Which i7 quad-core processor should I get?

[roger72]

The difference in price between the i7 2820QM and the i7 2630QM is nearly $500.

Is the 2820 so much faster that I'd notice the difference? Would it be worth the extra money?

Thanks!

 

[jaguarskx]

The i7 2820QM is simply Intel's fastest mobile CPU. If the extra 300MHz is worth the extra $500 then go for it.

Generally speaking, getting the best piece of hardware out there will cost you an arm and a leg, but some people don't care.

 

[roger72]

The problem is that I don't know if the extra 300MHz is worth it. Is it? Would I notice the difference?

 

[$hawn]

The problem is that I don't know if the extra 300MHz is worth it. Is it? Would I notice the difference?

$500 for 300Mhz is utter nonsense, unless ur billgates, please don't bother buyin it, but yea u may feel a very slight difference

 

[jaguarskx]

You might notice a slight different in games, but generally speaking, in a laptop it's the video card that will be limiting you.

It should provide a decent enough boost if you are gonna do video encoding, 3D rendering and possibly PhotoShop (and similar programs to those).

For every day use like surfing the internet, you'll won't notice anything.

Like I stated, some people don't care what the price is, they just want the fastest they can buy.

 

[roger72]

Will it make a difference in download speeds like on piratebay or limewire?

 

[HEXiT]

its not just an extra 300mhz it also runs cooler with less volts. in essence its a similar chip but a better cache. but saying as you cant really oc a lappy i wouldn't bother its not like a 1 GHZ bump you would really notice the difference then but 300 mhz your unlikely 2 especially on a fast cpu. the faster the cpu is initaly the less performance you will see on such a comparatively small bump. so no it is in no way worth the extra $500 to your average joe.

 

[roger72]

Thanks, everyone! I'll take your advice.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

The general rule is that you need more then 100MHz to see the difference between processors and even then you have to look at your usage of the computer to see if the value of the worth it to you. For example if you you are doing a lot of video encoding and the 300MHz difference in clock speed can save you 4% of the time that you would done over the couse of a week at work that would be over an hour and half of savings. Now over a year that is over two weeks of extra work time that 4% saved for you. Now if you are making $20 an hour that more then pays for the difference. So the Intel® Core™ i7-2820QM is worth for somepeople.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

 

[kajabla]

It will not affect download speeds at all.

 

[HEXiT]

The general rule is that you need more then 100MHz to see the difference between processors and even then you have to look at your usage of the computer to see if the value of the worth it to you. For example if you you are doing a lot of video encoding and the 300MHz difference in clock speed can save you 4% of the time that you would done over the couse of a week at work that would be over an hour and half of savings. Now over a year that is over two weeks of extra work time that 4% saved for you. Now if you are making $20 an hour that more then pays for the difference. So the Intel® Core™ i7-2820QM is worth for somepeople.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

actually m8 your wrong. its actually 300-500mhz faster per core and that means anywhere from 6%-over 12% per core due to a larger cache and the fact that the 2820 has a higher turbo and supports faster memory so over a year your gonna save a lot more time, but that doesn't really matter as your not gonna be battering away doing the same thing day in day out so your reasoning great in theory but is pretty pointless.

at the end of the day the guy has to put the money up front. and the 2630 is gonna be at least $300 cheaper and if your thinking that saving 10-20 minutes in an 8 hour day isnt exactly gonna sway some 1 when they have to put there cash down.
truth is there would be little or no noticeable difference in performance in the real world usage.

 

[sizzling_fates]

HELP!
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/forum2.php?config=tomshardwareuk.inc&cat=10&post=306758&page=1&p=1&sondage=0&owntopic=1&trash=0&trash_post=0&print=0&numreponse=0&quote_only=0&new=0&nojs=0

 

[bearclaw99]

I would go for the 2630QM unless you have a lot of extra cash to blow. The 2720QM is also a good choice. And no it will make zero difference in download speeds

 

[compuservant]

I have the 2630QM in a HP pavilion dv7t quad (aka dv7t-6100 series). the CPU is pretty darn fast. I don't know if this is unique to HP but this particular laptop has dynamic GPU selection. It usually uses the onboard Intel HD 3000 graphics for low power processes or if on battery to save energy. It will switch to the 2 GB Radeon HD 6770M for heavy duty, graphics intensive programs like games. An important exception to this (jaguarskx was getting at this) is video encoding. I use DVDFab to back up DVDs, Blu-Ray disks and convert them to other formats (everything from avi, mp4 to iPad, PSP, etc.) and the program allows me to switch to the Intel integrated graphics to utilize the excellent performance of Intel's Quick Sync technology. Hardware conversion is much faster than software/GPU conversion (see http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sandy-bridge-core-i7-2600k-core-i5-2500k,2833-22.html) . I don't know if the Quick Sync works any faster on the 2820. Unfortunately LucidLogic's Virtu doesn't support mobile processors.