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Which one do you use and why?

Do they really make a difference?

If they do which one would be the best? Not too expensive balls of course.
I want to add more distance in my drives and works well with my irons and lands soft around the green.

I use precept laddie xtreme. They are cheep, come in a box of 2 dozen, and I really like them off my irons.

This season my gamer will be the " Top Flite TL Tour ". I bought 7 dozen of them this winter. They compare to the Pro V1x for me... which I love. I love a ball that provides me with excellent feel without sacrificing too much distance. The Pro V1x and the TL Tour provide the whole meal deal for any player but at a hefty price [the TL Tour is cheap if you can find them]. I have 2 dozen of the Pro V1x left so I will play those as well but they are too expensive for the average joe.

A really good ball for you might be the Precept Laddie or the Bridgestone e5 or e6. These balls are all good choices but then again... your choices are endless. The Top Flite Gamer has gotten some really good reviews, but I haven't seen any around where I live as of yet. So those might be a ball that you want to look at as well.

If you want to stop the ball on the green on your pitch shots (75 yds and in), then you've got to go with a soft covered ball. They're almost always expensive, but the Bridgestone e5+ is only $25 a dozen and you can get Taylor Made TP X-Outs for $20 per dozen or Titleist ProV-1 X-Outs for $30 per dozen at Dicks Sporting Goods. Other than that, you'll pay $40+ for that type of performance.

The lower priced TaylorMade balls, Burner($20/dozen) and Burner TP($25/dozen) might work for you. Even the "distance" Burner seems to have some pretty good spin. They both feel really nice to the touch, but I haven't had a chance to hit either of them yet. The Top Flite Gamer($20/dozen) seems to be a great ball too, but I haven't got to hit it yet either.

I've never played it myself, but I might pick up some Bridgestone e5's based on this recommendation. They're $14.99/dozen if you buy a three pack at Rock Bottom.

To answer your second concern first, yes, golf ball does make a difference to your game.
If you're looking for budget golf balls that performs well in all categories, here are a feww comes to mind.
(1) 2008 TopFlite GAMER, I just played my first round with it 2 days ago side by side with my current "gamer" 2007 TM tp black, very good all around ball, and a bargain for the $19 price tag.
(2) 2008 Bridgestone e5+ e6+, these are about $23-$25 per dozen, great balls depending what you need.
(3) 2007 TM tp balck or red, if you could find it, you could get them for around $20 per dozen ( originally $42 ).
I'm sure there are additional golf balls that are pretty decent but I had not test drive them.

Try this shop, used golf balls cleaned up, then graded into A, B, and C

Last year I bought 50 Pro V1s in B condition(they were spotless and looked brand new) for 29.99

Your Golf Ball Shop - Home

I hit my irons very high and tend to hit my wedge shots with average spin. I am a 12 handicap and I think the following balls are good distance balls, provide value, and that spin "average" enough for most golfers needs.

Top Flite Gamer, D2
Bridgestone E5
Callaway HX Hot
Titleist NXT Tour or Distance
Pinnacle Extreme
Callaway Warbird (for distance only)

I think many people swear by the $40 balls and feel they spin more. I agree with them that the $40 balls spin more, but do not feel the spin difference is worth $1 a ball or that much to my score or to the average Joe's score.

I think these people tend to buy the newest R7, Sumo, or 90X and become a self fulfilling dream for the marketing teams at Taylor Made, Callway, Nike, and Titleist.

I play pro v1s...I do so entirely for their workablility and performance around the greens...hands down the best in both departments and what other "good" balls are compared to...

I played a noodle that I found the other day for a few holes...ran the ball right through a couple of greens with mid iron approaches until I mashed the ball into the ground with my iron swing...difference is bigger than you might think...

Nike Power Distance/Power Soft is a good economical ball - Best Buy from Consumer Reports. I would play the Pro V1 every round, if there were no hazards to lose them in. I'm prone to lose 1 or 2 per round so I think the Nike PDPS is a good option for my 78-84 game.

Try not to get to caught up in the hype of better balls, especially if you're a beginner, don't usually break 85-90, and play courses with a lot of hazards. The Pro-v1 is great, but not a prudent choice if you're on a budget and lose 2 or more balls per round. From a distance stand-point only, Consumer Reports (using an Iron Mike) indicates that you should not expect +/-10 yards difference in the common selections, including the more expensive balls.