Hi folks how is everyone today/tonight, i am good i hope everyone is had a good weekend. I already have a computer but recently i had an urge to get a laptop for various reasons which i will state soon.

I read a few laptop buyers guides and have general idea as to what laptops are and what are their uses and purposes. When searching around i came across only two types or categories or processors of laptops [1]Intel and [2]AMD. Now if we sub-categorize Intel based laptops there is Celeron, Pentium 3,4,M, Centrino, Centrino Duo Mobile. If we sub-categorize Amd we have Sempron, Athlon Xp, Athlon 64, Turion 64 etc. Are these different models of processors which came out at different times ? What's the difference between these ? Which one is better performance and price wise ? Are there any more types of laptop processors or just these ?

That will be it for this time. I will appreciate it if someone can explain to me in as much detail as possible regarding these questions so i have a general idea of what kind of laptop will fit my needs. Thanks in advance

OK, I don't know about AMD processors but I can tell you about the Intel ones. Some of those are old, some are current, some are both old and current as they are ranges that have been running for many years!

Celeron - Introduced around 1996, the Celeron is the value range. Earliest Celerons ran at 266MHz but the range is still in production (albeit it in an updated form) at current speeds. Best for non-gamers and users of standard applications such as Excel and Word. Not recommended for applications requiring intensive calculations such as database servers, etc.

Pentium III - performance processors introduced in 1997/98. Still a good range for second-hand buyers but now superceded by the Pentium 4 for newer laptops.

Pentium 4 - performance processors running from 1.4GHz up to 3.6GHz. More recent models have been renamed with numbers rather than speed ratings, e.g. the Intel Pentium 650 is what would have been known as the Intel Pentium 4 3.6GHz if Intel had stuck with the naming convention that everyone had got used to! In laptops, these processors are now only found in "desktop replacements", e.g. big, heavy, high-performance systems. Mostly now replaced by the Pentium M.

Pentium M - two processor ranges designed specifically for laptops (M meaning Mobile). Split between "Pentium M", which replaces the Pentium 4 performance range and the "Pentium Celeron M", which replaces the Celeron Value range. Laptop-focused design means much better battery life thanks to dual-speed operation and other power-saving designs. Comparisons now get confusing, however, as the range of speed ratings has completely changed. A Pentium M 2.0GHz is roughly equivalent to a Pentium 4 2.8GHz. Speeds range from 1.1GHz (pretty disappointing) up to 2.2GHz (very nice if you can afford it).

Centrino is a brand name that refers to a group of technologies inside a laptop that show that it was designed for superior wireless connectivity, performance and battery life. The "Centrino" badge really only guarantees that there's a wireless network card fitted - it doesn't give any guide as to the actual speed of one particular laptop.

Centrino Duo Mobile is the second phase of the original Centrino brand, harnessing the power of dual-core processors. Intel has now pretty much phased out all of its original single-core processors in favour of the new dual-core design, which claim to be better at performance-intensive applications such as database servers and games. I haven't used a dual-core processor yet and I'm a little sceptical that it will make much difference until software is widely available that makes full use of the potential. However, Intel are pricing them close to the original single-core processors so getting something for nothing can't be bad

Hope that helps. Intel processors are generally seen as better for desktop applications such as Word and Excel and for servers, whereas AMD are favoured for multimedia. Just need someone who only plays games all day to tell you all about AMD processors now, lol

Thx for the reply i will specify my needs as to what i want this laptop for. My main interest to get a laptop is to watch movies on it, also i want to be able to connect it to my tv and watch movies on my laptop on my tv. I also want to use this laptop for playing latest games, listen to music, run big applications like adobe photoshop,winamp,wmp,frontpage, do a lot of web-designing, also need a latest fast cd/dvd burner which can burn cd/dvd of all types/formats. I want a good high quality/performance laptop to do all above but for the cheapest cost available(as many people offcource) because i am on a tight budget i am looking for something below $1300 Canadian Dollars. If possible i am also looking for an option where i can pay for the laptop slowly on monthly bases without getting charged any interest/extra fees.

I would like to know what part to look for in a laptop which will let me connect my laptop to my tv and stream movies/videos at good speeds. Is it s-video port/jack or vga port/jack or something ?

