T61 C2D T9300 vs T9500

[nicefisher]

I want to upgrade my T61's T8100 to a higher end chip, and am looking at the T9300 and T9500 as they are on the list of compatible CPUs on the thinkwiki. Is the price of the T9500 ( x2 that of the T9300) really worth just .1ghz more? And are there other chips (like T9400, etc.) that arent on that list that are compatible and better value / performance?

[TPFanatic]

T9400 and other 1066 fsb CPUs can be modded in, it's a process I personally haven't opted to do.

I paid $20 for T9500 on aliexpress. I figured it was a small enough premium over T9300 to just sink the cost. T8300 and T8100 are also fine. The primary benefit of the Penryns in my opinion is lower heat and better efficiency. Performance wise I find all Core 2 Duos feel the same, even comparing the relative feel from T9500 to the LVs in the Tablets, they are all slow 16 years later.

Best way to speed up these machines is an SSD and use an appropriate OS respectful of the era's limitations. The neverending background tasks of modern OS totally overpower these machines.

[RealBlackStuff]

I recommend to go for the T9300.
The difference, when compared with T9500, is minimal and not worth the jacked up price.

[Gonzaleitor]

I want to upgrade my T61's T8100 to a higher end chip, and am looking at the T9300 and T9500 as they are on the list of compatible CPUs on the thinkwiki. Is the price of the T9500 ( x2 that of the T9300) really worth just .1ghz more? And are there other chips (like T9400, etc.) that arent on that list that are compatible and better value / performance?

I agree with RBS, go for the T9300, the 100Mhz difference won't be noticeable. I'm writing this with my T61 modded with a T9300.
The cpu runs cool and was a big upgrade, coming from a T7300 and it was almost a direct swap. The only thing you have to do before the swap is put the Middleton BIOS before you do the swap or it won't post(and you get SATA II speeds as a bonus).

[nicefisher]

Already done Middleton so I'll go with a T9300, I don't have an extra ssd laying around so I'll have to order one or else I would have used it already :/

[TPFanatic]

Use a good thermal paste too. I like arctic mx4/mx6, it's easy to spread with the nozzle and I believe it cures immediately.

[Gonzaleitor]

Already done Middleton so I'll go with a T9300, I don't have an extra ssd laying around so I'll have to order one or else I would have used it already :/

Then you only have to wait the cpu to arrive