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General discussion

P4 vs Pentium Centrino

by catennacio Sep 26, 2005 7:43AM PDT

Maybe this has been posted a lot in this forum

I'm gonna buy a notebook. But I'm confused between the Pentium 4 and Pentium Centrino. I know they are 2 different technologies but still wonder which one is better.

I heard that to compare a CPU centrino with a p4, you have to add 1ghz into it (i.e. a 2.0ghz centrno is equivalent with a 3.0 ghz p4) is that correct?

I think one would choose either centrino or p4 for his pc depends on his need. I need a desktop replacement so maybe I ll go for the p4 630+ (support 64bit). However when I look at some centrino models,they are quite powerful and can be considered desktop replacement as well. So, can a centrino be a real desktop replacement? if yes, definitely ppl will go for it bc its battery life and weight.

Any ideas?

Discussion is locked

10 Posts
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RPM?
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Sep 26, 2005 8:11AM PDT

It's not funny to see someone get a lap burning unit and see the machine with a slug of a hard disk.

Frankly I don't see our sub 2 GHz Centrinos to be subpar on performance. The office supplied me a 2.0 GHz R3000 AMD 64 and it's hard to complain.

Why the need to scorch your lap?

Bob

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ya, what Bob said
by ikjadoon Sep 26, 2005 9:37AM PDT

Those P4s are meant for Desktops, with adequate heatsinks and all.. They were put in laptops, I think, because they were, in clock speed, faster than the Centrinos. Centrinos are by far, IMO, for laptops: They are pretty fast,tons more battery life, weight isn't too much more unless you are counting the mini heatsink inside.. Totally go with Centrino, hands down.

-Ibrahim

*CNET Help Forums need an edit button!

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what about these 2
by catennacio Sep 26, 2005 3:47PM PDT

actually im looking at hp zd8000 (3.0ghz) and hp nc8000 (2.0ghz)

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(NT) (NT) Thumbs down to the ZD8000
by damasta55r Sep 26, 2005 5:17PM PDT
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BTW, my rule of thumb is 2X
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Sep 26, 2005 9:21PM PDT

That 2.0GHz Centrino may benchmark on a good day at 2X the 2.0GHz P4.

Again, why the burning need for a P4?

bob

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i dont think centrino is 2x to the p4
by catennacio Sep 27, 2005 1:33PM PDT

ok the centrino is pentium m + chipset 855 + intel wireless pro. are u saying that a pentium m with chipset 855 is 2x to a pentium 4 with hyper threading in terms of speed? i know pentium 4 is a bad design chip but i have seen a centrino 1.6ghz (1mb cache l2) is just as slow (actually slower than) as a pentium 4 1.6ghz (no hypertheading, cache 512).

centrino + 1ghz = p4 may be a bit far already imho

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Ok, maybe 1.8X
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Sep 28, 2005 1:02AM PDT

For my rule of thumb I'll stick to 2X. You can get benchmark numbers from tomshardware.com when comparing P4 to Centrino. P4HT CPUs will fair better, but scorch the desktop.

Bob

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Speed is tricky
by Nooorm Sep 28, 2005 2:59AM PDT

"i have seen a centrino 1.6ghz (1mb cache l2) is just as slow (actually slower than) as a pentium 4 1.6ghz (no hypertheading, cache 512)."

There are sooo many things that effect speed, plus, when you say it was slower, you have to say what it was doing, because that's very important. Perhaps one had a GPU and the other used integrated video. That would make a big difference for gaming or digital content creatation. Was the RAM the same in both systems. RAM makes a big difference in App loads and gerneral OS performance. Was the FSB the same on both systems and did both systems have the same HDD? Was the software image on both systems the same? Was it a Low Voltage PM?

If you're only considering an Intel system, then I'd suggest visiting intel.com. They have pages where you can identify what you plan to do with your laptop and they'll suggest the product.

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(NT) (NT) Pentium Ms have a shorter pipeline vs. Pentium 4
by AKonny47 Sep 28, 2005 9:10AM PDT
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(NT) (NT) ALso a lower fsb. If Pentium M has HT,it would own. LOL.
by damasta55r Sep 28, 2005 5:36PM PDT
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