1) 540M looks like 1 step above 5730
5730 has core speed of 650 MHz, while 540 has 672 MHz *
5730 has shader speed of 650 MHz, while 540 has max of 1344 MHz *
5730 has memory of 800 MHz, while 540 has 900 MHz *
(* Note that these 3 things can be altered by notebook manufacturer)
Main thing is 540 is having GDDR5 as memory type while 5730 is still GDDR3, but in real world how much that affects gaming, that I can't explain. or I don't have examples.
Power consumption is some 9-10 watts less in 5730 then 540.
So ideally speaking, some 4-5 FPS more while 540 is there IMO.
2) A.S.S. is always been an advantage for Dell
giggle
. That's the one area in which dell rules minds. I am saying minds because peeps know how dell ASS is. I am an HP owner, and in My case there ain't any complain. But However you yourself have experienced Dell A.S.S.
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positively, so you must be aware to deal with them.
3) on both i7+540M and i5+5850, you sure will be able to run teh upcoming games on med settings flawlessly. MY lappy with C2D-p8600 + ATI HD4650 is now almost 2 years old. And except heating, I cannot find any issues while doing any task on it. I am a regular gamer. And currently playing
- crysis 2 on 720p + med + 4AA + 4AF
- Blops on 720p + med + 2AA + 4AF (Game itself is buggy, and minimum ping I get is 150 on jap servers)
(can add more games).
Technically speaking, IMO, i5 + 5850 will have a slight edge on better side while gaming, due to powerful 5850.
And i7 + 540 will have a relatively good edge on better side while doing normal+dev type of tasks.
==> So Once again,
- IF 70-80% (Almost all the time) of usage is gonna be gaming then think about i5 + 5850 (I strongly suggest to check out HP DV6-6017tx also, that config is even better then Lenovo,
ATI mobility radeon HD6770 +
Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM)
- IF You need overall multimedia + performance + gaming + A.S.S, it's dell XPS 15 (And if you can get some positive A.S.S reviews of HP for your area, then DV6-6017tx as well)
I hope everything is covered.