Amd Turion vs Core 2 Duo

rmorrin

Hi

I hope this is the correct place for posting. I was just hoping to get a bit of advice from people who'd be a lot more informed than myself on the subject.

I'm looking at two dell laptops, namely the inspiron 1520 and 1521 and I was just wondering if anyone could help me on them.

Basically from what I've read, I'm better off sticking with XP. That is only an option for the 1520, although I could possibly install XP on the other machine (1521) later on if I wanted to.

In my humble opinion, it seems that the 1520 is a better machine to go with. What I've tried to do is give each machine as similar specs as I can and compare.

So basically what I'm looking at is

1520:
approx 1100 Euro
Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 (2.2 GHz /800 MHz FSB/ 4MB L2)
XP PRO
2 Gig 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
250 GB (5400 rpm) SATA disk (Only option available)
nVidia GeForce 8600M GT with 256 DDR2 dedicated memory
TV tuner and Remote control (Not needed but not optional)
Wireless 355 bluetooth 2.0 module
Intel Pro Wireless 3945 802.11a/b/g mini-card

1521:
approx 900 Euro
AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL64 (2.2GHz/512 kB) [TL-58/TK-55 for 190/220 Euro + VAT either. These are 1.9Ghz/512 & 1.8GHz/256 respectively]
Vista home basic
Same memory as above (option to take 1 gig for 60 + Vat less)
120 Gig 7200 SATA disk. (Or 10/30/50 Euro + Vat less for 160/120/80 5400rpm disk respectively)
ATI Radeon Xpress 1270 HyperMemory (integrated)
Dell wireless 1390 802.11a/b/g mini-card


Basically I don't think I really need that powerful of a machine. However the 1520 seems to have the better specs. The 1521 can only come with Vista, which I was under the impression was much more demanding on the hardware than XP. That sort of seems funny to me. Am I right in thinking that the Core 2 Duo are better than the Turion. Do the turion have any advantages in the way of energy usage/heat etc?

The 1520 does also have a greater choice when it comes to processors. The one I've listed above is the most expensive one. The other possibilities are:

T2310 (1.46 GHz, 533 MHz FSB, 1 MB L2-cache) [subtract € 259.99]
T5250 (1.50 GHz, 667 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2-cache) [subtract € 200.00]
T5450 (1.66 GHz, 667 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2-cache) [subtract € 160.00]
T5550 (1.83 GHz, 2 MB L2 cache, 667 MHz FSB) [subtract € 129.99]
T7250 (2.00 GHz, 2 MB L2 cache, 800 MHz FSB) [subtract € 110.00]

All these prices exclude Vat so if I went for the T5450 I'd have a similar price to the 1521 model. Would anybody be able to give me advice as to whether I'd be better off with the Intel T5450 with XP or the AMD TL-64 with Vista assuming all the other specs above for the respective machines I was trying to find out some more on the TL64 and some sites say 512Kb*2 for the L2 . I presume this is due to being a dual processor? Does the intel have 4MB for each core then? The TL64 has a 800 MHz FSB. To be honest, I think that probably even the 1.5GHz T5250 would maybe even do. Would this be a better spec than the TL55 mentioned above?
That said however , I forgot to mention that I've included a 10% discount which applies for systems over 879 Euro so if I drop just below that, I might end up paying more!

The machine is only really going to be a general use machine. It won't be used for gaming/video editing or anything like that. It will be something though that probably won't be replaced for a good few years so it'd be nice to have something that will still be ok and able to handle software in a few years time if you know what I mean. There isn't a desktop to use at home though either so this would be being used all the time and being carted around the place.


Also on one final point, would people recommend the TrueLife screens? The dell site would lead you believe it is a good thing but I've seen a few internet boards complaing about it. It costs 30 Euro + Vat extra. Is it worth it?


Thanks a million in advance for any replies Edit: Apologies but the body of the post actually went into much more detail than the original question that I was going to ask about the different processors. Also, the laptop will most likely be restricted to a Dell and to one of these models. The laptop isn't for me and the recipient wants a coloured one. I tried ringing the number on the Dell website but I only got through to salespeople in India who I got the impression just knew a few buzzwords about what tthey were trying to sell.

rmorrin

Actually a bit of an update. I found a better version of the 1520 in another section. It doesn't have the TV out. The specs are ...
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T5250 (1.50 GHz, 667 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2-cache)
Genuine Windows® XP Professional - English Midnight Blue Colour with Microsatin Finish & 2.0mp camera 15.4"
Widescreen WXGA+ (1440x900) TFT Display with TrueLife™
2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x1024]
160GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive nVidia® GeForce™ Go 8400M GS with 128MB DDR2 dedicated graphic memory
Dell™ Wireless 355 Bluetooth 2.0 Module (up to 3Mbps) with Enhanced Data rate
Eur Dell™ Wireless 1390 802.11b/g Mini-Card - Europe
This would cost 775 delivered. Any thoughts???

AlmightyCushion

rmorrin wrote: »

Actually a bit of an update. I found a better version of the 1520 in another section. It doesn't have the TV out. The specs are ...
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T5250 (1.50 GHz, 667 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2-cache)
Genuine Windows® XP Professional - English Midnight Blue Colour with Microsatin Finish & 2.0mp camera 15.4"
Widescreen WXGA+ (1440x900) TFT Display with TrueLife™
2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x1024]
160GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive nVidia® GeForce™ Go 8400M GS with 128MB DDR2 dedicated graphic memory
Dell™ Wireless 355 Bluetooth 2.0 Module (up to 3Mbps) with Enhanced Data rate
Eur Dell™ Wireless 1390 802.11b/g Mini-Card - Europe
This would cost 775 delivered. Any thoughts???

For what you want it to do this laptop is perfectly fine. The core 2 duo in the first post is a bit overkill for your needs. Stick with this one.

As for truelife, it's a bit 50/50. Some people like it, some don't.

TheDriver

i have thr turion, grand machine and lot cheaper than core duo, even with vista at full blast with 2g ram, theres no slowing down.

rmorrin

Great thanks. As for the XP vs Vista for these machines, one of the replies said that with the 2Gig of Ram it should be ok even for Vista. I'm probably leaning towards advising XP (Better the devil you know...). My sister got a 1521 a few months ago but only with 1 Gig of Ram and Vista and it does take a while to load up , even after I cleaned up a few of the start-up programs. She only had the integrated graphics card though so I think that some of the Ram was being taken up there. The 2 Gig Ram would fix this , would it?

AlmightyCushion

Yep the 2GBs of ram will make a big difference.