Can someone please explain the difference between the AMD Turion/Sempron 64 X 2 processor compared to the Intel Core 2 Duo processor?
I`m in the market for a new laptop, and researching the possibilities right now.
Thanks!
To keep things simple.. they pretty much the same thing, just by different companies. They both dual core 64 bit processors. You won't go wrong with either selection.
AMD tends to be lower priced, although I haven't kept up with computer stuff in quite some time because it just got confusing with new stuff coming out every 5 minutes.
I had an HP laptop (AMD) that lasted me about 4 years which gave me no troubles at all, and now I have a 17" widescreen Dell (Intel Core Duo) and I love it. (needed something new to play games on since I ditched my desktop machine)
I have a 17" widescreen dell laptop as well and I love it ,
I was looking at the Dell inspiron 1520 or 1521. They come with 1 GB RAM, but I would upgrade that to 2 GB off the bat. I have an external hard drive, so 120Gb would be enough for me, plus I don`t want to slow the computer down by keeping too much stuff on it.
The other option was essentially the same computer, only the HP version.
I`m just really hesitant to buy a Dell right now after all the bad publicity they have had recently (ie: batteries blowing up)
mine never did lol , recent recalls just mean they are keeping a better look on what they are sending out.
i just bought a HP laptop yesterday with AMD Turion 64x2 from best buy from what i can tell so far it's not to bad.. i have no complaints with it
AMD chips have been know to run hotter than the Intel chips. I don't really know if that makes a difference or not. If you are a gamer though I would go AMD.
Oh man... where to begin. I'll keep this in "layman"'s terms as best as I'm able. Ask for clarification if needed.
Turion64 X2 - a dual-core processor, 1 generation older than the Core 2 Duo stuff. A great processor, not very hot running. Less horsepower per dollar than the Core 2 Duos though. If you're an AMD fan (which I am), you'd still buy it. However, Chica, you don't strike me as one so I'll continue.
Core 2 Duo - a dual-core processor. This means they can perform 2 separate intensive tasks almost as efficiently as one single intensive task. By intensive I mean 100% CPU usage in the Windows Task Manager. On a dual-core laptop, you'll have two CPU usage graphs instead of one. They're the "latest and greatest" from Intel - they're very powerful, they're quite energy-efficient and they do tend to run cool for the most part. Extended use will send the CPU core(s) temperature to well over 60C (with 100% loading per core) - I've experienced this firsthand with my Dell Latitude D820 laptop many times.
You will be able to run your mathematical computation programs easily and quickly on a Core 2 Duo laptop, and about 20-30% slower on a Turion 64 X2 laptop. For all other things, you likely wouldn't notice a performance hit between the two unless you were really benchmarking things. For word processing, Internet and email use and casual photo work... they'll be near-identical.
There are two basic things I advise people to look for when purchasing a laptop - the Intel Centrino Duo mobile offering and a dedicated video card.
The reason for the Intel Centrino Duo mobile chipset suggestion is that this guarantees that you'll receive an Intel WiFi adapter with your laptop. I've had the occasion to test and use a lot of WiFi adapters over the past 5 years. For the last 3 alone, Intel has had a far superior WiFi card for performance and ease of use - two things that likely matter to you.
The reason for the discrete video card suggestion is simply performance. When you run an integrated video card (referred to as an IGP in most manufacturers' documentation and advertising), you "vampire" or appropriate some system memory to perform video card functions. In addition to the fact that this is a considerably slower way of doing things compared to a standard video card, it also detracts from your Windows operating systen performance.
I love our Toshiba Tecra, it rocks the casbah.
My work Dell D620 is ok.
Thanks NOS... that really clarifies things!
I'll be using the computer to run my VICON and bodybuilder software, as well as Matlab, SPSS, internet, word, powerpoint, etc.
I have been known to dabble in strategy games, but I'm not buying the computer to feed that habit, it'll mainly be for school/research.
NOS hit on all the major points, so not much to add.. but I pm'd ya about some deals on lenovo machines...
they deliver in days, and I've been happier with my thinkpads than all the toshiba's/compaqs/etc I've bought over the years.