Centrino vs Pentium-4

Question

Hello, all.  I have a Dell i5100 p2.4gHz, 512m RAM, etc.  It has been a wonderful machine, but it is time to look at new toys for Christmas.  I'm a little out of date on hardware.    I develop neural-net solutions, and a Celeron has never been good to me (the L2 cache is important!)  I've been scanning the forums, and reading about heat problems with the P4s.  So my question is: how does the Centrino processor fare?  Is it a straight processor speed comparison to the P4 or Celeron?   I need portability and raw HP... but I don't want to start a fire, either!   Thanks!   Howard

Oditius · Answer

@Howard Warren wrote:

So my question is: how does the Centrino processor fare? Is it a straight processor speed comparison to the P4 or Celeron?

I need portability and raw HP... but I don't want to start a fire, either! Thanks!

Howard

First off Centrino is just a fad name, not a CPU. It's a Pentium - M CPU. Centrino means you have the Pentium - m cpu and the intel wireless card. I believe the Pentium - m is a modified Pentium 3. Here is a page about the Pentium-M

mattcowger · Answer

If L2 cache is what you want, you want a P-M! 2MB L2 is standard, vs. the 512K or 1MB on a P4.

Howard Warren · Answer

Actually, L2 is just part of the equation.  I need processor power as well... 1.x gHz processors can't cut it. Does anybody know how a 2 gHz Pentium M would realistically compare to the P4? Thanks!

dallascowboyswo · Answer

I have a 5100. If I had to do it over, I would buy and 8600. A 9100 looks good but to me it seems heavy. The 8600 has more features. Both are mobile centrinos. You can add a wireless nic to you 5100 by the way if that is what you are after. How old is your 5100. Just asking.

Guy-Guy · Answer

It is my understanding (and I’ve talked with several representatives from Dell about this as well as a couple of our lab managers) that the PM 2.0GHz actually out processes the P4 3.2GHz, Hyper-threading, in raw computational power in identical settings.

Additional benefits of the PM include; 2MB of L2 Cache (which you indicated you had need of) and the fact that parts of the chip are powered down when not in use, or not likely to be in use in the near future, which equates to higher efficiency as far as power usage (not as hot/battery lasts longer).

Lastly, Odiues is basically right, Centrino actually does not refer to just the processor. It also refers to a package including the PM processor, the 855 chipset (motherboard, basically) and an INTEL wireless NIC (I believe either the b or the b/g but not the a). If any of these components are missing, it’s simply not a Centrino. What this means is that if you choose to have an XG wireless NIC, it can’t be called a Centrino, although the processing capability stays the same.

All in all, I’d definitely say that, given your situation, I’d select a Pentium Mobile processor. Dell’s Inspiron 9200 currently has a 2.10GHz possible, however you said you needed high mobility and this model is a 17 incher (widescreen) and that makes it rather big for a laptop. You may need to back down to a 15/14.

Guy-Guy

Inspiron 9200, PM765 (2.1GHz)

IGB DDR333MHz, 128MB ATI RADEON 9700,

60GB 7200RPM HD, 8X DVD+/- (Dbl lyr),

Intel PRO/Wireless 2200, 17" Ultrasharp W xga+

(comments are from a non-professional and may be in error)

mattcowger · Answer

You're right, but only specifically mentioned L2. In general, a PM 2.0 would pretty much match a P4 3.2 in the things you are doing.

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Centrino vs Pentium-4

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