UncleTwisted
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Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile T9600 $275 better than T9400?
I'm ordering a Lenovo Thinkpad T-series, and I need to choose between the Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 (2.8 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB) and the T9400 (2.53 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB).
The latop will have 256 MB discrete graphics, 4MB 1066 MHz RAM, and run XP for now (with possible future upgrade to Vista Ultimate).
I crunch a lot of numbers (Oracle, Access, Sage MAS90, Excel) and occasionally use Dragon Naturally Speaking preferred software. I will not do gaming on this machine.
Given my needs, should I specifiy the T9600 over the T9400, even though the $275 greater cost seems high given what I guess is about a 10% increase in raw processing power? Is the processor the rate-limiting step in computer performance, given my other components?
Thanks.
The latop will have 256 MB discrete graphics, 4MB 1066 MHz RAM, and run XP for now (with possible future upgrade to Vista Ultimate).
I crunch a lot of numbers (Oracle, Access, Sage MAS90, Excel) and occasionally use Dragon Naturally Speaking preferred software. I will not do gaming on this machine.
Given my needs, should I specifiy the T9600 over the T9400, even though the $275 greater cost seems high given what I guess is about a 10% increase in raw processing power? Is the processor the rate-limiting step in computer performance, given my other components?
Thanks.
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silemone
well Core2 duo are much faster and given 2.8 vs.2.53, the Core2 duo is the better option. More importantly if you're thinking about upgrading to vista, the Core2 duo is definitely the way to go.
I offer the opposite as far as vista vs xp. xp is the better choice. less bugs. Vista is terrible.
XP has way less features than Vista, and Vista Service Pack 2 is due to come out soon.
For a machine which number crunching is the main task, processor speed is the deciding factor in performance (with adequate amount of RAM).
Yeah, but i have a 1.66GHz Core 2 Duo in my laptop, and the laptop pulls some pretty good benchmarks. Speed isn't all that makes a Core 2 Duo so fast, it is the superior architecture.
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ASKER
Good thinking from all three of you. I really appreciate your input. If I'd have known I'd be spliiting points, I would have made the q worth more. Budget is an issue. If I cannot get Lenovo to cut a deal for the T9600 upgrade, then I'll just plan to replace the laptop that much sooner, or upgrade the CPU to the T9600 (or faster with the same architecture) in a couple years.