Worth the upgrade?

T500 w/ P8600 and 4g ram. I'd like to run SC2 a bit smoother at higher resolution so being a cpu intensive game, would it make sense to upgrade to a T9900?

T9900 goes for 300-350 on ebay, I could sell the p8600 for another $100 thus making the upgrade cost 200-250. Is this worth it?

The T9900 appears to perform similar to an i5 520M\540M which is quite a big step from the P8600.

 

At the very most you'll get a 27.5% increase in performance. In your game of choice you will probably see much less improvement than this though (keep it in mind).

With a 40% increase in total heat output (at max, 100%, cpu use). (This is only dependant on how well designed your notebook is now for dissipating heat - I'm sure it's not meant to dissipate the heat output of a processor that is rated 35W instead of 25W though).

All this and the priviledge of spending ~$250 too.

I say, no - a new system is in order - start saving.

Unless:

The performance increase will keep you happy for about a year or so...

The heat output can be effectively controlled in your current notebook.

Are you already using a notebook cooler? If you are, how effective is it?

Lastly, how much can you sell your current system as-is to put towards a new system now?

Good luck.

 

I upgraded my CPU from P7450 to T9900 about a month ago. The program I often use is CPU intensive. For example, it took me 3 hours to finish one project w/P7450, but now I can finish the same project in 2 hours w/T9900.

The temp went down from 45C to 32C @ idle. And it goes up to 61C @ 100% CPU usage, so overall I'm happy with the upgrade.

I wouldn't pay $300 though. One ebay seller had six T9900s. His buy-it-now price was $250 or best offer. I offered $200 and he accepted. Someone offered $185 and he also took that offer.

 

Thanks for the data points HRK, the absolute time gains are impressive, but you also went from an almost 44% clock increase to gain 33%.

Of course, diminishing returns... but if the absolute gains are worth it, then it is worth, what it is worth (to each of us).

 

I agree with your point though. Save up and get a new laptop.

In my case, I'm planning to use my current laptop for another 6~7 months. That means $200 divided by 210 days (7 months) = $0.95 per day. So, that doesn't sound so bad.

 

Also depends on what the video card is, but if you plan on keeping it for a few more years it's "worth" the upgrade.

 

HD 3650 I believe

 

Ive had my notebook for 2years and its served me very well. Great build quality and the cooling mechanism is flawless. I am definitely going to keep it another 2years so I think this will be worth the upgrade.

HRK- do you still remember that seller's name?