Question:
Help me make the final step
Hello all,
I finally managed to narrow it (notebook purchase) down to just a few choices. And to make the final decision i need answers to a few questions. Firstly the options (showing only components and specifications that actually differ between them):
1) an Asus A6j q003m
Intel T2300E (1.6Ghz, 667FSB)
1GB DDR2 667
ATI X1600 128Mb dedicated (+128 HM)
Windows Media center
for 1250 Euros
AND
2) an Asus A6T ap003h
AMD Turion x2 TL50
1GB DDR2 533
Nvidia Gforce go7600 256MB dedicated
Windows XP Home
for 1200 Euros
Number one is 50 euros more expensive. What will the various differences mean in actual use?
- The intel processor vs the AMD: What is the difference? It is hard to find information on the AMD TL50. I lean towards the Intel, mainly because I can find reviews of notebooks that run on it.
-DDR2 667 vs 533: Does that matter? As far as I know that is a minor difference.
-The ATI vs the Nvidia: Granted the cards are very comparable, will the only 128 MB dedicated mean a much worse performance as far as gaming goes (compared to the 256 of the Nvidia).
-Finally, Windows Media Center vs XP home: Isnt windows media center a version of windows XP PRO? It should be alot more valuable... But does it help the average user? Interestingly the same store sells a 35 Euros cheaper notebook that is equivalent to number 1 except for a 20GB smaller harddisk and it has only the home edition. Media center and a harddisk upgrade for 35 Euros?
Any help will be very much apreciated!!
Edit: Forgot to click the flag, I am in Spain
Answer:
Re: Help me make the final step
Note: I have no idea what the conversion rate of CDN$ to Euros is, so ill be writing all prices in CDN$, sorry
Windows XP Media Center is usually about 30$ more than XP home, and as the name implies, it is an edition specifically made to make handling media (pictures, music, videos,etc.) easier, but for the average user, XP home is fine.
Both video cards are comparable. Although the nVidia card has more VRAM (video memory) there is more than the video card can handle, so really its just a bigger number to sell the card more expensive, without noticeable performance gains. Both cards are the same, thats not an issue.
667 vs 533 RAM. This is the speed at which the processor exchanges information with the RAM. Obviously 667MHz is faster than 533MHz, but really its not a very big deal.
Lastly, the processor...
Intel and AMD both make good processors, but AMD has an edge because its processors are 64-bit, versus Intel's 32-bit, so even though the frequency (GHz) might be the same, there will be slight performance gains in favor of the AMD chip. However once again Intel is nearly as good.
In conclusion, the biggest differences (and they are not very big) are the RAM (533 vs 667) and Windows Media Center edition vs XP home.
I think that for 50 euros more the Asus a6j is worth it, but they are both quite similar and it won't be much different if you buy the a6t