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Laptop Buying Advice
- Thread starter Vrylakos
- Start date
Olgar Shiverstone
Legend
Yep, don't believe the specs on the Pentium M's. Mine's rated at 1.4 Ghz officially, but clocks at 2.33 Ghz in benchmark tests. Great little processor, especially for mobile -- I'm glad I got an M instead of a regular P4.
Olgar Shiverstone
Legend
Yep, don't believe the specs on the Pentium M's. Mine's rated at 1.4 Ghz officially, but clocks at 2.33 Ghz in benchmark tests. Great little processor, especially for mobile -- I'm glad I got an M instead of a regular P4.
Olgar Shiverstone
Legend
Yep, Pentium M, same thing, or look for the Centrino label (which has some other components optimized for wireless use).
From what I understand, the reason the "M" gets improved performance is that Intel changed some of the other hardware tied to the processor that in a normal P-series computer slows the data stream. Fewer, simpler components mean better overall performance even if the processor itself isn't as fast as the base processor in standard machines. (Or something like that -- I don't claim to be a computer engineer.)
Edit: Are you going to use any wireless Internet/networking? If so, I recommend you get an 802.11g compatible device -- they're about 4-5 times faster than the standard 802.11b devices (and backwards compatible, so you can use them on an 802.11b network). It's blisteringly fast -- at home, it's my external high-speed connection that slows me down, not my wireless. The 802.11b network on campus feels positively sluggish by comparison, even though they've got a faster hard line. I upgraded my internal wireless capability from 802.11b to 802.11g for $29.
From what I understand, the reason the "M" gets improved performance is that Intel changed some of the other hardware tied to the processor that in a normal P-series computer slows the data stream. Fewer, simpler components mean better overall performance even if the processor itself isn't as fast as the base processor in standard machines. (Or something like that -- I don't claim to be a computer engineer.)
Edit: Are you going to use any wireless Internet/networking? If so, I recommend you get an 802.11g compatible device -- they're about 4-5 times faster than the standard 802.11b devices (and backwards compatible, so you can use them on an 802.11b network). It's blisteringly fast -- at home, it's my external high-speed connection that slows me down, not my wireless. The 802.11b network on campus feels positively sluggish by comparison, even though they've got a faster hard line. I upgraded my internal wireless capability from 802.11b to 802.11g for $29.
Last edited:
Goobermunch
Explorer
d20books said:Microsoft bought the Virtual PC for Macintosh. It is far superior to run Virtual PC with Windows XP Pro on a Macintosh than to run the actual Windows XP Pro on a PC, if you want my opinion.
Other than the few Windows apps, most everything you can get for the Macintosh now. Office v.X Professional is the full Microsoft Office Suite for Mac, WITH the Virtual PC with Windows XP Pro bundled in it.
Because Mac OS X is actually BSD (a type of Linux, roughly), it never crashes like a PC. It is also universal in its ability to interact with PCs, Linux/UNIX, and Macintosh.
As for learning Mac OS X, it is actually MUCH more intuitive than any previous Mac OS. OS 9 was the last of the old Macintosh ways. The only time I've seen people having problems with Mac OS X is when they try to be "too Windows" centric. It is a new beast all its own and much easier to use if you "flow" with it. It becomes second nature REALLY FAST.
My own mother (aged in middle 60s) has stopped using her PC. She waits for me to come by for a visit with my Powerbook. I think she wants to see my Macintosh more than me or her 2-year-old grandson sometimes
I'll second this. My wife works for a telecommunications firm that is pure microsoft. She brought her PowerBook G4 to work, plugged it in and was online in minutes. She uses Virtual PC with Win2k on it with no problems.
One handy trick for using a Mac is to get a two button mouse. When you right click, it acts just like your PC.
--G
(Of course, I'm saving my pennies for a P4 3.0 w/ 1GB of RAM and a high end video card, but I want to play half-life 2).
jdavis
First Post
Actually P-4M and Pentium M are two completly different cpu's. what you are wanting is the Pentium M chip (the P-4 M is just a P-4 chip with a lower voltage setting). The Pentium M chip is a completly new chip designed only for mobile computers, it's the one they put in all the centrino computers. I don't even think they make P-4 M chips anymore. Here is a article on them (it's sort of old, the Pentium M chips replaced the P-4 M chips in February of 2003): http://www6.tomshardware.com/mobile/20030205/index.htmlVrylakos said:
The clock speeds are much slower than the P-4 chips but the whole cpu is designed to a different standard so it delivers similar performance (just like AMD chips are much slower in clock speed than Intel's but overall are just as fast in performance). The big thing to look for is the M designation on any CPU in a laptop, that means that the CPU is a moble cpu, my laptop has a standard P4 chip, it's very fast but because it isn't a moble chip it gets very hot and uses battery power at a much higher rate, I rarely use my laptop on battery power so that wasn't a concern for me, overall speed vs. price was my concern (non M chips are cheaper).
jdavis made some very good points. Is battery life an issue? Would you like to go real mobile or is being connected to AC power most of the time okay?
If your on a limited budget and do not really need the mobility of a Pentium M, you may consider an eMachines M5312. It's got a great wide-screen, 802.11g WIFI, DVD/CD-RW combo drive, and a fairly large hard drive all for a reasonable price (be on the watch for rebates and you'd get an even better deal).
If your on a limited budget and do not really need the mobility of a Pentium M, you may consider an eMachines M5312. It's got a great wide-screen, 802.11g WIFI, DVD/CD-RW combo drive, and a fairly large hard drive all for a reasonable price (be on the watch for rebates and you'd get an even better deal).
The P4-Ms (and a few other variations of Pentium 4 with Mobile or Mobility in the name) are still around; Intel has chosen to confuse customers on this one, but they're all versions of the desktop Pentium 4 chip, with slightly better power and thermal characteristics. They're not good in a laptop if you're primarliy concenrend with battery life.
The Pentium M is a (relatively) new CPU designed from the ground up for use in laptops. It's quite a bit faster, clock per clock, than the Pentium 4; the 1.7 GHz Pentium M (which is the fastest available) is roughly comprable to a 2.6 GHz Pentium 4 (though Pentium 4s are available at speeds up to 3.2 Ghz, and 'mobile' versions are available at up to 3.06 GHz). Laptops with the Pentium M CPU usually carry the 'Centrino' branding (all Centrinos have Pentium M's, but not all Pentium Ms are Centrinos; Centrino = Pentium M + some other stuff from Intel).
The Pentium M is a (relatively) new CPU designed from the ground up for use in laptops. It's quite a bit faster, clock per clock, than the Pentium 4; the 1.7 GHz Pentium M (which is the fastest available) is roughly comprable to a 2.6 GHz Pentium 4 (though Pentium 4s are available at speeds up to 3.2 Ghz, and 'mobile' versions are available at up to 3.06 GHz). Laptops with the Pentium M CPU usually carry the 'Centrino' branding (all Centrinos have Pentium M's, but not all Pentium Ms are Centrinos; Centrino = Pentium M + some other stuff from Intel).
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