Alienware M15x -- Help me please.

[wildrooster27]

Hey guys, thanks for all the replies on my last post about the M15x, I had one more question.


What is the difference/better one between the following:

Intel® Core™ i7-620M 2.66GHz (3.33Ghz Turbo Mode, 4M cache)

Intel® Core™ i7-720QM Quad Core Processor 1.6GHz (2.8GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)


And what one is better of this:

1GB ATI Radeon™ Mobility HD 5850

1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 260M [This one is 50bucks more]




For the rest I am going with:

Memory:
6GB DDR3 at 1333MHz
Hard Drive:
250GB SATAII 7,200RPM
Sound:
Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio

Thanks for all the help! I cant wait to get back into WoW.

[wildrooster27]

Bump please.

[None]

The 620M should be better for WoW and the Mobility 5850 should be about 5 - 10% faster than the 260M.

[wildrooster27]

The 620M should be better for WoW and the Mobility 5850 should be about 5 - 10% faster than the 260M.

Why does the NVIDIA cost more if the ATI is better?? Or is the ATI just better for gaming??

[None]

Why does the NVIDIA cost more if the ATI is better?? Or is the ATI just better for gaming??

It's not worth starting a huge argument so:
It is what it is. The Mobility Radeon 5850 is simply the better buy it's about equal to a desktop 5750 whereas the 260M is about the same as a 9600GTX - 9800GT.

[wildrooster27]

The 620M should be better for WoW and the Mobility 5850 should be about 5 - 10% faster than the 260M.

Why is the 620 better?



Intel® Core™ i7-620M 2.66GHz (3.33Ghz Turbo Mode, 4M cache)

Intel® Core™ i7-720QM Quad Core Processor 1.6GHz (2.8GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)

[None]

Why is the 620 better?

The 620M is a dual core at 2.66ghz stock without turbo, WoW will divide one major thread and one minor thread to a single core and another large thread and small thread on the second core, the cores will be running at 3.0ghz turbo mode.

The 720QM will have the four major threads divided by four 1.6ghz cores or with turbo two 2.4ghz cores, the two 2.6ghz of the 620M would be the stronger option.

Now factoring in the 32nm die of the 720QM or the 45nm of the 620M and you may want the 720QM more than the 620, but purely for performance in World of Warcraft the 620M will be the better option.

[wildrooster27]

Ok, thanks for the info. So for WOW the 620 is better.



Little slow on the PC stuff, what is the diff between 32nm die of 720QM and 45nm of the 620?

[None]

Not a lot you should really be concerned about. The 32nm die is pretty much the same as the 45nm counterpart in terms of heat but power usage would be a bit different, the quad core on the 32nm process would probably eat up battery life quicker.

[Dethh]

What you should be concerned about however is buying that dell laptop you are about to throw your money away on. First of all laptops are fail for gaming for a number of reasons. Second of all why buy a dell and pay twice as much if not more. Build a PC IMO. They are farrrrr superior in every way.

[None]

That doesn't exactly answer any of his questions, generally speaking if someone is interested in a laptop they're probably going to get a laptop regardless of what people say. Just help them and move on.

I do agree though, Alienware is quite a bit overpriced, though the customization may be worth it to some.

[wildrooster27]

What you should be concerned about however is buying that dell laptop you are about to throw your money away on. First of all laptops are fail for gaming for a number of reasons. Second of all why buy a dell and pay twice as much if not more. Build a PC IMO. They are farrrrr superior in every way.

I am a soldier in the US Army. I get deployed. Laptop is the only way to go for me.

[Cilraaz]

I am a soldier in the US Army. I get deployed. Laptop is the only way to go for me.

This and traveling businessman are two of the better reasons to actually need a laptop.

I do agree with Dethh's sentiments regarding laptops for people who just want to play WoW from their bed, however.

[Dethh]

I see. Few things friends in your situation have said. Sand sucks. Keep your laptop sealed away when not using to avoid sand. The laptop cooling devices help alot especially for prolonged usage. Keep away from sunlight especially in middle east regions. If you are gaming don't have alot of applications running if they aren't crucial.

With that being said Alienwares are overpriced but if you are ok with paying a little extra for stuff to just get it and use it now this will play WoW with no problems. However your ping from being over seas (if you are in fact) will suck :P

[wildrooster27]

I know, I played wow both times I was in Iraq. I got about 800 latency.

[nwo]

As already said, the 5850 is about 5-10% faster than a 260M. The 2.66GHz dual core will outperform the 1.6GHz quad core in gaming. If battery life is not an issue and you are looking for the best performance, go for the 2.66GHz dual core and a 5850. If the dual core is only available with the 260M, I would still go with it because it will outperform a 1.6GHz quad core with a 5850.