Can someone explain the pros and cons of current Processors?

[400bandit]

Hey all, I'm looking to buy a laptop soon (desktop replacement) and am getting a little confused with all the current laptop processors. If there is anybody out there that could kindly describe current models? (only roughly...) Unitl now I have always stuck with Intel products but can't help feeling that AMD may be a better alternative?
I don't have bundels to spend on the laptop though. I was looking to buy somehting with a Core Duo but I can only really afford the 1.6ghz unit. This seems a little low but how would this compare to say a pentium 4? (thats what I'm currently running in my desktop)
Sorry to sound like a computer noob but I'm not as bad as I sound, I just normally stick to Desktop PCs
My Budget for the laptop has to be no more than £650 (times are tight ) Any info would be greatly received and also any offers of decent laptops would be of interest
Joe
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Current Bikes 650 Honda Bros, VTR1000 Firestorm // Past Bikes: Sachs Madass 50/110cc - Bandit 400 - FZR750
(+ a XS650 in lots of pieces in my garage and other places...)

[stevehsenior]

Hi, from experience, AMDs are generally cheaper than Intel; this usually reflects in the overall price. AMDs are better at multi-tasking, and tend to run cooler.
Make sure the laptop processor is designed for mobile use,(Centrino for Intel and Sempron Mobile for AMD are two examples.) and hasn't just been fitted as a cheap alternative.
As always, ask yourself "What am I using it for" and work from that basis; don't buy what you don't need.
HTH
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SSDD

[DucatiEVO]

Core Duo and Core 2 Duo is a newer design and hence slaps a P4 for breakfast, even though it's clocked slower.

Amd used to be the better performance choice until the above came out recently!


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aKa: Ducky

[400bandit]

OK, thanks for all the replies. I will be using it for a fairly wide range of tasks, I'm about to start a Computer Systems Engineering Degree (see I told you I'm not a complete noob ) And then also my own interests, a little Flash, Fireworks and soon DreamWeaver, Music and playing my guitar through it (using a GuitarPort - a completly under rated bit of kit)
Here's a pretty good deal IMO https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-DELL-INSPIRON-6400-LAPTOP-1-6-GHz-DVD-1024MB-RAM_W0QQitemZ230024557926QQihZ013QQcategoryZ177QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem What do you think? it's a good price and I could collect and may be able to tempt him with cash at a lower price
Thanks again, Joe
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Current Bikes 650 Honda Bros, VTR1000 Firestorm // Past Bikes: Sachs Madass 50/110cc - Bandit 400 - FZR750
(+ a XS650 in lots of pieces in my garage and other places...)

[Bigeds]

If you look on Dells website you can buy this laptop for £549 inc VAT and Delivery

The hard disk is only 60Gb rather than 80Gb but you get a DVD Writer rather than an CDRW/DVD-ROM

Smaller disk but can burn DVD's, direct from Dell, cheaper. I know which one I'd go for.

I've attached a pdf of the basket, showing the full spec.

Ed

[DevilWAH]

ah the old AMD / intel debate!!!

IT all depends what you want.

In simple terms it works something like this.

AMD processors run at a "slower speed", (this means they proform fewer cycles per second. )

However they do more work per clock cycle.

The way to look at it is the old man walking becide a child.
Man being the AMD chip and child the Intel chip.

Both cover the same distence in the same time. but man takes slow long steps. and child takes fast short steps.

Waht this means in the real world. is that for simple number crunching tasks (video editing, compressing files, Data base serching) intel are a faster chip. but for multi media and games the AMD can be better.

Now the best AMD and the CORE DUO are about eaqul for all real world applications.
Unless you are seriously in to proformance then you wont really notice a difference.

At the lower end of the market AMD still are better price proformance. The core duoes only start to show a proformance advantage when you are buying the toprange proccessors and this is when you are spening £350+ just for the processor!!!!
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When i think of someting good to put here. it will go here
Oh and no asking what the WAH stands for

[DucatiEVO]

I've been debating the CPU brand (AMD/Intel etc) wars ever since I used my Opus Technology 8086/10Mhz (NEC V20 processor)

I was an AMD man (current is AMD 2600+ - no rush to upgrade), but now I've seen what the new Core 2 Duo can do, and at a good price for the power (sub £140) I know what my next PC will be based on!
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aKa: Ducky

[Spoonman]

first - if you want a computer to last - don't get a dell! sony, toshiba, or ibm - and preferably sony or IBM - although you'll pay bucks for either.

sony lead the way for media - best displays this side of an apple mac and top notch hardware to boot.

toshiba and IBM are the most durable so if it's gonna be getting bashed about, they're the way to go.

in a laptop you either want, as already said;

-centrino core duo (have they released the mobile core 2duo yet?*)
or
-sempron mobile

*if they have then get it - best by miles!! other two are about even

as has also already been mentioned;

up until the release of the intel core 2duo processor, AMD has been top dog for everything except media encoding - however, the new processor has turned that on it's ear now and intel are once again king of all(and i am by no means an intel fanboy!).

so, if you have to buy now - then stop reading here! if you can afford to wait a while read on.


