what laptop processor

manutd_2

iv been looking around for laptops but dont know weather if i should buy a laptop with a turion processor or a centrino laptop.

gavsto2005

http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-6142-0.html?forumID=69&threadID=121484&messageID=1377068

blinky

Centrino technically isn't a processor, it's a platform.

Pentium M, Intel chipset and Intel Wireless.

The Pentium M is a good processor - widely to be the be the basis for future Intel desktop chips.

The Turion are AMD64 processors which can run at lower voltage = less heat and longer battery life. I haven't read any reviews of Turion based laptops, though the desktop AMD64 processors are very good.

Rave

Hmm- At any given clockspeed Turions tend to use a bit more power so their battery life isn't quite as good as a Pentium M. Performance wise, they match up very closely indeed in most applications. It largely comes down to price vs spec + battery life really- both are good processors and you can't go too far wrong with either.

manutd_2

i think il get a turion laptop mainly because it is 64 bit also i do think it will be better for gaming (although graphic cards are the main factor for gaming).

as long as the battery last for 3 hours im satisfied.

1 more thing, do all turions have wifi as standard like a centrino and if they do can they be used in centrino hotspots?

blinky

You'll have to look at the individual laptops to check if it includes wireless. Wireless cards or laptops or USB wireless adaptors are dirt cheap these days anyway.

Any wireless hotspot will use either 11b or 54g standards (i.e. not platform dependant).

Rave

manutd wrote:

i think il get a turion laptop mainly because it is 64 bit also i do think it will be better for gaming (although graphic cards are the main factor for gaming).

Surprisingly enough, the Pentium M is actually as good as a Turion if not better at gaming- despite the fact that Intel don't market it as a desktop processor, ironically it's the best gaming processor they do!

See here for more details.

However, as you say the graphics card is more important, and so if you can get a better card for your budget by going Turion, then do. If gaming is a consideration, then maybe don't go for too high a resolution screen, as mid range laptop graphics cards can struggle with the higher resolutions that some laptops are now running. Have you got a fixed budget in fact?

as long as the battery last for 3 hours im satisfied.

Most laptops will manage 3 hours of web surfing, word processing, watching DVDs etc. no problemo, but three hours of gaming would be a different matter.

1 more thing, do all turions have wifi as standard like a centrino and if they do can they be used in centrino hotspots?

The Centrino brand just means that the laptop has a Pentium M processor coupled with an Intel branded wireless networking controller. Since Intel's own brand wireless controllers aren't anything special, there's no real advantage to paying extra just to get a Centrino sticker on the lappy- it's the Pentium M that's the important part of the equation. Any laptop with wireless should work fine in any wi-fi hotspot (although don't go for anything slower than '54G' nowadays).