Pentium VS. Centrino (1 Viewer)

Ramin

vBookie Champion
Nov 18, 2003
4,728
#3
..

i've heard that Centrino is better than pentium. apparently it has something that pentium dont.
 

Henry

Senior Member
Sep 30, 2003
5,517
#5
yeah, from what I've heard, the whole centrino thing is basically a gimmic, while Pentium M is very good
 

Martin

Senior Member
Dec 31, 2000
56,913
#6
I gotta say right off the bat I really know very little about this. But from what I understand, Pentium M is the processor specification, I believe it has twice the cache of a P4 (which makes it faster at the same frequency) and it offers frequency scaling for power saving. What this means is that when you're playing CM your cpu runs at full speed because you need all the power you can get but when you're writing a letter to grandma in notepad, the frequency will drop from 1.6GHz to say 600MHz, save you battery power, and prevent noise from the cooling fan which isn't needed at those speeds.

I got a Pentium M 1.6 and I'm quite satisfied, never run it faster than 800MHz (which is the breakpoint where the fan starts up cause it needs cooling) when I'm not compiling anything. Can watch movies at 600MHz just fine for instance, handy for long train rides and such, have about 3h of battery time then.

Now, the Centrino keyword I think is just a buzzword from Intel which describes an integrated mobile device system. I think it includes the cpu, however it also includes an Intel chipset and I assume a wlan card (which I have).
 
OP
NEDVED

NEDVED

Senior Member
Nov 16, 2003
3,921
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread Starter #7
    to make it more clear, there are 2 laptops in my head:

    the first one is toshiba satellite P20 series: P4 3.2 GHZ HT technology (hyper threading technology), 1 GB of RAM, CDRW+DVDRW, Wi-Fi, Nvidia 64 MB, 17 inch wide screen..4kgs, 2 hours battery

    the other one is a toshiba tecra M2V series: Centrino 1.7 GHZ, 512 DDR Ram, Cdrw+ DVD, 14.1 inch screen, Wi-Fi, 2 kgs, nvidia 64 mb, 10 hours battery....
     

    Martin

    Senior Member
    Dec 31, 2000
    56,913
    #8
    The second one.. does it come with a spare battery? Because 10h sounds downright unrealistic to me, in fact the battery specs are always greatly exaggerated, my battery is supposed to be good for 5h according to the marketing wording, it's actually 3h. So 2h will probably give you around 1h on the first model, which is very little. The first one has a definite edge on the second but the question is how much power do you need from a laptop, the second is still very decent and much lighter too.
     

    Martin

    Senior Member
    Dec 31, 2000
    56,913
    #10
    Yeah they say 12h with additional battery, means you have to switch when the first one runs out. Still don't expect 6h from each battery, more like 3h+ is more realistic, I don't know how they test these batteries but I have never heard anyone actually get the time they advertise.
     

    K10

    Senior Member
    Jul 12, 2002
    2,698
    #11
    I am looking to buy a laptop also.

    Nedved, what were the prices of the ones you mentioned above?

    Also, some advice as to what make to buy will be some help for anyone who knows about laptops.
     

    Martin

    Senior Member
    Dec 31, 2000
    56,913
    #12
    Apparently choosing a laptop manufacturer is a very personal experience. You'll read a lot of horror stories about certain companies if you look around for opinions. I've heard a lot of success stories about IBM notebooks. I have a HP/Compaq myself (Compaq production, HP branding basically) and I'm very satisfied so far. As for Dell, it seems that either you'll be very satisfied or you'll have serious problems.
     
    OP
    NEDVED

    NEDVED

    Senior Member
    Nov 16, 2003
    3,921
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread Starter #13
    ++ [ originally posted by K10 ] ++
    I am looking to buy a laptop also.

    Nedved, what were the prices of the ones you mentioned above?

    Also, some advice as to what make to buy will be some help for anyone who knows about laptops.
    Well, the P20 laptop is about 3000$ here in Lebanon (expensive due to taxes), the other one is 2600 $, u can find all prices on the www.toshiba.com website...

    concerning laptops, all kinds are good : fujitsu siemens, acer, hp/compaq...

    but i recommend toshiba or sony......
     

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