now - the "state of the market" bit that you weren't expecting:

- DON'T BUY ANYTHING FOR THE NEXT 6 MONTHS unless you really have to!!

why?
because after an 18 month state of stability in the computer hardware industry, we are now at the start of a fresh battle between AMD and INTEL, and NVIDIA and ATI.

for the next 6 months or so, we are going to see market models becoming outdated within weeks of hitting the shelves as the titans battle it out.

there's a whole new wave of motherboards on the way in with all new and improved bells and whistles.

graphics are getting a revamp with the impending arrival of directX10 - meaning new graphics processors are en route

software to make full use of multicore systems is still in it's infancy and needs time to be developed to a stable working state hence there are going to be multitudes or updates and revisions flying around.

now these battles never hit laptops as much as PC's but the point is that if you can afford to hang on for a few months you are going to see a dramatic shift in the pricing and quality of what is currently top notch hardware.

now i know someone is going to come on here in a bit and say that that's always the case and that there's no point in waiting but for the uber geeks among us (as this will probably go over your head but anyways) - how long has the ASUS A8N-sli series mobo been top dog for socket 939?? - the market does and will stabilise and the man who can afford to hang on until it does will get a better deal.

[DevilWAH]

why the hell would you want a sempron mobile ?? (its the lowest of the mobile CPU range they do!! what about the duel core 64bit turions??
there are far better amd mobile chips out than that.

Also the low/mid range core duo's and the equilivent AMD chips are almost exact match for price/proformance. even up to about £300 you get the same proformance for the same price at the moment.
Its only when you start going to the £400+ that the core duo's leave the AMD chips behind.

Also, no the market will never stablise. next year AMD will be bringing out there quad core CPU's that look like they will walk all over the Core duo's.(and they are already looking at 8 core versions) AMD are going to bring out yet another socket for there CPU's (939 socket is old now, M2 is the current socket)

You have physic cards comming on the sceen. which will not be mainstream for at least another year.

So i would say dont wait.
do a bit of reserch on the current technology on offer. then set a price and go for it.

Like i say unless you do a lot of extreem processor intensive tasks, there is no point in spending lots of money!
I have 4 PC's at home.

1 is a duel 3.8ghz processor 4 gig of ram, 1Tbyte drive space etc etc... server

A 4ghz amd system with 2 gig of ram, and 6800gs graphic card..

A 2.5 ghz amd 4 year old system,

And a 1.7ghz laptop.

for doing web browsering and office stuff there is not a lot of difference between any of them.
And when it comes to game's both the desktops can handle most of the games on the market and run them at resonable specs.

As you say you can affor a 1.6ghz system, then i would get one now. other wise you will be constantly waiting for the latest technology on the market to fall in price so you can get it.

Yes DirectX 10 graphics cards will be comming out early next year. but it will not be untill the end of the year/year after that they will have fallen in price to be resonable to get.
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When i think of someting good to put here. it will go here
Oh and no asking what the WAH stands for

[Bigeds]

A year or two?

Can't agree with the moan about Dell. As with so many things its all down to your own personal experience and no doubt friends and aquaintances etc. My experience of buying Dells for the company I work for over the last 5 years is that they are very reliable. Thats Desktops, laptops and the PowerEdge Server range.

We have had senior execs insiting on having Sony but they have then had all sorts of problems with them. Mind you isn't that the way. Gotta have what they percieve to be top dog, don't understand what they are doing and cause havock with the hardware and software.

I also see that Dell are saying its the Sony manufactured cells in their laptop batteries that are causing the problem that has resulted in their battery replacement programme

Back on track...don't believe 400Bandit can wait 6 months, then again if you can you might as well say hang on a bit longer for Vista

[400bandit]

Thanks for all the input, much appreciated. I'm not a real gammer so I think some of the specs that have been discussed may be a little bit of over kill for my needs. I found this laptop on e-Bay https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-ACER-5102WLMi-DUALCORE-GAMING-laptop-12-Mths-Warty_W0QQitemZ330026091501QQihZ014QQcategoryZ177QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Seems quite a good deal? I know I'm going to get shouted at now because it's a Accer but I really cant afford to go Sony and the like. I just feel that Accer and Dell offer more for the money? + I recently had a play around on a friends newly purchased Sony (cost near to £1000!) and I was not impressed, seemed to take an age to load and even when it did finally load it wasn't all that (well not for the money)
Thanks again, Joe
____________________
Current Bikes 650 Honda Bros, VTR1000 Firestorm // Past Bikes: Sachs Madass 50/110cc - Bandit 400 - FZR750
(+ a XS650 in lots of pieces in my garage and other places...)

[Rookie]

I'd go for Dell over Acer. I got an Acer, and it leaves something to be desired to be honest. The screen is abysmal. It's 1 year old. I have a 6 year old Toshiba laptop, and the screen on that is considerably better.

[Spoonman]

[Spoonman]

the one thing i will grant dell over the others is that their business support is excellent. i work in the electronics department in trinity college and everytime something has failed (and they do) we've had either a tech out or the part shipped within 48 hours.

but i still think that sony, IBM and toshiba are just better built machines.

[DevilWAH]