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Intel Launches Centrino Duo Notebooks

An anonymous reader writes "Intel has officially introduced their Centrino Duo platform. The new Centrino uses the Yonah processor which I guess is now called Core Duo. AnandTech has a review of notebooks based on it and the results are pretty impressive. They tested two identical notebooks, one based on Centrino Duo and one based on Centrino. The Duo notebook lasted 30 minutes longer on battery and was faster in the benchmarks. You can't beat longer battery life and better performance."

10 of 189 comments (clear)

  1. "Windows XP Vista"?? by Lemmingue · · Score: 4, Funny

    From Centrino Duo page:

    "Ready for Windows XP Vista*
    Support for the latest software when it arrives."

    What the hell is "Windows XP Vista"? A new Linux distribution?

  2. Please RTFA by Critical_ · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I can't believe someone would rate the parent post as "informative" without ever looking at the article.

    In the article, Anandtech clearly states that their request for identical notebooks was filled by Asus's W-series notebooks. Since Asus is a huge ODM, they provided identical notebooks with the only difference being the new chipset, processor combo. The processors (Dothan and Core Duo) were even matched clock for clock at 1.86Ghz. The comparison is amazingly good and shows very clearly that the new processor has a great boost and performance and battery time. Next time, please RTFA before posting drivel.

    1. Re:Please RTFA by xodonex · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Identical clock speeds are exactly not the point when comparing a single-core CPU against a dual-core CPU: you save power by lowering the clock speed, and have an extra core to compensate for the performance loss. Whether or not this compensation is advantageous is dependent on whether your particular code lends itself well to parallel execution over the particular cores or not.

      I don't dispute that the benchmarks probably are representative for average real-life applications, but depending on the specific application, YMMV considerably. Dual core is not always an advantage, despite marketing hype.

  3. 'course you can beat that.... by shintaro · · Score: 4, Funny
    >> You can't beat longer battery life and better performance.

    Cause you can. Make it weigh less than 1kg and you have a real winner.

  4. What about graphics performance? by Rinikusu · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How well has Intel improved the performance of its integrated graphics chipset? I'd like to see what I can look forward to if Apple decides to go with Intel and not ATI or nVidia. While I understand these aren't meant to be gaming "powerhouses", I'd still like to do some light gaming on it. (FWIW, I've play World of Warcraft, at around 20fps, on my old iBook G4 800 and my desktop P3 750 (ti4200), which was acceptable. I'd like to see at least this level of performance).

    --
    If you were me, you'd be good lookin'. - six string samurai
  5. Objective by ObsessiveMathsFreak · · Score: 4, Funny

    You can't beat longer battery life and better performance.

    Yes you can! Just spend more on advertising.

    --
    May the Maths Be with you!
  6. Re:Intel Launches Notebooks by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 4, Informative
    > ...massive conflict of interest

    What? Are you saying General Motors can't make cars and trucks because they make engines? Did you know they make diesel locomotives, also?

    I have several (old) Intel computers in my basement. Oddly enough, they use Intel CPUs.

    Many manufacturers produce "brand labeled" products in the same plants, using the same parts that they use in their own products; for example Westinghouse producing their own washing machines, and also producing an identical unit with the Kenmore label.

    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
  7. Actually... by ion_ · · Score: 5, Funny

    What the hell is "Windows XP Vista"? A new Linux distribution?

    It's Service Pack 3 for Windows® XP®, but instead of calling it SP3 they call it Vista® and put a price tag on it.

    HTH.

  8. wireless support? by Gaima · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So, this new fangled wireless card Intel have produced, 3945ABG.
    Are we Linux users going to get a driver for it?

    An extra 30 minutes battery life, and a dual core CPU for multitasking, would both be quite beneficial for me, but without Linux wireless drivers (no ndiswrapper please) it's a no-go.

  9. Re:Actually one IMPORTANT thing is missing ... by Zackbass · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So...why exactly does comparing this new Intel processor with a fictional AMD processor that they can't even mass produce until at least next year matter in the least? The process is just as much a part of the processor as the architecture and Intel has the better process tech. Asking for an AMD with Intel's 65nm process is equivalent to asking for an Intel processor with AMD's superior dual-core architecture.

    --
    You gotta find first gear in your giant robot car