4th Gen to 6th or 7th Gen i7 Processor Jump - Worth it?

[msalmank]

Hi,

I currently own an Alienware laptop that's my daily driver. With a 4th Gen i7 Processor, 16 GB RAM, and more, it lives up to any task thrown its way. But after 2 years, I'm wondering if I should start looking at options to trade it in for a newer model with a 6th or 7th Gen processor?

Anyone here that has made a jump from a 4th Gen i7 (Quad Core) processor to the latest generation? Is there any significant improvement, other than possible better battery management/timings?

Best Regards

 

[xandros9]

Honestly, I have a 4th-gen i7 laptop (its a lower power model though) and its good enough as well. A lot of the improvements have tended to be more efficiency than raw horsepower and honestly my take on the topic is "if it ain't broke..."

Heck, even a graphics or storage upgrade may be better. (if you don't have an SSD, go SSD before thinking about anything else.)

 

[msalmank]

Honestly, I have a 4th-gen i7 laptop (its a lower power model though) and its good enough as well. A lot of the improvements have tended to be more efficiency than raw horsepower and honestly my take on the topic is "if it ain't broke..."

Heck, even a graphics or storage upgrade may be better. (if you don't have an SSD, go SSD before thinking about anything else.)

Thanks! That's pretty much my take on it too, but wanted to see if any power users have upgraded from 4th to 6th/7th gen and have noticed any significant differences.

I already upgraded my Alienware with a 1 TB Samsung 850 PRO SSD earlier this year and that was totally worth the price!

 

[Josiah23]

I don't see a real reason to upgrade to a newer gen CPU if you have a 4th Gen i7. In one of my builds, I have an Intel Core i7 4790K with 16GB RAM and a gtx 970 (MSI) and it runs flawless without any problem... Unless you plan on having a more power efficient laptop that drains less juice or you have money to burn then go for it.

 

[jazen]

Quite frankly, it seems anything that is 2nd gen Core i or newer hasn't really warranted an upgrade unless it is either broke or you're a gamer playing the latest and greatest at max resolution. I own 2 hp Elitebooks, one with a 2nd gen i5 and another with a 3rd gen i5 low voltage CPU and both perform decent. The 2nd i5 still feels faster but that's probably due to it being a standard laptop CPU, and having a SSD.

 

[msalmank]

I don't see a real reason to upgrade to a newer gen CPU if you have a 4th Gen i7. In one of my builds, I have an Intel Core i7 4790K with 16GB RAM and a gtx 970 (MSI) and it runs flawless without any problem... Unless you plan on having a more power efficient laptop that drains less juice or you have money to burn then go for it.

That makes total sense. The only reason I was even considering looking at new laptops was 'coz the company offered an upgrade. But I've told them that I'm happy with my machine as is and may just for Samsung 850 Pro SSD in the near future for my desktop too.

I have a 4710-MQ Processor in the Aliewnare laptop, with 16 GB of RAM, and the standard 256 GB SSD that came with it, plus the 1 TB Samsung 850 Pro SSD. The only problem that I had was with the battery which died off after 2 years of usage - not that unexpected. Thankfully I was able to find a repalcement easily.

 

[poparaadnan]

If you have money to throw around then get an upgrade. Otherwise, don't. Even first gen i7 CPUs are still capable of running most modern titles...

 

[msalmank]

If you have money to throw around then get an upgrade. Otherwise, don't. Even first gen i7 CPUs are still capable of running most modern titles...

First Gen i7 CPUs are really outdated. As a developer working with high end tools and languages, my 2nd gen laptop barely worked anymore. For gamers perhaps there may not be a major difference, but for professional work, there most definitely is, i'd say!

 

[DavidinCT]

First Gen i7 CPUs are really outdated. As a developer working with high end tools and languages, my 2nd gen laptop barely worked anymore. For gamers perhaps there may not be a major difference, but for professional work, there most definitely is, i'd say!

Agreed. first gen i7 CPUS are a joke today. Even a 3 year old i5 will blow rings around it in performance.

To the OP, you should be ok for now, unless your having issues on things your running. If you start running into performance issues, then it might be something to look into.

If you game a lot, then you will find the game that will show an issue, then you need to decide.