Laptop Processors Guide
When buying a laptop you should look at processor differently than for normal desktop computer. First thing to remember is that in majority of laptops processors are not upgradeable, so you should choose processor that fits your current and future requirements.
What Processor Do I Need?
People usually don't need high performance processors, because laptops are mostly used for simple tasks - word processing, mailing and surfing the web. High performance systems are required for gaming, graphics or 3D modeling and laptop is not really suitable computer for such activities. Laptop should contain low power consuming processor, which would make your battery life longer keeping performance on sufficient level.
Generally, while buying refurbished laptop, you have a few choices:
- Intel Pentium III
- Intel Pentium III Mobile
- Intel Pentium 4
- Intel Pentium 4 Mobile
- Intel Pentium Celeron
Processor Types Review
Intel Pentium III - Cheap Solution
Intel Pentium III is a good choice if you don't need very high performance. Laptops with PIII are now really cheap and are suitable for running most applications. They usually come in range of about 400 MHz to 1.2 GHz. We advice you to get processor not slower than 700 MHz. Otherwise you might have problems running new versions of Microsoft Windows or new versions of other programs, as requirements are higher every time new version comes out.
Pentium III in laptops are exactly the same as in desktop computers. They are not designed to lower the power usage or emit less heat. If you need to work for long hours on battery consider choosing other, power-saving processor like PIII Mobile version.
Intel Pentium 4
Intel Pentium 4 is high performance processor. It is often meet in newer, more expensive models. They come in range of about 1.2Ghz to even 3Ghz. Pentium 4 is very common and majority of new software is optimized for it. However it still isn't battery friendly and emits lot of heat, so laptops with P4 have to be bigger than others to ensure good airflow and efficient cooling.
Intel Pentium Mobile - Solution For Laptops
Intel Pentium Mobile is a processor designed especially for laptops. It is based on Pentium III or 4 core, but emits much less heat and thus saves your battery. Producers can make laptops with Pentium Mobile smaller because it does not demand big cooling systems. Performance is comparable to traditional Pentium. The great feature of some Mobile processor versions (with SpeedStep technology) is that they can slow down reducing power usage by up to 50% and saving the battery life. You will meet laptops with both PIII Mobile and P4 Mobile processors but the latter are used in the newest and expensive models.
Intel Pentium Celeron
Intel Pentium Celerons are often met in desktop replacement laptops. Celeron is modified version of traditional PIII or P4. In Celeron, the amount of L2 Cache is reduced to 128kB, while original versions can contain even four times more. L2 Cache is one of the most expensive parts of every processor. It consists of about 50% of all transistors. That's why reducing L2 cache size makes processor a lot cheaper and low heat-emitting. However, nothing is for free - it also significantly decreases processor performance.
Other Processor Manufacturers
You can sometimes meet AMD processors in laptops, but they are not very popular because they require good and effective cooling systems. Recently AMD created new model, designed especially for laptops - Athlon XP-M, but it is not widely used yet.
What Is Centrino?
Recently, Centrino name started to appear in many laptop offers. People often misunderstand this term, thinking that it is a model of processor. In fact, Centrino is the name of Intel wireless computing solution for notebooks, consisting of three different parts. It includes Pentium 4 Mobile processor, special chipset and wireless 802.11b card. Only these three things together make Centrino. Some producers don't want to include Intel wireless card, but still use other two parts of Centrino - Pentium 4 Mobile processor and special chipset. However only systems, which include all three parts, can be branded Centrino.
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