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Which notebook CPU, Turion 64 or Pentium M?

blue_harvester

blue_harvester

blue_harvester

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Ok, I'm about to buy a new notebook and I've two in mind but I'm unsure which one to go for, so I need your help.

IBM Thinkpad R52 - Pentium M 1.7GHz

HP Compaq nx6125 - AMD Turion 64 ML-40 2.2GHz

Both have 512MB RAM, however the HP has 128MB shared video memory. Will the Turion be radically faster than the Pentium M? I'm swaying slightly towards the Thinkpad because it's a Thinkpad and the build quality is second to none. Although, the HP does have more features for the same money.

Thanks.
 
The turion and P-M are v close in performance, so 500MHz will be a big difference - so in this case the turion will be way faster, and its 64 bit which is useful if you're going to have it a while.

Though to be honest, if I was you I'd buy a dual core P-M or wait for dual core turion.
 
The 500Mhz Faster Turion should beat the Pentium-M, especially as its the 1Mb cache version of the Turion.

Shared memory really sucks the performance out of a system though, if the IBM thinkpad has a dedicated graphics memory then I'd be swayed that way I think.

You can probably choose how much memory is allocated to the graphics card on the HP laptop, but it will still kill memory bandwidth with an integrated solution.

Its tough to call :(
 
AMD Turion 64 ML-40 2.2GHz is definitely faster.

Integrated graphics does affect performance, but my mobile A64 processor seems to be very quick irrespective of this.
 
Yeah I thought the shared video memory was going to be a bottle neck. I can't really go for a Core Cuo as my budget is only £850. Here's what I can get for my £850, maybe this can help you more in helping me decide ;-)

Model: IBM ThinkPad R52
CPU: Pentium M 1.7GHz 2MB L2 Cache
RAM: 512MB PC2-4200 533 MHz DDR II SDRAM
HDD: 60GB
Video Memory: 64 MB DDR II SDRAM
OS: XPpro



Model: HP nx6125
CPU: AMD64 ML40 2.2GHz 1MB L2 Cache
RAM: 1024MB 333 MHz DDR SDRAM
HDD: 80GB
Video Memory: 128MB Shared
OS: XPpro

Plus I can also get a carrying case with the HP all within the price!

I mainly want this machine for development work, so does not need to be running intensive graphics like games, although I would like to be apple to run HD video (probably just 480p) if possible, like the videos found on Apple for example? Also for watching DVDs etc.

Thanks again.
 
I personally don't like the R52 (or any of the R series as they are just too bulky). I have a T41 and I'm pretty sure if you shop around you can get a thin and light T series notebook. Mine weighs only 2.2kg and the R5x weighs approx 3.2kg. For £850, I'm pretty sure you can hook up with a T series.
 
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Well, the fact it is DDR333 makes less difference on an AMD due to AMD's not being hugely bandwidth dependent like Intel's. The sheer size of the RAM should make up for this anyway.
 
smids said:
Well, the fact it is DDR333 makes less difference on an AMD due to AMD's not being hugely bandwidth dependent like Intel's. The sheer size of the RAM should make up for this anyway.
Click to expand...
Ok, swaying back towards the HP now. So because the HP has a gig of RAM should mean that performance should generally be better than the Thinkpad?
 
you get a lot more in the HP offering, you get 500mhz more cpu speed, 512mb more ram, more hard drive space and like you say a bag.

only a fool or a fanboy would go for the ibm setup which is lacking loads compared to the HP
 
Cyber-Mav said:
you get a lot more in the HP offering, you get 500mhz more cpu speed, 512mb more ram, more hard drive space and like you say a bag.

only a fool or a fanboy would go for the ibm setup which is lacking loads compared to the HP
Click to expand...
Yeah, I think you're right. As much as I'd like a Thinkpad, I think I'd be foolish not to go for the HP.
 
Cyber-Mav said:
you get a lot more in the HP offering, you get 500mhz more cpu speed, 512mb more ram, more hard drive space and like you say a bag.

only a fool or a fanboy would go for the ibm setup which is lacking loads compared to the HP
Click to expand...

apart from one thing...

build quality.

More ram can be added cheaply.And hard drive space too.

build quality cannot.And the thinkpads build quality are top of the pile.And have great resale potential.
 
easyrider said:
apart from one thing...

build quality.

More ram can be added cheaply.And hard drive space too.

build quality cannot.And the thinkpads build quality are top of the pile.And have great resale potential.
Click to expand...
True enough. My Thinkpad T41 is carried with me on the train and tube to Uni virtually everyday (for the whole of this academic year) and although I keep it well anyway, it withstands the travels very well and is very well built. Beats the two Sony's owned by members of my family. This really is a top quality notebook - also very business/retro looking... I quite like it.
 
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