Laptop CPU Comparison: Which Laptop Processor Meets Your Needs?

While performing a laptop CPU comparison we must keep in mind that the processor is one of the most important components of a laptop as it really acts as the brains of the computer. How fast you can download files, how many applications you can run at once, and how quickly your browser can load images and web pages are all determined in large part by the type of processor your laptop has.

In general the higher the CPU speed(clock speed) the higher the perfomance of the laptop. There are two processor speeds to pay attention to. The first is the speed at which information is processed(clock speed). The second is the speed at which the CPU communicates with memory and the graphics processor(via Front Side Bus). A laptop CPU comparison is not complete without mentioning the impact of having a dual-core processor versus having a single-core processor. Single-core processors work just fine and are great for basic laptop computer functions like surfing the web, checking and
sending email, and downloading files. The advantage of dual-core processors is that they allow a user to perform several functions at the same time. Dual-core processors are more efficient and are less likely to get bogged down when running multiple applications on your laptop. It's like having two brains in your laptop computer instead of one.

Laptop CPU Comparison: Intel versus AMD
Intel and AMD are the two largest laptop CPU manufacturers. Intel and AMD processors can be found in the latest laptop offerings from Dell, HP, Compaq, Acer, Everex, Toshiba, Gateway, and Fujitsu. Some laptop manufacturers deal strictly with Intel including Apple, Sony, and Lenovo. Intel and AMD are the most popular and well-known processors on the market today.

Intel currently offers ten categories of laptop processors: Intel Core 2 Duo Quad, Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme, Intel Core 2 Duo, Intel Core Duo, Intel Core 2 Solo, Intel Core Solo, Intel Pentium M, Mobile Intel Pentium 4, and Intel Celeron M. AMD currently offers three categories of laptop processors: AMD Turion 64 X2, AMD Athlon 64 X2, and Mobile AMD Sempron.

Intel Core 2 Duo Quad: 4 cores, up to 2.6 GHz CPU(clock) speed; up to 800 MHz front side bus(FSB); up to 4 MB L2 Cache

Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme: 4 cores, up to 2.4 GHz CPU speed; up to 800 MHz FSB; up to 4 MB L2 Cache

Intel Core 2 Duo: 2 cores, up to 2.33 GHz CPU speed; 533-667 MHz FSB; 2-4 MB L2 Cache

Intel Core Duo: 2 cores, up to 2.33 GHz CPU speed; 533-667 MHz FSB; 2 MB L2 Cache

Intel Core Solo: 1 core, up to 1.83 GHz CPU speed; 533-667 MHz FSB; 2 MB L2 Cache

Intel Core 2 Solo: 1 core, up to 1.2 GHz CPU speed; 533 MHz FSB; 1 MB L2 Cache

Intel Pentium Dual-Core: 2 cores, up to 1.6 GHz CPU speed; 533 MHz FSB; 1 MB L2 Cache

Intel Pentium M: 1 core, 1.00-2.26 GHz CPU speed; 400-533 MHz FSB; 1-2 MB L2 Cache

Intel Celeron: 1 core, up to 2.0 GHz CPU speed; 533-800 MHz FSB; 512 KB - 1 MB L2 Cache

Intel Celeron M: 1 core, 1.2-2.0 GHz CPU speed; 400-533 MHz FSB; 512 KB - 1 MB L2 Cache

AMD Turion 64 X2: 2 cores, 1.6-2.3 GHz CPU speed; up to 1600 MHz HyperTransport; 2 x 512 KB L2 Cache

AMD Athlon 64 X2: 2 cores, 1.7-1.8 GHz CPU speed; up to 1600 MHz HyperTransport; 512 KB L2 Cache

Mobile AMD Sempron: 1 core, 1.6-2.2 GHz CPU speed; up to 1600 MHz HyperTransport; 256-512 KB L2 Cache

CPU speed is how fast a processor can process data. The front side bus connects the CPU to other key components such as memory or the graphics processor(AMD instead uses a dedicated memory bus). Level 2(L2) Cache is a set of memory chips thats speeds the operation of some applications. For laptop CPU comparison purposes, those are the three factors that matter the most along with whether the processor is single or dual-core. Most low-priced laptops are going to have single-core technology which is just fine if you are using the laptop for basic computing needs such as surfing the web, checking email, or downloading a reasonable amount of files.

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Laptop CPU Comparison