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Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 vs P8600 vs T9400 Notebook Processors comparision

Intel core 2 duo t9400 vs p8400 vs p8600

Major laptop brands like HP or Dell offer any of these processor models like Intel Core 2 Duo 9400 , P8400 and P8600.There is always a confusion in the high end segment

The main difference between T9*** series and P8*** series is the power consumption and L2 Cache. Whereas the P9400 uses 35 watts and the P8400 and P8600 uses 25 Watts. The end result  being  your laptop with P8400 and P8600 might be comparitively cooler than the T9400 powered one. Even this is not very significant. The same goes with battery consumption T9400 will drain little more out of your battery than the other too. So its a very slight difference ultimately decided by cost.

The cost difference is almost 150$  between P8600 and T9400 and the performance improvement very slight for the price. Though the L2 cache is significant. The performance in terms of CPU Benchmark results is very close to call.

For the full list of common Mobile / Notebook /Laptop  CPU Benchmarks go here

Intel Core 2 Duo T9400  –  1595

Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 – 1558

Intel Core 2 Duo T8600 –  1354 (This value might not be accurate)

Intel Core Duo T8700 (This doesnt support 64 bit processing !!!!)

Intel Core 2 Duo T8400 – 1453

Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 -1434

Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 – 1375

Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 – 1244

If the price difference is significant as in case of T9400 and P8400 , it is better to go for P8400 as at this higher speeds above 2GHz you may not see much difference in processing speeds , even in Games. Also the L2 Cache above 2MB gives very less of advantage. But still if you are interested in pure brute force go for T9800 or T9600.

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What is Intel stable image platform program ?

Intel’s stable image program is really not relevant to anyone except Business users who buy computers in bulk. The stable image program guarantees that OS image to be installed on the ‘Intel Stable image Program’ processors can be blindly installed for a period of 15 months from the launch without worrying about any driver updates.

Basically the processors and motherboards under this program are considered stable after a wide range of testing. And most of thes processors also have 7 year manufacturing availability. This helps big businesses in terms of maintaining a single image of Windows/any other OS. Also saves them time about updates and more.

So if you are a buyer not worried about maintaining ultiple systems then you should skip this column in CPU specifications.

In current laptop CPUs the following are considered to follow Stable Image Platform (SIPP) are Intel Core 2  Duo 9400,8400 and P8600.

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Dell Studio XPS 13 and 16- what sets these new Laptops apart?

As I had earlier mentioned in my previous entry about Dell XPS 1330 and Dell XPS 1530 models, Dell has come up with its refreshed line up of XPS namely Dell Studio XPS 13 and Dell XPS 16, a cross between its studio and XPS line.Lets have a look what makes these newer models a compelling buy, if you are planning to upgrade your laptop.

Dell studio XPS 16 and Dell Studio XPS 13

Processors : 

The Studio XPS models use the centrino 2 architecture for both its models which promises less battery consumption and more processing power. Studio XPS line starts with Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 processor which has a FSB of 1066MHz a considerable improvement over the previous XPS models which mostly had 800MHZ (T5800,T6400,T8100,T8300 and T9300 processors). 

The lineup also includes Intel Core 2Duo 8700,T9600 for Dell Studio XPS 13 and   Core 2 Duo P8600,P8700,T9550 and T9800 processors for its Dell Studio XPS 16 models. All these processors are from Penryn family of processors (45nm) and all the x9***  processors have a 6MB L2 Cache.

[Note : Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 doesnot have native 64 bit computing ie EMT64,  but has better power usage with 25watts usage compared to 35watts for other processors mentioned above]

Memory :

I was waiting for this.. the RAM coming with Studio XPS lineup is DDR3 which are at 1066MHz making a huge improvement over the previous XPS 1330 and 1530 which had DDR2 RAM with 667MHz. And at a minimum both the Studio XPS models have 4GB RAM upgradable upto 8GB. DDR3 combined with penryn processors deliver markedly huge perfromance gain.

Graphics :

Studio XPS 16 comes with a  ATI Mobility RADEON® HD 3670 512  MB card and it delivers good HD performance in either 720p or 1080p Full HD (as configured, default is 720p). Studio XPS 13 also has a improvement with NVIDIA® GeForce® 9400M and 9500M as options.

Hard disk :

The default Hard disk 320GB at 7200RPM and still the price of the laptop is not very high compared to XPS 1330 and XPS 1530. The hard disk can be configured upto 500GB (5400 RPM)

Other improvements the look and feel has improved considerably and also the Full HD screen of Studio XPS 16 should be a great feautre for gaming and movie buffs. The inbuilt speakers have a huge improvement over the previous models and good enough for watching TV or Movie.

[For those who might be surprised about processor numbers Dell  upgraded the processor lineup two days ago leaving its early adaptors disappointed . Earlier it had Intel core 2 Duo T9400 and T9600 in place of T9550 and T9800]