AMD 64 or Intel Core Duo

Hello, I have read several of the threads related to 64 Vs. Duo, but still do not have a clear idea of what to do?

I have a desktop but would like to replace it with a DTR Notebook. My main applications are general multitasking with Excel, Word, IE6, Adobe Photoshop 7, and iTunes; but Gaming is very, very important to me ... I play Tiger Woods 2006 & Call of Duty 2 and will require a notebook that will play these games with ease. I would imagine that I will be doing some video editing in my future too ... home video, nothing professional.

Thanks for your thoughts and comments.

 

If gaming is the most important thing for you then you should make that your number one priority when picking a DTR. Notebook graphics are always inferior to their desktop counterparts and hence you are better off chosing something with high end graphic card.

CPU should be the next thing on your priority list. Both options will do well in games, but for multi tasking and video editing the Duo will perform better, especially that some video editing software can make use of multi-processors.

 

There is a bunch of rebranded Clevo D900K DTRs (Sager 9750 etc) that can be configured with (desktop) AthlonX2s, which are dual core. Hertz-per-hertz they perform similarly or slightaly better than CoreDuos. However, you can go up to 2.6 GHz with Athlon (FX-60), while CoreDuos are stuck at 2.16GHz max.

 

You can't really compare the Athlon X2 and the Core Duo, they're designed for different things.

Even the lowest X2, the 3800+, is faster than a 2.0GHz Core Duo.

 

Overall, yes the AMD Athlon X2 is faster than the Core Duo because it is a desktop CPU, whereas the Core Duo was built for notebook computing. The Core Duo does dominate over the 3800+ in such things as Adobe Photoshop, DVD Encoding, MP3 Encoding, and General Productivity. It flounders in gaming and multimedia when compared to the X2, however.

Read AnandTech's Review of the two CPUs: http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2648

 

Ditto, go with the better graphic card as a priority.

 

Core Duo for Multi-Tasking while AMD 64 for power but it would run hotter as its more of a desktop chip.

 

Assuming you want to be able to power it on once in a while without having it plugged in, go with a laptop that has at least a 7800 (preferably a 7800GTX) and I would recommend going Core Duo, since you plan on video editing sometime soon.

 

The Clevo D900K offers a smok'n product, but it is about 1k outside my budget ... I need to be between $1.5i-2k.

After reading these posts, I would love to have the best of both worlds ... an Athlon X2 with a smoking video card. Any suggestions?

 

The Clevo D900K is the only laptop with an Athlon X2, so you're out of options for below $2k.

If you wait, the AMD Turion X2's are coming out May 5th, notebooks should have them sometime around then too.

Chaz

 

Thanks for the tip on the Turion X2's. Does anyone happen to know what mfg's will be building with it?

 

MSI is one manufacturer I know that will be using the Turion X2's, they already have shown off prototypes. I'm sure there will be more manufacturers that have the X2 as well, like Acer - they'll probably update their Ferrari notebook to have it and an X1600 graphics card (just a speculation).

Chaz

 

I'm also guessing that HP/Compaq will have some X2's as well - they're pretty accepting of both AMD and Intel.

 

Theres the dell 17" e1705 it has a 7800 and core duo cheap to.