Which processor to get now?

Now that the new processors are out, which one is the one people recommend to get now?

With the T7xxx it was pretty clear that the jump from 2MB cache to 4MB would be the best upgrade for the price, but now I can't tell.

Core 2 Duo T8100 - 2.1 GHz, 3 Mb, 800 MHz, P
Core 2 Duo T8300 - 2.4 GHz, 3 Mb, 800 MHz, P
Core 2 Duo T9300 - 2.5 GHz, 6 Mb, 800 MHz, P
Core 2 Duo T9500 - 2.6 GHz, 6 Mb, 800 MHz, P

Is it the T8300? It seems to be placed and priced where the T7500 used to be. But if you look at T8100 vs T8300 it's only .3 GHz difference. Is that really a big difference?

If you go to T9300 that goes to a 6Mb cache. But, the T9300 is considerably more expensive than the T8300. Is it worth it?

 

I don't know the price jump between the T8100 and the T8300 but 300Mhz doesn't seem worth it. I never bought the high-end CPU. I always pick something in the middle. You get some of the benefits of the higher CPU but without the pricetag. Maybe you should settle on the T8300.

 

I don't think the T9300 is very justifiable for the price jump over the T8300. Sure it has twice the cache, but the clock speed probably makes a much bigger difference. 100 extra mhz is barely anything. Yeah, T8300 seems to be the best value.

 

All 4 of those processors are very powerful. Even the T8100 is probably more than enough for your needs.

 

I agree, all of those CPUs are great performers.

I recommend either sticking with the T8100 or ponying up for the T9300. The reason being is that as The Punisher said, the 300MHz gain from the T8100 -> T8300 is not worth it, however the 6MB cache in the T9300 is worth it for more CPU intensive applications like encoding. If you're not doing CPU intensive apps, then just stick with the T8100.

 

Ah.. except Dell has chosen to not sell the T8100.

 

i dont know about that thing you mentioned about 300mhz doesnt matter, just to tell you when i OCed my t7200 from 2ghz to 2.25ghz i got 8FPS increase in UT3 with my alienware m9750.

 

Dell's CPU prices seem more expensive than others.

 

ya...I agree with you!