Centrino/P4M VS. P4
I'm very generally kicking around the idea of getting a laptop. I have just started, and have lots of reading to do before (or even if) I pull the trigger. Primary intended usage would be as a "home away from home" computer, meaning surfing/correspondence and as a gaming rig. I know that if I do make this leap, I'll be getting one with an ATI 9600 Mobility vid unit and 512 MB RAM minimum. As well, I know to get a 7200 RPM HD - battery life is going to be a negligible concern, mostly it'll be plugged in when in use.
That said, I know relatively little about Intel's mobile or Centrino tech. Heck, I'm not even sure of the terminology. So, I'm looking for some feedback from users and maybe some linkage to usefull knowledge on the subject. Better yet, if it's a particular machine, is it available in Canada?
Specific questions I have at the moment:
-how do the Centrinos (or mobiles) compare to the P4C desktops? I don't mean the definition of Centrino, that I can find easily enough and I *think* it has something to do with networking tech, I'm more talking SPEED. What P4C would a 1.5 Centrino compare to in general usage benchmarks? How much faster is a 1.6 or 1.7 than a 1.5?
-what chipsets are out there? which ones are good? I've seen current laptops advertised with both PC2100 and PC2700, are their fsb's still running 133 or 166?
-what other information should I be concerned with?
-what's the difference between XVGA (I think, I'm talking display here) and its variants? Is it supported resolutions?
All of the above has concentrated on Intel, don't start thinking I'm biased against AMD - I just know more about AMD mobile and am trying to fill in the gaps. I saw the E-Machines A64 laptop through BestBuy announcement on [H] today and was very intrigued - but when I stopped in at my local BestBuy, I was informed that the Canadian stores are related in name only and do not share inventory or even a website with the American version. Having said that, there are E-Machines retailers in Canada so I'll be keeping my eyes open and trying to find out if that machine is exclusive to BestBuy. Though I'd have a pretty big mental hurdle to jump before I could make myself buy an E-Machine.
Thanks in advance.
That said, I know relatively little about Intel's mobile or Centrino tech. Heck, I'm not even sure of the terminology. So, I'm looking for some feedback from users and maybe some linkage to usefull knowledge on the subject. Better yet, if it's a particular machine, is it available in Canada?
Specific questions I have at the moment:
-how do the Centrinos (or mobiles) compare to the P4C desktops? I don't mean the definition of Centrino, that I can find easily enough and I *think* it has something to do with networking tech, I'm more talking SPEED. What P4C would a 1.5 Centrino compare to in general usage benchmarks? How much faster is a 1.6 or 1.7 than a 1.5?
-what chipsets are out there? which ones are good? I've seen current laptops advertised with both PC2100 and PC2700, are their fsb's still running 133 or 166?
-what other information should I be concerned with?
-what's the difference between XVGA (I think, I'm talking display here) and its variants? Is it supported resolutions?
All of the above has concentrated on Intel, don't start thinking I'm biased against AMD - I just know more about AMD mobile and am trying to fill in the gaps. I saw the E-Machines A64 laptop through BestBuy announcement on [H] today and was very intrigued - but when I stopped in at my local BestBuy, I was informed that the Canadian stores are related in name only and do not share inventory or even a website with the American version. Having said that, there are E-Machines retailers in Canada so I'll be keeping my eyes open and trying to find out if that machine is exclusive to BestBuy. Though I'd have a pretty big mental hurdle to jump before I could make myself buy an E-Machine.
Thanks in advance.
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Comments
www.powernotebooks.com
I think it's Intel's best CPU.
XP2500, 512mb, 60gb, 15" tft, 802.11g, 128MB radeon 9200, and a lot of ferrari red paint.
http://global.acer.com/products/notebook/fr3000.htm
There are a bunch of choices out there, but right now not the big names.
Ed: The Pentium M will blow a P4 up to 2.4-2.6GHz into the weeds. The clockspeed advantage the P4 has is significant enough >2.8GHz+ that the pentium m can't keep up.
I repeat: check out sager's notebooks if you want a desktop replacement. If you want something with a bit more mobility, get a Pentium-M thing. ECS has a nice one, I believe.
The Voodoo is great (they sell in Canada) but real expensive. High resolution (1400x1050) screen and all.
If I was doing it again I would splurge.
Yes, the ECS is a nice machine. I think that HP is introducing a X1200 also.
As for screens the naming convention simply refers to resolution. All are typically 60 Hz refresh frequency.
XGA 1024x768
SXGA 1200x960
SXGA+ 1400x1050
UXGA 1600x1200
Then there's various "wide" models (like mine) which vary in aspect ratio from manufacturer to manufacturer. Generally they have them so the vertical pixel count is the same as the above scheme and then stick a W in front.
I personally don't find 1920x1200 on a 15.4" screen to be too small, but others who have tried to use my computer complain. If you're going to be playing games, playing at the native resolution is best so sometimes lower res might be better. However, if you're doing work with multiple windows / programs open then the widescreen is a huge boon. Most programs are designed to look best at either 800x600 or 1024x768 so 1920x1200 gives you enough real-estate to get two programs at normal size on one screen. When programming it can also be really helpful when you write those really bad really long lines .
You can get some great notebooks from Dell for cheap if you watch for deals (the small business site / home site sometimes have different prices so check both, you don't need an actual business to buy from the small business site). I checked out power-notebooks for a long time before I bought mine, but it seemed to just be a pain to get it across the border. Of course the CDN $ is so high now that it may make a lot more sense now. When I was looking it was 1.6 cdn to $1 US, $1.33 to $1 is a heck of a lot better lookin .