Is the P4-M good for a laptop?

[mallik]

I was looking for a cheap laptop, and I wanted something better than a P3. Centrino is a bit too much for me, so I was wondering if P4 mobile CPU's are good for laptops. More specifically I was wondering what people thought of the Thinkpad T30.

I heard regular P4 CPU's are crap in laptops, but how are the mobile ones in terms of performance, battery life, heat, etc.?

 

[roguerower]

No. You will have uber heat, and a crappy battery life. The Thinkpad is good, but the P4-M's never really cracked up. They're good if you wanna move from one wall outlet to the next, but if you want any kind of battery life, u go with the the M. Centrino isn't a processor, but rather a combination of things, such as the chipset, the Pentium M processor, and the Intel wireless. If you dont have those three, you dont have Centrino. In the notebook forum there should be a thread bout everything. Try and find it. It should be on the first page.

 

[motard]

I second rogurower, the T30 isn't that great.
Stick to the T2X or T4X.
Hey rogue, devil dog wannabe here. Potential PLC candidate...

 

[WackyDan]

Originally posted by: motard
I second rogurower, the T30 isn't that great.
Stick to the T2X or T4X.
Hey rogue, devil dog wannabe here. Potential PLC candidate...

However, the T30 is one solid machine in regard to build quality. If you can get one with a NEW battery, you'll get between 3.25 and 4 hours of run time depending on the machines specs. T20 series (t20 thru t23) were all PIII's.

 

[MDE]

The P4-M is functionally the same as the desktop P4 except it downclocks when it isn't doing anything (SpeedStep). The Pentium M (or Centrino) or Mobile Athlon 64 are better choices.

 

[fbrdphreak]

If you're looking at a used Thinkpad, check out the P3 based T20 series. P3's are much better for mobile use and are just as practical for normal application usage

 

[Robor]

My coworker got a Dell 5160 and I'm glad I spent the extra on my T42. Mine is smaller, lighter, more sturdy, and quieter. Plus his power supply is like a brick.