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buying notebook: which cpu to get? Centrino/PM, P4M, A64, Xp-m?

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so this is just a notebook that's going to be used at school and in car, and wireless access around my house (but NOT my primary PC) But I don't want a slow computer either.

The most intensive thing I think I could see it doing is maybe watching divx or burning CDs.

I want something with good batterly life.

The only A64 laptop I can get is probally an e-machines refurbished, but their stuff isn't all too good....and the battery life is pretty ****ty, and I'm looking for a more portable/lighter machine so I guess that cuts out the A64,

But how would you rank the cpus? Power/battery life ratio? Which one would be the best cpu?

I would love to get another intel HT cpu for a laptop, but that costs wayyyy out of the budget I have.

I also heard the Centrino/PMs outperform much higher clocked P4-Ms is this true?
 
pentium m are small, offer long battery life, and wifi best bet right now. And yes they do perform better than higher clocked p4m you cant go worng with a centrino,
 
DayUSeX said:
pentium m are small, offer long battery life, and wifi best bet right now.

All of the above are true but all those goodies don't come for free. So, if you don't need your laptop to be slim and light and if you can live with 2-21/2 h battery life, I think you should get a Barton, they are (a lot) cheaper than PentiumM's. I don't know to many things about laptops with A64 though...
 
The better Centrino laptops (with wireless stuff) last a good 6 hrs battery..worth taking a look at.

Lots of AXP-m laptop have much shorter batterylife and no Wifi by standard. If you can afford it, go for the Centrino, definatly.
 
Sjaak said:
The better Centrino laptops (with wireless stuff) last a good 6 hrs battery..worth taking a look at.

Lots of AXP-m laptop have much shorter batterylife and no Wifi by standard. If you can afford it, go for the Centrino, definatly.

Actually, if I remember correctly Centrino = PentiumM processor + wireless Lan + Intel 855 chipset. What I'm trying to say is that all Centrinos should have "wireless stuff" ;)

When I bought my laptop, the difference in price between a Centrino and a Barton was ~$400. With that kind of money, you can buy an extra battery and a wireless card and still have $200 left.

Don't get me wrong, PentiumM is a great processor, it's def the best in the notebook market, but if money is a big issue, there are cheaper options...
 
From the benches I've seen the P-M is faster than a barton per clock, slightly slower than an A64, at least in most things. A low end mobile AMD will use 35-50w, while a P-M uses between 2 and 15w.
 
If you are looking for a light notebook 4-5lbs, long battery life 4-6 hours -> Pent M

If you are looking for a replacement for your home computer get a A64M or P4M
Those two are faster than the Pent M when using it for multitasking and what not.

I have two centino, since they are for school and I needed the longer battery life and lite notebook as I go from class to class.

I have a friend with the [email protected] and his is much faster in every aspect than mine. Yes the Pent M performs above its rating but brute force is always good to have.

Basically it is not which chip to buy but rather How much you are willing to spend + how light you want the laptop to be.

Lighter+Longer battery life = $$$$$

I for one would look at not the CPU but rather the vid card the laptop has if you even think about playing games on it. You can not go wrong with the cpu except celeron mobile.
 
All this is gonna be used for is, car tuning, typing up notes, and watching movies...and wireless internet.

I want longer battery life since I go from class to class to class, and only the really crappy seats have power outlets.

I have to find the proper one that'll fit my budget though :)
 
I have a 600m with dual batteries. I can use it all day with the brightness turn down
 
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