Laptop - AMD or Pentium? 14" or 15"?

[Muse]

Yeah, two _related_ topics. What do you think? AMD CPU's, at least with desktops generally have more noise issues than Pentium, as I understand it. That is, they generate more heat. Is this the case with laptops too? Thus, will an AMD laptop make more noise? What are the other issues in deciding between an AMD and Pentium in a laptop?

Obviously 15" gives you a bigger image. Is there a tradeoff in weight there? Thus, will a 15" weigh a pound more than a laptop with a 14" display? How do you feel about it?

 

[dexvx]

Noisewise, they are the same. Intel laptops have better chipset support, and they usually perform better than an AMD counterpart.

15" Laptops are a lot more expensive than their 14" counterparts too. The weight tradeoff isnt big (a pound maybe?) the biggest issue is price.

 

[Muse]

bump

 

[integratrix]

I don't know if this will help... but I have a P4, and it's really not loud at all, pretty silent actually. The only time it's loud is when it overheats and the fan whirrs like crazy, but it only overheats when there's not enough ventilation getting to the fan, ie something is blocking the fan. For example, I have a bad habit of working on my laptop on my bed since my desk is covered with stuff. Because there's not enough space between the bottom of the laptop and the bed, it doesn't get enough ventilation and the fan goes crazy. Once I move the laptop onto a hard and level surface, it goes back to being silent. But, the P4 does heat up quite a bit... but since I don't have an AMD, I don't have a side by side comparison. My friend has an AMD laptop, and she says that it gets warm enough that she can't leave it in her lap while working for over an hour. *shrugs*

 

[Eug]

12-13" laptops are WAY lighter usually (unless you want to spend the big bux).

For true portability, the lighter the better. And 1 lb is significant. I sold my 15" and went to 12". I'm MUCH happier. Dropped almost 3 lbs.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Eug
12-13" laptops are WAY lighter usually (unless you want to spend the big bux).

For true portability, the lighter the better. And 1 lb is significant. I sold my 15" and went to 12". I'm MUCH happier. Dropped almost 3 lbs.

I figure there's definitely a tradeoff between size, weight and screen size. Dell has a 12" that actually costs more than their 15". I figure the 14" will probably weigh a pound less than the 15". I've used a 15", but that's all and it's been over 2 years.

 

[Megatomic]

Originally posted by: MuseI figure there's definitely a tradeoff between size, weight and screen size. Dell has a 12" that actually costs more than their 15". I figure the 14" will probably weigh a pound less than the 15". I've used a 15", but that's all and it's been over 2 years.

The Dell laptop with the 12" screen probably costs more because it is in the Ultraportable class of laptop machines. It probably has Wi-Fi too which will add cost to the machine.

I used to own a Dell Latitude CPiA with a 12" screen. I was happy enough with the 12" screen, it was the Neomagic chipset that bothered me the most. If I could have had an ATI or NVidia GPU rather than the Neomagic P.O.S. I would have kept the laptop. For what I used it for, the 12" screen was adequate for me.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: integratrix
I don't know if this will help... but I have a P4, and it's really not loud at all, pretty silent actually. The only time it's loud is when it overheats and the fan whirrs like crazy, but it only overheats when there's not enough ventilation getting to the fan, ie something is blocking the fan. For example, I have a bad habit of working on my laptop on my bed since my desk is covered with stuff. Because there's not enough space between the bottom of the laptop and the bed, it doesn't get enough ventilation and the fan goes crazy. Once I move the laptop onto a hard and level surface, it goes back to being silent. But, the P4 does heat up quite a bit... but since I don't have an AMD, I don't have a side by side comparison. My friend has an AMD laptop, and she says that it gets warm enough that she can't leave it in her lap while working for over an hour. *shrugs*

The heat issue will vary among Laptop manufacturers, P4's and Athlons put out approx the same amount of heat/performance(this is true for the desktop, I'm not sure if the mobile cpus have similar outputs).

 

[stingbandel]

I have Compaq Presario 900 which is based on Mobile AMD processor (Soon will be sent back to Compaq cause I found a better deal on the AT Hot Deals 🙂).

It generates heat just about the same as my IBM A31P which uses Mobile P4.





Darno