out of the laptop loop,

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minofifa

Senior member
May 19, 2004
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Hi,

As i said, i'm somewhat out of the laptop loop. The last one i bought was a toshiba satellite 5100 series, and i was very happy with it. I may be getting another one for school in a month or so, so i have been researching a few models.

I'm not interested in a mac.

One issue i'm confused on is the cpu's that are being used. Some companies' "top of the line' model use an intel clocked at 1.7 ghz or so, while others have an intel clocked at 3.2 ghz. I'm assuming one is the pentium mobile chip / centrino. Which one should i be looking at, in terms of processing power? Also are pentium mobile and centrino technology the same thing? I'd prefer an AMD chip, but i don't see that offered in many laptops.

Finally, it seems like most companies (Dell, Toshiba..) are focusing on lowering their prices by cutting corners on the hardware they use. I would prefer to spend a bit more money to get a powerful laptop, insted of one based on old/cheap technology.

The only laptop that i have been researching that has impressed me was a pavilion by hp. Can anybody suggest some models/makes to look at?

Just for reference, i want somethign that is noticeably better than my old laptop:
old laptop: 15 inch screen, 512 RAM, 1.7 ghz pentium 4 processor, 40 gig hard drive.
 
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VigilanteCS

Senior member
Dec 19, 2004
415
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Where to start....

Intel Centrino laptops use the Pentium M processor, but Centrino refers to a low power usage chipset, wireless card and CPU. A 2 GHz Pentium M performs as well as a 3GHz + Pentium 4. If you'd like AMD, wait around for the Turion, which is a 64 bit mobile processor. However, if you want something like a mobile gaming rig you should go with a Centrino system because the best graphics card you can get with an Athlon 64 M at the moment is a Radeon 9700 mobility.

My Dell Inspiron 9300 has the following:
Pentium M 2 Ghz
1 gig DDR2
256 mb Geforce 6800 PCI Express
80 gig hdd
17" Widescreen with 1920x1200 native resolution.

3dMark 01 score : 19,800 (more than the desktop in my sig!)

The only downside is that Centrinos aren't 64 bit.
 
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minofifa

Senior member
May 19, 2004
485
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thanks, that clears up a lot.

so that intel processor in the hp, which is clocked at 3.2 ghz, is not a centrino lap top? why would a company not use it, if its best? In other words, why would hp use the high clocked (and probably hotter) 3.2 ghz processor?

As for athlon laptops, are they more or less inferior to centrinos at the moment? i could probably wait 2 months or so, but no longer.
 
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SrGuapo

Golden Member
Nov 27, 2004
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Originally posted by: minofifa
so that intel processor in the hp, which is clocked at 3.2 ghz, is not a centrino lap top? why would a company not use it, if its best? In other words, why would hp use the high clocked (and probably hotter) 3.2 ghz processor?
Click to expand...

I assume they are cheaper and can also confuse many "less technological oriented" (politcally correct) users. Whe the average joe goes "I can have a laptop with a 3.2 GHz P4 for the same price as a 2 GHz Petium M" which do you think they will choose. The P4s are pretty hot (not sure about the mobile ones). and probably draw quitea bit of power. Pentium M is the way to go.

Originally posted by: minofifa
As for athlon laptops, are they more or less inferior to centrinos at the moment? i could probably wait 2 months or so, but no longer.
Click to expand...

For a combination of power, heat, and speed, the Pentium Ms cannot be beat.

BTW - Pentium M is the actual processor. Centrino reffers to the chipset/CPU/wireless combination.
 
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VigilanteCS

Senior member
Dec 19, 2004
415
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Originally posted by: SrGuapo
I assume they are cheaper and can also confuse many "less technological oriented" (politcally correct) users.
No need for political correctness on a forum. Call them techno-tards.

