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Laptop ProcessorPicking a laptop processorOn important distinction is between single and dual core processors. Dual core means the processor actually runs as 2 processors, instead of one. That's twice the computing power for some applications that can take advantage of the extra core, and more power for multitasking with all your programs. Consider that Windows itself needs processor resources to run, and you can immediately see why having a second core for applications ready to go can be a great thing. Intel or AMD? There are two major chip makers for laptops. Intel is the market leader, but chips from AMD can be just as fast and are just as reliable. More important than which company's chip is in your laptop is which specific model of chip. Intel Core 2 Duo and Pentium M Dual Core The Pentium M was designed for laptops from its very beginning. The chip runs cool, fast, and incorporates impressive power saving features. The Core 2 Duo is an updated version of the Pentium M Dual Core. The Pentium M dual core and Core 2 Duo are excellent choices for laptops of all varieties, and in most cases is actually the best choice. You will notice a variety of speed options for these chips. Unless you are using your laptop for gaming, going for a slower chip can be a great way to save money. Any speed Pentium M dual core or Core 2 Duo will be plenty for business applications and the internet. Intel Celeron M The Celeron M is a less expensive version of the Pentium M and is a single core chip. The chip shares the same excellent design as its higher-end sibling, but runs at lower speeds, and is slower mainly for that reason. Also, the Celeron M does not have all the power saving features of the Pentium M. In addition to being single core and slower, with the Celeron M you will generally sacrifice battery life of roughly an hour, assuming typical business use where a battery would last four hours on a Pentium M dual core. The Celeron M is a fine choice for budget conscience consumers. It will absolutely be fast enough for business applications and the internet. The chip runs cool and performs well. Do keep in mind that $100 to upgrade to a Pentium M or Core 2 Duo and gain an extra hour of battery life (along with performance) every time you use your laptop unplugged might be a very wise investment. AMD Athlon 64 X2 and Turion X2 AMD Athlon 64 X2 and Turion X2 are AMD's dual core mobile graphics processors. Because they were designed for desktops and then moved into laptops, these chips don't offer quite the same power saving features as Intel's chips, though the difference when using a Turion X2 is not huge. AMD's mobile chips are fast performers for both games and office applications that typically (though not always) show up in value systems from major manufacturers. AMD Sempron The Mobile Sempron is AMD's least expensive mobile processor. These are reasonably fast budget chips that are fairly comparable to a Celeron M in terms of performance. Transmeta You may see a laptop with a chip from Tranmeta. Years ago the small company made a lot of noise in the market when they aimed at making good performing, ultra-low power consuming chips. They ended up making below average performing chips that consume only a little less power than similar chips from Intel. At this point, it's hard to recommend a laptop based on a Transmeta processor. Processor Recommendations The desktop processor market is much more complicated than the laptop one. In short, Intel's dual core processors offer excellent performance and battery life at a variety of price points. In most cases one of these chips is the one you want. Budget System The Celeron M is a fine choice. It combines speed and average battery life in an inexpensive package. On the other hand, you may find an inexpensive dual core AMD processor based system for the same price as a Celeron system. In that case, the dual core from AMD is the way to go and will offer more power and batter life. AMD's single core Sempron isn't a great CPU, but if price demands a laptop with the chip, it will be fast enough for business and internet use. Value System Intel dual core all the way These chips are fast, cool, and offer tremendous battery life compared to their rivals. Intel has released a varying range of chip speeds, which means its slower models are very reasonably priced. Get a dual core Intel CPU at any speed that fits into your budget, and you'll have the core of a great laptop. AMD's Turion X2 isn't a bad performer, but Intel’s chips simply shine when it comes to battery life combined with power. High End System A dual core Intel processor is still generally the best choice here. It runs near or at the top in all performance categories, and retains its cool and light characteristics. You want as fast a chip as you can afford, but don't feel like you need to get the absolute top of line model. Something near the top will be great. |
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