"I don't think Celeron uses DDR RAM, either"

The memory type is determined by the chipset, not the CPU. Celerons can
be used in ANY application in which a P4 of the same fabrication family
and FSB can be used, because in reality a modern Celeron IS a P4, the
differences are internal (in the cache system) and are not even
externally visible. There are neither different CPUs (either P4's or
Celerons) for SDRAM nor DDR nor, for that matter, even Rambus RDRAM.
There are just different chipsets. Many Celeron notebooks use the very
same motherboard for both Pentium 4 models and Celeron models, with DDR
memory. A good example of a Celeron Notebook that uses DDR is the
Toshiba 1415 series.


Andrew wrote:

In comp.sys.laptops John wrote:
: Hi,

: If I want an Intel based notebook I think these are my options:

: 1. Celeron
: 2. Pentium 4
: 3. Mobile Pentium 4
: 4. Pentium M

: It seems like a Mobile Pentium 4 or Pentium M is substantially more
: expensive than a Celeron or Pentium 4. I assume this is because of the
: lower heat and increased battery life of the Mobile Pentium 4 and
: Pentium M?

I don't think Pentium 4M (Mobile Pentium 4) is really going to save a
lot of heat or battery power. If that's your big concern, go with
Pentium M.

: So what's the difference between a Celeron and a Pentium 4 in a
: laptop? The Pentium 4 seems to be roughly $100 more.

A Pentium 4/4M should be a little faster than a Celeron due to larger
on-chip caches and faster memory speeds (I don't think Celeron uses
DDR RAM, either). But don't sell Celeron short. If your wife isn't a
power user, a Celeron will be fine. I have a 2GHZ Celeron in my
Toshiba notebook and I am very happy with it (it runs some CPU-intense
image conversion faster than my 1.8GHZ Pentium 4 desktop does). My
machine is very snappy and fast. Just make sure other specs are in
order. Make sure you get at least 512MB of RAM (or make sure you can
easily add it). Consider a laptop that allows you to add an internal
(mini-PCI) wireless card also. If your wife likes computer games,
make sure the laptop does not use shared video RAM and has dedicated
video RAM instead.

Even if you aren't worried about battery use, some of the sleek new
Centrino (w/Pentium M) machines are cool. Centrino allows for
smaller, lighter designs. Check a few of them out.

I bought my machine at Costco FYI - they have a great 6-month "no
questions asked" return policy. Never needed it - my Toshiba has been
great.

Andrew
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