Trying To Choose a Processor

Hi everyone. I am hours away from customizing a dv2000t. One of my big decisions is the choice of a processor. I don't play games or edit movies or anything like that. I use the internet, email, Microsoft Office, and a program that consists mostly of electronic books. In the future I will also be downloading music for personal use, using some type of page layout program, and creating websites using html code.

My problem: I know that most people on this site will recommend that if I'm going with Intel I should choose Core Duo or Core 2 Duo. My problem is that this increases my price by $150, and there are other things I could spend that extra money on. With what I plan to do with my computer, do I really need to spend the extra money?

The basic configuration is Celeron M. Would that processor serve my needs well enough or should I at least upgrade to Core Solo, which is $105 more?

I can afford Core Duo, but don't want to do so if it is a waste of my money and won't make much difference in my computer for what I'm using it for.

 

Core 2 Duo will be more future proof. If you want to do any gaming.. make sure you at least get a dedicated card. Nothing less than a 7400/X1400

 

No, I'm not a gamer and don't anticipate becoming one.

 

The core solo should run a little cooler, faster and more effeciently than the celeron M (=old pentium M). But if you are just doing non-cpu intensive tasks, the celeron is just fine. My mom has one and she has no complaints. Future-proof is a good point though and a reason to look at the Core 2.

 

Core2Duo would be a much safer bet, being 64-bit capable. It's a good option to have. Definitely buy the upgraded GeForce graphics card.

Or... check out the dv2000z series and configure a Turion X2 CPU. You'll get 64-bit capability and a decent GPU for a lot less money. I suspect the slightly longer battery life the dv2000t gets will be of lesser importance to you, but consider the 12 cell battery regardless. And spend the few extra bucks for Bluetooth, especially if you think you'll eventually have a Bluetooth-capable cell phone, mouse, etc.

 

I know Core2Duo is the best. My question is do I really need it based on what I will be using the computer for? Also, I did check out the DV2000z and the cost was only about $40 less than the 2000t.

 

Hmm, looks like the price diff is a lot less on the dv2000 series than it is on the dv6000. They're running a pretty nice sale on the dv6000z's at the moment.

The wildcard is how necessary 64-bit capability will be. If you're going to upgrade to Windows Vista within the lifetime of the notebook then you might as well go straight to the 64-bit edition. With the Core Duo you can't do that, the new C2D's are the only Intel choice. Since AMD designed the x86-64 instruction set their notebook chips have been 64-bit capable for years so any Turion X2 will do (Semprons may or may not be 64-bit capable and they're single core anyhow). It's possible that you'll never bother with Vista, in which case the Core Duo will be adequate.

 

I'm quite sure I don't care about upgrading to Vista, but I am concerned about my laptop being at least a little future proof.

 

I would stay away from the celeron, its basically the same as pentium m, but without all the power saving - which is VERY important in a laptop. There's a reason why its cheaper. If you are intersted, find the retail and oem pricing for the cpu models you are considering.

Integrated graphics use sytem memory, so if you plan on doing any multitasking I would recommend AT least a 1gb of ram, but 2gb is a better bet to avoid paging (writing to hard drive) when using vitual memory. Laptop drives are slower than desktop drives (most anyway) and this kills performance fast.

If you do alot of multitasking (who doesnt these days?) think about a dual core cpu. But this is more of a luxury item and if you on a budget I would throw money at the first two i mentioned. You can always upgrade latter (well you might want to make sure of that if you are considering it) and sell your core solo, though i wouldnt expect to get much for it.

 

I've already customized using 1gb of ram and Core Solo. The cost is about $860. Going to Core Duo would only be an extra $45, so it might be worth it.