Config for a gaming laptop

E

e33tad

Broken In
I was planning on getting the new m17x but have not been able to decide a proper config. Kindly help me out here. (Sorry for being a nOOb)

1. CPU

3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3720QM (2.6GHz - 3.6GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP)

3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3820QM (2.7GHz - 3.7GHz, 8MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP)


Which one should i go for? How much performance difference will there be?

GPU

nVidia GeForce GTX 680M 2,048MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11

I have decided the gpu but i wanted to know is there noticeable difference between the 2gb and the 4 gb model

2. RAM

16GB DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (4x4GB SODIMMS)

16GB DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (2x8GB SODIMMS)

Should i use 2 or 4 DIMMs. Will there be need for expansion in the near future?

Also is 16 gb enough for the upcoming games? Is it too much or will i need more?

3. Optical Drive

Will i EVER need a BD drive?

4. Display

17.3" (60Hz) WideFHD WLED (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare-Type Screen

17.3" (120Hz) WideFHD (1920x1080) Super Clear Ultra Bright WLED Screen w/ nVIDIA® 3D Vision Gaming Bundle

Is there significant difference between the screens in terms of viewing angles, colors, etc (except the 3d)

Thanx in advance.
 
Soumik

Soumik

Padawan
dude.. where exactly are u seeing 680M in M17x? Am also about to buy a laptop... and was searching in a similar config as yours :)
as far as i saw, m17x has max 675m in nvidia and 7970m in amd.
 
Soumik

Soumik

Padawan
^^ alright.. how much is it coming? Even i am planning to buy from xotic pc... You know what steps i need to do to purchase from them?
 
V

vkl

Cyborg Agent
The performance difference between i7 3720QM and i7 3820QM is not that much.The latter is simply not worth 200$ over i7 3720qm.Even i7 3720QM is not worth 150$ over i7 3610qm.
If you are going for alienware then hd7970m is a better option than gtx680m.As there is a no clear winner between them.
gtx680m being 350$ more than hd7970m is simply not justifiable.
 
OP
E

e33tad

Broken In
are components like cpu and gpu upgradeable on m17x, if not then going for better hardware makes more sense..
 
V

vkl

Cyborg Agent
GPU are upgraded by many users themselves by modding heatsinks but that is not what we are concerned and it is not feasible always.

Getting better hardware makes sense.But there should be good price-performance relation .Like i7 3820QM is just marginally(~3%) faster than i7 3720qm for 200$ more which is not reasonable.
If one just want to spend money for the sake of a faster thing even though it is marginal then he/she can.

And gtx680m is not faster than hd7970m.It is like one is faster than other in some games while other is in some other games.But still gtx680m costs a lot more than hd7970m
which is not reasonable.
 
OP
E

e33tad

Broken In
What about drivers? I rad somewhere that amd was having troubles with the drivers and there were performance issues with enduro.
 
V

vkl

Cyborg Agent
^^gtx680 has also driver issues.
In alienware you can disable the dynamic switching of graphics (by Fn+F7) AFAIK.
Follow the "alienware section" in notebookreview forum for more information.If you think it is workable then pick hd7970m or else pick gtx680m
 
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OP
E

e33tad

Broken In
Then 7970 is decided. That also solves my screen issue. The 3d one is not supported by amd gpu. Only things left are cpu and ram then. 3610 or 3720. and 8g, 12g, 16g or even 32. Although budget is not as issue but i dont want to spend for things that wont be of any use.
 
V

vkl

Cyborg Agent
^^For Ram 8GB is more than enough for gaming.For CPU choice is yours.Performance difference between 3610qm and 3720qm is only ~10%.
 
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