Solved! Alienware m11x processor upgrade - worth it?

[zore86]

So, I pretty much set my mind on buying an Alienware m11x . It seems really neat in many regards and I really need a small laptop but I really wanna game on it too. Anyhow, my biggest concern are the upgrades. I decided right of the bat to get a 4gb instead of 2gb (I don't think anyone would argue with this, but please feel free to do so if you are so inclined). After that, however, the only thing I am looking at is the processor. I have tried to find charts that shows the difference in horse-power between a SU4100 and a SU7300.

I am not a genius when it comes to computers, so that's why I am asking you guys. I understand that a SU7300 is better and all... but for what purposes. I have been told several times that CPUs doesn't really matters anymore for gaming, I don't know how true that is. On Alienware's website it states that the SU4100 is a regular pentium and that the SU7300 is a core duo... is that correct? I thought both of them where Core Duos...

Moreover... to my final question... for what purposes will these processors differentiate? What I mean is... will I notice a huge difference when browsing the web, working in windows, multi-tasking, etc? The price difference is $100... which is a lot of money imo... is it worth it?

Thank you for any comments, really appreciate it.

 

[qwerty45]

Actually no it isnt worth the upgrade.
SU4100 http/ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=43568
SU7300 http/ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=42791

And by the way, the SU4100 is a Core 2 Duo but for some strange reason they named it a Pentium, (maybe for suckers who will make the upgrade). The only difference is that the SU7300 has 1mb more cache and intel VT. Realistically you wont see any difference of performance. However if you want to run an os in an os , the SU7300 is the way to go with the intel VT.

Here is a chart though http/www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmarklist.2436.0.html
SU4100 is ranked 180 and SU7300 178

1 mb of cache is not worth 100 dollars, heck maybe if the upgrade was 20 dollars maybe it would be worth the upgrade.

Its best if you stay with the SU4100 and turn on the overclock option in the BIOS which gives the SU4100 a really nice performance boost

 

[zore86]

Oh, cool, thanks for that post!

So... in light of my extreme ignorance... what exactly does a faster processor help me with? I mean... all the chart will show rendering programs and unzipping and compiling... stuff that I really don't do a whole lot of. What I really do is watch movies, play games, surf the web, write essays.... do I really need a faster processor than this?
I'm just wondering... how much would I benefit with a radical improvement to say.. an i5? I know the processor is infinitely better but how much will I notice of that in the tasks mentioned above? Will it significantly improve my gaming? Improve my (noticable) speed?

I am so ignorant about this and could really use a lesson from someone who knows their stuff.

Thanks in advance!

 

[buwish]

Take a look at this:

http/www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmarklist.2436.0.html

 

[qwerty45]

If Alienware does do a refresh of a M11x I dont see them using a full fledged mobile i5 or i7. Maybe at most an i5 ULV, which is probably a 10% performance boost. If you buy the M11x now, get the su4100 and enable the overclocking option in the bios which brings the su4100 to 1.6 or 1.73 GHz, making it (maybe, not sure correct me if I am wrong) equal to an i5 or i7 ulv at stock speeds. However if you were to fit a good i5 in the system you could lift the slight bottleneck that the m11x currently has on the gt 335m at stock speeds.

 

[prithvish]

I just about to receive the alienware M11x and there a deal for $550 with the SU4100 processor although i opted for a higher ram 4gb and a higher HD 250gb (7200rpm) lucky me it automatically upgraded me to the SU 7300 and i went on chat to confirm my order with dell and the same reflected on their system i also got $50 off from the coupon on edealinfo i also made sure i used my discover card 5% Cash back so i save another $35 the whole thing came upto about $635 after taxes
I think i got a good deal on the whole for now!