Seibert
10-26-2003, 02:17 AM
Next semester I'm taking an internship in the New York State Assembly and I wanted to buy a new laptop computer. I've never owned my own lap top and I was a little confused on a few things.
Can someone tell me whats the difference between a Pentium 4 & a Pentium M?
Also, in checking out Dell and Sony, they weren't priced much lower then Apple's Powerbook. Is a Pentium 4/M and Apple's G4 comparable?
I'm looking to spend $2,000 - $2,500.
Seibert
10-26-2003, 02:42 AM
If it makes a difference PC or Mac I'd be running Gentoo.
banzaikai
10-26-2003, 03:27 AM
Howdy.
You really should watch Tech TV (http://www.techtv.com ), if you can get it on your cable or satellite. They did a round up of CPUs not too long ago. Anyhow,
In short, the Pentium-M IS a P4, just optimized for mobile (hence the "M") use. It is usually clocked lower than a comparable P4, and will automatically adjust for the lowest/most efficient use of power. Couple this with "Power-Stepping", and you get a systematic way of keeping the battery from dying too soon.
Apple, on the other hand, seem to be able to provide remarkable battery life without all this power crap. Well, they DO have this power crap, but they don't make such a big friggin' deal out of it.
You really can't compare the P4 with a G4, since you're talking about two different architectures. Although the P4 is clocked higher than the G4s, the efficiency of CPU and supporting chips make for a comparable platform. So, a 750 MHz G4 may perform every bit as good as a 1.5 GHz P-M, just because the WHOLE package is that much more efficient. Hell, I've got an Amiga 4000 (68040/25MHz) that'll surf the web faster than most 333 MHz PCs I've built, simply because it's one of the most efficient designs, both HW and OS, that ever came down the pike. Macs are born from the same type of design, but now have G4-G5 speed.
Which one to get? Well, if you're going to be running around all day as a paige, I'd forget the laptop(s), and go right to a PDA - lugging even a 5-lb notebook gets to be a pain after a couple of hours.
If you're going to be in one place most of the time, then I'd see what your NY bosses use. If they have PCs, then get the Pentium-M notebook. If they use Macs, then...
If you don't give a rip about the NY bosses, you can always put a distro on your Pentium-M (or dual-boot). The Mac OS-X has an OpenBSD as it's core, so you don't need to install anything, but there's Yellow Dog if you decide to.
While you're there at the NY assembly, please make sure they do the right things about all this spam, DRM, DMCA, RIAA, and MPAA crap. It's getting pretty damned annoying.
Thanks,
banzai "say hi to the 'Boys from Syracuse'" kai
Kaligraphic
10-26-2003, 05:12 AM
The Pentium M is actually Intel AMDing itself. Pentium M processors perform significantly better than Pentium 4s, with much better battery life. They're also cooler.
Unfortunately, I am still seeking information regarding Linux support for the Pentium M processor and the Intel 855 chipset.
I don't think there would be a problem with the processor itself, but I don't know about drivers for the 855.
*edit* I have a Dell laptop, and quite like it. */edit*
Seibert
10-26-2003, 01:09 PM
Thanks for the fantastic information guys.
I'm going to do some more research and ask people in the Assemblymans office what they suggest.
Then I'm going to work on drafting that bill banzai :D
banzaikai
10-27-2003, 03:45 AM
from: seibert
Then I'm going to work on drafting that bill banzai
All we need is ONE state to set a precedent, and...
Let us know when you get to the White House :D
And you're welcome - that's why we're here. Now I'm off to do more Pentium-M research, as Kaligraphic has me wondering about the support chip issue (didn't stop to think about that).
banzai "semper cogitus" kai