DV9500t or DV9500z?

After browsing around I noticed many people are buying the dv9500t. Looking at the HP website I can get one thats close to the same price as the 9500z I was looking at buying. What are the major differences between an amd and an intel processor? That seems to be the most noticeable difference between the 9500t and 9500z. What influenced others decisions to buy the 9500t? I just would like to make sure I spend my money wisely
Thanks,
-Zach

 

Also note that this is my first laptop. Can you upgrade the hard drive in laptops the same way you can for a desktop? I don't have the money to spend on a larger hard drive at the moment but I know I will need one in the future. The specs for the dv9500z im looking at getting are as follows:

HP Pavilion dv9500z customizable Notebook PC
CC958AV

* – Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
* – AMD Turion(TM) 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology TL-60 (2.0 GHz, 512KB+512KB L2 Cache )
* – 17.0" WXGA+ High-Definition Ultra HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1440 x 900)
* – 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* – 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
* – HP Imprint (Radiance) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone
* – FREE Upgrade to 802.11a/b/g/n (draft 802.11n) WLAN and Bluetooth!!
* – 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
* – FREE Upgrade to LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support!!
* – No TV Tuner w/remote control
* – High Capacity 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

And this will run me about $1,038 if I use the 30% coupon code.

 

The main difference is that Intel processors are cooler than the ones manufactured by AMD. Laptop hardrives are very easy easy to change, so you don't have to worry about it.

 

cooler meaning: faster (my experience), less heat, less power, more L2 Cache.

my cousin has the AMD and its not bad either. its REAL quiet at idle and cool while idle, but it heats up while in use. so does the intel, but not as much.

 

I had the DV6000z (AMD Turion) and now I have a DV6000t (intel core 2 duo). The AMD was much hotter (the CPU core temperature was usually around 60 degrees compared to 25-40 degrees for the Intel), and this caused the fans to be running most of the time which made it much louder. Also, the battery will not last as long per charge. The only major complaint I have about the intel processor is the high-pitched buzzing noise, but this can be disabled using RMClock.

 

Like most people, my laptop will only be plugged in at home when the battery is low. I am a graphics person and I do plan on putting in Arctic Silver 5. Will this compensate enough for the heat difference? Thanks for all the fast replys!
-Zach

 

The heat issue is a bit overblown. My Turion X2 idles at ~40C and the max I have seen is 70C. So, the reports of 60C idle seems to indicate problems with that machine rather than the norm. As long as you have a good ventilation and given the fact that the dv9500z is lot bigger and has more room for better cooling systems, I wouldnt expect it to run hot. The Turions are slower than equivalent C2D's. If you can findone within the same price range and equivalent specifications, then I would suggest the C2D system over the Turion.

 

If HP is using thermal pads on CPUs instead of grease, someone needs a cluestick beating. Are you sure about that? It's bad enough that they use the things on GPUs, same goes for most OEMs. The last notebook I took apart (Compaq V2000z) had a bit of foil coated in grease, not quite as efficient as just grease but probably much more reliable to apply.

At this point, all AMD CPUs shipping from HP should be 65nm and that should narrow the power consumption difference with Intel a bit. The nVidia 7150 chipset in the 6500z/9500z might have improved on the older 6150 a bit too, but both will burn more power than Intel's chipsets thanks to Intel's power-efficient but otherwise pathetic excuse for an integrated GPU.

As a rule I recommend buying AMD and skipping the Intel marketing tax but sometimes there are options that aren't made available on the AMD line for no discernible engineering reason.

 

Yeah the 65NM is much nicer than the 90NM, I just bought a brisbane core cpu for my desktop and it uses much less power and runs cooler than my old amd XP.