Processor type

Hey guys,

I have a couple different notebooks in mind and I was wondering which processor is best?


2.00GHz Intel Centrino 2 Processor Technology featuring Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor P7350

or

2.26 GHz Intel Centrino 2 Processor Technology featuring Intel Core2 Duo Processor P8400


I know the P8400 one has a higher clock speed but is that the only difference? and is it that much of a difference?

The system would include:

-4GB DDR2
-NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
- Windows Vista Home Premium
-320GB (5400RPM) Hard Drive (SATA)
-15.4" Diagonal WXGA High-Definition (1280 x 800)

I'd be using the system for listening to music, watching movies and light gaming ( world of warcraft). Also, if a pc system does not include centrino technology, it just means that it doesn't have certain wireless networking features right? And doesn't effect anything else such as the processor type.


Thanks

 

Other than the fact that the P7350 is an OEM chip, there should be no difference between that and the P8400 besides clock speed. Really there won't be much of a difference between the two because of that. You'll get a few points here and there in benchmarks.

Centrino refers to a combination of processor, chipset, and wifi device. Get rid of any one and it is no longer a Centrino combination. If a system is not labeled as a Centrino system, it could be missing one, two, or all of those elements. In your case, though, it is probably just the wireless device.

 

centrino has nothing to do with the processor. It is dependant upon the chipset and wireless combination. You can change the wireless card to basically anything you want as long as it uses the same interface.
For performance, I think you are better off getting the P7350. With the money saved, put that toward a faster harddrive. Like a 320gb 7200rpm drive. The higher speed drive will show more performance than the slightly higher clocked cpu.

K-TRON

 

what's the difference between an OEM chip and a non OEM chip?
Sorry...my computer knowledge doesn't take me that far hehe.

 

It just means you can't buy it in a box from like Newegg...

 

I'm not sure if the P7350 may become the bottleneck in some more intensive games, but it should be good enough for your needs. It, along with the P8400 and P8600 are in the same processor family, were released at approximately the same time and have the same technology, so other than clock speed, they're pretty much identical.

OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer, meaning that HP can buy the P7350 in bulk and install it in its laptops, but the P7350 is not available to you to buy separately and install in your laptop.

 

If you use their respective Benchmark scores side by side the P8400 ranks 34th with a score of 4718 and the P7350 ranks 47th with a score of 4053.
If you use these scores to calculate a percentage difference, it would have near 16% more in performance to the P8400, but using the processor speed to calculate percentage difference in speed, 2.26 (CPU speed) divided 2 (CPU speed) multiplied 100 which would equal the P8400 being 13% faster.
I have included this COMPARISON OF MOBILE PROCESSORS (CPU BENCHMARKS) for you to judge for yourself.

 

Ohhhh okkkkk. Though, If I do end up having processor problems where It has to be replaced, my warranty will still cover it right? I just can't actually do it my self like you mentioned.

 

Thank you very much

 

Which system would give me a better gaming performance?

System one:


-4GB DDR2
-NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
- Windows Vista Home Premium
-320GB (5400RPM) Hard Drive (SATA)
- P7350 (2.0 GHz)
- 15.4" Diagonal WXGA High-Definition (1280 x 800)

System two:

-
-4GB DDR2
-NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
- Windows Vista Home Premium
-320GB(5400RPM) Hard Drive (SATA)
- P8400 (2.26GHz)
- 16" widescreen (1366x768)

I know the P8400 gives a better performance than the P7350 as you stated and shown by the benchmarks. Though, would system two with the P8400 still give a better gaming performance than system one with the P7350. Even when the P8400 system has to deal with a larger screen and slightly higher resolution than the system with the P7350?

Thanks

 

The size of the screen maxes no real difference. The graphics cards are the same in both, so the gaming performance will be the same if both systems were running 1280x800 resolution. the cpu plays a small role in gaming performance, the gpu is the main factor for gaming.
1366x768 is a very odd resolution, so most likely you will be gaming at 1280x800 anyways.
So performance is going to be the same with either as long as you game at 1280x800.
If your game supports 1366x768, than expect slightly lower gaming performance. The higher the resolution, the lower the fps.

The cpu is upgradeable, but upgrading it yourself will void all of your warranties.

K-TRON

 

Practically, there will be an insignificant difference in performance between the two systems. The P8400 system may be ever so slightly faster in processor-intensive tasks, while the P7350 system may be ever so slightly faster when doing graphic-intensive work at the native resolution.

For all practical purposes, though, both systems will perform the same.

 

By the sounds of your question you understand that every little bit helps when it comes to the performance of a computers, that's why in cases like these where there really isn't much difference the bang for buck theory and cross utilization should take precedence.

The lower res screen is approximately 2.6% better than the higher for gaming performance which is not even worth talking about , but the higher res will be that bit better for general computing.

As the above two knowledgeable members have stated there's not much of a difference, although the P8400 gives you 16% in CPU performance, you'd be lucky to get 5% boost in gaming experience.

If both these systems cost the same go with the better CPU, but if the better CPU system cost 10%-15% more, this would erode your bang for buck and only the buyer can decide if this erosion is sustainable.