Vostro 1500: which upgrade?

Which upgrade should I get? 1.6 processor and webcam(for $105) or the 8600 GC($100)? I don't want to spend more.I plan on doing some light photo and video editing and some low to mid-range gaming.Which one will allow the computer to perform better?Will the upgrade in processor make that much a difference? I'm thinking if I dont upgrade the GC ..I can always make up for that with more RAM later. Thanks.

 

If you game, definitely the 8600GT. If not, go for the faster cpu. Also, more ram will not make gaming better if you don't get the good gpu.

So get 2gb of ram and the 8600GT if you game, or the cpu if you don't game too much.

 

Ok I'm leaning towards getting the better cpu.That would be more practical.Even with the better GC...I still wont be blazing through new games.It's pretty hard to keep up with PC gaming and GCs these days..especially on a laptop.

Any more thoughts?

 

Only to a certain extent. The graphics card is usually always the bottleneck in more demanding 3D games so the only thing that will for sure help you there is the faster graphics card.

If you plan on playing any new games or some that come out in the future (what if there is a new sequel to an older game you really liked?) then the upgraded GPU is what to get. Personally I'd get the graphics card.

As far as 'future-proofing' goes, if the 1.4GHz processor is incapable of running a program than the 1.6GHz one will be too. So, there's not much of a point to upgrading. Now if you were debating between the 1.4 and the 2.0 then that would be more significant. But not 200MHz.
Here's something to think about - if you bought a 2.2GHz Pentium 4 a few years ago instead of the 2.4GHz one, would it really matter in today's terms? At all? No.

 

ok thats a good point.Thanks
But I do see a lot of ppl upgrading to 1.6ghz on their configuration for some reason.

 

Now I'm considering upping the cpu to 2.0ghz for $130 which isn't too bad,instead of the GC.What do you think?

 

Get the GPU upgrade, it is the single most important thing you can do right now.

 

I'd honesly try to save up another ~$100 or whatever it may be and get both (that is GPU and 2.0GHz CPU).

It will be worth it in the long run.

That said, if you want to do any gaming of recent games, I'd aslo reccomend the GPU upgrade.

 

That is a much better deal - 600MHz per core for $130.

I agree with Mark, you should wait until you have another $100 and then pull the trigger on both upgrades. I also think it will be worth it in the long run.