# Xps 15 i7-2630QM vs i7-2720QM



## kishor_s (Jul 5, 2011)

Its urgent need ur help
Im going to buy a xps 15 laptop
im really confused which processor to go for 
should i go for 
i7-2630QM OR i7-2720QM
upgrade to i7 is quite hefty its 10000 rupee
So will it be worth upgrading ?

I was thinking of changing my graphic card from Nvidia GT 540 to other 
is that possible to do?

please help out

My specs are 
2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM
6GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (1 x 2GB + 1 x 4GB)
500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
15.6" (39.6cm) FHD (1920x1080)
2GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 540M 
Internal High-Definition 5.1 Performance SoundBlaster X-Fi Audio 
9 Cell Primary Battery
Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6230 with Bluetooth v3.0+HS

Im not opting for Blu-ray

Suggest me the best configuration
because now the price is Rs 77000
which is about 1710 $
help me out


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## Ishu Gupta (Jul 5, 2011)

Not worth the extra money.


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## xtremevicky (Jul 5, 2011)

Cut down the processor and you cant change the GFX to any other .


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## kishor_s (Jul 5, 2011)

I've heard that i7-2720QM will help me in getting more performance in application
n more fps in games 
n the difference is quite significant 
correct me if im wrong


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## xtremevicky (Jul 5, 2011)

If you can spend that money then why not ! But that is not VFM !


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## kishor_s (Jul 5, 2011)

im taking that processor and sacrificing blu ray
coz in india there hasnt been circulation of blu ray discs so i thought it that way

n i thought that if needed in future i can upgrade to blu ray rom
but i cant change my processor that easily

do u know how much will it cost me to upgrade to blu ray after purchasing it?

is it worth it ?


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## SlashDK (Jul 5, 2011)

Nope. The performance difference will almost always be unnoticeable except for benchmarks or other CPU intensive applications. What are your requirement BTW?


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## Ishu Gupta (Jul 5, 2011)

kishor_s said:


> I've heard that i7-2720QM will help me in getting more performance in application
> n more fps in games
> n the difference is quite significant
> correct me if im wrong



Have a look at HP DV6 6017TX. @ 52k.

Its has the same i7 2630QM and the HD6770M which is 40% faster than 540M.


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## comp@ddict (Jul 5, 2011)

It won't help much, I mean price increase is nowhere proportional to performance increase.

Hence, it isn't worth it at all.


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## kishor_s (Jul 5, 2011)

Cybertonic said:


> Nope. The performance difference will almost always be unnoticeable except for benchmarks or other CPU intensive applications. What are your requirement BTW?



I will play games though im not a hardcore gamer
i usually wud want every game to work on my laptop

I thought i7-2720 QM will provide future security and processor needs for future applications 
coz i'll hav this laptop for atleast 4 years from now 
i mean i7-2720QM has 200 MHz faster GPU
n a faster CPU 
is it worth it ?

im taking that processor and sacrificing blu ray
coz in india there hasnt been circulation of blu ray discs so i thought it that way

n i thought that if needed in future i can upgrade to blu ray rom
but i cant change my processor that easily

do u know how much will it cost me to upgrade to blu ray after purchasing it?

is it worth it ? 


so shud i go for 
i7-2630QM
last words



Ishu Gupta said:


> Have a look at HP DV6 6017TX. @ 52k.
> 
> Its has the same i7 2630QM and the HD6770M which is 40% faster than 540M.



But dude xps has the best build quality
n has that gorgeous full hd 1080p B+RG LED screen
n D  best laptop speaker in the world 
how i can go for any other laptop


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## SlashDK (Jul 5, 2011)

Keep the i7-2630QM and don't take blu-ray. Upgrade to a better graphics card and that will make it much more future proof.


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## kishor_s (Jul 5, 2011)

but someone just said that the graphics card cannot be replaced ?
is it true? 
im really confused
even dell customer care told me that ? :/


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## xtremevicky (Jul 5, 2011)

You can only have GT 525M or Gt 540M . 

Is is not a Desktop !


