Difference between Centrino (Pentium M) and Pentium IV

August 11th, 2005 by gaurav | Filed under , .

I have been planning to replace my old desktop PC with a new one and now I have to decide whether to go for a desktop or notebook (laptop) computer. My first preference is laptop keeping in view the kind of mobility it offers but there are other factors that I have to take of such as speed and price. Notebooks are available starting from Rs.30,000 onwards but they don’t have best processor serving it.
In recent past Intel has come up with new processors especially for notebook users so it has become diffcult to decide what to go for. I have started looking on net for information which is essential for notebook buyers to know about latest processors. This is what I have found -

  • Basically there are 2 kind of processors from Intel : Penitum 4 & Pentium M (which is a mobile processor).
  • Pentium M processor + Intel 855 chipset+ Intel/Pro wireless network connection makes a Centrino. Remember CENTRINO is not just a processor but a combination of all three.
  • The Pentium M was built from the ground up, it is a completely new design from Intel
  • Centrino uses far less power than any previous Intel processor consumes, thats why its battery life is good on notebooks which uses Centrino.
  • Centrino is available in 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 and 1.7GHz speeds. It has 1Mb of on-die L2 cache.
  • Frequency doesn’t matter so much, as long as the chip design includes big caches and highly accurate branch prediction. The Centrino processor has met or exceeded expectations here, making notebooks based on the Mobile Pentium 4 completely unappealing for almost all practical purposes. In tests, Centrino—which is actually based on a modified Pentium III core and Pentium 4-like bus—outperformed the higher-frequency, power-hogging Pentium 4 devices hands down.

After having gone through all this I think Centrino is good option. If anyone of you is using Centrino or any other notebooks yours views on it will be helpful for me in deciding what to buy.

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9 Responses to “Difference between Centrino (Pentium M) and Pentium IV”

  1. @mit | 12/08/05

    Centrino is the way to go — no doubt about it

  2. Karthik Narayan | 12/08/05

    Centrino is a standard that specifies the 3 components that you have down, the processor, the wireless card and the chipset.

    A Centrino (acctually all Pentium - M) processor(s) save power by doing a simple thing.

    When they run on battery, they reduce their clock speed, as a result compute lesser instructions per second which saves power.

    Also the M chip is designed for laptops, which means it has lesser heating. P4’s were designed for desktops and get hotter.

    The heat factor varies from laptop to laptop as it depends on various factors that are specific to the manufacturer. But the fact remains that the M chips are cooler than the P4’s.

    Hope that helps.

  3. Gobind | 15/08/05

    Dear Gaurav

    Happy Independence Day…

    Azadi Mubarak Ho…

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    Keep smiling :)

  4. mediumlatte | 23/08/05

    I have a centrino notebook and I love it. The centrino processor (or combo as you have pointed out) definitely helps in longer battery life and capturing wifi signals.

    However desktops give better performance and are more stable (less problem prone).

  5. Bharti Singhal | 5/11/05

    i also agree for going with centrino but then why most of the distributors suggest to go for pentium 4 and you can better find it if you go for survey………….

    thanks

  6. Tom Donnelly | 31/12/05

    I buy notebooks for our field sales personnel. The Pentium M/Centrino, with its variable speed and lower heat output along with the smaller 14″ screen (compared to the 15.4″ w-i-d-e screen), give them the longer battery life critical to their jobs.

  7. Susil Patro | 18/07/06

    As specified:
    Pentium M processor + Intel 855 chipset+ Intel/Pro wireless network = CENTRINO

    But my computer says only intel(R) Pentium(R) M. Can you provide me some information; what are the missing features if I only have “Pentium M” and not “Centrino”

  8. gaurav | 18/07/06

    Hi Susil Patro

    As per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium_M , your’s is Centrino notebook only but check your notebook whether it has Intel/Pro wireless network

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