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    Which processor for 14z?

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by mookotheking, Jul 19, 2009.

  1. mookotheking

    mookotheking Newbie

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    I'm trying to decide if I should get the t4200 or the p8600. Is there going to be any noticeable difference for normal usage? I don't plan on playing any games or anything. Is it worth the $175 upgrade? I'm going to use it for watching HD videos, music, etc.
     
    mookotheking, Jul 19, 2009
    #1
  2. Commander Wolf

    Commander Wolf can i haz broadwell?

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    There probably won't be much of a difference for "normal" use and media. You may get a bit better battery life with the P8600. Probably not worth an entire $175.
     
    Commander Wolf, Jul 19, 2009
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  3. nilosays

    nilosays Notebook Consultant

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    You'll probably get around 0:30-1:00 more battery life with the p8600.
     
    nilosays, Jul 19, 2009
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  4. LexusForever

    LexusForever Notebook Evangelist

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    Also, with P8600 the laptop will run cooler (and its life will be longer), because of 25W on all P-series (vs 35W for the T-series).
     
    LexusForever, Jul 19, 2009
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  5. Reality.Bites

    Reality.Bites Notebook Consultant

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    What also makes a difference is what normal means to you. When watching video, will anything else be going on in the background?

    Watching a 1080p movie using VLC media player uses about 60% of my CPU (a P8600)
     
    Reality.Bites, Jul 19, 2009
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  6. Ice Cold

    Ice Cold Notebook Deity

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    If you are worried about battery life forget about the P8600 and spending an extra $175 on a CPU, which you can buy for peanuts cheap in a year or so.

    Save the $175 and buy and extra battery, its a win win.
     
    Ice Cold, Jul 19, 2009
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  7. Fragilexx

    Fragilexx Get'cha head in the game

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    What is etc - I've never used my notebook for etc ;)

    Echoing what everyone else here has said really. Better battery life, more cache, less heat. Anything you'd notice. Well it depends on what the "etc" is, but most likely not for casual usage.
     
    Fragilexx, Jul 19, 2009
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  8. pachaim

    pachaim Notebook Enthusiast

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    If you're comfortable undervolting, then I would even more strongly recommend the 6400. I got it and found I was able to achieve a 20 degree drop in max temp and about 30 mins more battery life.
     
    pachaim, Jul 19, 2009
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  9. Fragilexx

    Fragilexx Get'cha head in the game

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    30 minutes more battery and 20 degrees Celsius drop from undervolting? Wow, that's impressive.

    However, if you understand undervolting then you'll know that just because that is what happened to your CPU, it doesn't mean it will happen to all T6400s.
     
    Fragilexx, Jul 19, 2009
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  10. mookotheking

    mookotheking Newbie

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    Would the t4200 be good enough for HD movie streaming or playing high bitrate HD videos in vlc? I'm not too concerned about battery life since I don't plan on carrying it around too much. I am currently using a e4300 1.8ghz in my desktop. How would the t4200 or p8600 compare to it?
     
    mookotheking, Jul 20, 2009
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  11. Mastershroom

    Mastershroom wat

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    The T4200 will be just fine for HD video.
     
    Mastershroom, Jul 20, 2009
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  12. allfiredup

    allfiredup Notebook Virtuoso

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    I wouldn't pay $175 more for the P8600, but what about the options between it and the T4200? For $50, you can get the 2.1GHz T6500 (with double the L2 cache memory- 2mb vs. 1mb)! IMO, that would be $50 well spent.
     
    allfiredup, Jul 20, 2009
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  13. Mastershroom

    Mastershroom wat

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    Agreed. If you're going to upgrade the processor at all, the T6500 (not P6500!) is a good choice.
     
    Mastershroom, Jul 20, 2009
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  14. allfiredup

    allfiredup Notebook Virtuoso

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    I fixed it...all those Ts and Ps are crazy-making! :eek:
     
    allfiredup, Jul 20, 2009
    #14