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Bob V
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
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 Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 9:23 am Post subject: Laptop quesitions (centrino or M class?0 |
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Hello everyone, I will hopefully be coming to Korea soon (march). I am planning on getting a laptop for my time there, and was wondering if any of you can answer myquestions. I will be using the computer for photo editing, some gaming, some multimedia and basic word processing needs. I plan on spending around $1500 (or less if possible).
1) What is the deal with this mobile computing, would I be better off just getting a faster processor and a broadband hookup?
2) Which is better centrino or M class for mobile computing, and how does that work (do you get a monthly charge and unlimited access?
3) How fast is the wireless (downloads, uploads)?
4) What would be a good notebook for me to get (dell, sony...)?
5) Should I buy one here (in the US) or when I get to Korea?
I guess thats all the questions for now, if I think of anything else I will repost. Thanks!
Bob V |
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ffl007
Joined: 01 Nov 2003
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| Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 1:16 pm Post subject: ! |
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| PC for dummies! |
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ryleeys
Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: Columbia, MD
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| Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 3:11 pm Post subject: |
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| I recommend the Athlon XP processor. They routinely outperform Intels. For example, my Athlon XP 1800 is rated at 1.87 ghz but performs better than most 2.4 ghz intels. |
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Shincheon_Blues
Joined: 16 Dec 2003
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| Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 3:25 pm Post subject: |
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Bob,
You might want to check out http://www.discountpcsales.com/ . I purchased a custom laptop from them a few years ago and was very happy. Their prices are also excellent...lower than anything I have found to date.
That said, get the fastest you can afford. Laptops are not easily upgraded. |
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jaebea
Joined: 21 Sep 2003
Location: SYD
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| Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 5:29 pm Post subject: |
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Ok here we goooooo...
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| 1) What is the deal with this mobile computing, would I be better off just getting a faster processor and a broadband hookup? |
When you say mobile computing, do you mean internet access on the go? If so, I can't say it's as prevalent here as it is in Japan. Wireless Access Points may be present in popular places such as the airport, and the heart of the business district, but if you intend on simply using it at home, then I recommend a standard broadband connection to your notebook.
Feel free to clarify what this question is, and I'll give it a little more depth answer.
| Quote: |
| 2) Which is better centrino or M class for mobile computing, and how does that work (do you get a monthly charge and unlimited access? |
From what I can remember, Centrino notebooks are more efficient with their energy consumption (read: easier on battery life), generate less heat and have built in Wireless Network (802.11b) built in. They can also be built to a smaller form factor to other notebooks. I would presume this would have some sort of impact on the performance, but I haven't had the chance to go through benchmarks for Centrino vs M series of Intel notebook CPU's yet.
Wireless internet access usually works with an access point, operated by a big company or a telecommunications firm. Notebooks, PDA's etc will have hardware on them which lets them communicate with this access point. This hardware is usually either built in or can be added to older notebooks. Centrino based laptops have wireless networking integrated into the laptop. The laptop I'm using now (which is a 1.8M) would require an addon PCMCIA card for me to utilise these wireless access points.
The wireless internet access depends on who supplies the access point. I have no idea on this so someone else might have a better idea.
| Quote: |
| 3) How fast is the wireless (downloads, uploads)? |
Depends on the standard. The most popular, 802.11g, has a theoretical max of 11Mbit per second (about 1.3 Mbytes per second), but real speeds will depend on signal strength and traffic. Real speeds also depends on how good your provider is.
| Quote: |
| 4) What would be a good notebook for me to get (dell, sony...)? |
I've used Dells for a while, and they're very solid, well supported and well made. So simply out of experience, I would recommend a Dell. However, other excellent brands include Toshiba, IBM and the sexy but rather overpriced Sony Vaios... :)
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| 5) Should I buy one here (in the US) or when I get to Korea? |
You can take care of the good exchange rate to get a decent deal on a laptop here. If the issue of support niggles on your mind, it might be provident to pay a little bit extra, deal with someone who speaks fluent English and get one while you're still at home. I think other people here can give better supporting arguments for this particular question.
| ryleeys wrote: |
| I recommend the Athlon XP processor. They routinely outperform Intels. For example, my Athlon XP 1800 is rated at 1.87 ghz but performs better than most 2.4 ghz intels. |
Always depends on the application, and the XP series are desktop CPU's with equivalent power consumption and heat output in mind. This is a serious issue, as Athlons are renowned for generating a lot of heat, not to mention suck a lot of power. If you're NOT thinking about going portable (which I doubt, considering your multitude of questions regarding wireless internet access), then a deskbook (a notebook with a desktop CPU) is an option.
For your applications (photochopping, gaming and word processing) the most stressing will be the first two, but depends on what sort of games you'll be playing and what sort of photos you'll be editing.
Get a fairly high one, but stay away from the top of the line, since you always pay premiums for bleeding edge when it comes to computing goods.
Hope this helped.
jae. |
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ryleeys
Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: Columbia, MD
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| Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 7:17 pm Post subject: |
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Excellent jae...
I just didn't have it in me at that time (was pretty drunk) to answer so well and methodiclally. |
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Gord
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 7:59 pm Post subject: |
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| ryleeys wrote: |
| I recommend the Athlon XP processor. They routinely outperform Intels. For example, my Athlon XP 1800 is rated at 1.87 ghz but performs better than most 2.4 ghz intels. |
?
The Athlon 1800 is a 1.53Ghz processor, and AMD claims it runs as fast as a 1.8GHz Intel CPU without special hardware support. (Single channel RAM, 133MHz FSB, etc.). Ironically, this processor owes most of it's performance boost here to a 266MHz FSB while comparing itself to a processor running on a 133MHz FSB.
As was discussed in a thread last month with links, AMD processors are now significally slower since Intel went headlong into the P4, added hyperthreading, a high-end FSB (800MHz), and dual channel DDR RAM. |
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ryleeys
Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: Columbia, MD
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| Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 8:52 pm Post subject: |
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| Hmmm... maybe I need to go check out my benchmarks again... it's been awhile since I've checked |
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Derrek
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2004 12:02 am Post subject: |
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I bought a P4 2.4b last time around. Didn't get the "C" version -- wish I had, but was just planning on upgrading a chip instead of my motherboard.
I am happy with my intel because intel is much better at video rendering and such.
If you're just into internet and games, you'll still save with an AMD. Unless you are video editing or something really intensive, you aren't going to notice much difference between the chips.
Sure, the fastest dual-channel DDR is wonderful, and Intel is faster with it in many cases, but most people don't bother with maxing out the specs. |
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