Core 2 Duo Notebooks Reviewed 125
An anonymous reader writes "With the launch of Intel's Core 2 Duo chip today, I found this article that not only covers the new chip itself, but also reviews and benchmarks two retail notebooks. It's interesting since one machine has the entry level 1.66GHz CPU while the other has the top end 2.33GHz chip."
Re:Launched today? (Score:5, Informative)
Bottom line? (Score:5, Insightful)
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My view is very limited (I work in the game industry), but do people really buy the latest and greatest hardware just so they can run Thunderbird faster?
I know there are plenty of non-game apps out there that require some serious CPU clocks, but if you need 2+ GHz to view your mail something has gone very wrong...
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Score a Slashdot point (bashing Microsoft). :)
But you're not wrong. If the release version of Vista is only 2 to 3 times as fast as the latest beta, then running any app with less than 3GHz would be a crime.
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Photoshop users need a lot of CPU power as well.
I for the life of me don't know why people pay two grand to play a $60 game.
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(I happen to think those people are rather foolish, but I definitely appreciate their efforts to drive down prices on second- and third-string gear, which is what I buy on the infrequent occasions that I upgrade my PC.)
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I do wonder if you can use Nvidia Quadro cards in SLI mode. I mean does anyone that needs super high graphics performance use SLI?
And yes I feel that there is a difference between the words needs, and wants.
Unless you write video games for a living, review them, or compete professionally anything involving a video game is in the want categ
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A cool red case for your computer that will speed it up at least 20%.
A really cool wing for your Honda that will give you at least 50 more HP.
And just for you some magnetic wrist bands that will prevent air sickness.
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Regards,
Ross
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The Bottom of the Barrel (Executive Summary) (Score:5, Funny)
I hope and desire that reading this really-not-fine-in-any-way article has not permanently affected my linguistic processing ability, although it may be so effected... doh! affected.
Doesn't anybody *screen* these submissions?
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I hate to have to say this, but you're apparently new here
And well done on that post. I went from gloomy-but-workable to happier-than-pot after reading it. You should either
A) Start a blog
2) Do a stand up show.
5) Save your comment somewhere for future reference.
Not only have you used the word "turdhammer" (albeit misspelt, you clown) , but you used it beautifully. I hope and desire that every post that makes fun of other people/corporations/websites elevates its
Re:The Bottom of the Barrel (Executive Summary) (Score:5, Funny)
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The troublesome army song submits *screen*?
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Mod the tubes it will kick and power Insightful is this post!
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Thank you so much for taking care of this for me.
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Regards,
J.
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Thanks for this, now I really don't have to read all 10000 words in that article.
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http://www.hothardware.com/viewarticle.aspx?articl eid=864&cid=10 [hothardware.com]
According to them, there's rough parity on battery usage (within 10% by clock) yet the chip is anywhere from 15-50% faster than the Core Duo depending on what you're doing.
This is seriously a massive step forward, and I for one plan on buying a laptop equipped with one of these.
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http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=6547 [hexus.net]
Claim 7 hours using the Core 2 Duo. Remember there's also a screen, a high-end video-card and other power sucking elements. The Merom runs at 34W idle, while the Core Duo runs 31W idle. There's your difference in a nutshell; anything else is purely laptop design limitations. If that's one of
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I feel old now. My first laptop was running on 10W under full CPU load, and maybe 14W with heavy HD activity and the display at maximum brightness. Battery life was 3 hours with a new battery pack, but going down after a few years of use. And it ran Linux like a charm, as long as you kept in mind that 8MB of RAM are not enough for X11, emacs and gcc...
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If the CPU isn't all that bad, I wonder what those other power-sucking elements are? My T40 already has a 7200 RPM drive and 1GB of RAM. I would expect a powerful video card to zap the battery if I were playing games, but not while I'm writing a document. And I would not expect a battery life test to be carried out at max brightness for the screen, either. Nevertheless the claim of a 7 hour Core 2 duo laptop is re
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-Kap
Only "Merom" today .... (Score:2, Informative)
Only the Core 2 Duo "Merom," [google.com] for notebooks, was released today.
The Verdict (Score:4, Informative)
Verdict
Both of these are impressive machines for anyone who wants to get hold of the power of Merom straight away. The lower clocked AJP does seem slightly lack-lustre compared to the top end Rock, especially as the 1,920 x 1,200 screen wasn't the best we've seen. If battery life is the primary concern you might do better with a Core Duo, due to its lower TDP, unless you can wait for ultra-low voltage Core 2 Duo laptops to appear.
