P8600 vs T9400, which is better?

Hi everyone

After doing some research and reading,I'm looking to purchase a Latitude E6400 from the outlet. I can't decide which processor to get. I found two configurations with the same price but different processors. One has the T9400 and the other has the P8600. Should I go with the T9400 since it has a 6mb cache? If you had to chose , what would you guys consider the best option?

 

I would (and did!) go for the P series processor for lower power usage.

In the comparison you mentioned, the cache is different but that is not a big factor in processor speed, second to clock speed.

 

For battery life P8600, power T9400

 

Forget the power usage, they use the same power downclocked at idle. Get the P8600 to save money, or the T9400 for the extra MHz.

 

Definitely the T9400.
It would be a harder choice between the P9500 & the T9400 - in which case I'd prefer the P9500.

 

Not so. Read Intel's specs. The P series have lower power consumption throughout the operating range from full load down to sleep. The P series is the better choice if you value longer battery run time but, if this is not a priority then there's a good chance you can undervolt the T series to reduce the maximum heat output.

My P8600 has one core which runs much cooler than the others. If it had two cores like the hot one then it would have gone in the T series bin and if it had two cores like the cool one then I think it would have gone into the low voltage CPU bin since they are not really lower voltage but lower power consumption.

John

 

Unless you have a specific need get the P8400. It costs less and has better battery life. The marginal value of the better CPU is very small because most everyday tasks like Office and Internet don't push the CPU enough to where you'd be able to discern a difference.

 

Hi guys,
Appreciate all the great replies. Here is the basic options I was looking at. The prices between the two are basically the same. I kinda like option two because of the dvd burner and higher processor, but option 2 has a 9 cell battery. If I decide to go with option 2, will under-volting the processor damage it? Hopefully a Latitude outlet coupon will come out soon


Option 1

* Latitude E6400 Laptop: Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 (2.40GHz, 3M L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista Business
2 GB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz (2 DIMMs)
80 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD With PC-Card
24X CD RW/DVD Combo Drive
9 Cell Primary Battery
Back-lit Keyboard
14.1 inch Widescreen WXGA LED Display

Option 2

* Latitude E6400 Laptop: Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 (2.53GHz, 6M L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows XP Pro with Vista Business LicenseMemory
2 GB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz (1 DIMMs)
80 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD With Express Card
8X DVD +/- RW w/dbl layer write capability
6 Cell Primary Battery
Back-lit Keyboard
14.1 inch Widescreen WXGA LED Display

 

You could always hold out for a P9500 which was the same clock speed but the lower power consumption of the P8600

 

Undervolting too far will cause errors or a crash. You need to find the threshold voltage and leave a buffer zone. Read the undervolting guide for more details. However, you cannot undervolt the minimum voltage so you will be stuck with the idle power consumption of the T series CPU.

If you want up to 9 hours on battery then P series CPU and 9 cell battery is the way forward. If 4, maybe 5 hours is plenty then T series + 6 cell will be OK.

John