Pentium M vs. Full Blown Pentium -- For gaming laptop

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Nitron

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AMD showed us a couple years ago that GHz isn't all that matters when it comes to the performance in your computer, especially in gaming. What I want to know is does this hold true with Pentium mobile cpus (Centrino) vs. the full blown Pentium HTs?

For example, the Dell XPS2 notebooks are a popular gaming notebook, many reviews indicate it's one of the best, and only is offered with Centrino (Pentium M) CPUs, the fastest being the Pentium M 770 (2.13 GHz). Whereas, the HP ZD8000 series notebooks come standard with Pentium 4 HT 5XX & 6XX series CPUs, the lowest being 2.8GHz in speed. The 6XX models are 64 bit compatible CPUs.

My question is, what in the centrino holds a candle to a setup such as the HP ZD8000, which has a full blown Pentium 4 with Hyperthreading, and is 64 bit ready if you get the 6XX pentium?

Just tonight, I walked into Circuit City and looked at the HP ZD8000. In the start menu I happened to come across "Battlefield 2 Demo". Hmm...this could be fun. To my suprise, the thing ran Battlefield. Not only did it run it, it ran it better than my desktop. I'm obviously sold on the ZD8000, someone inform me how an equivalent system, such as the Dell XPS2, can be as good as this.
 
Hmm a couple of month ago, i think there was a thread about the Pentium M beating the FX-55 in gaming and that was just shocking.
 
WHAT?

A mobile CPU beating an FX-55!?

That's like a guy on a bike beating an Amtrak train!

....well he might win if the train is stopping at Battle Creek.
 
Well I would probably say its a tossup between a high end P4 and a high end PM for games. If your not going to be moving the laptop around alot maybe go all out for the P4 as it has hyperthreading. The 64bit does nothing for you at the moment on a laptop, its just a marketing gimmic. Right now the real benefit to 64bit cpu's is memory addressing higher than 4gigs. Which is pointless for a laptop. However personally i would get the high end PM just for the sole fact it has stepping to save power, it will be a lighter laptop so you can actually move it around without a forklift :p , the PM will also run much much cooler than a P4 cpu will, so if you get the HP make sure you have plenty of air flow going under & around the laptop. and a 2.13 PM will be about as fast as say a 3.4ghz P4 (without hyperthreading) IIRC. Also, personally I wouldn't feel comfortable running high end games on a P4 in a laptop for long periods of time. But i'm always worried about heat :p.

The differences between the Pentium M's and the Pentium 4's are that the Pentium M's are built to do more instructions per clock cycle than the Pentium 4's. Meaning you can get more done with less Mhz.
 
Nitron said:
AMD showed us a couple years ago that GHz isn't all that matters when it comes to the performance in your computer, especially in gaming. What I want to know is does this hold true with Pentium mobile cpus (Centrino) vs. the full blown Pentium HTs?

For example, the Dell XPS2 notebooks are a popular gaming notebook, many reviews indicate it's one of the best, and only is offered with Centrino (Pentium M) CPUs, the fastest being the Pentium M 770 (2.13 GHz). Whereas, the HP ZD8000 series notebooks come standard with Pentium 4 HT 5XX & 6XX series CPUs, the lowest being 2.8GHz in speed. The 6XX models are 64 bit compatible CPUs.

My question is, what in the centrino holds a candle to a setup such as the HP ZD8000, which has a full blown Pentium 4 with Hyperthreading, and is 64 bit ready if you get the 6XX pentium?

Just tonight, I walked into Circuit City and looked at the HP ZD8000. In the start menu I happened to come across "Battlefield 2 Demo". Hmm...this could be fun. To my suprise, the thing ran Battlefield. Not only did it run it, it ran it better than my desktop. I'm obviously sold on the ZD8000, someone inform me how an equivalent system, such as the Dell XPS2, can be as good as this.
Click to expand...


ZD8000 has an x600. The XPS2 has a 6800 Go Ultra. You will get WAY more performance out of the XPS2.
 
WTFPWNAGE!!11111111111

Just bought the XPS2 with the 40% off deal (took ALL NIGHT to find a valid code), came out to only be $1850ish, without the code it woulda been $3020 :eek:.

THIS IS THE BEST DEAL EVAR OMFG OMFG OMFG OMFG OMFG

/excitement
 
Dew, thanks so much for posting that. The performance indicated by those tests from the Pentium m is astonishing.

On a more level headed declaration, this is truely the best deal ever, knowing this. :)
 
My OC'd P-M dothan in my main box is an absolutely incredible chip. When I get my laptop next month that will make 4 P-M's that I have total if I can count the cacheless Shelton in my MP3 server. :D
 
Nitron said:
WTFPWNAGE!!11111111111

Just bought the XPS2 with the 40% off deal (took ALL NIGHT to find a valid code),
Click to expand...
I posted it in the hot deals forum. There's only 1 current code. :p
 
I think the article with the Pentium M beating the FX-55 was using an overclocked Pentium M. But even without overclocking the Pentium M is a solid gaming processor.

Go with the one that offers the best graphics card.
 
i was wondering about this too, so while a quakecon i decided to ask an intel rep, what he told me was interesting. He said that the M processors are based on the p3 processors, adding 2 mb of cache and the fewer amount of gates and shorter paths give the M processors the advantage. even when compaired to the EE processors. He also stated that most of intels future processors will be based on this design too. very interesting indeed.
 
its based on the P3 in the same way a 2005 car is based on its 1995 predecesor.

and it kicks ass.
 
SamuraiInBlack said:
WHAT?

A mobile CPU beating an FX-55!?

That's like a guy on a bike beating an Amtrak train!

....well he might win if the train is stopping at Battle Creek.
Click to expand...

I laughed at the Battle Creek statement so hard I almost pissed. Where in MI are you?
 
BladeVenom said:
I think the article with the Pentium M beating the FX-55 was using an overclocked Pentium M. But even without overclocking the Pentium M is a solid gaming processor.

Go with the one that offers the best graphics card.
Click to expand...


Clock for clock, the PentiumM is a better gaming processor than the FX. Thanks in part to its 2MB cache, but better none the less.
 
Clock for clock, it looks like the AMD 64s are a little bit better for games. Nonetheless it's still a good performer, and outpaces most of the Pentium 4s. Gaming Performance
 
BladeVenom said:
Clock for clock, it looks like the AMD 64s are a little bit better for games. Nonetheless it's still a good performer, and outpaces most of the Pentium 4s. Gaming Performance
Click to expand...

Notice that the Anand article is using an 855 chipset and the GamePC is runing a 915 chipset(same one as in the 9300/XPS2)
 
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