I agree with you, frankie_b; the OP's question is:-
Hi. If the lower-end i3 & i5 have only 2 cores, and the cache & Ghz is the same as the Core Duo - then why should I buy them?
And we've listed reasons why he should buy a Dual-Core Core i3 or i5 instead of a Core 2 Duo.
If anyone has a Core 2 Duo 8X00 Series processor, a Quad-Core Core i7 9X0 is what i, and im sure many others, would advise as the next step.
And yup, i agree with you; Next step is core i7, and it is a shitload of $$$$$.
I'll hopefully join that club late this summer or early 2011, but we'll see whats the best then... i think the ATI 900 series will be out then...
or maybe the AMD hexacore, not the quad-core Bloomfields?
meh, w/e... when the time comes.