Question on notebook CPU Performance

Question

I'm fairly new to notebook computers and I'm a little confused about how these 'mobile' cpu's compare with the mainstream desktop cpu's.  Will a 1.6GHz Pentium M really run half as slow as a Pentium 4 3.2GHz, even though the Pentium M is twice as expensive? Am I only paying for more battery life, at a significant performance price? Does anyone know of any good web sites that shows some detailed side by side comparisons, so I can get a better Idea of what my new Inspiron 8600 that I have on order will be able to handle compared to my desktop...    Thanks

ejn63 · Answer

The rule of thumb is to add 1 GHz to the Pentium-M to get the equivalent Pentium 4 performance.

The point is rapidly becoming moot - Intel is phasing out the mobile P4, and manufacturers are shifting to the Pentium-M to replace it and also replace the desktop CPUs some have used. Dell has dropped the 5150/5160 in favor of the Pentium-M based 6000, and will soon replace the Inspiron XPS with the Generation 2, which uses a Pentium-M.

The Pentium-4 in mobile and desktop guises generates too much heat for notebook use.

icelemon · Answer

so basically you are saying that the Pentium-M series will keep the motherboard's life longer even if running it for 24/7?   im a 3dsmax user who does heavy lot renderings, i travel from time to time so i also really need a robust laptop that'll make me happy even on the move

toant103 · Answer

i have the 9100 with 3Ghz and i rather get the centrino.  The centrino battery life is a lot better than the prescott.  i'm only getting 1.5 hrs out of my laptop

jankerson · Answer

I did some tests benchmarking my 5160 (2.8GHz) and my Desktop with a 3.06 P4 and others on another forum and was suprised that the 2.8GHz P4M (Prescott) kept pace with the desktop CPU's very well. Yes they generate more heat and use more power than the Pent M but they are extremely fast CPU's.

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Question on notebook CPU Performance

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