Is an upgrade from the c2d T5600 to the T7200 worth $100?

so far i have customized two laptops with the exact configuration and price, except one has the T5600 while the other has the T7200. however, i'm leaning to the one with the t5600. should i fork over the $100 to upgrade? if i didn't upgrade it to the t7200, would i notice any drastic difference in basic internetting/multitasking?

 

For $100, I guess it's worth it.

In a blind fold test you prolly could not much tell the difference just doing normal things, but you will have a lil' more headroom, and a lil' more attractive computer to resell.

I didn't look it up. I assume the T5600 is the 1.66? If it's the 1.83 than, possibly not worth it.

Raw clock speed only helps for ripping and encoding. Multitasking is more ram at this point. Internet, meh, any computer can internet.

 

i think the L2 cache is worth the 100...

t5600 only has 2MB, whil the T200 has 4MB.

 

If you dont plan on doing anything intensive, get the cheap one as it will do just as good for you. If you wanna have a powerhouse, spend the extra money.

 

Like others above have said, it'll depend on your needs. For example, I'm about to buy a computer with a T7200 b/c the extra cache will be good for the audio work I'll be doing in the next few years. Otherwise I'd go with the lower spec one b/c on normal stuff it shouldn't make much of a difference.

What will you be using the laptop for?

 

T5500 = 1.66 Ghz
T5600 = 1.83 Ghz

 

The cache difference is worth the upgrade.

 

You will notice a huge difference in the realized performance of your 2nd core.

The speed of the cpu doesnt matter in this case its the cache and the memory bus.

Now 100 I dont know. It will save you a lot of time over the course of owning your computer and I tihnk it will save you that much $

 

I myself had the same problem when ordering my HP dv9000t but eventually decided on getting the T7200. It has twice the cache (4 vs 2mB) and so you can see a pretty decent performance gain there. Also, the 7200 will let your notebook last longer before becoming archaic. But if you don't plan to use your notebook for a very long time, even a T5500 or an older Yonah will be fine for you.

 

If that's the case, then... 2GB ram (esp with an eye towards vista) would be a better use for the money.

If you have enough ram, and your hard drive pleases you, then the T7200 becomes more plausible.

Even with the cache, the 1.83 v. 2.0 really close in everything but rendering and ripping and ecoding, and even then, pretty close.

Of course, the ram and the hard drive are easily upgraded later, wheres the CPU is not really easy nor cost effective to upgrade later.

 

The extra 2MB of cache is the whole point of going C2D. If you don't want it, then just get a CD notebook (they're still selling those) at a higher clock and more RAM. I know the prices should be the same between CD and C2D, but they're usually not so you'll still save by getting a CD.