Here are details of my ideal laptop

1.5 ghz + processor
4-6 usb ports
1-2 firmwire ports
512/1 gb ddr/ddr2 fast ram
80-100 gb fast harddrive
cd/dvd burner for all types of files/formats preferrable DVD±RW
good quality for audio and video
a good graphic card/accelerator for latest games
need wi-fi or latest wireless technology to use internet easily
15-17" good quality monitor/screen preferrable widescreen
be able to connect it to my tv and vise/versa to watch movies/videos etc at good streaming speed and good quality

Budget = $500-$1500 Canadian Dollars
What's in it for you = Great appreciation, warm tingly feeling of helping someone desperately in need, getting to find out whats latest in store/ on web nowadays

Thx for all the help in advance

OK, to get your TV to run video from the laptop, you'll need an S-video output from the laptop. These are quite a common feature. However, you'll also need an S-video input on the TV, which are not so common. Unless you can get an S-video to SCART adaptor (I'm not sure if that will carry the same signal or whether it would ruin the picture).

To additionally use your TV as a Windows monitor and use it to view applications other than videos, you'll need a VGA (15-pin D-Sub) output on the laptop. These are also common features as they allow the connection of a monitor or projector to the laptop, which is a typical requirement. However, you'll also need a 15-pin D-Sub input on the TV. These are not common at all and, normally, you would only find yourself with a D-Sub input if you had specifically looked for a TV with that connection when you bought it.

I'm not sure what the exchange rate is between Canadian dollars to UK sterling. If it's comparable to US dollars to UK sterling, then I'd say that you'll be spending all of your budget quite easily.

Focus on getting at least a Pentium M 1.7GHz processor but preferably a 2.0GHz. Definitely get 1GB RAM or more but consider buying some of it from a cheap supplier such as www.crucial.com, as the manufacturer will charge a lot for memory upgrades. Get a dedicated graphics card, at least a 64MB Nvidia GeForce or ATi Radeon chip, not just the standard Intel graphics chipset that comes on most motherboards.

Take a look at www.dell.com for Canada and you'll see what's available there and how much it costs for your own tailored configuration

Ok i did alot of research as you nice people advised and came up with my first batch of notebooks i found to be good. Need your help deciding which one is a better buy

Here are my requirements

In a nutshell i will be using my laptop to watch movies,listen to music,planning on playing high graphics/quality previous,current and future games, run appz like photoshop,frontpage, burn dvds and cds at high fast/speed without leeching all of my system ram and cpu usage, want to connect my laptop to my tv to watch movies (with good quality/speed) from my notebook

1.5 ghz + processor
4-6 usb ports
1-2 firmwire ports
512/1 gb ddr/ddr2 fast ram
80-100 gb fast harddrive
cd/dvd burner for all types of files/formats preferrable DVD±RW
good quality for audio and video
a good graphic card/accelerator for latest games
need wi-fi or latest wireless technology to use internet easily
15-17" good quality monitor/screen preferrable widescreen
s-video
vga
dvi(preferred not necessity as long as theres s-video)

Budget = $500-$1500 Canadian Dollars


These are the notebooks/laptops i found to be good

ACER AS5672WLMi
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...Tab=2&NoMapp=0


Gateway MX7515
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...024&CatId=1904


Gateway 8510GZ
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...?EdpNo=1697070


Gateway MX6625
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...?EdpNo=1873384


Please state the reason for your selection. Thx for all the help in advance

Without even looking at the links, I'd say that the Acer is probably your best bet. They've only gone into building desktop PCs fairly recently - before that, they've been focused on building laptops for years and years so they ought to be rather good at it. Gateway are the opposite - they've been building desktop PCs for years and years (which, to be fair, were very good) but they aren't traditionally laptop specialists, even if they do have a big range of models this year.

This isn't just my opinion. Acer laptops outsell Gateway laptops (in the UK at least) over and over and over.

Thx for such a quick reply "DJNafey" i understand what point your trying to make, but the thing is when i looked at these four laptops the features and quality looked the same to me. I have read reviews and feedbacks for them all that's why i can say atleast i don't see a difference between their quality in short run. But i have to agree with you that acer might be the choice for a long run/future plan. I will be very honest with you i am very short on budget and want to spend minimum to get atleast some of the features i want and finally these cheap laps have them. I just want to know which one of these would you purchase according to their cost and features(all seem to be same unless i missed something)

Acer AS5672WLMi Intel Core DUO 1.66GHz = $1489.99 ( brand new and ships within 24 hrs)

Gateway MX7515 AMD Athlon 64 2.6GHz = $1,069.97* (refurbished and delayed shipment)

Gateway 8510GZ Intel Pentium M 1.7GHz = $1142.99 (refurbished and delayed shipment)

Gateway MX6625 Intel Centrino Pentium M 1.73GHz = $979.99* (refurbished and delayed shipment)


The major difference which i now see is they have different processors. According to this do u still recommend Acer for 1489.99 or is Gatewat AMD Athlon a better/cheaper buy ???

Can anyone help me out here please ?

Just my quick opinion: I see the major difference being the Acer is brand new as the others are used (refurbished).

I would go new without question.

Okie great thx for your reply