when a mate needs advice on buying a new laptop

[psd99]

please forgive me for being lazy................as i have a friend who needs some advice.
there are some questions particulary 'whats the difference between p4 and intel centrino' that i am lost to.

HEre is my mates e--mail he sent

first of all how u doin geeza???
listen mate i just wanted to use some of your brain power
and ur high interest and ur expertise in the computing world,
soon to be a successful engineer
u knw im looking to buy a LAPTOP, well i found a couple of specs which
seem
ideal to me coz im just a basic user of comps, just want u to answer a
couple of questions mate, whats the major differences between a
centrino
processor and pentium 4 processor?? and do u think its worth gettin
centrino
coz of it bein a mobile processor, or is that stuff too expensive that
is?
(wi fi connection) should i just stick to a P4, and another thing is
whats
XP like? i heard it stores ur msn password or somethin like windows
messenger? does it store passwords? and lastly jus wanted u to look at
a
couple of specs and see which one would suit me better and which would
still
be ok for me as a basic user in abt 3yrs time??? just check out teh
link
below it has a comparison thing, please get back to me asap coz i wana
buy
one next week,im with the p4 at the mo, but tell me which is better and
why,
thnx mate greatly appreciated....


okay thanks for reading my mates e-mail could i get peoples ideas and responses to this please

thanks a lot..........


YES GERMANY ARE OUT OF EURO 2004 WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOO

 

[muckshifter]

Yep, you is being very lazy.



Centrino is not a processor; it’s a “code name” for a chip. Rather in order for a laptop computer to be called "Centrino", it must have the new “Pentium M” processor, an Intel 855 chipset, and an Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 (802.11b) or Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG (802.11b/g) network card. WiFi … wireless connection.



The Centrino has a higher L2 cache at 1 MB versus 512 KB on the P4. GHz speeds are slower in the Centrino so they made up for it in cache. The lower GHz helps on battery consumption along with some power management features. I probably wouldn’t want to try rendering an hour’s worth of video on a Centrino, but word docs, surfing and emails would be fine.



If you want it for what a laptop that was made for, taking it places and using it on the go, get a Centrino … but if it's for going to LAN parties or just using at home and work where you can plug it in then get a P4



AMD have a similar CPU/laptop … and cheaper.


Windows XP ... no problem.

 

[Ian]

The Pentium M CPUs are actually pretty good, and as Mucks explained they usually have a lower GHz Rating, but they perform at a 1.4x equivalent of a P4 at the same speed. For example, a 1.7M is a close speed match to a 2.4 P4.

Thumbs up to a Centrino based laptop here too!

 

[Quadophile]

One more thing I would like to add since I got a Centrino. The centrino processor carries out the instructions in 2 cycles what the P4 would do in 3 cycles, which actually makes the Centrino labled system much faster. I use the IBM T41 and it gives me 5 hours of power without having to recharge. As Mucks rightly said that if your friend is always on the go the Centrino will be the better choice. Another advantage is that the Centrino's were built to save power, hence, they also tend to be thinner and lighter. Again this aspect is crucial in making a decision, nobody wants to carry an elephant around.

 

[psd99]

so everyone thinks that they call them Intel Centrino MOBILE technology for a reason?

I hope to think so too. Who needs an elelphant if one can have a cat! ITs true when one wants to buy a laptop its a good idea to look at the size, weight and dimensions. So is this why Centrinos are smaller than Pentium 4's?

 

[Quadophile]

so everyone thinks that they call them Intel Centrino MOBILE technology for a reason?

I hope to think so too. Who needs an elelphant if one can have a cat! ITs true when one wants to buy a laptop its a good idea to look at the size, weight and dimensions. So is this why Centrinos are smaller than Pentium 4's?

I think the following links would give you enough information so that you can guide your friend in making a proper decision.

From the Horses mouth

A good article at ARS Technica