[dba-Tech] Laptop Recommendation

Totally different.  "Mobile Intel Pentium 4" uses the Pentium 4M processor,
a Pentium 4 modified to make it more suitable for laptops (eg SpeedStep to
save battery power), whereas the Pentium M is a different design aimed at
laptops in the first place.  

Pentium M uses far less power, and is normally packaged in a "Centrino"
laptop.  My daughter's runs for about five hours without recharging, and
nicely covers the 3 to 4 hours of use in the field for processing a day's
geophysics survey data - NOT just word processing!

To work out comparative processing power in GHz, multiply the Centrino's by
about 1.5 to get a figure to compare with Pentium 4, so a 1.6 GHz Pentium M
equates roughly to a 2.4 GHz P4.  That's only the processor of course:
laptop disks are slower than desktops.

For greatest processing power, get a laptop with a P4 desktop chip.  But
don't plan on using it for very long on battery power!  And mind you don't
fry your 'lap' with its heat!!

Interestingly, Intel appear to have dropped their P4 90nm future plans,
possibly because they have turned out to be no cooler than P4 130nm.  They
are apparently going to exploit the Pentium M on the desktop instead.  Go
figure.  (I forget timescales - maybe a year from now?)

HTH a bit
John


> -----Original Message-----
> From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com 
> [mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of 
> Rocky Smolin - Beach Access Software
> Sent: 01 June 2004 20:42
> To: dba-tech
> Subject: [dba-Tech] Laptop Recommendation
> 
> 
> I'm thinking about getting a laptop.  What's better Mobile 
> Intel Pentium 4, or Pentium M.  Or are they the same.
> 
> I'm looking at the Dell catalog.
> 
> Any other things to look out for?
> 
> TIA
> 
> Rocky Smolin
> Beach Access Software
> http://www.e-z-mrp.com
> 
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