Having trouble deciding between laptops

[Oshada]

First post! ^_^

I'm having some trouble deciding between two laptops; My main use would be gaming, but I want strong video encoding/photo editing performance as well. I've been looking at the Dell Studio line, and am having trouble deciding between these configurations:

Dell Studio 15 - i7-740QM (1.73GHz), 6GB RAM (DDR3), ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 1GB

Dell Studio 17 - i7-620M (2.66GHz), 4GB RAM (DDR3), ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 1GB

Are the higher clockspeed and better graphics on the 17 worth it over Quad-core processing and more RAM? The price difference is negligible.

Thanks!

 

[corkyg]

The main visible difference is size. A 15.6-in screen vs. a 17-in screen. That's a big difference in physical size and weight. For gaming, the bigger screen would be better. For portability, the 15.6. Your choice.

 

[FishAk]

The RAM will be in dual mode, not tri-channel with 4GB- not a multiple of three. You could probably add a stick to the 17 incher, to make it 6GB and tri-channel.

 

[jjmIII]

The RAM will be in dual mode, not tri-channel with 4GB- not a multiple of three. You could probably add a stick to the 17 incher, to make it 6GB and tri-channel.

It's all dual channel. The 6gb is two 3gb sticks I believe. (does any lappy have 3 dimm slots?)

The 17 seems better for gaming (screen size, gpu, faster -dual core- cpu)
The 15 seems better for video encoding/photo editing (6gb memory, quad power)


Really you have to decide. I have an 18.4 HP laptop, and LOVE a HuGE screen . (never carry it)

 

[Oshada]

Thanks for the feedback! By the way these are Dell Studio laptops. I've heard some things about the heat problems Dell Studio 17's have. I'm leaning towards it at the moment but a bit unsure because of this. And also does anyone have an idea about processor/graphics refresh timelines?

 

[MJinZ]

It's all dual channel. The 6gb is two 3gb sticks I believe. (does any lappy have 3 dimm slots?)

The 17 seems better for gaming (screen size, gpu, faster -dual core- cpu)
The 15 seems better for video encoding/photo editing (6gb memory, quad power)


Really you have to decide. I have an 18.4 HP laptop, and LOVE a HuGE screen . (never carry it)

3 is pretty standard for DIMMs. 4 on the one I just bought (G73).

The Core i7 Quad Core is faster.

 

[TheStu]

3 is pretty standard for DIMMs. 4 on the one I just bought (G73).

The Core i7 Quad Core is faster.

3 is standard how? If you are talking about 3GB, then yea, it used to be. If you are talking about DIMM slots, then... I don't think I have ever heard of a laptop with 3 DIMM slots. 1, 2 and 4 slots is what I have seen.