Dell 1555 - upgrade options

Hello,
I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to the tech stuff so please be patient with me!
I've just ordered a Dell with the following spec:

Studio 1555 : Intel Core 2 Duo T6500(2.1GHz,800MHz,2MB) 1
Display : 15.6in Widescreen High Definition (1366X768) WLED with TrueLife 1
Memory : 4096MB (2x2048) 800MHz DDR2 Dual Channel 1
Hard Drive 320GB SATA (5400rpm) 1
Graphics : 512 MB ATI Mobility RADEON HD 4570 1
Wireless : Intel WiFi Link 5100 (802.11 a/b/g/n 1X2) 1/2 MiniCard European 1
Wireless Label (Intel Wireless Cards)- Core 2 Duo 1

Primarily, I plan to use it for use at internet hotspots, and playing movies through my TV.
It would also be good to be able to put the odd game on if I get the time though this is not a major priority. (I like Oblivion, Half Life 2 etc)

I was wondering if was worth considering the follwing upgrade options:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40Ghz, 3MB, 1066MHz) [add £80.00]

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P7350 (2.0 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 3 MB L2 Cache) [add £50.00]

Or would it not make enough difference to warrant the price?

Thanks
HH

 

The T6500 is more than enough for your use. I would recommend to save your money.

Based on what I've read both T6500 and P8600 in Studio 1555 get about 3:30 hours surfing the web.

If you are more of heavy user the P will give a bit more battery life.

 

Thanks for the advice!
What about gaming (even though don't plan on doing much of it) ...would it be able to handle it?
(Oblivion, HL2 etc....quite like the look of Left 4 Dead but think it may be a bit too new...)

 

left 4 dead will work nicely on it.
It's a bit of a short game, but very fun to play casually

The only reason to upgrade the CPU is that it will give the notebook a slightly longer usefull life.

If you have the money then take the P8600.

 

I thought upgrading 2MB to 3MB may make the difference
If not so much, I think I'll stick with the original config then...
Thanks for your help!

 

I'm quite sure that the P8600 is a better processor with faster FSB clock speed and bigger L2 cache. Not to mention it uses less power than T6500 so ur battery life should be more and not to mention ur comp will be faster. Go for P8600.

 

Hello,
Thanks for all the advice.
Do you think the speed difference will be great enough to warrant paying another £80 though?
If a big difference . I'll go for it...if marginal then I'll stick with the original config.
Thanks again!!!
HH

 

Get the 256MB GPU instead and upgrade to the P8600 processor.

 

If the GPU is the same and only memory amount differs, get the 256MB one since 512MB will give you no benefit in any game.

 

There is no need for him tp reduce the GPU memory or anything. 4570 is the best GPU u can have in studio 15. BTW having a faster processor will help in day to day tasks and also in loading games and decoding blue ray movies etc. Also u do need a lot of CPU power also in playing games like GTA 4 . Also ur GPU isn't so good so extra CPU power will help in games especially with windows 7's new wrap feature in which the CPU can help to increase GPU power so that u can play games which were hard to play. So if u got no qualms about the cpu upgrade get P8600. I myself would try to get a XPS M1730 or SXPS 16 which would give better performance the studio 15.

 

^Yes but there is no difference between the 256MB 4570 and the 512MB 4570, except price.

 

there is a difference... if u wanna play a game on high settings having more GPU memory helps....

 

Thanks for the advice...
I'm getting some mixed messages and am now even more confused!
Sean 473 makes some interesting points.
Would others go along with his point of view as well (ie upgrading to P8600 would be £80 well spent)
Looks like I've got some thinking to do...
Thanks again for the fantastic response.
HH

 

Might you want to purchase the 9 cell battery for longer battery powered sessions?

Also, I don't see a 256 MB video card option from where I am. :/

 

Hello,
Battery life isn't a massive issue for me.
Only likely to use it around 2 hours a time on the road.
Also, you are right I don't have an option to downgrade the video card
Thanks
HH

 

This is incorrect. For a 64-bit GPU, 512MB will yield ZERO performance benefit over 256MB cards in gaming. If this was a high end 256-bit GPU, you would notice a difference, but the fact is, the card isn't powerful enough to utilize the extra memory efficiently so it is wasted.

 

Wrong. They both are 64 bit, and therefore the 512 MB isn't any better than the 256 MB. Why? Because the 64 bit gpu isn't able to utilize the extra 256 MB. Heres an example, say you can write with both hands simultaneously, in theory you can write twice as fast. What would happen if I gave you 2 more pencils? You don't know how to write with your feet, so you will still only be able to write at the same speed as if you had 2 pencils.

