Ye Olde Rad Blog

I'm researching notebook computers, and the new technologies they offer, such as Intel's Centrino, which debuted last March. This mobile technology claims to use less power, while integrating wireless networking. Official Intel press release is posted here.

Things get confusing when you consider that the highly-coveted Pentium M processor (note the *absence* of the number 4), which sits as the centerpiece of the Centrino technology, max'es out at 1.7-GHz, and contains a 1-MB L2 cache, is NOT THE SAME as the (older, less-coveted) Pentium 4-M chip (note the *presence* of the number '4' there), which max'es out at 2.6-GHz & contains only 512-KB cache .. which is still different from the regular Pentium 4 chip, which is designed for desktop computers (max'es out at 3.2-GHz). Easy to confuse them (thanks to Intel's naming scheme), but they are all very different animals.

I was surprised to learn that the performance of these different chips do NOT compare on a 1:1 basis. For example, the 1.7-Ghz M chip is slightly *faster* than the 2.6-GHz 4-M chip .. or so says benchmarks offered by Intel. Review of the P-M is posted here.

If you are not confused yet, consider that Intel will release its next-generation 'M' chip, called Dothan, in May. It will come with *twice* the L2 cache, and be based on a smaller manufacturing process (90-namometer). Current chips use a 130-nm manufacturing process. Smaller is better. More Dothan info posted here.

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I was also surprised to learn that the Centrino technology contains an out-dated wireless networking standard: 802.11b, which is limited to 11-Mbps. So, if you get a Centrino-based laptop, you would want to get an add-on card that supports the next-generation (backwards-compatible) 802.11g protocol, which supports speeds up to 54-Mbps (5 times faster). Centrino-based notebooks which support the new 'g' standard are coming, but aren't expected to arrive for a few more months. There is also an "a" protocol, but it is not very popular.

I'm looking at the Inspiron line of notebooks from Dell, and the (gorgeous-yet-overpriced) ThinkPads from IBM. While I'm doing that, you may want to see where the wireless "hotspots" are located in your country, in your state, and even in your city (California). Hotspots allow you to sit down, order up a double-cappuccino, turn-on your notebook, and instantly connect to the Internet (wirelessly) at blazingly fast speeds. Now, how cool is that!

A special thanks to the guys at the Storage Review for helping me with this.