I5-520m vs Core 2 Duo

[aireq]

I'm in the market for a laptop, and pretty set on getting a Lenovo T series. However I'm debating if I should get the newest (T510/T410) model with an i5 CPU or save some money and get and older model with a Core 2 Duo CPU such as the T61, T400, or T500. Is there something super special about the i5/i7 processors?

For example if I got one of the newer models I would most likely get the i5-520m with the following specs

i5-520m
2.5GHZ, 3MB L3, 1066mhz FSB, 35w

For comparison I could also get an older model with one of the following Core 2 Duo CPUs

Core 2 Duo P9500
2.52 GHZ, 6MB L2, 1066 FSB, 25 watt

Core 2 Duo T9400
2.54 GHZ, 6 mb L2, 1066 FSB, 35 watt


They are all dual core running at ~2.5GHZ. Will the i5 still be much faster then the Core 2 Duo's?

 

[Lmeow]

^+1, mainly because it Turbo Boosts up to 2.93 GHz max IIRC. Otherwise clock for clock, the Core 2 Duo and Core i5 500M series aren't too far apart.

 

[aireq]

Thanks everyone for the responses.

The problem I have now is a T410 with the options I want is $1184 on Lenovo's site. However, I've found a T400 with about the same specifications (except for the processor of course) for $640. That's a $544 difference.

I can afford either. But to me it's more a question of value. Is the faster i5 worth the extra $544?