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## Ishu Gupta (Jul 5, 2011)

kishor_s said:


> but someone just said that the graphics card cannot be replaced ?
> is it true?
> im really confused
> even dell customer care told me that ? :/


Its rare. Most laptop makers solder the GPU to the PCIe slot.



kishor_s said:


> But dude xps has the best build quality
> n has that gorgeous full hd 1080p B+RG LED screen
> n D  best laptop speaker in the world
> how i can go for any other laptop



HP has a better graphic card, so your games will run better. It will be more future proof.

Dell has better build quality and screen.

All laptop speakers are average, better to use headphones.

And no point going higher than 2630QM.


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## kishor_s (Jul 5, 2011)

yaaaa 
now i will change the processor 
n as i had some more money to spend i might go for blu ray

but now my heart is broken 
coz i had my heart on i7-2720QM since it was launched 
:'(


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## SlashDK (Jul 5, 2011)

Just checked it myself. You're right vicky, the max is GT 540. So, in short @ 77k for offering GT 540 Dell proves that it is CRAP. Better go for HP or lenovo.


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## kishor_s (Jul 5, 2011)

Ishu Gupta said:


> All laptop speakers are average, better to use headphones.
> 
> And no point going higher than 2630QM.




U r right dude but i wanted the best screen n processor combination
in xps i had seen the build quality is great 

u r correct better use headphones

but trust me the laptop speakers which dell xps has are the worlds best laptop
speakers 
this will save my money coz i wud need to buy any 2.1 speakers separately


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## xtremevicky (Jul 5, 2011)

It is not Crap mate . Been using the laptop and the performance is good ! It can offer better GPU ( I will take that ) say GT555M and it then becomes the prominent purchase in that category.

Also , @77K you get what you want you dont need to compromise on what you want ! Say a Sexy Display


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## kishor_s (Jul 5, 2011)

Cybertonic said:


> Just checked it myself. You're right vicky, the max is GT 540. So, in short @ 77k for offering GT 540 Dell proves that it is CRAP. Better go for HP or lenovo.



yaaaa i saw them but the ports that dell provides
the xps logo 
the battery meter 
the island / chicklet keyboard is great

i wanted the best screen 
suggest me if any other laptop has better screen than xps 15 
coupled with the best speakers

you know i was opting for 2720QM coz it wud take me into elite group of processors
the difference between 
i7-2720qm n i7-2820qm n i7-2920QM is very small
but a huge difference in price 

but the difference in 
i7-2720QM n i7-2630QM is greater 

so i thought if i buy i7-2720QM i will be really close to the extreme processors

n i thought i7-2720QM has high clock rate in terms of gpu 
that 200 Mhz faster

1600mhz ram support
400 MHz faster CPU

***Can anyone tell me
which graphics intel i7-2630QM has intel HD 2000 or intel HD 3000

as far as i know i7-2720QM has intel HD 3000

I know now graphics in sandy bridge arnt named as HD 3000 or HD 2000 (Now)
but when sandy bridge processors where released these things where specified on intels site
i dont know y i7-2630QM n has i7-2720QM has this price gap

but if the igp of i7-2630QM is HD 2000 ? (which is not specified anywhere but only clock frequency is specified)
and the igp of i7-2720QM is HD 3000 (which is not specified now but was specified on intels site when sandy brigde processors where launched)

there is a markable difference in their igp rather than just higher clock frequency rates
coz
The GMA HD 2000 offers only half of the 12 Execution Units (EUs) of the Intel GMA HD 3000.

correct me if im wrong***


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## Ishu Gupta (Jul 5, 2011)

> i dont know y i7-2630QM n has i7-2720QM has this price gap


They don't actually have that big a price gap. Its just Dell milking money from you.

BTW You won't even fully utilize 2630QM unless you do a lot of video editing, rendering or something like that.

IMO 2720 is only worth Rs2500 more than 2630QM.



> which graphics intel i7-2630QM has intel HD 2000 or intel *HD 3000*


It has the HD3000



> the xps logo


What? Who cares for a logo?


> the battery meter


Install "Battery bar".



> the island / chicklet keyboard is great


Almost all laptops these days have chiclet KB



> i wanted the best screen
> suggest me if any other laptop has better screen than xps 15


There is a FHD version of HP DV6 but I don't know if it is available in India.

