GeForce GT 330M vs GT 525M

[gargamonk]

Dell is replacing a faulty laptop, and they've recently changed the specifications on the replacement laptop I'll be receiving.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 2-3 Weeks BUDGET RANGE: Warranty replacement

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT:Gaming (Starcraft 2, Mass Effect, Skyrim, Deus Ex Human Revolution)

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe

The first laptop was:
Intel Core i5-2410M processor (2.30 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz)
6 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz
1 GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M Quad Core

The one they're now suggesting is:
Intel Core i7-740QM Processor (6M cache, 1.73 GHz)
6 GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHZ
1 GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M

It looks like I'm trading a dual core mobo with a quad core graphics card for a quad core mobo and a dual core graphics card, which sounds like a poor move for me. I was wondering how much better or worse the latter is likely to perform than the former.

Thanks in advance!

 

[nbelote]

The first laptop is better. The I5 from the first and the I7 from the second are both quad cores with hyperthreading enabled. The I5, however, only has 3mb of L3 cache compared to the 6mb on the I7. They are basically comparable, you won't notice much of a difference because of the heightened clock speed of the I5, however the I7 is still comparable.

As a gamer myself, I'd go after the newer architecture of the Sandy Bridge I5/525M combination, they're both a generation newer and will save on power consumption. I would also be curious to know about the I5 laptop- does it have switchable graphics since the Sandy Bridge I5 has the Intel 3000 embedded GPU?

I personally have a Asus laptop with a I7 720QM, which is in the same bracket as the I7 in the second laptop- I wish I had waited for a Sandy Bridge CPU, even if it were an I5 instead of an I7.

 

[jamx13]

"It looks like I'm trading a dual core mobo with a quad core graphics card for a quad core mobo and a dual core graphics card"

Being that it's a laptop, there is no graphics "card". The GT 330M is a downgrade.

BTW, you can't overclock a laptop.

 

[trogdor796]

The first laptop is better. The I5 from the first and the I7 from the second are both quad cores with hyperthreading enabled. The I5, however, only has 3mb of L3 cache compared to the 6mb on the I7. They are basically comparable, you won't notice much of a difference because of the heightened clock speed of the I5, however the I7 is still comparable.

As a gamer myself, I'd go after the newer architecture of the Sandy Bridge I5/525M combination, they're both a generation newer and will save on power consumption. I would also be curious to know about the I5 laptop- does it have switchable graphics since the Sandy Bridge I5 has the Intel 3000 embedded GPU?

I personally have a Asus laptop with a I7 720QM, which is in the same bracket as the I7 in the second laptop- I wish I had waited for a Sandy Bridge CPU, even if it were an I5 instead of an I7.

The i5-2410M is NOT a quad core. It is a DUAL core with Hyper threading enabled.

 

[jaguarskx]

The first laptop is better. The I5 from the first and the I7 from the second are both quad cores with hyperthreading enabled. The I5, however, only has 3mb of L3 cache compared to the 6mb on the I7.

All laptop (mobile) Core i3 and i5 CPUs are dual core CPUs.

Core i7 CPU comes in both dual and quad cores. Core i7 "M" models are dual cores, Core i7 "QM" models are quad cores.