Pentium 3 M vs. Pentium M

I currently have a Dell C610 with a Pentium 3 Mobile (1 ghz) and I don't like how hot it gets. I read in Lowlymarine's FAQ that Pentium M's don't run very hot. If I would buy a 2 ghz laptop with Pentium M, would it be cooler?

 

Yes.

But the Pentium-M is being phased out.

Get at least a Intel Core Solo, which essentially is an updated P-M.

 

Probably. The Pentium M will change frequencies depending on how much it's used. What you want to look at is the wattage dissipated by each processor. It may also relate to the design of the laptop. Primarily just run the laptop in a power-saving power profile and it won't get as hot (either the P3 laptop or the Pentium M one)

 

You might want to check if your P3M is running in dynamic mode, ie it changes frequency according to need. This tends to make them run slightly cooler.

As already mentioned the amount of heat that you feel on the outside/underside of the notebook has more to do with the design. The same CPU on one laptop can run cool and the whole outside will be cool, but on another it could run hot and heat up the whole notebook. It depends on the heatsink, fan power, ventilation ....

BTW the HDDs also contribute to the heat build up.

 

The Latitude C610's did get hot. It's not so much the processor per se . . it's the laptop itself and the way the cooling system is designed as posted. You could have a cool-running processor and a bad cooling system and the laptop would get hot, or vice versa.
The size of the computer will matter too (14", 15.4", etc), as well as the thickness. Too many variables to account for basically, but look to reviews for the final say to see if the laptop runs cool.

 

Yeah, my C640 gets pretty hot too, and it's a P4m. If you're using a Pentium 3 laptop, it's pretty much time to upgrade anyway, and a Pentium M would be a great upgrade, although as stated, they are being phased out just as the Pentium 4s and Pentium Ds in desktops for the new Core architecture. If you had to choose between a Pentium M and a Core Solo, from what I've heard the Pentium M is actually better, though I've never used either so don't hold me to that. But the C610 is considered 'thin and light', and anything new that you get with good specs like that (when it was new) and a 14" screen is usually gonna run pretty hot too.