Dell 1080p = HP 1080p > HP 720p > Dell 720p

*And you are ignoring the fact that HP laptop is 20k cheaper for the same performance.* HD6770 is as good as GT555M. 40% better than GT540M and graphic card is the most important thing for gaming performance.

If you are OK with 20K extra and want the better screen, get Dell.
If you want VFM and better gaming performance get HP.


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## comp@ddict (Jul 5, 2011)

> They don't actually have that big a price gap. Its just Dell milking money from you.



Haha, no actually they do, nearly 70-80$ I'm guessing. Same as every gen.


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## Ishu Gupta (Jul 5, 2011)

comp@ddict said:


> Haha, no actually they do, nearly 70-80$ I'm guessing. Same as every gen.


Dell is asking 10k for an upgrade. That's $225.


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## tkin (Jul 5, 2011)

I just read the thread title, not worth the money(just 200MHz bump)


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## kishor_s (Jul 5, 2011)

but in HD 3000 all IGP have clock frequency of 1.3 ghz

I doubted the IGP of i7-2630QM coz it has a clock frequency of 1.1ghz
can i know from where u came to know abt it
any source that i7-2630QM has HD 3000

yaaa
every one has neglected
1600 mhz ram in i7-2720QM
wat do u think that will it be a trend to use 1600mhz
within years to come

n can i use 1 1333mhz ram n the other 1600 mhz ram at once

Will it give me more boost with 1600 Mhz ram?

coz i personally think that as processing power has increased 
so application demanding more processing power will also increase with time 
im sayin it for next 4 years


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## tkin (Jul 5, 2011)

kishor_s said:


> but in HD 3000 all IGP have clock frequency of 1.3 ghz
> 
> I doubted the IGP of i7-2630QM coz it has a clock frequency of 1.1ghz
> can i know from where u came to know abt it
> ...


Does the laptop have graphic card? If yes then what will you do with onboard graphics?


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## Ishu Gupta (Jul 5, 2011)

> n can i use 1 1333mhz ram n the other 1600 mhz ram at once


Yes. It'll run at the speeds of 1333MHz. Therefore there is no point buying 1600. Buy 1333 and save a few bucks.



> coz i personally think that as processing power has increased
> so application demanding more processing power will also increase with time
> im sayin it for next 4 years


Both CPU will be outdated at the same time.

Check this out
*Test System* Fairly similar to your Dell XPS
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
Nvidia GeForce GT 540M 1GB
4 GB DDR3-RAM (1333 MHz)
Crucial RealSSD C300 256 GB
*www.notebookcheck.net/typo3temp/pics/cc5363aec1.gif
*www.notebookcheck.net/typo3temp/pics/8eda1b1cb3.gif
*www.notebookcheck.net/typo3temp/pics/ffe1b1907d.gif
*www.notebookcheck.net/typo3temp/pics/bae92de163.gif


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## ico (Jul 6, 2011)

Gaming performance in a laptop will be determined by the discrete GPU not the processor. There isn't much practical performance difference between i7-2630QM and i7-2720QM. You are better off investing 10k somewhere else.

I have absolutely no idea why you are running after clock frequencies of Intel HD 3000 when you will be absolutely not using those for gaming. It will be only used for general desktop applications, Aero and when you are on battery. Both are good enough for this. Lastly, every Intel Sandy Bridge mobile processor has HD 3000 according to wikipedia. No HD 2000.


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## aytus (Jul 6, 2011)

Dude, listen to what these guys say. 
First get your mind clear on the fact that its almost next to impossible to upgrade anything on a laptop (barring ur RAM, HDD and CD-ROM.
Secondly, as of now the games are bottlenecked by the GPU and even an i3 will give u a comparable performance. Even then if ur workload demands u can get a i7 and its also a prerequisite to 540M which gives roughly 20% performance bump.
Thirdly u should look out at other options, like u can get a better performing lappy, except the screen in that 6017tx. And if ur thinking about pumping in the cash then m14x with 555 is a lot better VFM, (Well not exactly VFM) at @84k.
and stop thinking about integrated graphics.. they dont matter much cos u will switch to discreet one when the demand arises.


