To Celeron or not to Celeron.....

[ibex333]

Can someone please explain to me the difference between a regular Pentium processor and a Celeron???
I bet this was explained a 100 times, but i cannot find this thread in the forums.
I know quite a bit about computers, but I never had to deal with Celerons because several years ago someone told me that CELERON is BAD. From that point on, I stayed away from Celerons like a plague.
My aunt asked me to configure a new Dell laptop for her. She says she ONLY needs email, internet, and word processing. She wants a Laptop that is below $1000. Preferrably no more than $800. I could easily configure a Laptop for her that's around $900, but I'm wondering if I can bring the price even lower by going with a Celeron and no video card.... Also, is 256mb RAM enough for her or she absolutely must have 512?
Considering the idea that my aunt will never use things like photoshop, and will never play Doom3, just how feasable is it for her to get a Celeron oriented Laptop???

 

[Crism]

Celerons have less cache and a large decrease in performance as opposed to a Pentium 4 or Pentium M. I would personally NEVER buy a Celeron unless it was in an Inspiron..that system is the only laptop I've ever physically had in my hands with 4hr battery life...it was a Celeron M too!

For her, the Inspiron 2200 would do the job. If you're oging to have Norton products installed, get the 512MB memory...it'll be a LOT better in the long run. 256MB + Norton = Gag, Choke, Die system

 

[imported_Kensai]

Cellery = Same core as a Pentium of same age with lower FSB, less cache.

You should probably get 512MB. 256MB is about Windows-only level.

 

[bob4432]

for your aunt the celeron w/ 256MB will be fine. for that setup you could get it for ~$500 @ dell and to be honest, it will last her a long time.

i don't know the exact differences between a celeron and the P4 but from what i have used, you can definately tell the difference between a P4 and a celeron that are the same skt and speed.

i know this is vague, maybe somebody can enlighten us...

[edit] don't install the norton stuff, use antivir and zone alarm as norton uses way tooo much ram/cpu[/edit]

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: Crism
Celerons have less cache and a large decrease in performance as opposed to a Pentium 4 or Pentium M. I would personally NEVER buy a Celeron unless it was in an Inspiron..that system is the only laptop I've ever physically had in my hands with 4hr battery life...it was a Celeron M too!

For her, the Inspiron 2200 would do the job. If you're oging to have Norton products installed, get the 512MB memory...it'll be a LOT better in the long run. 256MB + Norton = Gag, Choke, Die system

crism - the 2200 with celeron m lasted 4 hours? i am looking for a cheap laptop for school and i want it to be cheap in case it gets stolen, but i need long battery life. what were you doing for it to last that long? my uses will be easy - m$ office, internet, and maybe a little ps and illustrator, viewing pdfs, basic "office/student" work, but nothing major as that is what i have my main rig for..

 

[Hacp]

I probably shouldn't say this here, but check out www.slickdeals.com and search for dell coupons in the litlle search button on the bottom left. You can get a Pentium M with 512 MB of ram for around 800 taxed and shipped.

Also, celeron Ms that are Dothans perform just as well as Pentium M dothans. The only major difference is battery life.

 

[CrackRabbit]

Desktop Celeron, well look at my sig.
The Celeron M is a different animal, it is just a slighly older rebadged Pentium M cpu.

 

[suicidalpigeon]

cerlon m(bianas) and p-m(dothan) performs the same, less chache and no speedstep.

 

[w00t]

Take a bag of Doritos
Pound it with your fist a few times
Stick a label on the outside saying "now 50% more chips inside!!"
Tada, you've got a Celeron!
-mechBgon

 

[mechBgon]

edit: hehe, where's my Doritos! :evil:

Aunts can vary, but assuming she's not a computer nut, you may want to spend some time doing user education with her.

1. Do not download and install "free" stuff like screensavers and whatnot (will probably contain adware/spyware)
   
2. Do not take email at face value, no matter how alarming the subject line or content (virus writers are experts at making up scary stuff like *DETECTED* Online Violation)
   
3. Do not click links in emails. Instead, open a browser and type them manually (phishing avoidance)
   
4. Do not forward sensational/alarming/tearjerking **** to "everyone you know!!!", do not try to unsubscribe from low-life SPAM emails, do not whore your email address to just anyone/anyplace. (SPAM avoidance)
   
5. Assuming she'll have broadband, get a router and set it up tight
   
6. If you set her up with AntiVir, or any other antivirus package, configure it completely, do not use out-of-the-box settings and think you're done. And show her how to update Antivir manually, since setting up automatic updates on Antivir is a mystifying process (anyone wanting to make a demystifying guide to this, speak up).
   
