[Help]8gb vs. 12gb vs. what I need

[why06]

Okay I think I'm about to place my order for my new laptop this week. With the SandyBridge delay it should arrive sometime in March..., but just in time for my birthday.
One more question before I place the order this week:

Should i go for the standard 8 gigs or upgrade to 12gigs. I think 16 is overkill so not really thinking about it, but I want to be able quickly be able to do powerful memory searches on games. Currently I can use CE on my laptop with 3gb and it takes up to 10 -15 minutes to run a single scan and 30-40 minutes for successive scans to find the value I'm looking for. By then you understand it's just too late to make any use of it because the game is over. In a fast paced game like an FPS I need to be able to scan fast. Yes I know I can do private rooms, but even then no1 wants to give up their computer to me for hours on in while I run my slow ass scans. So I want to make sure the computer I'm getting can do this relatively fast 3-5 minutes at most for an initial scan, and 10 minutes at most to find the value. any longer and its going to be hard to get work done.

Yes there's other ways to find values, and I've been working on Reverse Engineering to remove protectors and Anti-hack devices, but I still need the raw power to get the essential stuff done even without clever tricks.

Here's my specs so far:

Total: $1,374.00
Sager NP8130 / Clevo P151HM1 - Out Of Stock ETA March Sager NP8130 / Clevo P151HM1 - Out Of Stock ETA March
- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Matte Type Screen
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- - 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 2.0-2.8GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache)
- -Stock OEM Thermal Compound
- nVidia GeForce GTX 460M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11
- No Video Adapter
- ~ 8,192MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)-
- Standard Finish
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Software
- ~ 500GB (w/ 4GB SSD Memory) Seagate XT 7200RPM NCQ Hybrid (Serial-ATA II 300 - 32MB Cache)
- No Additional Hard Drive in ODD Bay - When Selecting, Optical Drive is NOT Included
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- No Back Up Software
- No Floppy Drive
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- None Standard--
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card + Bluetooth
- No Network Accessory
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- No Carrying Case
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- None Standard*
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- No External Keyboard or Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- No Thanks, Please do not Overclock my system (Overclocking will add 3-6 business days to build time)
- ~Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's + Microsoft Office Starter 2010 - Included with OS Purchase
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime -24/7 DOMESTIC Based- Toll Free Telephone Tech Support (Labor Warranty through Xotic PC)
Includes FREE Shipping Both Ways for Warranty Repairs
- No Xotic PC Gear

So is 8gb and my current config good, or should I upgrade something else, like the processor? I have enough money to upgrade one more thing, but that's it. It's $90 for 12gb and $180 for 16gb, and about $160 to do 1 upgrade to the core i7.
https://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8130-...wconfigure=yes

I already included a Hybrid HDD, which is the best fit for me I think, until SSD's come down because I need the storage.

[Void]

Dear god why do you need such a powerful laptop? I guarantee you will never lag on that. My brother's laptop ( not even i7 and the video card is nothing compared to that ) has yet to lag. I think that should be good enough..

[whit++]

Umm depends can you afford more ram ? but 8 is good enough..

i7 Gawd , what ya trying to do run a server on dat thing

['Bruno]

Umm depends can you afford more ram ? but 8 is good enough..

i7 Gawd , what ya trying to do run a server on dat thing

half of i7 Cores are not "real" cores...

Ontopic:

instead of getting such big amount of Rams, get 8GB with better speed, like 1600mhz or so, and then OC them(oh.. about OC, nvm it's a laptop.. but now that i saw, not sure if there is many memories with 1333+ for laptops..). By the way, instead of getting an i7 with low frequency, get an i5 with higher frequency.
Just my opinion.

[why06]

It's not lag I'm worrying about. It's playing the game while running memory scanners, IDA, Olly, and keeping a browser open. If I can do all this without it taking me a whole minute to pop in and out of a game like it does on my current laptop then I'll be good.

I'm pretty stuck on this computer. If I got an i5 I would need to get a different comp since it's not an option. So my main debate is if 8gb is enough to do all that or should I go 12, or should I just wait and upgrade when and if I need it? Or should I get a faster processor like the 3.3Ghz i7. That will be pushing my budget a bit, but if you guys think getting up into 3Ghz is worth it I'll get it.

[Auxilium]

2 Gigs + Core 2 duo + 1024 MB VRAM runs crysis Medium-High at a constant 60 fps.

You lag that bad already?

['Bruno]

Well.. that CPU Standard clock is low... 2.0.. meh, 2.9 with turbo.

Anyway, if you have budget to get for at least 2.8-3.0 would be nice... But in my opinion...

Fewer cores with higher Frequency > Many cores with low Frequency.. Because there isn't many applications that can use all those cores at the same time.. so..

[whit++]

It's not lag I'm worrying about. It's playing the game while running memory scanners, IDA, Olly, and keeping a browser open. If I can do all this without it taking me a whole minute to pop in and out of a game like it does on my current laptop then I'll be good.

Well i got 4GB ram and a Dual Core Processor and i can do that perfectly

[why06]

2 Gigs + Core 2 duo + 1024 MB VRAM runs crysis Medium-High at a constant 60 fps.

You lag that bad already?

Yeh, but I've got Vista and no graphics on current pc.

