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R3 difference between the 3 processors


MikeHauser

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Dear Community.

I know the m11x is out of date, but i found out there are a few freaks out there like me who keep their machines running.

My specific R3 is one of the very first models with a i7-2617M and only 1GB GT 540M.

 

i7-2617M 1,5 - 2,6 GHz (2,3 Ghz on both cores) GPU 540 with 1 or 2 GB (some markets?)

i7-2657M 1,6 - 2,7 GHz (2,4 GHz on both cores) GPU 540 with 2 GB 

i7-2637M 1,7 - 2,8 GHz (2,5 GHz on both cores) GPU 540 with 2 GB

 

I always wondered if someone could "feel" the difference between the later varaints of the processors in real life, or if the GT 540M could really use the 2GB of RAM.

Some articles claimed the 2GB was only for making money, because the processor would limit the GPU so it could never use it.

Now, as these little things get "collectible items" its sad i couldn't wait for the 2637 :-(

 

But practically, what do you think?

Is a 2637M really noticeable faster than a 2617M or 2657M?

how about the 2GB RAM on the GPU.

 

Is it possible to overclock/tweak my 2617M with for example "the unlocked Bios" to 2637 specs?

 

Actually i use it very often because i have to make 5-6 hours train rides because of work. The M11 is perfect for that, so handy, and mine is still in "almost mint" condition.

It has 8 GB RAM and a 1 TB HDD which I'd like to change to a 500 GB SSD.

I never pushed it hard, sometimes play Minecraft or Anno 1404 on it. I am very much into KSP (Kerbal Space Program) and Castle Story (both steam) and i wonder if these would run in with acceptable graphics on mine.

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I wish I never sold the ones that I had. It is such a great laptop.

Honestly I was under the impression that all the i7 models had the 2gb 540M so you really must have got one of the first ones. 

 

You won't feel any difference if you had one of the other i7 options. It would make a slight difference in benchmarking scores but that's about it. The 2gb GPU makes more of a difference but still not a huge one. The 1gb is very limited once you want to try games past 2014. Many games started needing 2gb vRAM as a minimum. 

The biggest change will be grabbing an SSD. It will make things much faster. 

Both those games will probably run fine based on the minimum required specs for each of them. 

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Hi MattyB.

You are right. I was wrong all the years. I never realized, my 540M is really 2 GB vRAM. I never installed a monitoring program before, so i tried MSI just for fun. While playing NORTHGARD, and CS:GO i noticed a 1600 MB of VRAM usage. Couldn't be if i only had 1 GB. I checked via GPU-Z and yes, it's true. I really have 2 GB. ;-) Oh yeah. Now i love my little baby just a little more. btw, i like the colour of your M18. Very cool! What thermal paste would you guys recommend for the m11x?

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Awesome! 

Thanks, I like to respray old Alienware laptops as a little hobby. I use Noctura NT-H2 and it works really well. 

There aren't a lot of people on this forum these days. NotebookReview used to be the place to go but it got shut down a week ago. A new forum has taken its place and we are building it up to take NBR's place, although M11x owners are getting rarer.

 

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Hello from Spain, I have an m11x r3 with an i5 2467m processor and I have changed the motherboard, now it is an i7 2637m and it works great, with 16gb ram and 1Tb SSD. I have taken the opportunity to change the thermal paste of the processor and the graphics. I have also changed the battery in the BIOS. If I can help you with anything, I am at your disposal.

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  • 8 months later...

I had an R3 for 5years and I still regret selling it to a good friend of mine.

I'd most likely buy it back when he's done with it.

 

It won't play any new games but at least it'll give me non-stop nostalgia vibes when playing SC/SC2

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  • 9 months later...

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