Question:
Will a 1.6GHz Pentium-M with a Radeon 9700 run games well?
I am buying a new laptop rig - what's on offer to me is something like what I've attached below. I believe it's a Clevo (or some other Taiwanese OEM manufacturer). I am buying all the parts from one dealer, but only the 1.6GHz Pentium M processor is available to me right now. I myself am pretty new with regards to this new M processor, I am upgrading from a P4 3GHz laptop!, but now I know that this number is pretty much meaningless when it comes to performance. I am sold on the powersaving aspects of the processor, but is it equivalent to a desktop replacement in terms of gaming?
And what is the P4 or an Athlon64 'equivalent' of a 1.6GHz Pentium-M in terms of performance?
Should I take the 1.6GHz processor now, or wait and pay more for a 1.8 or a 2GHz (with considerably more hassle too).
I am primarily using this machine to:
1. take to lectures for word processing, needs to have at least 1 hour of battery play time
2. play games, mostly World of Warcraft and CSS
3. editing large video files
CPU Intel Pentium M Processor - to 2.08Hz
FSB 400 MHz
Chipset Intel 855GME + ICH4M
Memory DDR SO-DIMM 266/333MHz
Flash Card Reader 3-in-1 (MC, SD, MMC)
Optical Drive • CD ROM
• DVD ROM
• CDRW
• DVDRW
Hard Drive 2.5" - ATA100
Display 15.4" WXGA TFT LCD 1280 x 800
Video Controller ATI M11 9700 128MB; Supports AGP 4x & Multi Monitor
PCMCIA Type II x 1; CardBus Support
Audio System • 16-bit Stereo Full Duplex 3D Audio
• Built-in Mono Mic
• Support AC97 2.1
• 2 x 2 Watt Speakers
I/O Ports • USB 2.0 Port x 3
• RJ-11 (Modem)
• RJ-45 (Ethernet)
• DC Input
• VGA Port
• Line Out
• TV-Out
• IEEE1394
• Line In
• Line Out
• Headphone out (SPDIF)
Communication • 56KBps V.92 Modem
• 10/100 Base-T Network Adapter
Wireless Technology • Optional Mini PCI Wireless 802.11b/g
Battery 6-cell Li-ION; Battery Life 4-5 hours (approx)
AC Adapter Universal AC Adapter
Dimensions 353.8 x 250 x 25~32(front) mm
Weight 2.9Kg
Answer:
Re: Will a 1.6GHz Pentium-M with a Radeon 9700 run games well?
The PM Clock speed is approx 1.5-1.8 times itself to a P4.
So a 2.0ghz PM = 3ghz P4, approximately
I think a 1.6 400mhz FSB PM + Asus z71v would fit your bill, as I've heard that with the z71v, it has a dipswitch where you can overclock it from a 1.6 400fsb to a 2.1 533fsb. But I'm not exactly sure how that works though!
And it has a 6600 GPU, and with 3+ hours battery. It won't edit large videos as well as a P4 wuth HT but it'll work fine.
Overall, the z71v should be a great machine. Also, don't forget the Dell i9300, also, Gateway 7426GX/m468(I think, don't recall the series exactly..).
:budget: What's your budget BTW?
Answer:
Re: Will a 1.6GHz Pentium-M with a Radeon 9700 run games well?
coriolis...in lowlymarine's FAQ..it says that the Pentium Ms are like double the speed compared 2 a pentium 4....(1.86 GHz Pentium M=3.4 GHz Pentium 4)...??
Answer:
Re: Will a 1.6GHz Pentium-M with a Radeon 9700 run games well?
The PM Clock speed is approx 1.5-1.8 times itself to a P4.
So a 2.0ghz PM = 3ghz P4, approximately
I think a 1.6 400mhz FSB PM + Asus z71v would fit your bill, as I've heard that with the z71v, it has a dipswitch where you can overclock it from a 1.6 400fsb to a 2.1 533fsb. But I'm not exactly sure how that works though!
And it has a 6600 GPU, and with 3+ hours battery. It won't edit large videos as well as a P4 wuth HT but it'll work fine.
Overall, the z71v should be a great machine. Also, don't forget the Dell i9300, also, Gateway 7426GX/m468(I think, don't recall the series exactly..).
:budget: What's your budget BTW?
I'm concerned about a 1.6GHz Pentium M being much of an upgrade from a P4 3GHz. I'm switching because my old chassis is extremely noisy and battery inefficient and I would like something widescreen. This is why the Pentium M (and Centrino stuff) appeals to me, because the lower voltage means far better power consumption - but I don't want to downgrade in performance either! if it's 1.5x performance, then a 1.6GHz is a downgrade?
The spec and budget has been determined because I can get this chassis and components together at trade price.
Answer:
Re: Will a 1.6GHz Pentium-M with a Radeon 9700 run games well?
Well, it's somewhere inbetween 1.5-2.0, So instead of using the max, just the middle/lower end is good enough.
If you want, you can use the '2x' multiplier, but I just used a lower one, just to keep cruashed hopes away :p
Answer:
Re: Will a 1.6GHz Pentium-M with a Radeon 9700 run games well?
Well, it's somewhere inbetween 1.5-2.0, So instead of using the max, just the middle/lower end is good enough.
If you want, you can use the '2x' multiplier, but I just used a lower one, just to keep cruashed hopes away :p
Well I think I will upgrade to a Pentium-M, it seems to have a lot of benefits over my 3GHz (which I received one and a half years ago which has a Radeon Mobility 9000).
Do you think a a 15" 1280 x 800 is a significant downgrade from a 15" 1400x1050?
Answer:
Re: Will a 1.6GHz Pentium-M with a Radeon 9700 run games well?
You're probably not going to see any difference between the Pentium M and Pentium 4 when running productivity programs and light games. Any modern CPU should be more than overkill for those needs. For the games you are going to play, Radeon 9700 is also more than adequate (CSS runs on Intel Extreme Graphics 2 believe it or not).
As for video editing, the Pentium 4 should be faster, but again, the benefits of the Pentium M (lower power consumption, less noise, ability to make lighter and thinner notebooks, etc...) outweigh the advantages of the Pentium 4.