7. I would super-duper-hugely suggest setting her up with two separate user accounts: one named Admin which has a strong password, that she uses only when she needs Admin-class powers. The other one should be her "daily-driver account," named with her first name that is a Limited-class account. Limited-class accounts are a huge security enhancement, especially for the non-computer-geek. She'll never see an ActiveX popup asking her to install Gator or Bonzi Buddy or etc, and a completely-successful exploit of her Limited-class account would still fall on its face because the power is all safely locked away in the Admin-class accounts.
   
8. Make sure Automatic Updates is enabled for Windows. If there's any MS Office or MS Works software installed, run it through the Office Update site too.

 

[Crism]

Originally posted by: bob4432
crism - the 2200 with celeron m lasted 4 hours? i am looking for a cheap laptop for school and i want it to be cheap in case it gets stolen, but i need long battery life. what were you doing for it to last that long? my uses will be easy - m$ office, internet, and maybe a little ps and illustrator, viewing pdfs, basic "office/student" work, but nothing major as that is what i have my main rig for..

Yeah the 2200 I used was around 3:30-4:00hrs. It had a Celeron M and 256MB RAM. I was at a law firm hooking up something for my friend and I needed to test it on something. The guy in the other room left is laptop there (the 2200) and there was no password on it so I used it. Almost 4hrs of battery life I tell you! I was using IE to configure the stuff as well as using the CD-ROM drive. Granted I didn't empty the battery in the time I was there (which was awesome lol) but it lasted a really long time!

 

[mechBgon]

My other comment is I'd get the 512MB of RAM while the prices are low, especially if onboard video will be using some of it.

 

[V00D00]

Celerons are perfect for internet and email.

Iagree with mechbgon, tell her those few simple things and it will make a world of difference.

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

You should definitely get 512MB of RAM if you're running Windows XP. 256MB is like the bare minimum.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
edit: hehe, where's my Doritos! :evil:

Aunts can vary, but assuming she's not a computer nut, you may want to spend some time doing user education with her.

1. Do not download and install "free" stuff like screensavers and whatnot (will probably contain adware/spyware)
   
2. Do not take email at face value, no matter how alarming the subject line or content (virus writers are experts at making up scary stuff like *DETECTED* Online Violation)
   
3. Do not click links in emails. Instead, open a browser and type them manually (phishing avoidance)
   
4. Do not forward sensational/alarming/tearjerking **** to "everyone you know!!!", do not try to unsubscribe from low-life SPAM emails, do not whore your email address to just anyone/anyplace. (SPAM avoidance)
   
5. Assuming she'll have broadband, get a router and set it up tight
   
6. If you set her up with AntiVir, or any other antivirus package, configure it completely, do not use out-of-the-box settings and think you're done. And show her how to update Antivir manually, since setting up automatic updates on Antivir is a mystifying process (anyone wanting to make a demystifying guide to this, speak up).
   
7. I would super-duper-hugely suggest setting her up with two separate user accounts: one named Admin which has a strong password, that she uses only when she needs Admin-class powers. The other one should be her "daily-driver account," named with her first name that is a Limited-class account. Limited-class accounts are a huge security enhancement, especially for the non-computer-geek. She'll never see an ActiveX popup asking her to install Gator or Bonzi Buddy or etc, and a completely-successful exploit of her Limited-class account would still fall on its face because the power is all safely locked away in the Admin-class accounts.
   
8. Make sure Automatic Updates is enabled for Windows. If there's any MS Office or MS Works software installed, run it through the Office Update site too.

excellent advice.

as far as antivir automatic setup, i can't understand why if it is set to automatic it asks you if you want to update...weird

this is the only weird problem i have with the program...

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: w00t
Take a bag of Doritos
Pound it with your fist a few times
Stick a label on the outside saying "now 50% more chips inside!!"
Tada, you've got a Celeron!
-mechBgon

Theif!

