Processor Difference.

I'm getting ready to buy the new FW490, but there's a processor difference I'm not sure of. Which is better? What's the overall performance difference between them?

Processor

* Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T6500 (2.10GHz) [subtract $50.00]
* Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P7350 (2.00GHz)
* Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8700 (2.53GHz) [add $50.00]
* Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8800 (2.66GHz) [add $100.00]

 

Depends what you are using your computer/CPU for. The T6500 has less cache than the rest and has higher TDP. But if you are just using it for day-to-day tasks and GPU limited gaming, then it would be more than fine. The difference in performance won't be noticeable for this type of usage.

 

OK, the processor with "P" in front of them are power efficient processors; so they use less power and generate less heat.

Here is a link that might prove useful to you in the future:

http://processorfinder.intel.com/

Anyway, I looked up the processors from that page and the differences are:

T6500 - 2.10GHz 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB
P7350 - 2.00GHz 3MB L2 Cahce 1066MHz FSB
P8700 - 2.53GHz 3MB L2 Cache 1066MHz FSB
P8800 - 2.66GHz 3MB L2 Cache 1066MHz FSB

OK, so now the FSB is the front side bus speed, and the faster it is the better. L2 Cache is a small amount of memory that the processor can access much faster than the RAM, and typically again the more the better.

Here's the thing, the last 3 you list, the only difference is that different multipliers have been unlocked; they're all the same processor really.

So as to performance. Well I'd probably suggest dropping the first one, and maybe the second one too and going with the third one. The extra $50 from the third to the last is crazy, you really are not going to notice the difference.

To be honest, you might not even notice the difference with any of the others. It depends on what you are using the machine for and how you intend to use it - i.e. if you are using it for some word processing and internet surfing and will be using it on AC adaptor most of the time then you'd not notice either way and even sticking with the first one would be absolutely fine. If you are going to be crunching some numbers in some processor hungry tasks such as using SPSS then you'd notice the difference. Again, if you are going to be using the machine away from an AC adaptor then you might notice the difference between the top one and any of the others.

Hope that helps

 

As the above have said, what are you using it for?

You can have an i7 setup and you won't have see any benefits from it (vs those cpus) if you're just... surfing the web or watching movies.

 

I will be Burning movies/ Copying movies, Video editing, Web Design/ Development, Photoshop, Microsoft Office. And Some basic gaming. Nothing HARDCORE like Call of Duty or anything to that extreme. I do play Sim City 4 every now and then.

 

Video encoding is quite an intensive process. Me personally, I'd go with the P8700, but if you want to save the pennies then the others will be absolutely fine for what you are going to use it for.