 1727+820qm?

So, I'm looking to build a 1727 with an 820qm, since it seem like the speed between that and the 920xm isn't too great, and is a lot cheaper. I wish it had 1920x1280,but i'll be happy with the 1680x1050.

I would even prefer the 1733 + 540m+ATI 5870, but I can't seem to find that configuration anywhere.

1. Where can I get the best deal on a 1727+820qm?
2. I've looked through the FAQs and can't find anyone selling a 1733+5870. Any ideas?

 

Wait, am I really confused?
MSI MS-1727-ID1 (GX740) 17" WSXGA+ Core™ i5-i7 Barebone DIY Gaming Notebook-937-172726-010
the above link says the 1727 can have either an i5 or i7 cpu in it???

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edit

ok, yes i can. Now, the question is: should I go for 820qm or 620m, and where can I get he best price?

 

The laptop i5s and i7s use the same sockets, so they should generally be compatible unless the motherboard is silly.

 

yep. Now, the question is: should I go for 820qm or 620m, and where can I get he best price?

 

Well, doing a quick Google Shopping search, the i7-620M is $363 while the i7-820QM is $574, and based on those I'd get the i7-620M. Although the i7-820QM is faster, I don't think it's worth $200 more.

However, considering that the i5-520M is $220, I'd say it's an even better deal than either, if you ask me.

 

Looks like for the CPU alone, on eBay I can get the 820qm for ~300 or the 620m for ~330. So, pricewise, they're about the same. But I'm still seeing such back and forth about which would be better for gaming. Looks like:

820: hotter, worse battery life, might have faster turbo mode? Better b/c newer games are being optimized for more cores?

620: cooler, better battery life, faster on single or dual threaded games

I'm not sure about the 820 being able to boost faster or if games really are taking advantage of 4 cores. What do you think?

 

So, you're fine with ES/QS CPUs, or did you find an i7-820QM on eBay that wasn't ES or QS and was that cheap?

If battery life matters much to you, you should definitely stick with the dual-cores. On the other hand, if you were going to do a lot of tasks like video encoding and 3D rendering, the i7-820QM would be a good idea at those prices.

For gaming performance, I don't think the i7-820QM is needed for the most part, but with its 2.8GHz dual-core boost it will be solid even when only two cores are in use. If you do come across a game that makes decent use of four cores, the i7-820QM would have, say, a 20% lead over the i5-520M; maybe 30%.

On the whole, the Core i5s are likely the best value for money, but if you feel you need more performance, you might as well get the i7-820QM if you can get it for $300.

 

I mean, I guess i don't see what the problem is with the ES/QS cpus, if they're spec-identical. Is there some kind of an ethics thing? Are they not supposed to be resold?

But gaming-wise, if only two cores are being used, the 620m should beat the 820qm, yeah?

edit:

ooooh, just got an offer for $435 for a 920xm on ebay!!! Should I go for it?

 

I would, if I was buying a new CPU and as for the MS1727 I wouldn't pay more than $799 US funds becasue thats what I paid for mine.

 

The Turbo Boost on my laptop with the i7-820qm is unreliable and in Dual Core applications I can see it hitting 2.5- 2.6 Ghz, very rarely 2.8 Ghz and I need that clock rate. Some times I am using a Dual Core optimised application and the clock rates are just over 2.0 Ghz or 2.40 Ghz, when the Turbo Boost jumps to 2.6 Ghz, the results are smoother but then it goes back down to a lower clock and it stutters.

The only time it ever gets reliable Turbo Boost rates are during benchmarks. I can hit the top turbo Boost levels every single time when I run benchmarks.


I will be using the i7-620M soon and will see how well that handles GTA IV.

The 620M will deal with all games and will be cooler. I found the Core parking tweak to help quite a bit though.

Turbo Boost sounds good but it has been near useless for me and many factors effect whether you get anywhere near the top Turbo Boost.

I would go for the i7-620m.