Celerons are fine for simple web\Word\email stuff.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

I reccommend the HP business models. They would last alot longer than those cheap consumer Dells. I would reccommend the HP nx6110 at $900 or $1000 with either the $900 Celeron M or the $1000 P-M but preferably the Turion 64 at $1000

 

[orangat]

Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune
I reccommend the HP business models. They would last alot longer than those cheap consumer Dells. I would reccommend the HP nx6110 at $900 or $1000 with either the $900 Celeron M or the $1000 P-M but preferably the Turion 64 at $1000

I don't see how grandmother is going to break a Dell. Why spend extra for mail amd surfing?

 

[Rubycon]

Celerone is mcdonalds in mignon world.

 

[ibex333]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
edit: hehe, where's my Doritos! :evil:

Aunts can vary, but assuming she's not a computer nut, you may want to spend some time doing user education with her.

1. Do not download and install "free" stuff like screensavers and whatnot (will probably contain adware/spyware)
   
2. Do not take email at face value, no matter how alarming the subject line or content (virus writers are experts at making up scary stuff like *DETECTED* Online Violation)
   
3. Do not click links in emails. Instead, open a browser and type them manually (phishing avoidance)
   
4. Do not forward sensational/alarming/tearjerking **** to "everyone you know!!!", do not try to unsubscribe from low-life SPAM emails, do not whore your email address to just anyone/anyplace. (SPAM avoidance)
   
5. Assuming she'll have broadband, get a router and set it up tight
   
6. If you set her up with AntiVir, or any other antivirus package, configure it completely, do not use out-of-the-box settings and think you're done. And show her how to update Antivir manually, since setting up automatic updates on Antivir is a mystifying process (anyone wanting to make a demystifying guide to this, speak up).
   
7. I would super-duper-hugely suggest setting her up with two separate user accounts: one named Admin which has a strong password, that she uses only when she needs Admin-class powers. The other one should be her "daily-driver account," named with her first name that is a Limited-class account. Limited-class accounts are a huge security enhancement, especially for the non-computer-geek. She'll never see an ActiveX popup asking her to install Gator or Bonzi Buddy or etc, and a completely-successful exploit of her Limited-class account would still fall on its face because the power is all safely locked away in the Admin-class accounts.
   
8. Make sure Automatic Updates is enabled for Windows. If there's any MS Office or MS Works software installed, run it through the Office Update site too.

Wow... that's truly excellent advice. Even I found something for myself here, even though I've been using a PC for 12 years now... I'm so ashamed.


As for everyone else, thank you. I shall concider your advice. The only problem is that I still cannot decide on a pentium or celeron for my aunt since you guys seem to disagree with each other on this topic. I know how computer ppl are(including myself), so let me make this easy for you:

For my aunt who will ONLY use MS Word, E-mail, and internet, this setup is enough:

TRUE or FALSE?


Inspiron 600m Notebook
Celeron® M Processor 360(1.40 GHz/400MHz FSB) 14.1-in XGA 32MB Video
512MB DDR SDRAM 2 Dimms
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home
40GB Hard Drive
24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive



Also none of you explained what's they mean when they say that a celeron is signifficantly inferior in performance to pentium. Like, the programs run slower?? Dont run at all? How does this translate to simple real-life terms??

 

[mechBgon]

That setup would be good enough for her needs, *applause* for the 512MB of RAM. Now let me ask, what's the warranty on that? Does she need a laptop? I like nice normal standard ATX systems where I can upgrade or change stuff out if the need arises. If I bought a laptop, I'd get a long warranty on it.

Point in case: my 65-year-old mom's system. Originally an email box... now a budget video-editing rig! :Q Being a standard ATX system, I had the option to do that, and if something goes *poof*, I can change stuff out too.

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

The performance of Celeron M processors does not seem to be very well-documented. Celeron Ds for desktops are usually not a good choice, although they generally perform better than Semprons in video editing and other specialized applications. However, since we're not talking about a desktop CPU, all that "Celerons are evil" nonsense can be thrown out as irrelevant.

In laptops, performance is just one of many factors. You must also look at its power consumption, and of course its price. Some Celeron Ms are actually made to run at extremely low voltages, which allows for much longer battery life.

