Intel Centrino...?

[bobby_7 0]

so i am in the market for a laptop as i am moving off to college.....and i found a gateway refurb on tigerdirect and it has a 1.7Ghz Centrino processor. i was just wondering how this processor compares to like the Celeron. i know my grandma once had a brand new desktop with a Celeron processor about 3 years back and the thing just sucked, it was terrible. i didnt know if this Centrino was better or if it was kind of a replacement..?

[EFFENDI 0]

Centrino is a chipset, not a processor. It is essentially a brand. All Centrino denotes is that it is a notebook with the Centrino chipset, which includes a Celeron Mobile processor and built-in WiFi.

[bobby_7 0]

Centrino is a chipset, not a processor. It is essentially a brand. All Centrino denotes is that it is a notebook with the Centrino chipset, which includes a Celeron Mobile processor and built-in WiFi.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i understand now

so back to the basic question, is it good? i would assume the chip set is good but i see you say that it still uses a celeron processor...did they get all the bugs worked out of the celeron processor? is it a good processor?

[Jmac 24]

Centrino is a chipset, not a processor. It is essentially a brand. All Centrino denotes is that it is a notebook with the Centrino chipset, which includes a Celeron Mobile processor and built-in WiFi.

Actually, Centrino "technology" has 3 requirements:

1) A "speed-stepping" CPU such as the Pentium M, Core Solo, or Core Duo

2) An Intel motherboard

3) An Intel wireless network adapter

At this point in time, I would go with a Core Duo processor. They get just as good battery life but give better performance (MUCH better performance in some applications) at a small premium.

Refurbished ... laptop ...

Think about that for a second ...

Now slap yourself for considering it ...

As for the Celeron, it's the worst processor line ever ...

[bobby_7 0]

Refurbished ...  laptop ...

Think about that for a second ...

Now slap yourself for considering it ...

As for the Celeron, it's the worst processor line ever ...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

haha, i know i know...i dont really want to buy a refurb either but at this point in time with as little cash as i have, and also, having access to school computers and not needing anything major, so for now, it will do. it will have to...

i dont think i am going to get it anyway, i found a friend of mine who is selling a dell inspiron 5100 with a pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512MB RAM, and a 60GB HD and i can get it for $400. anything goes wrong with it, i can fix it.

once i have some money.....here i come tigerdirect and newegg to build my own computer, and do it right!

[EFFENDI 0]

That Dell is cheap, but thats about all it has going for it.

It's heavy (8.1 lbs) and has poor battery life at right around 1.75 hours. Plus, it's Dell....

What is your current budget (what could you spend tomorrow)? I think we could help you make a better choice.

[Eldorado 0]

Core Duo= mac

Dual Core= PC

[bobby_7 0]

That Dell is cheap, but thats about all it has going for it.

It's heavy (8.1 lbs) and has poor battery life at right around 1.75 hours. Plus, it's Dell....

What is your current budget (what could you spend tomorrow)? I think we could help you make a better choice.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

budget is $400-$450 max...

i have looked around all kinds of web-sites and all kinds of classifieds in forums and i can't come up with anything...

right now i can get a brand new Dell desktop that is reallly good for $500, so i want to stay below that, cuz im gettin a used laptop...

[bjboertje 0]

Core Duo= mac

Dual Core= PC

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

umm, no. core duo is for both pc, and mac. the best all around proc on the market right now.

p.s. centrino/celeron sucks!

[CBFryman 2]

Celeron FTL

[EFFENDI 0]

That Dell is cheap, but thats about all it has going for it.

It's heavy (8.1 lbs) and has poor battery life at right around 1.75 hours. Plus, it's Dell....

What is your current budget (what could you spend tomorrow)? I think we could help you make a better choice.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

budget is $400-$450 max...

i have looked around all kinds of web-sites and all kinds of classifieds in forums and i can't come up with anything...

right now i can get a brand new Dell desktop that is reallly good for $500, so i want to stay below that, cuz im gettin a used laptop...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Right. Don't buy a used notebook if you don't have to.

I just have issue with Dell - but it's just me. As mentioned, a Core Duo notebook is definitely going to be the best bang-for-the-buck choice.

However you are going to have to spend a few hundred more dollars to get there. Think around $700-$900.

The best advice I can give you is to not cheap out on a notebook like you would a desktop. Notebooks are much more difficult, or impossible (besides RAM, fixed disks) to upgrade and generally you will keep them for much longer than a desktop system. Make an investment and get the best computer you can reasonably afford.

[Jmac 24]

That Dell is cheap, but thats about all it has going for it.

It's heavy (8.1 lbs) and has poor battery life at right around 1.75 hours. Plus, it's Dell....

What is your current budget (what could you spend tomorrow)? I think we could help you make a better choice.

x2

The Pentium 4 is a terrible mobile processor ... It sucks power like crazy and is terribly inefficient, resulting in a hot-running, heavy laptop to boot ...

[Jmac 24]

That Dell is cheap, but thats about all it has going for it.

It's heavy (8.1 lbs) and has poor battery life at right around 1.75 hours. Plus, it's Dell....

What is your current budget (what could you spend tomorrow)? I think we could help you make a better choice.

budget is $400-$450 max...

i have looked around all kinds of web-sites and all kinds of classifieds in forums and i can't come up with anything...

right now i can get a brand new Dell desktop that is reallly good for $500, so i want to stay below that, cuz im gettin a used laptop...

Right. Don't buy a used notebook if you don't have to.

I just have issue with Dell - but it's just me. As mentioned, a Core Duo notebook is definitely going to be the best bang-for-the-buck choice.

However you are going to have to spend a few hundred more dollars to get there. Think around $700-$900.

The best advice I can give you is to not cheap out on a notebook like you would a desktop. Notebooks are much more difficult, or impossible (besides RAM, fixed disks) to upgrade and generally you will keep them for much longer than a desktop system. Make an investment and get the best computer you can reasonably afford.

You're not alone in having an issue with Dell ...

Buying a used notebook is usually not a great idea ...

x2 on what Effendi said, when you get a notebook, you should get one that can do everything you need it to do now and what you will need it to do for the next few years. It isn't something that is easily upgradable, nor is it something that's easily fixable either if you get one that uses cheap-ass parts.

I'd say that, unless you can come up with another $200-$300 for your budget, that you shouldn't even bother getting a notebook at this point in time ... If you cannot afford to get a decent one, you shouldn't even get one at all because it will just be a waste of money ...

If you're set on only spending $500, then I'd just go with a desktop ... If you already have a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and printer, you can get a half-decent rig for $500 ...

[CBFryman 2]

I hate dell. Notebook or desktop. Dell pisses me off. Esessically their homo casses, one of a kind power supplies and ram, and stupid assed software.

[Scarenius 0]

And here I was thinking I was the only person who didn't like Dell. =p

I'd go with Jmac's advice. Experience has taught me that laptops in general are a bad idea, much less a used one. Even worse a used Dell. Unlike what Effendi said, I've usually seen worse turnaround rates with laptops in this area. They just don't last long enough to outlive a desktop, but maybe that's because of the whole humidity thing (Michigan, peninsula) and really stupid laptop owners.

[bobby_7 0]

well i thought some more about it and i dont really NEED a computer right now, i can get by without one. i just decided to wait on buying one for now, and hopefully i can save up some money and get something worth my time that will last me.