More RAM vs. Faster CPU

I am looking into purchasing a dv2700t from the HP website, and for me, to stay within my budget, it's come down to a choice between more RAM or a faster CPU. Basically, I can either have 3gb RAM (+$100), or upgrade from a Core 2 Duo t7500 to a t9300 (+$100 as well). I stumbled upon this little corner of the "interwebs" and registered hoping to get some advice as to which would be the more prudent choice.

 

If I were you, I would get the faster CPU. You can always upgrade your ram - that's not a problem. Upgrading the cpu is problematic at best.

 

Go for Penryn.

 

What are you going to use the PC for?

 

The notebook manufacturers all overcharge on their RAM. Even by getting 2 GB you might be shooting yourself in the foot (though HP is usually pretty good about offering some free upgrades)

The money will better be spent, initially, on the processor though again it depends. There's not a huge difference between, say a T500 or T700 but there's a huge difference between both of those and a T5250

 

Will it be an astronomical performance boost over the t7500? And, in your experience, does Vista have any problems running smoothly on 2gb RAM?

 

Photoshop/video editing/productivity software/media center. Lots of backslashes.

 

I'd go for the CPU then - as others have said, it's much easier to upgrade the RAM afterwards if you find your system swapping to disc a lot.

 

No one can answer this better than me...Read on..

I am writing this post sitting in my College..there is no Power Plug in the vicinity...so i am running my laptop on Power Saver Mode on Battery..
i.e. The processor is running @ 800 MHz per core..

I have 2 GB RAM but RAM doesnt really matter when your processor is too slow to handle or open So many programs as to fill the Memory..


Go For Faster CPU.....u ll always Regret Upgrading RAM first.. RAM is the last piece of Hardware u upgrade

 

You can get a 2GB stick for $37 from NewEgg. So get the CPU. Vista will run fine on 2GB, three might be more speedy but just wait and save. Easier to change RAM than CPU. Also you will have a 1GB stick to use as a paperweight.

 

Reading that, I just think to myself... OEMs suck soo much. I mean, ~$40 as opposed to ~$100... But I suppose HP is better about it than most; for the 2-year-old XPS I'm using right now, it was $200 to get 2gb, as opposed to the standard 512gb Dell shipped them with. Brand names, brand names... O, how I loathe ye.

 

2 GB is "enough" for Vista Premium. You'll be able to run everything you want to and you can multitask very well. As programs get more and more advanced you'll want to trade up to 3-4 GB but for now 1 GB is the "minimum" its perfect for Vista Basic and you can get by on Vista Premium, though it might be a bit sluggish with more media center intensive features (which isn't THAT big of a deal since you probably wont have a TV Tuner or w/e)

Anyway, shoot for 2, but if it means the difference between a good processor improvement then go for 1 and grab the RAM aftermarket where you'll get it for a much more reasonable price.

 

Well, the decision was between 3 gigs or 2, not 2 or 1. The upgrade to 3gb RAM was tantamount in price to the upgrade to the Penryn chip. So the choice was between a system with 3gb RAM and a t7500 Santa Rosa or a machine with 2gb and a t9300 Penryn. After reading your input, I've decided on the latter.

 

Good choice, I think everyone was right on the money with the advise. The T9300 should last you for a good long time and ram is a cheap and easy upgrade you can do yourself. Not to mention $100 for another GB of ram is a total ripoff..

 

If you got the money, go with the better CPU. Ram is much easier to upgrade. You'll still be happy if you settle with the T7500 though.

 

That's a good point, actually. Keep the $100 and spend it instead on an external USB hard drive to back up your data.