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General discussion

Intel vs. AMD

by Roofroof Nov 12, 2005 5:52PM PST

I'm looking at buying a notebook for at home networking. Which is better for on-line gaming? I was recently told that Intel pentium 4 doesn't come close to the AMD Athlon 64 for high end games. I don't want to spend a ton of money, $1500 or so. Can I find what I'm looking for with Pentium, or should I just concentrate on notebooks w/ the Athlon 64.

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3 Posts

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P4s are the worst notebook processors...

by togus Nov 12, 2005 9:19PM PST

And, ath Athlon 64 is too (but a better fit for mobile application than a P4). I'd look at a Pentium M or a Turion. P-Ms will give better battery life, likely better performance and be available in more machines so you'll have a better choice. Turions are 64 bit so if you're concerned with "future proofing" they are a better bet, but there are only a couple of Turion machines with the graphic capabilities to be called a gameing system.

For gaming you really need to be more concerned with the GPU, which does most of the work when playing games...particularly if you like bleeding edge 3D games. I'd look for a machine that has an ATI X700 or Nvidia Go6600 or higher. I have a HP Dv4000 with the X700 and that's likely the best buy you can find for a gaming machine. With a P-M 740 I ran 3DMark05 and recorded a score of 2439...pretty damn good for a $1200 notebook.

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Why a P4?

by r. proffitt Forum moderator Nov 12, 2005 9:50PM PST

That CPU is mainly for those that will not accept a laptop CPU. While it works fine in year 1, I see too many that need cleaning, fans and more in year 2. It seems to have a short fuse.

Bob

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P4 -M est way to go

by Jonnodude Nov 13, 2005 12:56AM PST

the best processor would be a P4-M because if your running a notebook the processor runs cooler and will allow for longer battery life, if you get a top range pentium 4-m like the Pentium M 770 or 780 then it will easily handle all your needs.

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