I'm sorry I can't help you more, but my top-off-the-head advice would be to look at numbers/statistics (if you can find them), and not just listen to some bloke tell you that all Celerons are bad.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: ibex333

Originally posted by: mechBgon
edit: hehe, where's my Doritos! :evil:

Aunts can vary, but assuming she's not a computer nut, you may want to spend some time doing user education with her.

1. Do not download and install "free" stuff like screensavers and whatnot (will probably contain adware/spyware)
   
2. Do not take email at face value, no matter how alarming the subject line or content (virus writers are experts at making up scary stuff like *DETECTED* Online Violation)
   
3. Do not click links in emails. Instead, open a browser and type them manually (phishing avoidance)
   
4. Do not forward sensational/alarming/tearjerking **** to "everyone you know!!!", do not try to unsubscribe from low-life SPAM emails, do not whore your email address to just anyone/anyplace. (SPAM avoidance)
   
5. Assuming she'll have broadband, get a router and set it up tight
   
6. If you set her up with AntiVir, or any other antivirus package, configure it completely, do not use out-of-the-box settings and think you're done. And show her how to update Antivir manually, since setting up automatic updates on Antivir is a mystifying process (anyone wanting to make a demystifying guide to this, speak up).
   
7. I would super-duper-hugely suggest setting her up with two separate user accounts: one named Admin which has a strong password, that she uses only when she needs Admin-class powers. The other one should be her "daily-driver account," named with her first name that is a Limited-class account. Limited-class accounts are a huge security enhancement, especially for the non-computer-geek. She'll never see an ActiveX popup asking her to install Gator or Bonzi Buddy or etc, and a completely-successful exploit of her Limited-class account would still fall on its face because the power is all safely locked away in the Admin-class accounts.
   
8. Make sure Automatic Updates is enabled for Windows. If there's any MS Office or MS Works software installed, run it through the Office Update site too.

Wow... that's truly excellent advice. Even I found something for myself here, even though I've been using a PC for 12 years now... I'm so ashamed.


As for everyone else, thank you. I shall concider your advice. The only problem is that I still cannot decide on a pentium or celeron for my aunt since you guys seem to disagree with each other on this topic. I know how computer ppl are(including myself), so let me make this easy for you:

For my aunt who will ONLY use MS Word, E-mail, and internet, this setup is enough:

TRUE or FALSE?


Inspiron 600m Notebook
Celeron® M Processor 360(1.40 GHz/400MHz FSB) 14.1-in XGA 32MB Video
512MB DDR SDRAM 2 Dimms
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home
40GB Hard Drive
24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive



Also none of you explained what's they mean when they say that a celeron is signifficantly inferior in performance to pentium. Like, the programs run slower?? Dont run at all? How does this translate to simple real-life terms??

i would even buy this for myself for those needs. i know the celeron will be slower, but since there is nothing to compare it too the speed won't really matter.

also, what mechBogn says here:

That setup would be good enough for her needs, *applause* for the 512MB of RAM. Now let me ask, what's the warranty on that? Does she need a laptop? I like nice normal standard ATX systems where I can upgrade or change stuff out if the need arises. If I bought a laptop, I'd get a long warranty on it.

Point in case: my 65-year-old mom's system. Originally an email box... now a budget video-editing rig! Being a standard ATX system, I had the option to do that, and if something goes *poof*, I can change stuff out too.

is a good point too. if she does go with the laptop, get her one of the 1-3yr warranty's, i have noticed a lot of the cheaper dell laptops are coming with 90day warranties, which is pretty weak.

 

[otispunkmeyer]

basically lower speed FSB and less cache......which for a core like the pentium (northwood and especially prescott) is going to make a big difference. Northwood was 20 stages long, prescott was 31 stages long. with deep pipelines like this, you need a lot of cache to keep it full to work at its best, they have lots of cache misses too.

in the mobile world the Celeron M is basically the older centrino core (banias?) or is a dothan....again with chopped cache. but essentially alot better than a normal celly since the centrino is only 12 stages long max, thus suffers less at the hands of small cache size

 

[Hacp]

The Celerons Ms perform at about what the Old Pentium M banis(not sure if this is the name lol) chips did. That means the 1MB cache Celeron Ms perform just as well as some older Pentium Ms, and those were no slouches. That being said, I would still suggest a Pentium M with 512 MB of ram. I will PM you with a link to get a 800 dollar Pentium M taxed and shipped.