Advise on upgrading R3

[trooper1414]

So my MBP and R3 specs are in my signature ....I need some advise from everyone on here

Here is what i thought ....... i can sell my MBP 15 2011 and from the money that i get ...i can purchase a 2920 processor and a 7970m card for my R3 + SSD

and for my Mac needs i can get a mac mini ( i have a gift card for that) so technically I would still have a mac and a windows machine ....cause to me ...having two laptops is not making huge sense...i end up using just one of them...my R3


Also i dont travel a lot so portability is not a major concern for me now .....maybe sometime in the future but not now .....and i have a 27" Display .

What do you guys think ...would this be a good idea ....or spending so much on a R3 might not be the best way to go ????

[SlickDude80]

what is the primary purpose for this upgrade? Gaming?

If this is the case, just the vid card will do. The 2920xm isn't required

The 7970m works wonderfully on the R3 because there are no enduro issues (you have to disable integrated graphics to install the 7970m) and is probably the best bet value wise.

Compared to your 6870m, the 7970m will be like trading in a minivan for a porsche

SSD is also another great upgrade

[vic_doom69]

Im in a similar situation. I think I've decided I want an m18x. Probably get one next year. So for this year I'm gonna get a 680m, when some of the kinks get straightened out and a bigger ssd with sata 3. I thought about the 2920 but since I'm gonna get a m18x next year I'm just gonna pass on that. If I was planning on keeping this machine for 2+ years I'd probably get the 2929 as well.

[radji]

SSD and 7970m are a must. You will notice a HUGE performance boost with those.

What do you use your MBP for anyway?

[SkylineLvr]

I guess I'll continue to beat this dead horse.

Definintely upgrade the GPU. The 7970M is an amazing card. So is the 680M. It just depends on what you are able to afford.

An SSD is a great upgrade. Before I got mine, I didn't think it was a necessary upgrade. Now it's going to be a standard option in all my systems.

As far as CPU goes, if you don't do anything like rendering or anything CPU bound, then what you have will do the job. I'm upgrading my CPU because I might need it for school. Plus it was something I've wanted on my system since I purchased it. If you do feel the need to upgrade the CPU, but don't want to spend what most are selling them for ($500+, unless you find a great deal on eBay ) go for the 2760QM or 2860M. Although it may be unnecessary for you, it's your money, spend it on what you want.

[trooper1414]

I honestly , dont need a fancy CPU , I have always wanted to own a extreme CPU , but considering the next couple of months might turn out to be rough for me , I might skip on that upgrade ...but i still wanna get a decent GPU as well as SSD for sure. What would be a good deal on a 7970 according to you guys ??

Also i know this is a Alienware forum but what do you guys abou the mac mini switch , cause that is what is going to get me the money for the rest of it , I usually use my MBP for browsing , school documents , and a bit of photography ...thats all ...i just prefer MAC as a better OS ...for day to day activities but i can sacrifice that to get a more powerful R3 ...if it makes sense......since i only travel with my laptop twice a week ...so portability not a major concern

[radji]

It depends on what you need your Mac for. Will you need some portability, then you might want to take a look at a reman Macbook Air.

It was suggested to me that the Nvidia 680m is a better GPU choice than the AMD 7970m. The 680m supposed to be much faster and more stable than the 7970m. I know they are out of stock in some places right now. But if you can stand waiting to upgrade the GPU, you might want to take a look at the 680m. I am.

[SkylineLvr]

It depends on what you need your Mac for. Will you need some portability, then you might want to take a look at a reman Macbook Air.

It was suggested to me that the Nvidia 680m is a better GPU choice than the AMD 7970m. The 680m supposed to be much faster and more stable than the 7970m. I know they are out of stock in some places right now. But if you can stand waiting to upgrade the GPU, you might want to take a look at the 680m. I am.

I haven't been too active on the forums for the past few weeks. From my understanding, both cards run pretty much neck and neck. With both edging out the other in certain games. As far as benching goes, the 680M does have better numbers, but that don't mean squat. The real numbers are in gaming. Plus, if you plan on doing any rendering, you'll want to stay away from the 680M. Both cards are great, whichever you choose, you'll be satisfied with.

[aznpos531]

I haven't been too active on the forums for the past few weeks. From my understanding, both cards run pretty much neck and neck. With both edging out the other in certain games. As far as benching goes, the 680M does have better numbers, but that don't mean squat. The real numbers are in gaming. Plus, if you plan on doing any rendering, you'll want to stay away from the 680M. Both cards are great, whichever you choose, you'll be satisfied with.

Not questioning you but I'm curious to know why that is. Thanks

[radji]

I was recommended the 680m because I do a lot of video transcoding. Will the rendering limitation of the 680m be a problem for me?

ps: I was recommended the 680m also because it has fewer compatibility problems with the R2. Not sure what the compatibility is between the 680m or 7970m and the R3.