Picking between two models (E-series)....opinions?

These are the two I'm looking at:

1) Sony VAIO 15.6" AMD Athlon II X2 P320 Laptop (VPCEE23FDWI) - White - Future Shop Exclusive - Future Shop

Sony VAIO 15.6" AMD Athlon II X2 P320 Laptop- $580 CDN
* AMD Athlon II X2 P320 processing and 4GB DDR3 system memory deliver the high-speed performance you need for on-the-go computing
* Store photos, songs, videos, documents and more on the 320GB hard drive
* Burn up to 8.5GB of data to compatible DVDs with the Super Multi combo drive
* The 15.5" LED-backlit display offers a stunning 1366x768 resolution without draining your battery
* Integrated 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi lets you connect with your online world wherever a wireless connection exists
* Snap photos or chat face-to-face with the built-in MOTION EYE web cam and microphone
* An HDMI output delivers video and audio to external sources via a single cable so you can enjoy HD entertainment on your compatible big screen TV without a myriad of extra cables
* Transfer files to and from the hard drive using the 4 USB ports and memory card reader
* Pre-installed with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit for a more robust and reliable mobile PC experience

2) Sony VAIO 15.5" Laptop featuring Intel Core i3 - 350M (VPCEB24FDB) - Black - Best Buy Canada

Sony VAIO 15.5" Laptop featuring Intel Core i3 - 350M - $700 CDN
* Intel Core i3-350M processing and 4GB of RAM
* 500GB hard drive
* Wireless N (802.11a/b/g/n)
* Pre-installed Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
* HDMI, VGA, USB and media card connectivity options

* * *

I'm really only using the machine for relatively "light" purposes (surfing, MS Office, music, etc) so I know that machine #1 would be more than sufficient.

However, I'm just curious if it would be worthwhile to spend the additional $130 to "upgrade" to the second model? The two main differences I see are the processor (AMD Athlon II vs. i3) and the hard drive size (320GB vs 500 GB) - and of course the colour (since the $580 one is not available in black). Everything else seems to be about the same. Even though I know machine #2 would be a bit "excessive" for my needs, I don't mind paying the additional money if the upgrades are worthwhile.

Any thoughts?

 

since you are saying your usage are mainly light purposes, the second option seem ideal but its expensive. the first option having an advantage at its graphic while the option two have an advantage at battery life.

if you doesnt mind about the battery life, and prefer to buy at lower cost, the first option would be the best.

 

The main difference is maybe half an hour of battery life.

The AMD has faster graphics and the Intel a faster CPU, but unless you use them both next to each other, you won't notice the difference.

If you like the color white I would go for the cheapest one

 

The chassis on the intel unit is nicer too. It has an expresscard slot, and the Sony special buttons. The AMD model does not. I would not buy a laptop without an expresscard slot.

 

Good find! I missed that one!
It is always good to have an express card slot, because then you can add things you maybe need later like usb3, firewire etc.
It is great to have the option.