Acer/Dell laptops?

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-08-18 08:24pm

Alyeska wrote:Centrino opperates differently then normal chips. It can process more then comparably ranked chips. This laptop has more processing power then my 2.17 Ghz AMD Athlon XP.

Its all in how the processor works. Clock speed is not the only factor in determining processing capabilities.

Yes, well, no shit. All the Centrino based laptops I've had the misfortune of using have seemed quite sluggish. Are they optimised for particular forms of processing?

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2006-08-18 08:36pm

Actually, one thing I've found that often kills performance is a shitty anti-virus program, even when every other spec on the computer should indicate responsive and quick performance. Did they have, say, Symantec/Norton Anti-Virus installed?

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-08-18 08:39pm

Heavens no.

If I have to work on them I'm going to 'fix' things like that. So are Centrinos actually good chips, and I've just had bad experiences?

Post by **Beowulf** » 2006-08-18 09:56pm

Centrino isn't a chip, it's a standard by Intel. IOW, it must have an X chip, wireless card by Intel, etc.

Alyeska · Post by **Alyeska** » 2006-08-18 10:04pm

Stark wrote:Heavens no. If I have to work on them I'm going to 'fix' things like that. So are Centrinos actually good chips, and I've just had bad experiences?

Well in my case its certainly been a kickass chip. My video card is good, but its not a powerhouse. So my processor has to pull its fair share running game.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2006-08-18 10:34pm

Stark wrote:Yes, well, no shit. All the Centrino based laptops I've had the misfortune of using have seemed quite sluggish. Are they optimised for particular forms of processing?

As Beowulf noted, Centrino is a brand label - it indicates a combination of Intel wireless, chipset and CPU (Pentium M, Core or Core 2). The CPUs in them are quite powerful and generally comparable or better than the Athlon64 clock-for-clock.

Lack of RAM or a slow HD (5400RPM or slower is common for laptops) is likely to blame for sluggish performance.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-08-18 10:59pm

Are the different forms of the Centrino standard? Perhaps all the laptops I've used contain older chips. I guess I'll have to learn about PC laptops now...

Alyeska · Post by **Alyeska** » 2006-08-18 11:26pm

Centrino chips tend to be designed for low power usage in order to optimize battery life on a laptop or increase the options available for use.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2006-08-19 12:32am

Stark wrote:Are the different forms of the Centrino standard? Perhaps all the laptops I've used contain older chips. I guess I'll have to learn about PC laptops now...

There are various options for CPUs in a laptop branded as a "Centrino" Even the oldest ones using the Banias-core Pentium M is pretty zippy (for a < 2GHz machine, anyways!)

Ypoknons · Post by **Ypoknons** » 2006-08-19 11:22am

In a nutshell a laptop is eligable for the Centrino sticker if has a Banias, Dothan ("Pentium M"), Yonah ("Core Duo") or Merom ("Core 2 Duo") processor, certain Intel motherboards, and one of the approved wi-fi chips. The desktop Core 2 Duo - quite the speed demon as of right now - was developed from the same roots as the above four processors, freed of course, of their thirty-something watt or less power constrains.

Edited: Added "desktop Core 2 Duo" as the Core 2 Duo on the desktop are the laptop Core 2 Duo are not the same.

AniThyng · Post by **AniThyng** » 2006-08-19 10:41pm

Mucking around with my brand new Inspiron6400

CoreDuo T2050 1.6Ghz/533Mhz FSB
1 GB DDR2
128 x1300 Mobility Radeon
60GB 5400rpm hdd

pros

Quiet, can barely hear the fans.

670 3dMarks on 3DMark2006 - not spectacular by any means, but that's much more then my veteran AthlonXP 2000 with a GeForce4Ti 4200 can possibly manage. Only game I have on hand here is Civ IV which works like a charm...probably not the best example

Performs very well, only bottleneck I can see is the Hard Disk.

Nice springy keypad, comfortable to use

Construction is alright - I wouldn't toss it on the floor, but it looks like it will survive some hard knocks and random physical indignities.

Touchpad is very good, responsive.

Cons

Hard Disk does tend to get rather warm under sustained use, but it's still possible to maintain skin contact. I suspect the x1300 is a bit of a heat generator as well.

Dell bloatware. Ye gods.

For 3247 ringgit (US$900) this is very good value for money, which was a primary motivating factor in the purchase. Acers here cost more...heh.