The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    AMD 64 or Intel Core Duo

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by hobbes, Mar 18, 2006.

  1. hobbes

    hobbes Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    17
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Hello, I have read several of the threads related to 64 Vs. Duo, but still do not have a clear idea of what to do?

    I have a desktop but would like to replace it with a DTR Notebook. My main applications are general multitasking with Excel, Word, IE6, Adobe Photoshop 7, and iTunes; but Gaming is very, very important to me ... I play Tiger Woods 2006 & Call of Duty 2 and will require a notebook that will play these games with ease. I would imagine that I will be doing some video editing in my future too ... home video, nothing professional.

    Thanks for your thoughts and comments.
     
    hobbes, Mar 18, 2006
    #1
  2. qwester

    qwester Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    366
    Messages:
    2,755
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    If gaming is the most important thing for you then you should make that your number one priority when picking a DTR. Notebook graphics are always inferior to their desktop counterparts and hence you are better off chosing something with high end graphic card.

    CPU should be the next thing on your priority list. Both options will do well in games, but for multi tasking and video editing the Duo will perform better, especially that some video editing software can make use of multi-processors.
     
    qwester, Mar 18, 2006
    #2
  3. danton47

    danton47 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    1
    Messages:
    46
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    There is a bunch of rebranded Clevo D900K DTRs (Sager 9750 etc) that can be configured with (desktop) AthlonX2s, which are dual core. Hertz-per-hertz they perform similarly or slightaly better than CoreDuos. However, you can go up to 2.6 GHz with Athlon (FX-60), while CoreDuos are stuck at 2.16GHz max.
     
    danton47, Mar 18, 2006
    #3
  4. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

    Reputations:
    22,339
    Messages:
    36,639
    Likes Received:
    5,080
    Trophy Points:
    931
    You can't really compare the Athlon X2 and the Core Duo, they're designed for different things.

    Even the lowest X2, the 3800+, is faster than a 2.0GHz Core Duo.
     
    Charles P. Jefferies, Mar 18, 2006
    #4
  5. xAMDvsIntelx

    xAMDvsIntelx Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    464
    Messages:
    3,221
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    105
    Overall, yes the AMD Athlon X2 is faster than the Core Duo because it is a desktop CPU, whereas the Core Duo was built for notebook computing. The Core Duo does dominate over the 3800+ in such things as Adobe Photoshop, DVD Encoding, MP3 Encoding, and General Productivity. It flounders in gaming and multimedia when compared to the X2, however.

    Read AnandTech's Review of the two CPUs: http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2648
     
    xAMDvsIntelx, Mar 18, 2006
    #5
  6. the_hurricane

    the_hurricane Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    76
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    Ditto, go with the better graphic card as a priority.

     
    the_hurricane, Mar 19, 2006
    #6
  7. Aero

    Aero PC/Mac...Whatever works! NBR Reviewer

    Reputations:
    733
    Messages:
    1,919
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Core Duo for Multi-Tasking while AMD 64 for power but it would run hotter as its more of a desktop chip.
     
    Aero, Mar 19, 2006
    #7
  8. Smith2688

    Smith2688 Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    12
    Messages:
    417
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Assuming you want to be able to power it on once in a while without having it plugged in, go with a laptop that has at least a 7800 (preferably a 7800GTX) and I would recommend going Core Duo, since you plan on video editing sometime soon.
     
    Smith2688, Mar 19, 2006
    #8
  9. hobbes

    hobbes Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    17
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    The Clevo D900K offers a smok'n product, but it is about 1k outside my budget ... I need to be between $1.5i-2k.

    After reading these posts, I would love to have the best of both worlds ... an Athlon X2 with a smoking video card. Any suggestions?
     
    hobbes, Mar 21, 2006
    #9
  10. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

    Reputations:
    22,339
    Messages:
    36,639
    Likes Received:
    5,080
    Trophy Points:
    931
    The Clevo D900K is the only laptop with an Athlon X2, so you're out of options for below $2k.

    If you wait, the AMD Turion X2's are coming out May 5th, notebooks should have them sometime around then too.

    Chaz
     
    Charles P. Jefferies, Mar 21, 2006
    #10
  11. hobbes

    hobbes Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    17
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Thanks for the tip on the Turion X2's. Does anyone happen to know what mfg's will be building with it?
     
    hobbes, Mar 25, 2006
    #11
  12. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

    Reputations:
    22,339
    Messages:
    36,639
    Likes Received:
    5,080
    Trophy Points:
    931
    MSI is one manufacturer I know that will be using the Turion X2's, they already have shown off prototypes. I'm sure there will be more manufacturers that have the X2 as well, like Acer - they'll probably update their Ferrari notebook to have it and an X1600 graphics card (just a speculation).

    Chaz
     
    Charles P. Jefferies, Mar 26, 2006
    #12
  13. xAMDvsIntelx

    xAMDvsIntelx Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    464
    Messages:
    3,221
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    105
    I'm also guessing that HP/Compaq will have some X2's as well - they're pretty accepting of both AMD and Intel.
     
    xAMDvsIntelx, Mar 26, 2006
    #13
  14. matt_h1

    matt_h1 Notebook Deity NBR Reviewer

    Reputations:
    319
    Messages:
    1,667
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Theres the dell 17" e1705 it has a 7800 and core duo cheap to.
     
    matt_h1, Mar 26, 2006
    #14