HP NC8430 T2500 or T7200, suitable screen

Hi, everybody.

I am looking for a desktop replacement for my home and I narrowed my choice to HP's NC8430. I'll use the notebook mainly for photo editing (Adobe Photo Shop CS), multimedia applications, Internet browsing and basic MS Office stuff. Gaming capabilities are not so important.
The only thing that's been bothering me is which CPU should I choose - Intel Core Dual T2500 with 2 MB or Intel Core 2 Dual T7200 with 4 MB? Price difference is rather small, T2500 being some 80 USD cheaper. What kind of difference in performance will I be able to see between the two notebooks?

The second question I have is the screen. I chose 15,4 inch WSXGA+ s wide viewing angle screen with resolution of 1680 x 1050. Any first hand experiences with photo editing? Is color reproduction OK? I'll calibrate the screen using Color Wizzard but I would like to know how the screen looks "out of the box". If I'm not mistaken we are speaking about the "old fashion" screen with mate (anti-reflective) surface.

I would like to thank you for your kind help.

Have a nice day,

5R

 

Well, I'm not too sure where you're buying it from, but no one should be charging a different price for the Core 2 at the same speed as Core (1). If there are a few other differences in the models (hard drive, RAM configuration, etc) then maybe the $80 is for a reason.

Anyway, the T7400 will outperform the T2500 by ~5%...but it is 64-bit so you'll be a little more prepared for 64-bit software (Vista, etc).

Yes, the nc8430 has the matte screen.

If you don't game, why don't you look at the nx7400 (w/ GMA950)? It is basically the same notebook as the nc8430 but without the X1600. They also have the nc6400 (with X1300 GPU), if you want something in between.

I warn you though...if you plan on any gaming (think about your future desires here too), at least don't get the GMA 950!

 

I say (and have always said) don't be too concern with the CPU as your primary criteria. The differences are not like huge. Concentrate on those features which are not or easily upgradable such as LCD screen and hard drive.

 

Between those two, for an $80 difference I'd go with the T7200 - you probably won't notice the performance difference (it's about ~5 - 15% depending on application, iirc) but the extra cache and the 64-bit capability make it more future-proof.
And the screen is beautiful I just got mine.

 

Gentlemen,

Thank you very much for your help. I figured out why the model with Intel Core Dual T2500 is 80 bucks cheaper - dealer considers it as an "outgoing model" and is willing to give me a better price to get rid of it. It's not a significant price difference so I'll most likely swallow it and be "more Vista ready" - whenever that thing comes out... I'll stick with the notebook equipped with ATI X1600 graphic card - well, never say never for gaming and be prepared...

Have a nice day,

5R