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Argh.. Can't decide between the 5150 or the 8600..

post #1 of 15
3/8/04 at 4:01pm
Thread Starter 
I'm about to get a new laptop. The old Toshiba doesn't cut the mustard anymore .

But I'm really torn when it comes to deciding between the 5150 and i8600. The main usage is Autocad, or rather Architectural Desktop and Viz Render. But I occasionally enjoy a good butchering in Call of Duty , Wolfenstein, Americas Army etc

I like the 5150 for the raw power, ie 3.06Ghz with HT sounds like a dream. What I don't like is that low-end
Nvidia 5200go FX gfx card.

The screen on the I8600 would be the WUXGA+ which
would be really great (I think) for working in Architectural Desktop. It also has the Radeon gfx card which runs circles
around the 5200. The drawback is that the offered machine is configured with the M 1.5GHz processor.

I'm really uncertain as to which I should choose.
I will have to live with my decision for the next 3 years

So, any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Tia,
Richard
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post #2 of 15
3/8/04 at 4:03pm
Well I like my 5150, but most people on this board have a 8600 so thats what most will suggest!
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post #3 of 15
3/8/04 at 4:08pm
Richard,

the Pentium-M 1.5 GHz is equivalent to a Pentium-4 2.2-2.4. So you should be ok on that score. Besides, for gaming the video card is going to be a bottleneck long before the CPU comes into it. You should also find that the Pentium-M runs a lot cooler than any other Intel CPU. I have seen that the 8600 fan won't even come on during normal Office type usage - which is nice for a quiet work experience.

HTH
John
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post #4 of 15
3/8/04 at 4:42pm
i was under the assumption that P-M x2 was the equivalent of a P4.
(e.g. 1.4 p-m= 2.8 p4) is this correct?
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post #5 of 15
3/8/04 at 4:46pm
that is incorrect...

i saw a chart released by intel (though i couldn't tell you where it is...) that showed a 1.5 and a 2.2 together...the 1.5 runs about the same as a 2.2 according to the chart i looked at.

.a.
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post #6 of 15
3/8/04 at 5:18pm
Can i get a link to this chart andrew or anyone else that has knowledge of concrete proof on comparisons (anandtech perhaps)? i would like to prove some friends wrong on their persistance that p-m x2= p4.
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post #7 of 15
3/8/04 at 5:40pm
I'm in kind of the same situation. I really like the look of the 8600 but the Pentium M concerns me. I want as much CPU power as I can afford for running music/audio software with lots of software synths, samplers and effects.

PM 1.7 = P4 3.4? I'd like to think so, but I doubt it sadly. Then again, even if it equalled a 2.8 P4 I'd be happy. Can anyone give the definitive answer on this one?
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post #8 of 15
3/8/04 at 5:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by richard
I'm about to get a new laptop. The old Toshiba doesn't cut the mustard anymore .

But I'm really torn when it comes to deciding between the 5150 and i8600. The main usage is Autocad, or rather Architectural Desktop and Viz Render. But I occasionally enjoy a good butchering in Call of Duty , Wolfenstein, Americas Army etc

I like the 5150 for the raw power, ie 3.06Ghz with HT sounds like a dream. What I don't like is that low-end
Nvidia 5200go FX gfx card.

The screen on the I8600 would be the WUXGA+ which
would be really great (I think) for working in Architectural Desktop. It also has the Radeon gfx card which runs circles
around the 5200. The drawback is that the offered machine is configured with the M 1.5GHz processor.

I'm really uncertain as to which I should choose.
I will have to live with my decision for the next 3 years

So, any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Tia,
Richard

Richard,

I'm baffled man.

This is what I'm hearing from you.

You want:
1. A Desktop chip with Hyperthreading.
2. WUXGA
3. A Radeon Class GPU

How could you not think of the 9100? Then again maybe I"m jumping the gun as I keep thinking everyone is a notebook zealot like the rest of us forum regulars . That said, the 9100 is at a GREAT price right now and comes with everything you want. Sure it weights in at nearly nine pounds but let's face it, if you were considering a 5150, then obviously a subnotebook isn't exactly your cup of tea to begin with . Anyways, check out the 9100 bro. I think you just might hit the order button if you do
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post #9 of 15
3/9/04 at 2:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spiike
Can i get a link to this chart andrew or anyone else that has knowledge of concrete proof on comparisons (anandtech perhaps)? i would like to prove some friends wrong on their persistance that p-m x2= p4.
From everything I've been able to read and find out, the P-4 is 1.6 X that of a P-M. So a P-M @ 1.6 is roughly = to P-4 @ 2.56 (1.6x1.6) I know that's not a website to point to, but I did a lot of reading and have seen that comparison in a lot of places.
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post #10 of 15
3/9/04 at 2:32am
I wouldn't limit my options to a Dell if I were you...you're doing yourself a big disatisfaction by doing so imho
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post #11 of 15
3/9/04 at 2:38am
When it comes down to $$$, Dell can look pretty damn good.
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post #12 of 15
3/9/04 at 2:42am
True...I just helped my friend buy a Dell Dimension desktop because it was a steal of a price...however making a leap to think price is directly related to other characteristics such as service, reliability, built quality, etc. etc can mislead a consumer. In my opinion it should be a driving force in a purchase decision obviously but not the #1 or #2 characteristic...a wise computer buying statement is "buy the "fastest" computer you can afford"....
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post #13 of 15
3/9/04 at 2:50am
Spiike:

For the performance of P-M vs P 4-M, take a look at

http://www.intel.com/products/mobile...rf+perf_brief&

Further, going to

http://www.intel.com/products/mobile...biletech_perf&

click on "Compare Performance" in the right column.
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post #14 of 15
3/9/04 at 5:08am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kevhuynh
Richard,

How could you not think of the 9100? Then again maybe I"m jumping the gun as I keep thinking everyone is a notebook zealot like the rest of us forum regulars . That said, the 9100 is at a GREAT price right now and comes with everything you want. Sure it weights in at nearly nine pounds but let's face it, if you were considering a 5150, then obviously a subnotebook isn't exactly your cup of tea to begin with . Anyways, check out the 9100 bro.
The CTO decides which machines are to be bought. So I get a choice of 2 notebooks and 2 desktop systems.
Since I want a notebook, I'm "allowed" to buy either a 5150 or I8600 If I could decide myself, I probably would have gone for the 9100

I can't say I've really decided what to go for, but I'm leaning a bit towards the I8600. It will be sufficent for Autocad/Adt in the field. At home I can use my workstation, so that's no problem. And it is probably the best allround package for those lonely nights at hotels, for watching movies and playing games.
But I will probably change my mind again in 5 minutes time

Oh, and thanks for helping me out here. I really appreciate it

Richard
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post #15 of 15
3/9/04 at 4:51pm
Thread Starter 
Okay, I had the nerve to call up the CTO and complained about the notebook-selection, and that I at least needed a computer with a better gfx-card.
So after some discussion he agreed that the 9100 probably would be better for me

So that's the problem fixed. I get the best of both worlds, good screen and decent gfx

Richard, who firmly believes this calls for at least 5 bananas ...

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