How does my current processor compare to new processors?

I'm at the point where my laptop needs upgrading and I'm trying to decide whether I'd be better off just buying a new one. I need a new battery, a new CD drive, a new adapter and I want to ditch Vista. For all that, I can buy a low end computer, but the Intel chip designations just confuse me. What I really want is a convertible laptop, but when I started looking at i7 and an SSD, it starts to get pricey. I'm looking at the Lenovo X220t, but am open to other options.

Currently, I am using a Dell Inspiron 1720 with a Core2 Duo T8300 2.4 GHz with 3GB of ram. Am I going to kick myself 6 months from now if I spend $1K on an i3 tablet? Is it worth the cost to upgrade to the i7? A BestBuy salesperson told me that new touchscreen technology should be coming out which will make touchscreen laptops possible and that new models should come out with touchscreens. (This is the same guy that told me that you couldn't have a touchscreen with windows -- only with android, so I kind of stopped listening.) Is there really something new on the horizon? If so, I may want to get a low end laptop (if the i3 would be a noticeable improvement over my current specs) or try to make my current laptop last a little bit longer.

Basically, what is the difference between the Core2 Duo and a low end i3? And is there new technology on the horizon which will make a sweet convertible tablet more reasonably priced in the near future?

Thanks!

Convertible laptops are not usually available at the low-end of the value scale. Touch screens, especially large ones, add a lot to the cost of the laptop, and the mechanical mechanism for converting from laptop <=> tablet increases the cost too. There is no new touchscreen hardware technology that I'm aware of that is expected to hit the market anytime soon. Windows 8 is supposed to offer superior touchscreen software (compared to previous versions of windows), so it is likely that there will be an increase in the number of touchscreen devices produced after Windows 8 is released. This may eventually drive the price down due to economies of scale, but even if that happens, it'll still be a couple of years out. Many people don't have high hopes for Windows 8 as far as general operating system quality goes either.

SSDs are not usually found at the low-end of the price/value scale either. They are really fast, but also many times more expensive than mechanical drives.

The i7 is the top-end consumer line of processors from Intel. The i5 line has a better price/performance ratio. The i3 would probably not be a huge jump from what you have now. (There are no i4 or i6 lines)

hi guys,

as what some people told me this present days it is actually a nice time for us to upgrade whether on intel proc, AMD or what so ever because new procs today is really cheap compared before the once releases so for you to have good pc performances here is you time to upgrade to a new stronger performance of you pc's.