Upgrade XPS 15 processor

Hi all,

I'm being forced to consider options for increased computing power and first option on my list is a CPU upgrade. I'm currently running XPS 15 with intel core i7-2630QM and 6Gb RAM on ubuntu linux. However, I notice that when I'm fully loaded with applications and network simulations, my quad core is getting maxed out while RAM stays pretty modest at around 35-40% utilization.

I was just wondering if anyone explored this path for any of the sandy bridge series on a dell laptop and what recommendations could be suggested. I would likely go for any of the higher chips with minimum 2.5Ghz freq - i7 2700 series and above.

Toritseju