Athlon 64 X2 TK-57 vs Core 2 duo T5670

[Cmd.Keen]

I've been looking at laptops recently to help pick one out for my sister. She needs a new laptop and only uses it for web surfing, emails, office related tasks (Words, Excel, publisher, etc) as well as watching dvds and tv shows online. So she doesn't need alot of power, however, because she uses it to watch shows, a 15" screen would be ideal and the small netbooks are out of the question. Also she only wants to spend $500. My parents are going to pitch in to help as part of her birthday/christmas gift so we're looking at spending $600-$700, with lower being better obviously.

So after looking around, it looks like the Dell Vostro business laptops are the best deal. Right now I'm looking at two models, the Vostro 1000 and 1510. The biggest deciding factor right now is the processor. I don't know how efficient the Athlon is, but on the model it is on, I can upgrade the battery to compensate for more power draw. Ideally I would go with the Core 2 duo, however, its also the more expensive and on that model, upgrading the battery also costs twice as much. So I'm looking for some more opinions.

The major components for each laptop are as follows

Vostros 1000 at $623

AMD AthlonTM 64 X2 Dual-Core processor TK-57 (1.9GHz/256KB)
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHZ
ATI Radeon® Xpress 1150 256MB HyperMemory™ (integrated)
160GB 5400RPM Hard Drive
9 cell battery

Vostro 1510 at $677
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5670 (1.8GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
Intel® Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
160G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
6 cell battery

I don't really know alot about the processors, so its hard to compare those. I've also tried to find out what I could about the graphics options on both and found mixed results. My end conclusion is neither of the integrated graphics are all that great, but for my sister they should both do the trick. The 1510 model also has slightly faster ram, so thats something to consider, but both will have the same 5400rpm drive. As I mentioned earlier, the option to upgrade from a 6cell to 9cell battery on the vostro 1000 is only $50, so I included that (otherwise laptop would only cost $578). However, on the Vostro 1510 its $100 which would put the final price at $777, quite a bit over the budget. So I have to stick with the smaller battery on that model. These prices also include the 3 year dell basic warranty.

My feeling is, either laptop will be fine for my sister, it really comes down to whether or not the Athlon processor is an acceptable processor, or is it really worth upgrading to the Intel? If its going to be a power hog, it might not be worth it.

If any one has any other suggestions for budgets laptops, I'll be glad to look to take them as well. However, I've heard good things about the vostro line of dells and the price is right for what we want...

Thanks for your help,
Jason

[glc]

The Intel has much better power efficiency and battery life.

[Cmd.Keen]

Is it worth getting the Intel with the 6cell battery over the Athlon with the 9cell?

[glc]

To me, absolutely, but not for entirely objective reasons. I have not been too impressed with the performance and stability of AMD-based laptops in the past. The 9 cell battery will make the laptop heavier and bulkier.

[Cmd.Keen]

ok thanks for your input. I was leaning that way as well, because I am alot more fond of the Core 2 Duo processors than the AMD. But you make a good point about the battery bulk.