M14x R2 is out now

[HTWingNut]

You have to compare apples to apples. Saying a GTX 560Ti vs HD 6950 loses performance isn't indicative of RAM size but it could be due to processing capability. The HD 6950 shows only a few percent difference with 1GB and 2GB and that could be due to other factors as well. Perhaps the 2GB has slightly faster GDDR5. But a couple percent is nothing to worry about.

And as I already stated in my previous post:

"If you plan on running 1920x1200 or 1920x1080 with 8xAA and a huge mega texture pack, then get the 2GB RAM. Otherwise 1366x768 or 1600x900 even at 4xAA will have adequate RAM with 1GB."

Which is exactly what you're showing: 1920x1200 4xMSAA + High Post AA + Ultra preset. Turn that off and you're fine. This only affects a handful of games this way too. And honestly, try running your GTX 650m at 1920x1200 in Battlefield 3 at Ultra with 8xAA with 1GB or 2GB and see what happens. It'll be unplayable due to limitations of the GPU and 128-bit memory bus. If the 560Ti / HD 6950 desktop cards barely manage 30fps, imagine your 650m.

Oh, so its just bottlenecking thats limiting the FPS basically. That wouldve been much easier to say

I did say that... see below quote.

Well, even if the vram is populated, doesn't mean it's able to process it fully. Kinda like asking to read your system ram simultaneously, it's not gonna happen because of bandwidth limitations.

[x2ruff4u]

You have to compare apples to apples. Saying a GTX 560Ti vs HD 6950 loses performance isn't indicative of RAM size but it could be due to processing capability. The HD 6950 shows only a few percent difference with 1GB and 2GB and that could be due to other factors as well. Perhaps the 2GB has slightly faster GDDR5. But a couple percent is nothing to worry about.

And as I already stated in my previous post:

"If you plan on running 1920x1200 or 1920x1080 with 8xAA and a huge mega texture pack, then get the 2GB RAM. Otherwise 1366x768 or 1600x900 even at 4xAA will have adequate RAM with 1GB."

Which is exactly what you're showing: 1920x1200 4xMSAA + High Post AA + Ultra preset. Turn that off and you're fine. This only affects a handful of games this way too. And honestly, try running your GTX 650m at 1920x1200 in Battlefield 3 at Ultra with 8xAA with 1GB or 2GB and see what happens. It'll be unplayable due to limitations of the GPU and 128-bit memory bus. If the 560Ti / HD 6950 desktop cards barely manage 30fps, imagine your 650m.



I did say that... see below quote.

I'm not talking about a vs of a 560 ti and a HD6950 so can you please read more clearly. I'm stating the VRAM difference in MSAA and AA with best settings. They are using the same GDDR in this test or else that would be silly wouldn't it?

For the enthusiasts of people who play games and want the best and hell if I'm spending about 1,500$ on a m14x I'd like to be able to use MSAA and AA on high. Even FXAA is a added bonus.

Your speaking of resolution and this is the closest I could find native to the m14x. If I had a m14x I would show you the difference on MSAA and AA on. and honestly I already know you can't run 1920x1200 and so does everyone else since m14x is only 1600x900 and 1366x768 thank you very much.

It's really up to people who will want the 2gb vs the 1gb and I recommend the 2gb for now and future gaming

[fierywater]

The minimum FPS of the 1GB HD6950 in that chart was within 5 FPS of the 2GB HD6950. I suspect that the GTX 560 Ti's performance drop was because it's a weaker card, not because it has 1GB of RAM. The comparison between the two HD6950's is far more important than looking at the GTX 560 Ti in that chart.

The fact that the 1GB HD6950 handled itself so well tells me that the 1GB 650M in the M14x will be fine, especially since you'll only be running it at 1600x900, further mitigating any memory bottleneck you might run into.

Not to mention that we're talking about a far weaker card than either the GTX 560 Ti or the HD6950; you're simply not likely to hit the scenarios where 2GB GDDR5 would matter on what amounts to a mid-range mobile GPU.

[HTWingNut]

The minimum FPS of the 1GB HD6950 in that chart was within 5 FPS of the 2GB HD6950. I suspect that the GTX 560 Ti's performance drop was because it's a weaker card, not because it has 1GB of RAM. The comparison between the two HD6950's is far more important than looking at the GTX 560 Ti in that chart.

The fact that the 1GB HD6950 handled itself so well tells me that the 1GB 650M in the M14x will be fine, especially since you'll only be running it at 1600x900, further mitigating any memory bottleneck you might run into.

Not to mention that we're talking about a far weaker card than either the GTX 560 Ti or the HD6950; you're simply not likely to hit the scenarios where 2GB GDDR5 would matter on what amounts to a mid-range mobile GPU.

Exactly, that's what I've been trying to say. At lower resolutions it won't matter.

[Kevin]

Take note of the 560ti 1gb with MSAA off and 4xMSAA on. That's a 15-20 fps difference!! This can be applied to the others as well.

The fps difference illustrates just how taxing 4xMSAA is, and has nothing to do with the VRAM.

If anything, your example just proves our point, that high resolution + AA would kill the 650M long before it ran out of memory.

[viepr149]

Screen:
Always go for the screen upgrade as #1 upgrade - It has more brightness/gamut and offers 30% more room, which is incredibly valuable.

CPU:
As for the CPU, some games such as BF3 favour quad core i7 processors, giving you better performance, so it's up to you - I'd recommend it. i7 will also increase the resale value if you decide to sell it in the future.

Note on Ram/HD:
RAM and HD can be done by you in the future. Doing either is quite simple and there's plenty of guides online.

Dell charges significantly more money for these two parts. You can find good prices RAM and a HD on newegg or canadacomputers.

Rules of Ram:
4GB = Gaming
6GB = Music Production/Rainmeter-Rocketbar
8GB = Maya/3D/Heavy Adobe

Hard Drive:
You can replace the optical drive with a another hard drive for even more storage. There's detailed. how-to guides on youtube.

Warranty:
It's cheaper to get it at the time of purchase because if you upgrade it after purchase, they increase the prices.

Thanks for response. I'll most likely do what you said.

Another question...should i wait for Ivy chip sets before i order?

[Voodooi]

Thanks for response. I'll most likely do what you said.

Another question...should i wait for Ivy chip sets before i order?

It's new tech, why not "More speed and less power consumption" is the selling point when comparing mobile SB vs IB CPU's.

I'm not sure on the date exactly, though - I've been seeing "very soon" on a few tech sites through google search.

[dipack95]

Guys , how do you think these specs are for the next 2 years ?

- i7 2670
- 6GB 1600 MHz
- 500GB 7200 RPM
- 1GB DDR5 GT650M

And should I wait for Ivy Bridge ?

[Voodooi]

Guys , how do you think these specs are for the next 2 years ?

- i7 2670
- 6GB 1600 MHz
- 500GB 7200 RPM
- 1GB DDR5 GT650M

And should I wait for Ivy Bridge ?

Specs are definitely good for 2 years, but if you wait for Ivy, you'll get better battery life and slightly better CPU performance. Up to you, though.

[Caladdon]

Guys , how do you think these specs are for the next 2 years ?

- i7 2670
- 6GB 1600 MHz
- 500GB 7200 RPM
- 1GB DDR5 GT650M

And should I wait for Ivy Bridge ?

If you want it now the only thing I'd change is the processor to an i5.
Heat management is far better and there is minimal if any difference compared to i7 gaming wise.

Otherwise wait for Ivybridge.