If you can spend the money the T7600 based Rock is outrageously fast for a notebook and it's well specced too. However, we think the mid-rage 2GHz, T7200 will end up being the Merom CPU of choice.
Heh! (Score:2)
Nomenclature (Score:1, Funny)
Additionally, the original Core Duo (Yonah) isn't really a Core product, it's just a P4M with two cores. Core structure actually starts with Core 2 Duo, thus the Core 2 identification?
And to think it used to be confusing to explain to a customer the difference between 486 DX and 486 SX.
And where is the Intel Sexium chip we've been waiting for?
Re:Nomenclature (Score:5, Informative)
You are entirely wrong.
No. Merom and Conroe are the notebook and desktop versions, respectively, of the same chip. Merom and Conroe are both the internal names of the chips. Officially, they're both called "Core 2 Duo", and the model numbers distinguish the two series. There are physical differences, including FSB speed and (IIRC) cache architecture.
No. Core Duo is based on the Pentium M Dothan, which was an improved (more cache and higher FSB) version of Banias.
True. Props to Intel for the dumb naming.
No! It's a Pentium M with two cores! Big difference! The Pentium 4-M is a pathetic, hot, power-hogging, slow version of the Pentium 4. The Pentium M is based mostly on the Pentium III, and was designed from the ground up to be more efficient per watt.
Yes. structure = microarchitecture.
While I agree, Intel's naming and branding sucks... try not to make it worse!
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I think you misread it. but that's easy to do. Decide for yourself:
Website: So how does the mobile version of Core 2 Duo (Merom) actually differ from the desktop version (Conroe)? Actually, the differences are relatively minor - though as it's essentially the same chip that's not really surprising.
You: So the Intel Core 2 Duo chip, also known as Merom was internally known as Conroe...
Website: (well, the website doesn't explicitly say this, but Dothan came after Banias)
You: and is based on the Penti
Re:Nomenclature (Score:4, Informative)
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I've seen this information in dozens of articles, and the writers of those articles usually get it from Intel. The Pentium M is a derivative of the Pentiu
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You know you've reached sublime advertising obfuscation when a cell phone plan seems simple in comparison.
WTF, K.
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Is there any way to tell which of these intel chips are 64 bit?
Core Duo = 32 bit. Core 2 Duo = 64 bit.
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Then why on Earth didn't they name them something sane and meaningful like Core Duo 32 and Core Duo 64?
I suspect they did not name them as you suggest because consumers would be convinced that because 64 is twice as big as 32, it was twice as fast. Others would believe that the 32 bit was somehow an inferior, older platform and avoid it, even if it was the best chip for their needs. Thus, since to the average user the chips are not very different at all, they named them in a way to emphasize that. In fac
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The xnnnn E parts lack virtualization though, not to be confused with the Ennnn parts which are Allendale server chips with virtualization.
OK, I can see why people are confused now
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It has only itself to blame really. If it had only listened to God in the first place it wouldn't have been swallowed whole by that other chip.
battery life (Score:4, Insightful)
Does battery life not matter in laptop reviews anymore?
How is the lap heat, is it twice as hot? My current laptop gets limited lap time because of the heat.
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Re:battery life (Score:5, Funny)
It also says "Times in seconds (lower is better)"
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Just under 2 hours for both cores fully loaded at full clock speed is pretty good. I don't think any laptop made in the past 5-6 years could manage much more than 2 hours at full tilt.
Just under 2 hours idling at low clock speed would be awful though.
I know my Core Duo based Inspiron E1705 lasted about 2 hours per battery at medium load, full screen brightness (at one point I was doing power measurements, a
Re:battery life (Score:4, Informative)
I know a couple of people with Core 1 MacBook Pros, and they seem to get slightly better battery life than I do with a G4 PowerBook, so I think the Core 2 is promising. Now if only Apple would hurry up and put them in portables, I would give them some money...
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My old Intel Celeron
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The TDP of the T series Core Duo and Core 2 Duo are something like 31 and 34W, respectively.
If battery time, weight and heat are your concern, you will want the L series or U series Core Duo, which are rated for about 15W and 9W, respectively. They tend to be used in the ultralight notebooks. Going with the T series Core Solo won't help much because that's rated a
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You know, this really bugs me. A notebook has a strict definition; it is a laptop which is either A4 or US Letter sized. Now people are starting to describe laptops as 'sub-notebooks,' when they are noticeably bigger than any note book you are likely to encounter.
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Power Usage (Score:1)
Don't forget the legal stuff (Score:5, Funny)
intel(r)
core(tm)
inside(tm)
This requires talent. I just hope we don't run out of words we can use seeing how businesses trademark them one by one.
