There is a definite difference between the RAW and the jpeg. It's kind of a toss about which to use. Your photos have far more wiggle room for error with RAW but you can spend hours adjusting them. This is the photo that made a RAW believer out of me. I shot manually and, as you can see, this was a once in a lifetime event. I SEVERELY underexposed it. When the RAW image came up in Photoshop, it was so dark you could barely make out an image. RAW save the day:
I Think I Love You! on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Keep snapping and you'll find your answers.