Okay whit, well if that seems like enough then I'll quit here then. TBH I don't really need an extra .5Ghz though it looks nice. It's all about the cores now and less about speed. $160 for a 17% possible speed increase pushes me really close to my budget limit. of $1500. I can get it, but unless it's going to be a substantial difference I'm not going to worry about it to much.

@Brinuz: Unfortunately one of the requirements for the graphics is the i7. so I've got to get that.

I plan on this lasting me atleast 3-4 years as a primary computer.

[Auxilium]

Yeh, but I've got Vista and no graphics on current pc.

Okay whit, well if that seems like enough then I'll quit here then. TBH I don't really need an extra .5Ghz though it looks nice. It's all about the cores now and less about speed. $160 for a 17% possible speed increase pushes me really close to my budget limit. of $1500. I can get it, but unless it's going to be a substantial difference I'm not going to worry about it to much.

@Brinuz: Unfortunately one of the requirements for the graphics is the i7. so I've got to get that.

I plan on this lasting me atleast 3-4 years as a primary computer.

I got vista too

[Jason]

This is my laptops specs (apparently, just did a quick google search) and I don't think it's anything overly 'Super-powered' like the one you seem to be looking at, yet I can run CE fine (most scans < 10 seconds, some under 1 second)

(Just copied and pasted of the site, so some specs might be irrelevant..)

• * Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8400 (2.26GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 3MB L2 cache)
  * NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GS with 512MB of GDDR3 discrete video memory
  * 15.6” WXGA Glossy LCD (1366x768)
  * Genuine Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit) SP1
  * 4GB (4096MB) DDR2 Memory (2 x 2048MB modules)
  * 320GB 7200RPM Seagate HD
  * 8x Multi-Format Dual Layer DVDRW with LightScribeTechnology
  * Integrated 1.3 Megapixel Web Cam
  * 6-Cell 11.1v 4800mAh battery, 120w power supply
  * Size: 15.4" x 10.5 x 1.4-1.7"
  * Weight: 7lbs 1oz
  * Warranty: 1 Year

Only problem I have is overheating in summer when the laptop is already hot before it gets turned on.

Never had any problems running graphic intensive games (I ran 5 instances of World Of Warcraft at once without lagging, not that it's overly graphical, haven't tried it with anything like Crysis)

But yeah, I don't think you need to have huge amounts of RAM.

[why06]

Thanks Jason. I'm going to stick with the base configuration then with just the Hybrid Drive cuz I'd like to try it out. That'll save me a couple 100 bucks. It seems I could also upgrade to i7-2720 and could then use up to 1600Mhz instead of 1333, but this is good enough for me.

It seems. Also in my current laptop I just looked at my specs and I have a dual core 64 bit chip, but my Vista is 32 bit, so i guess Windows never made full use of it huh? =/
If I ever get around to it I might install Win7 or something to see if that helps speed up my current lappy.

EDIT: actually it's probably because my lack of graphics. I'm not sure how everything works, but maybe I can scan faster if I had a dedicated GPU so my processors didn't have to do double duty.

[why06]

Okay I just placed order. It should be arriving sometime in March.

1 x Sager NP8130 / Clevo P151HM1 - Out Of Stock ETA March () = $1,414.00
Xotic Gear No Xotic PC Gear
Warranty 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime -24/7 DOMESTIC Based- Toll Free Telephone Tech Support (Labor Warranty through Xotic PC)
Includes FREE Shipping Both Ways for Warranty Repairs
Software Bundle (Not Installed) No Software Bundle
Microsoft Office Software No Office Software
Operating System ~Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's + Microsoft Office Starter 2010 - Included with OS Purchase
XOTIC PC Redline Boost™ Extreme Performance No Thanks, Please do not Overclock my system (Overclocking will add 3-6 business days to build time)
Notebook Cooler No Notebook Cooler
Mouse / Keyboard Accessories No External Keyboard or Mouse
Fingerprint Reader Integrated Fingerprint Reader
Port Replicator / Dock / Adapters No Dock/Hub/Adapter
Spare AC Adapter None Standard*
Car Adapter No Car Adapter
Battery Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
Case No Carrying Case
Sound Card Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
TV Tuner No TV Tuner
Camera Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
Wireless Network Accessories No Network Accessory
Wireless Network Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card + Bluetooth
Bluetooth None Standard--
Memory Card Reader Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
Floppy Drive No Floppy Drive
Back Up Software No Back Up Software
External USB Optical Drive NO External USB Optical Drive
External Hard Drive (Back Up) No Back Up Hard Drive
Additional Hard Drive in Optical Drive Bay No Additional Hard Drive in ODD Bay - When Selecting, Optical Drive is NOT Included
Primary Hard Drive ~ 500GB (w/ 4GB SSD Memory) Seagate XT 7200RPM NCQ Hybrid (Serial-ATA II 300 - 32MB Cache)
Optical Drive ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Software
Exterior Finish Standard Finish
Ram ~ 8,192MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)-
External Display Video Adapters No Video Adapter
Graphics Video Card nVidia GeForce GTX 460M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11

Thermal Compound - IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
Processor - 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 2.0-2.8GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache)
Dead Pixel Warranty Standard Dead Pixel Policy
Display 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Matte Type Screen

Not bad if I do say so myself. Until then I have to study to put this thing to use. =)
Thanks to everyone for their help the last few weeks.

[mnpeepno2]

OH shit, you dont need more than 6gb for gaming, 12 gb is for hardcore multitastking (more than 30 apps 16 is for 40-50 apps)