Anyway, yes, I'd suggest you go with a Centrino laptop, preferrably with a 2 or 2.13 Ghz pentium M.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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minofifa

Senior member
May 19, 2004
485
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thanks for the info.

man its tough to find what you want exactly in laptops. I could only find 2 that had 256 mg graphics cards. I think i'm gonna go with this one if none better apear in the next little while.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16834224015

the acer ferrari was my next choice but none come with 17 inch screens. The Dells seemed overpriced for the inferior parts offered. just my opinion. Im open to any suggestions or criticisms of the above laptop
 
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Vegito

Diamond Member
Oct 16, 1999
8,329
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there are dual core notebook coming out..

i have latitude d800, inspiron 8600, inspiron 8500

the latitude & 8600 uses the M, one is 1.7 & other is 1.6 both 400fsb. Both pretty good..

the 8500 was the older p4 2.2 not M.

The newer models from dell uses pci-express & ddr2 memory.

The processor off the dell are upgradable and so are the video.. you just have to find the video off ebay.. else its too expensive..
 
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VigilanteCS

Senior member
Dec 19, 2004
415
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I can't find any PCI-E graphics cards on ebay. I have a dell inspiron 9300 with a 256 meg geforce 6800. Find me a 6800 ultra mobile from an xps gen 2!
 
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FlyBono24

Member
Jan 21, 2005
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Now that you know the difference.... would you be looking for a P4 or a Pentium M chip? Or would you prefer the Turion?
 
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minofifa

Senior member
May 19, 2004
485
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though i know the difference, i still am not partial to either. I am mostly concerned with performance, but if the modile or turion offer much better batter life / low heat, at a minor processing power expense, i would definately go with that.
 
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FlyBono24

Member
Jan 21, 2005
183
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Well most of the models they sell in retail stores are:

*P4 models = 15-17" screens.... 1.5-2.0 hours battery life
*Pentium M models = 13-17" screens.... 2.0-8.0 hours battery life

I'm not sure about the Turion, but I think the Pent. M chip is better on battery life.


If you don't care about battery life though, the Toshiba A75 series is pretty inexpensive... they all have a 15.4" screen... the A75-S213 would be my choice:

*P4 3.33 MHz
*1 GB RAM
*100GB hard drive
*15.4" WXGA widescreen
*8X DVD+/-RW
*~2 hours battery
*8 lbs. weight
*$1449 retail
 
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minofifa

Senior member
May 19, 2004
485
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cool, thanks for the link gusy

i will check those models out, but really im interested in as large a screen as possible. my eyes strain so bad looking at 15'' screens, i want something more relaxing to look at, as i willhave a crap load of reading to do this year for school. like i said, my old toshiba was awsome so i woudl have no problem getting another. The HP's also look very nice as well.
 
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VigilanteCS

Senior member
Dec 19, 2004
415
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Originally posted by: minofifa
cool, thanks for the link gusy

i will check those models out, but really im interested in as large a screen as possible. my eyes strain so bad looking at 15'' screens, i want something more relaxing to look at, as i willhave a crap load of reading to do this year for school. like i said, my old toshiba was awsome so i woudl have no problem getting another. The HP's also look very nice as well.
Click to expand...

Well if you wan't a big screen, Dell has em'. My 9300 has a 17" widescreen.
 
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speedlever

Senior member
Oct 27, 2000
277
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my eyes strain so bad looking at 15'' screens, i want something more relaxing to look at, as i willhave a crap load of reading
Click to expand...

This just struck me. You really need to check out the various displays in the store. You'll find anything from XGA to WUXGA. Latptop displays apparently work best in their native mode. A larger screen may not be best for you. The higher resolutions will typically show smaller text.

Check this link for a good discussion of laptop screen resolution:
http://tinyurl.com/9prtz

Also read this Dell white paper on laptop screen resolutions for more info:
http://tinyurl.com/2xk6j

 
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wetcat007

Diamond Member
Nov 5, 2002
3,502
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P4=crappy battery life, burns ur legs if u try and use it on ur lap=heat problem= overheating a crashes. Pentium M=similar speeds, less heat longer life. P4+laptop=bad idea.
 
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