Originally Posted by
CessnaJock
I don't think it's possible to generalize about brand and power hunger. It varies from one CPU generation to the next. And since I try to buy technology "behind the price curve" (getting last year's model for half the cost of this year's), I'm not very concerned with the latest and greatest processor technology wars.*
In any case, I'd rather have a marginally obsolete AMD that used less power than a brand-new Intel.
(The first CPU chip I owned was a Motorola 6800 that cost me $375 in 1976.)
* This strategy also finesses the "low serial number" syndrome that often afflicts bleeding edge technology.
Bad choice in this case considering the older Core Duo machines are already very cheap and are now 'last gen'. The first Core 2 Duos are getting there. IMO it's about finding a good brand/price/performance balance. It's always easy to pay too much to get a 'value' in old technology. It's much harder to find the best deal on later technology but is possible.
Memory is so cheap now there's no reason NOT to stuff a laptop to it's maximum.