Intel T9550 or P8700 for Studio XPS 16?

I am in the process of buying a new Dell Studio XPS 16 and have the spec finalized with the exception of the CPU selection of either the T9550 or the P8770. I am looking to future proof my laptop as much as possible for the next 5 years, and am looking for the best blend of performance, versatility, battery life and heat management. I have read some reviews about the XPS 16 generating excess heat and want to avoid as much as possible. Here is my spec: XPS 16, 1080 RGB LED screen, 256 SDD drive, Win Vista Home Prem 64bit, 4GB DDR3, ATI Radeon 3670 w/512mb, Blueray DVD, Bluetooth, Intel 5300 wireless, 10/100 ethernet, Microsoft Office Pro 2007, extra 9 cell battery, and SB X-Fi Hi Def Audio (software enabled).

I need to decide if the Intel T9550 (6mb cache/2.66MHz/1066FSB) is the best choice or stay with the P8700 (3mb cache/2.53MHz/1066FSB). The T9550 is rated at 35 watts TMD while the P8700 is rated at 25 watts TMD. Does anyone know how much heat difference would be generated by the T9550 over the P8700 and if I should be concerned? I don't mind spending the extra $$ to go with the T9550, but not if it is not worth the price in performance, battery life or additional thermal load. I went with the solid state drive to help reduce heat and gain an edge on performance.

I appreciate all professional and consumer viewpoints and comments as I have to make a decision quick. Thanks for your help.
John H.
Fort Worth, TX

 

First of all, you have to consider whether you really need the extra performance gain from the more expensive T9550. If not, the P8700 is much cheaper and probably the way to go given that it uses less power and will run cooler (Although, heat-wise, the difference will not be that significant, and the battery life difference on idle will not be too great),

For gaming, your graphics card and not the CPU will be the bottleneck, so in my opinion, there is no point in upgrading to the T9550, especially when considering the other downsides it will bring.

 

Future proof for the next 5 years? Wow, I go about 6-8 months between laptops, I couldn't imagine 5 years.

I like the XPS 16, but in my opinion, it's not a 5 year computer..

What are you using it for?

 

This laptop will be used for general purpose computing, home office, internet, multimedia, email, some travel, and minimal gaming, as I am not a gamer like my son was. I sure can't afford to be buying one of these every year, so I am trying to spec it with the best options I can for current performance and future use, but keep the heat manageable without needing a cooling tray if possible. This is my first and only laptop, at least for a while, and I am just trying to do my homework and design the best unit for the dollar, with minimum compromises. All thoughts welcome.
thanks,
jh

 

My mother has a 1ghz celeron, onboard graphics, 1gb ram, and 60gb hard drive that is 3+ years old, that is still working for her just fine and all she does is general purpose computing.

The most basic XPS 16 will do you fine. I would even look at the Studio 15 line first to save even more $$...

 

I am definitely keeping the spec I have mentioned above, but just need to wrap up the CPU issue. Give me your opinions everyone.
thanks,
jh

 

No way do you need the upgrade. I have the 8700 on the XPS 13 and it flys. You will NEVER use it.

 

Unless you're number crunching, the P8700 will be more than enough for general needs, even 5 years down the road(unless all of a sudden internet begins having intense mathematical calculations O_O)

 

I'm looking at the same system, and also for about 5 years until my next upgrade. There was a recent thread on this with a link to a comparison that showed processors with 3 and 6MB cache, and found 0-11% difference in most tasks (4.8% overall), with the small bump in clock speed accounting for at least half of the difference. Personally I'm probably going to stay with the P8700, but I'm waiting for the 4670 GPU. Should be good for light gaming, multimedia use, and general office computing.

 

just go for the t9600 and be done with it :d

can nevr have enough power !