Does L2 cache make a big difference?

I have ordered the Dell vostro 1500 and have gone for the t7100 cpu. I was just wondering what the 4mb cache compared to the 2mb cache would give me in terms of performance of the laptop. I only wanted to spend 550 but i decided to get the better screen (1440x900) to take it to 599 instead of upgrading the cpu to the 7300. What do you think?

 

Take a look at the performance charts and see if the applications you'll be using it for will benefit. Keep in mind the performance differences are for the same clock speed. Obviously the 2GHz Core 2 will be inherently faster than a 1.8GHz version even without the cache difference.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2795&p=4

 

I think for most tasks, you won't notice a difference between the two processors. They're both very speedy.

 

Thanks for the link? so from the graph the average is 3.5% overall. What do you personally think?

 

You will notice a difference in graphics heavy processes.

 

how much of a difference in graphics percentage wise? and what would be the minimum i could get for playing games like counter strike. halo 1 , and doing some photoediting and multitasking (not heavy though)

 

For 2D graphics programs, any processor will be fine. For 3D apps, you need to focus on the graphics card.

 

Thanks for the link I am going to keep my 1.8 with 8400

 

Thanks for all the replies? so you would say that it would be a waste of 50 pound just for the extra cache?

 

The conclusion of that article seems to sum it up nicely.