T6600 Vs P8700

Hi im planning on buying a computer that can have a p8700 for 110$ more. is it worth it? and also 3gb from 1gb ddr3 memory for 40$ more. thanks

 

Assuming you're running Window 7, then yes for both the CPU and the RAM.

Also assuming that you will not be trading in this notebook for a couple of years at least and that you need and can use the much more efficient (faster) CPU for your computing work needs.

If you can get 6GB RAM for $80 more and Win 7 x64 all the better.

This also depends on the total cost of the notebook. If you're looking at $500 total, then no (except for the ram) if you're looking at $1,000 or more then a solid Yes!

 

The P8700 is around 16% more powerful than the T6600, also the P8700 uses less power and support virtulization.

But unless you use a lot of cpu intensive applications you will see very little difference between them.

 

Thank you very much. I'm on a tight budget but I will be able to take both since its worth the investment.

 

It is worth the investment only if you'll use them

 

From a performance perspective more than likely not unless you plan to do CPU intensive stuff. The extra power savings of the P series CPUs offer more value if you need the battery. If none of those is true, the T6600 is the best option.

 

Hey guys,

I can see how you might recommend buying what you need, but for a 10-20% increase in cost, you may have a useful computer twice as long as what you thought initially.

Never buy just what you currently need in computing power - always buy what you can afford (or finance!).

 

Do you run any virtual machines with VirtualPC or VMWare, or, do you plan on using XP Mode under Windows 7? If so, the P8700 is for you.

If battery life is a big factor, the P8700 is also your choice. You may gain an additional 10% runtime, with an approximate 10% performance increase due to a slightly increased cache, higher clockspeed, and higher front-side bus speed.

Otherwise, stay with the T6600, or use the extra $110 to bump up something else, like RAM or hard drive size, or both. Consider buying the extra RAM and hard drive aftermarket, and installing them yourself, as you can save a lot of money that way.

 

Go with the P8700. Just because.

 

I found some conflicting information about the T6600. On Lenovo's Service website, their page about the Penryn processor series (dated January 2009) says that all of them (including the T6600) support Intel Virtualization Technology.

www.lenovoservicetraining.com/ion/PSREF/PENRYN.pdf

It also says it here --

http://www.x86-guide.com/en/cpu/Intel-Core-2-Duo-T6600-cpu-no3512.html

and here --

http://review.zdnet.com/product/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-y450-4189-p-t6600-22-ghz-14-tft/33787381

Of course, you go to Intel's page on the T6600, and it says the opposite.

http://ark.intel.com/Compare.aspx?ids=37255

A new revision?

I assume it's a typo on Lenovo's part (or Intel intentionally disabled it to persuade upgrades), though it's very curious that the T5500 and T5600 (and other lower powered models) DO support Intel Virtualization Technology. What gives?

I'm also not clear on why virtualization is not enabled -- (or should I say hardware virtualization) - on all Intel processors, especially considering almost all mainstream CPUs they make are dual-core or better.

Previously, I was able to use VMWare without any problem on an AMD Sempron 3100+ (which, per Wikipedia, could not even run virtualized OSes), and even remember demoing 'Virtual PC' a LOOOOONG time ago on a Mac with a Motorola 68040 at 25MHz (with only 8MB of total system RAM) that emulated PC hardware while running Windows 3.1 (very slowly) without a hitch. And to think that both were single core.

I'm sure my understanding and the reality of virtualization today are not identical. I assume there is more hardware assistance for better performance, instead of having it done in software.

I recently ordered a Lenovo IdeaPad Y550 with the T6600, but would have upgraded to the P8700 for this functionality. I guess I don't understand why it's not standard on all Intel CPUs.

Hopefully someone can clue me in....

 

VMWare can run 32-bit operating systems on CPUs with no virtualization. However, it cannot run 64-bit ones without it.

I found that out on my dual-Xeon (Irwindale) 3GHz Precision 670 workstation at work. Wanted to run Server 2008 R2 as a VM, but couldn't, even though the Irwindale is a 64-bit CPU.

 

just go for the T6600 then after a year buy a dirty cheap T8700 (or better) and upgrade it yourself

 

If you are on a tight budget it certainly isn't worth it at all. While the P8700 might be X% faster, the chances that you can tell are more like 0-0.5%.

 

I honestly couldn't think of worse advice. Stretch you budget as far as you can? Give me a break. Buy a ferrari today because it will have a higher resale value in 5 years than a ford!

Also how in the hell will a P8700 have twice the useful life of a T6600? Anything that runs slow on a T6600 is going to run slow on a P8700.