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As for "Duo", who would want to use that?
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Toshiba's Core 2 Duo (Score:3, Informative)
What no AMD ? (Score:3, Interesting)
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No they don't. The Turion 64 X2 was only released very recently, and to this day, good systems (read, NOT from HP or Compaq) with Turion 64s (let alone X2 variants) are hard to find. In fact, in March when I bought my new Core Duo-based Dell, it was simply not possible to find a Turion 64-based laptop with a 17" screen, reputable vendor or not.
Remember, this article is
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HP - See my previous comment. I don't consider HP to be a reputable vendor when it comes to consumer systems (consumer desktops and notebooks) - every HP notebook I've seen has been flimsy low-quality junk. No surprise, HP and Compaq are the same company!
Acer - It is honestly not possible to tell whether you are right in this regard. Acer doesn't let you sh
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It's the first HP computer I buy, after thinking the same way you do.
Before buying this one, I go thru 2 DELL, 1 Fujitsu, 2 Gateway, 1 ACER, and 3 others from "I don't remember the company"tm.
Anyway, the HP doesn't have any defect. No hot pixel, a working dvd-rw-dl drive, 2 gig of memory.... etc.. etc. etc. and everything in working order. This was the first computer I buy than don't have any DOA (except desktop comp
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HP Compaq nx6125 Notebook PC- models [hp.com] - AMD Turion(TM) 64 Mobile Technology processor.
HP Compaq nx6325 Notebook PC- models [hp.com] - AMD Turion(TM) 64 X2 Mobile Technology processors or Mobile AMD Sempron processors.
I really love it when I do something like this...
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HP and Compaq are about the only vendors selling such systems (and since they are the same company, are effectively a single vendor), and their quality track record for consumer-grade units leaves MUCH to be desired (hence my comment of "NOT HP or Compaq". As to Compaq, would you buy from a vendor with their awful track record and can't even spell properly on their ordering page? "Core solor", what's that?
Also note that those systems you linked to both have
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Great! (Score:1)
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Wrong. (Score:2, Informative)
Desktops still king (Score:1)
Notebook Upgrade (Score:2)
Where's the instructions for upgrading the cheapest old Core Duo notebook to a Core2 Duo with these new chips?
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It's on the back side of your Geek Card.. but I'm afraid you have to hand it in on your way out ;)
BTW, I've successfully upgraded a laptop processor before, it's no different from other computers. Except the cases are a bit harder to take apart and even harder to put back together. And you need to be careful of things like heat (obviously) and voltage. With software-controlled voltages you'll
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Are the CPUs pins, BGA, soldered, or some other interconnect? I wonder where to find the specs for the new BIOS, and what the specific order of upgrade operations for it is. And which Core Duo notebook is the cheapest/best to upgrade, and how much that winds up costing compared to a factory new Core2 Duo of equivalent specs.
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The CPU I upgraded in a laptop was a regular Socket 7. I'd never attempt to replace a BGA chip myself -- it's been hard enough to replace capacitors on a regular mobo, with the higher melting point of today's solders.
I sometimes contemplate on upgrading my current laptop's Pentium M Dothan, as it uses some kind of a PGA, but it'll probably be more cost effective to simply get a new laptop. It would have faster memory as well.
Am I being stupid? (Score:2)
Click through to specify the machine and only the T2600/T2700 for sale. These are Core Duos arent they?
Wouldnt suprise me to see Dell guilty of misleading adverting (They got me on an "upgradable graphics card" before) but this looks prity blatant.
Infinite loop?? (Score:3, Funny)
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Exactly as much time as it takes for Apple to go out of business.
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One and half hour when on battery.
Why is this news? (Score:1, Troll)
Control panel says "Pentium(R) 4 3.59 GHZ 2.00 GB of RAM". Why yes, it was a custom build for me, and yes I do use it, but not as a gaming tool as much as I do for CASE tool processing.
So why do we care about a "top end" 2.33 GHZ machine?
This is old news, move along here.
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But I guess it's not surprising that someone who mistakes Hyperthreading for dual cores would actually believe that higher MHz numbers are better.
To the idiot that marked this Troll (Score:2)
Sloppy review site (Score:2)
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Apple (Score:2)
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You are exactly right -- the hardware review sites are notorious for this.
I think it's the "scoop" mentality that drives such horrible reviews and site designs.
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Re:A tale of the Dell XPS Line (Score:4, Insightful)
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Umm, any self-respecting geek?
I first meant the above line as a joke, but I did a quick mental inventory and realize that it's sad but true.