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    General Question: Which would make a bigger difference? (CPU vs RAM)

    Discussion in 'MSI' started by CrazyLink1, Jan 20, 2012.

  1. CrazyLink1

    CrazyLink1 Notebook Consultant

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    Planning to order the (branded) Force 16F2-012 possibly next week. I honestly can't believe that this thing has a GTX 570M and is as low as $935!! (basic)

    Basically, I have a little breathing room for payment, but I have to choose a couple things. As is, im choosing to go with the i7-2630QM, with 8gigs of RAM (1333MHz)

    I could upgrade one or the other... which would be a bigger difference, from the i7-2630QM to the i7-2670QM, or 8GB to 12GB of RAM?

    Thanks ahead of time :)
     
    CrazyLink1, Jan 20, 2012
    #1
  2. manu9

    manu9 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I'm no expert, but I believe the CPU is priority.
     
    manu9, Jan 20, 2012
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  3. dave-p

    dave-p Notebook Deity

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    You would get more improvement by upgrading the CPU
     
    dave-p, Jan 20, 2012
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  4. Geekz

    Geekz Notebook Deity

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    cpu would be better, however if you don't have an SSD yet I'd suggest looking into that over cpu/ram
     
    Geekz, Jan 20, 2012
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  5. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    Generally you would know if you needed more than 8GB of ram.
     
    Meaker@Sager, Jan 21, 2012
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  6. Donald@Paladin44

    Donald@Paladin44 Retired

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    It may exceed your budget but getting an SSD primary drive and mechanical storage drive will give you the best bang for your buck...so I would recommend staying with the Intel® i7-2630QM and 8GB DDR3/1333 and keep the upgrade money to start saving for an SSD that you could add later.
     
    Donald@Paladin44, Jan 21, 2012
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  7. robm@rkcomputer.net

    [email protected] Company Representative

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    Choose the 2670QM the 2630QM is the previous generation CPU. Both the 2630QM and the 2670QM are the exact same price, so go with the current generation 2670QM. 12GB will be your best choice as 8GB may not be enough with some apps and programs.
     
    [email protected], Jan 22, 2012
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  8. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    Not so much generation, more like revision. They are even the same stepping.
     
    Meaker@Sager, Jan 23, 2012
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  9. Support.4@XOTIC PC

    Support.4@XOTIC PC Company Representative

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    Hello CrazyLink1-

    Yes, I very much agree. The CPU is the heart. In most cases, you would never need more than 8GB of RAM. Upgrading the processor will issue way more productivity. Also, something else to think about as well, would be to upgrade to a Solid State Drive. This will issue a way smoother running drive, while adding a shorter boot time during start-up.

    Cheers!
     
    Support.4@XOTIC PC, Jan 23, 2012
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  10. jetherson

    jetherson Notebook Guru

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    +1 from me for cpu too.

    the cpu is replaceable.
    the ram is upgradeable (if you buy/bought 2x4gb).

    so pick the 2670 cpu for now then add more ram later.
     
    jetherson, Jan 24, 2012
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