• i5 2410m v i7 2630qm
    8 replies, posted
Both are fairly mainstream laptop CPU's, and I was wondering if the i7 was worth the amount of money that is needed to upgrade to a better laptop. The 2410m is only a dual-core and the 2630qm is a quad-core. Is it worth the upgrade? Will the i5 2410m bottleneck my system at all, specifically while playing games? In terms of performance, what can the 2630qm offer that the 2410m can't? I don't do much photo or video editing (only occasionally), but I do play games quite frequently. Other than that I use iTunes and other multimedia programs, browse the web, programming and schoolwork. I guess faster the better however.. The problem is, I can't find the 2630qm with a decent GPU for a relatively cheap price. The current system I'm looking at has the i5 2410m with a GeForce GT 550m, and it's only around $900 AUD. If I were to buy a laptop at the same price with the 2630qm it would probably only come with a 520m or something. Oh, and if you're wondering why I need a laptop for (a bit of) gaming, it's because I want to be able to carry it around and sometimes bring it into school for presentations, and the mobility is an added feature. I'd rather spend extra money on a downgraded (specifications wise) system rather than build some power-house gaming monster for the same price.
The i5 shouldn't really bottleneck games, with those two the GPU would be the bottleneck. You should be looking at something better than a 550m though. You might be able to find a GTX 460m in that budget.
Hmm, I deal with laptops a lot, can you link which laptops you're getting? Also: 2630QM: 4904 3dmarks (06, cpu) 2410M: 3203 3dmarks (06, cpu) I've seen tons of laptops with i7s and at least a GT 540QM for 900USD (860 AUD), give me a link to that website. The 520M is considerably weaker than the GT 550M, but I'm sure it wouldn't be difficult to find an i7 with a 540M. But you won't be playing games on medium settings on either of those laptops. Here's one with an i7-2760QM and a GT 555 for 900 dollars: [url]http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np5165-clevo-w150hr-p-3063.html?wconfigure=yes[/url] [editline]6th November 2011[/editline] OOH here's one with a GTX 560M: [url]http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8130-clevo-p151hm1-p-2973.html?wconfigure=yes[/url]
[QUOTE=SataniX;33147835]The i5 shouldn't really bottleneck games, with those two the GPU would be the bottleneck. You should be looking at something better than a 550m though. You might be able to find a GTX 460m in that budget.[/QUOTE] I don't plan on playing many games though. The only game I will [I]definitely[/I] be using the laptop for is Skyrim. Other than that, maybe TF2 and Battlefield 3 (not expecting anything above low-medium settings). [editline]6th November 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Flubadoo;33147876]Hmm, I deal with laptops a lot, can you link which laptops you're getting? Also: 2630QM: 4904 3dmarks (06, cpu) 2410M: 3203 3dmarks (06, cpu) I've seen tons of laptops with i7s and at least a GT 540QM for 900USD (860 AUD), give me a link to that website. The 520M is considerably weaker than the GT 550M, but I'm sure it wouldn't be difficult to find an i7 with a 540M. But you won't be playing games on medium settings on either of those laptops. Here's one with an i7-2760QM and a GT 555 for 900 dollars: [url]http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np5165-clevo-w150hr-p-3063.html?wconfigure=yes[/url] [editline]6th November 2011[/editline] OOH here's one with a GTX 560M: [url]http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8130-clevo-p151hm1-p-2973.html?wconfigure=yes[/url][/QUOTE] The only problem is, I'd rather buy in-store rather than on the Internet; it's just a lot easier. [URL="http://dicksmith.com.au/product/XC7785/asus-n53sn-2gg-sxo12v-notebook"]This is the one I am looking at. It says $804 because it's on sale.[/URL]
Thing is, stores usually don't carry brands like Sager or MSI, which are almost always the best in terms of price:specs ratio. But if you have to, get this one instead, it has an i7 and an AMD Radeon 6770 which is better than a GT 550M. [url]http://dicksmith.com.au/product/XC7830/hp-pavilion-dv6-6024tx-notebook[/url]
[QUOTE=CertainAffinity;33147916]I don't plan on playing many games though. The only game I will [I]definitely[/I] be using the laptop for is Skyrim. Other than that, maybe TF2 and Battlefield 3 (not expecting anything above low-medium settings). [editline]6th November 2011[/editline] The only problem is, I'd rather buy in-store rather than on the Internet; it's just a lot easier. [URL="http://dicksmith.com.au/product/XC7785/asus-n53sn-2gg-sxo12v-notebook"]This is the one I am looking at. It says $804 because it's on sale.[/URL][/QUOTE] The GT550M definitely won't deal with BF3, and it's debatable whether it'll manage Skyrim.
[QUOTE=SataniX;33148033]The GT550M definitely won't deal with BF3, and it's debatable whether it'll manage Skyrim.[/QUOTE] I've seen gameplay of it running BF3 fine (30fps) on medium settings. I might even consider overclocking it if I can get my hands on a cooling pad. [editline]6th November 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Flubadoo;33147984]Thing is, stores usually don't carry brands like Sager or MSI, which are almost always the best in terms of price:specs ratio. But if you have to, get this one instead, it has an i7 and an AMD Radeon 6770 which is better than a GT 550M. [url]http://dicksmith.com.au/product/XC7830/hp-pavilion-dv6-6024tx-notebook[/url][/QUOTE] But Pavillion's are awful... Chances are it will implode within a few months. I'd rather pay extra money for better quality (Asus).
I can get roundabout 35-40 FPS on medium on my i7 and 460M. Considering that the GT 550 is around a bit more than half the performance of a 460M (BC2 benchmarks) and that BF3 is pretty fucking CPU heavy, you'll probably be lucky to get 20 or so fps.
i5 2410M is fine, I have that processor in my current ASUS N53SV laptop (with GT 540M) and every game runs smooth to me. You can still take an i7 2630qm, but you have to sacrifice a part of the battery capacity and expect more emissions (noise/heat) compared to an i5. [editline]6th November 2011[/editline] You have to avoid on graphics options when playing recent and demanding games on laptops, optional things such as bloom, shaders and sometimes AA. Otherwise you can generally play on native resolutions with the others settings on high. [editline]6th November 2011[/editline] Also, I do not recommened to take a 1080p screen when your graphic card is only between GT540M and GT555M, because it will slow down your games considerably.
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