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## Cilus (Jul 6, 2011)

kishor_s, since you've provided the price in $, I'm assuming that you are purchasing it from abroad. THen why Dell XPS bro, they are not the best quality gaming laptops....I used to have one in 2007-2008 time period and I know exactly what I'm talking about.
Opt for companies like Asus, MSI etc as they have special set of gaming laptops.
Here is my suggestion for you

*MSI GT683R-242US @ $1500 in newegg* 

The configs are:

 Intel Core i7-2630QM 2.00GHz
12 GB DDR3 ram
*nVidia GTX 560M 1.5 GB GDDR5*
15.6" display with 1080P resolution
2X500GB 7200 rpm HDD
DVD Super Multi
*2 USB 3.0*
2 USB 2.0
720P HD webcam
Dynaudio Tech Speakers x 4

This config is fare better than the XPS model you've mentioned. The GTX 560M 1.5 GB 192 bit GDDR5 is very highly ahead of GT 540M. In gaming GPU is the most important thing and even a higher speed dual core core i5 will do the gaming job but 540M, it is just a beginners choice...not a high end product.


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## randomuser111 (Jul 6, 2011)

Dude, If you are hell bent on getting XPS 15, do NOT get i7 2720qm. Not worth it.
But I suggest you look at new XPS 17 3D. For 84k you are getting both i7 2720qm AND Bluray + 3D Full HD screen and a much better Nvidia GT 555M GPU. 
So decide between this and XPS 15 with i7 2630qm. 
Don't get i7 2720qm, as you would have noticed from the above posted graphs it will not get you more fps in games or noticeable gain in application performance.


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## tkin (Jul 6, 2011)

Cilus said:


> kishor_s, since you've provided the price in $, I'm assuming that you are purchasing it from abroad. THen why Dell XPS bro, they are not the best quality gaming laptops....I used to have one in 2007-2008 time period and I know exactly what I'm talking about.
> Opt for companies like Asus, MSI etc as they have special set of gaming laptops.
> Here is my suggestion for you
> 
> ...


Didn't asus also launch a new laptop with GTX560M? A review is posted here by the sorcerer, forgot model name, something like G74x or something.


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## kishor_s (Jul 6, 2011)

ico said:


> I have absolutely no idea why you are running after clock frequencies of Intel HD 3000



Dude i was saying it coz IGP processor is amazingly fast in video transcoding n encoding
it has hardware acceleration for those things 

that is if a really fast nvidia gpu will take 3:00 to complete conversion of a video
Intel IGP will take around 10-15 secs 
n trust me it works really well for day to day tasks
this is what intel displayed in CES 2011

n trust me it works really well for day to day tasks

n trust me it also performs really well in terms of redering frame per sec as compared to the clock frequency at which it operates

nvidia isnt that fast in video encoding n other things 
coz it was made to handle games in a better not for video encoding 
n other stuff



Ishu Gupta said:


> Install "Battery bar".



It has a battery meter on the battery


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## ico (Jul 6, 2011)

kishor_s said:


> Dude i was saying it coz IGP processor is amazingly fast in video transcoding n encoding
> it has hardware acceleration for those things
> 
> that is if a really fast nvidia gpu will take 3:00 to complete conversion of a video
> ...


yes, that's called Quick Sync and only works with H.264 encoding as of now. Main difference will be between Intel HD 2000 and 3000. HD 3000 will be faster. None of Intel mobile processors have HD 2000. Slightly higher clock speed between the HD 3000 IGPs of two i7 models would save you only a handful of seconds.


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## comp@ddict (Jul 6, 2011)

> Slightly higher clock speed between the HD 3000 IGPs of two i7 models would save you only a handful of seconds.




Under quick sync mode, no seconds.

Under software mode, maybe 5 seconds.


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## kishor_s (Jul 18, 2011)

Cilus said:


> kishor_s, since you've provided the price in $, I'm assuming that you are purchasing it from abroad.



No im buying from india only
But thanks for suggestion

I was just afraid to buy a laptop online 
n i cudnt find free shipping on any laptop
My cousins in USA wont be coming now 
So i will hav to buy it from india only


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## ss max (Jul 19, 2011)

It will not be a good choice as both processors have a narrow gap in between them though its true that i7-2720QM performs better but it then it also costs 10k and it will be much wiser to stay with 2630QM as its also very powerfull . As far as gaming is concerned better gpu matter i.e. you should opt for better gpu this will make a good choice.


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