The only situation where you would want this 512 option is like the OP's case where you can't downgrade, or if you need it for a coupon to work (like my case). There are no performance benefits.

To the OP: I would recommend the P8600 upgrade, for the reasons stated above. The P8600 card will run slightly cooler aswell.

 

How in the hell can the P8600 use less power than a P7350 or T6500? Also, if gaming really isn't a priority, the extra cpu power is pretty much wasted if all he is doing is playing movies and watching TV.

 

Agreed, stick w/ T6500 and save your money.

 

So if I was doing more gaming it would be worth upgrading to the P8600?
But for office work, surfing net, watching movies (HD) my original config will suffice?
Actually, could I edit HD home movies with my orig or upgraded config or is this task a bit too meaty?
Thanks again
HH

 

My sister's laptop has a T7250/T5870 (can not recall which one..) and mine has a P8600 and in general use you can't tell the difference. For gaming, it depends on the graphics card more. With the better CPU you might gain 2-3 FPS, depending on the game.

 

i still would say that get the P8600. It will help in playing HD video etc. I wpuld recommend that you get a studio XPS 16 which would cost you more but still would give much better performance for price and certainly decode HD movies more quickly. Not to mention you'll be able to play many good games with the 4670 GPU in it. But this will cost you 300 pounds more. If u want a laptop that lasts longer(meaning doesn't get obsolete easily like studio 15 get studio xps 16)

 

Also here's a link from dell's online website in UK since i guess your gonna buy ur laptop from there.

for xps 16

http://www1.euro.dell.com/uk/en/hom...d=laptop-studio-xps-16&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1&~ck=mn

i would get the 3rd 900 pound configuration as u get a blue ray dvd player which will help you see hd videos. Also you get DDR 3 memory better processor etc. It really up to your choice.

 

Some HD movies can be decoded in real-time on a 2GHz single-core intel core processor; my p8600 can play my HD videos locked at 1.6GHZ (not using DXVA).

Also, 300 pounds is pretty much half the cost of the computer.

 

Thanks again for some very useful comments...
I like the look of the xps but my budget won't stretch that far.
I'm after a laptop that will keep me going for the next 2-3 years.
As I mentioned, gaming isn't a priority but I do enjoy the odd game...so if it makes a big difference to gaming and editing/playing back my HD movies I might consisder shelling out the extra £80. If not a great deal of difference, I'll stick with the original config that I have on order.
Thanks again!!
HH

 

You don't need a powerful processor to play HD movies. A T6500 is going to play anything you want. Also you are very graphics card limited with this setup so a faster processor really isn't going to make a big difference in gaming.

 

Thanks Trottel
What about straight forwarded editing of HD content?
Still not much difference because of video card?

 

i'll be frank with you. Faster processor and faster GPU will help in anything. the 4670 is a very high medium class GPU, almost in the top end GPU class whereas the 4570 is even 10 times worse than my 9600M GT. And whenever you do anything with HD content max power of both is good to have. The studio XPS 16 is much more worth to have and has much better features and will not become obsolete quickly unlike the studio 15. So if i were you, i'd pay the extra cash and buy the XPS 16, especially since you play around with HD content.

 

Thanks for the reply...
I have a budget and I will stick to it...even if it means getting a lower spec machine (need to feed the wife and kids!)
I'm definitelty getting the studio laptop (it's on order) and there is no option to upgrade the graphics card...
Bearing this in mind...is it worth upgrading the processor...
Or will the higher spec processor still not be able to handle basic HD video edits? If not, it's not a major issue... Just wondering if, by shelling out an extra £80 I can significantly increase what the machine can do?
(Or will I be wasting my money?)
I've had points of view either way... looking for the definitive answer (if I haven't already had it!)
Thanks again to all of you for a great response!
HH

 

CPU upgrades are rarely worth it, especially as you climb up the ranks. It gets exponentially more expensive for very small increases in performance.

 

^ Good advice.

None of the tasks the OP performs (internet, playing movies, Oblivion, Half Life 2) needs more than T6500.

An SU9400 (Core 2 Duo 1.4Ghz) with Intel 4500 is already enough to play HD movies.

 

good luck then....

 

Not much luck will be needed in my opinion. On the SU3500 I can already play most 1080p files quite well, and that's 1.4GHz Single Core.

 

Okay...I think I will stick with my original config.
Thanks for all your help I really appreciate it.
HH