the_volcano

ok i need to know info on quad core processors. i am planning in buy a new laptop next summer and sell my current one to my sister for college. plane and simple i need something good and powerful. i know everything i need to know except the proecessor. now i was interisted in quad core. now i know the amd phenom and the intel i7 are true quad cores. now are the intel Q9300 and the Q9100 true quad cores or non true quad cores. if they are non true please tell me in detail what non true quad core is.

BoT

what is your definition of a true quad core?
they are quad core as they have 4 processing cores.
i believe what you are referring to is that penryn processors are build of two dual core processors while the nehalem has natively 4 cores.
the communication between the cores on the nehalem's (i7's) is faster and better with lower latency however the communication between cores on the penryn (Qxxx) is not bad. i will in no instance be the bottleneck for a systems overall performance.

eitherway, going for a quad core processor on a laptop is fairly inefficient imo.
unless it's solely meant to be space saving and the lappy will hardly ever leave the desk, it would be a good way to go but if portability is key and battery live is important then a quad core will not be your friend.

the_volcano

yes the quad core with the 2 dual core is what i mean by not a true quad core. so that helps alot that means from what i have read that the intel Q9300 and the Q9100 are just quad cores that have 2 dual cores and not 4 processing cores like the i7 or the amd phenom. so is there going to be a quad core like the i7 or amd phenom coming to laptops soon or if at all?

BoT

i'd reckon the i5 make it to the lappies before the i7 purly because of power consumption. so thats a bit down the road as the i5 won't breath consumer product air until september .. the earliest.

the_volcano

so now that i know all this info what would be faster and better the core 2 quad intel Q9300 2.53ghz 1066mhz or the intel core 2 duo T9800 2.93 ghz 1066mhz. just trying to decided if i should go with quad or not.

BoT

we are still talking about a laptop right?
T9800 hands down. majoity of applications, including games won't take "full" advantage of multi (quad) cores processors. a dual core will serve you well and save a whole lot of power and generate far less heat.
what specifically are you going to use it for?

the_volcano

yes we are still talking laptops. i am talking alot of programs at the same time. like premiere internet itunes limewire ect. and i know the T9800 will give me longer battery life as well. and who knows maybe there will be a duo core that will be even better by next summer.

BoT

hmm, there will always be something better and there will always be a next summer.
*not meant to be mean, just stating a fact* purchase to your need and requirement.
if you are not in a rush, then waiting for a good deal or the next best thing might workout well.
the T9800 will run the the programs you listed, even run at the same time.
you should make sure thou that it is paired with a good chipset and you have good memory.
if you do more graphics heavy stuff then having a good video chip/ GPU in it can make all the difference and will free up a lot of workload for your CPU.
i am very impressed with nvidia 9300m series GPU's. this is a chipset/GPU combo actually
this will allow you to run your memory at 800/1066 speed.
i would not go lower then intel's G45 chipset

the_volcano

well i am going to get ddr3 ram probbly 4 gigs. vista 64 bit and a 256 ssd. since we are on the subject can you tell me if 4 gigs of ram is enough for the vista 64 bit operating system or do i need more. if the 8 gigs is cheap next year then i might as well go 8 gigs. so you think i should just stay the duo core instead of the laptop quad core because i also want a laptop that will last 6 -8 hours on a charge. i would like to buy a sony laptop because i love thier products and love thier quality. if i am going to get duo core then the sony aw series is the closest to what i want (except for alienware which are overpriced) except it is ddr2 ram.

BoT

i run 8gig on my desktop with vista x64 as well, i hardly ever tip the 4gig scale unless i do vm's.
the quad will kill your battery live, no doubt or you have to cripple it's performance to a bare minimum. imo you are way better of with the T9800.
sony sounds good

the_volcano

ok so duo it is. thank you so much for the information!!

BoT

Good stuff, I hope you will have plenty of fun with it.
Let us know how it goes.

the_volcano

not going to buy it for a year or so. but i will post what my old one is and what my new one is.

the_volcano

ok now i have another processor question.

1. i have a Dell e1505, vista 32 bit home premium, 2gb ram DDR2 667mhz, intel core 2 duo 2.0ghz, 320gb hhd, ati x1400, now i did a search on intel's website and i think my processor is a T7200 but i am not certian. i am thinking the answer is no but there is there any processor or ram upgrades i can do on my current laptop. and for the ram i dont mean like 3gb instead i mean like 800mhz, 1066mhz ddr3 ram 133mhz ect.

2. and also i noticed that alienware has some really good processors. they have one the intel X9100 3.06 GHz 1066 MHz, how would that perform against the T9800 or even the T9900 3.06 GHz 1066 MHz

3. what future laptop processors do intel have comming up. any with 1333mhz or a duo with 3.5 ghz ect.

BoT

from my experience only, with dell, there won't be much possible for modifications. often parts and configurations are propitiatory. the only way to find out for sure is: 1. to find a board layout or system layout of your system, 2. find someone with the same make/ model and ask, which you can do here, 3. open it up and stick you head in .. not literally but you get what i mean.

to find out what is in your system before you stick your head in you can use a couple of tools which will give you detailed information about your system and can help you make more informed decision.
1. CPU-Z this is a very simple, small and free tool which can help you determind whats inside. you already know what cpu you have, with this you can find out which chipset it is running on and you will know the chipsets limitations and specifications, including memory configurations.
another good tool i often use is: SIW it is a little more detailed to the point that it can be overwhelming but sometimes the little bit extra info can make a difference.



the x9100 is the extreme edition processor version of the T9900. extreme edition processor version often have enhanced features and are more geared for performance and less for power saving. the X9100's TDP is 44w and the T9900's TDP is 35w, a 9w difference for really the same processor and a whole lot more money.

if you really have time to wait and i believe you mentioned a year, then i would wait to see how the lynnfield platform pan's out.
the Core i5 paired with the new P55 chipset would be a nice combination.
the P55 esentially removes the northbridge and put's part of it on the CPU and the rest on a southbridge which will then be called PCH = Platform Controller Hub. this will save heat and energy.

i would not be surprised if intel does another refresh of the penryn class processors with higher clocks and FSB's but in general i believe they will attempt to move on to nehalem.

the_volcano

thank you for the CPU-Z program i only have 1 question about that. it says the dram frequency is 332.5 mhz now i know my ram is ddr2 2gb (which the program has right) 667 mhz. i dont understand

grimx133

That's the way the ram speed is displayed, it's running at 2 x 332.5 which is 665Mhz.

BoT

thats correct, it's dual channel, so core frequency x2.

future looks bright, here is an article from bit-tech about upcoming laptop configurations

did you find out which chipset you have in the lappy?

the_volcano

yes its a intel i934pm

the_volcano

ok i was just looking through intels processors and i dont understand the extreme processors. are the duo core quad or what. it says they have 2 cores where as the quad has 4 cores. this is where i was looking

http://processorfinder.intel.com/