Dell Inspiron P4 or Celeron?

[J. Bourne]

The price difference between the Dell Inspiron 1100 Pentium 4 @ 2.4ghz and Dell Inspiron 1100 Celeron @ 2.3ghz is about $200 with the expiring specials that Dell has going.

Here's my question: I am not a gamer. I use my laptop for basic stuff, but do want to be able to watch DVDs if need be, to burn CDs, and maybe do some video editing.

I have a wireless Linksys cable modem setup.

Is it worth it for me to spend the extra $200 and get the Pentium 4 version?

Will the Pentium 4 Version run hotter?

Is the Celeron version easy to upgrade if I find it too slow, and if so, how much will this cost to get it to close to the P4 performance measuers (and what is involved)?

Thanks everyone/

[Jughead]

if the only thing you wanna do is internet, email, and word documents. The celeron is ok. If you want to view any kind of multimedia or do more. go with the P4. using a PC/Laptop with a celeron is like driving a dodge omni. It can get ya from point a to point b but lacks any balls what-so-ever. Just my two cents

Using the new P4 with HT technology converted me from AMD, I used to be a huge AMD fan and the only thing I did was use the same hardware except got a P4 mb/processor from the intel chips n tips deal for $199 and there was ZERO comparison. Everything ran so much more efficient... I guess late the flames begin but I do audio mixing and mastering and dabble in some Digital video editing, but would rather not learn to use a mac, so that's the kind of software/hardware I was using to compare the two.

[J. Bourne]

Jugehead, thanks for the reply. I don't think the P4 on the Inspiron has hyperthreading capability.

And are you saying that streaming video and playback of DVD's etc. may be a problem with the Celeron?

Thanks.

[aagee]

Jason

It should be OK to go with Celeron. It should be sufficient for your needs - AND - it runs much cooler than the P4. I've had some people complain that a P4 equipped notebook runs so hot that you can't have it sit in your lap. And more heat also means more thermal failures down the road. The new Pentium Centrino M platform is in fact based on the Celeron - precisely because of the power / heat issues.


I used to know a Jason Bourne working in Boston Technology. Any connection?

Aagee

[Jughead]

yeah regardless with the HT or not having 512k of L2 Cache compared to 128k makes a huge difference in performance. With compressed video or DVD it may be a bit shakey or may skip a bit. I'd highly recommend 512mb of ram for any Windows XP machine. it's always better to get the 128 option from dell and then order like a 512 chip from Pricewatch (http://www.pricewatch.com) or pricegrabber (http://www.pricegrabber.com) but make sure you get something that's like micron, samsung, crucial, kingston or a major manufacture. Also know what type of ram it takes ie: pc2100 (266mhz ddr) or pc2700 (333mhz ddr) sodimm. Basically what i'm saying is. usually if you get a celeron, with the changing in software in such a rapid pace these days, you'll probably be agravated to use it in a year or so, and it being a laptop, you can't upgrade it as much like you would a PC.

[J. Bourne]

Originally posted by aagee
Jason

It should be OK to go with Celeron. It should be sufficient for your needs - AND - it runs much cooler than the P4. I've had some people complain that a P4 equipped notebook runs so hot that you can't have it sit in your lap. And more heat also means more thermal failures down the road. The new Pentium Centrino M platform is in fact based on the Celeron - precisely because of the power / heat issues.


I used to know a Jason Bourne working in Boston Technology. Any connection?

Aagee

Aagee,

I very much appreciate that straightforward and concise information. I had read some comments about the manner by which Dell is simply using Pentium 4 chips originally intended for desktop systems and crammed them into their notebooks.

I am typing this on an old Compaq Presario notebook that is very warm to the touch, and which has had its share of problems (some of them heat related, I suspect).

My first name is James, but I get asked whether my name is Jason all the time - probably because of the movie.

J.

[J. Bourne]

Originally posted by Jughead
yeah regardless with the HT or not having 512k of L2 Cache compared to 128k makes a huge difference in performance. With compressed video or DVD it may be a bit shakey or may skip a bit. I'd highly recommend 512mb of ram for any Windows XP machine. it's always better to get the 128 option from dell and then order like a 512 chip from Pricewatch (http://www.pricewatch.com) or pricegrabber (http://www.pricegrabber.com) but make sure you get something that's like micron, samsung, crucial, kingston or a major manufacture. Also know what type of ram it takes ie: pc2100 (266mhz ddr) or pc2700 (333mhz ddr) sodimm. Basically what i'm saying is. usually if you get a celeron, with the changing in software in such a rapid pace these days, you'll probably be agravated to use it in a year or so, and it being a laptop, you can't upgrade it as much like you would a PC.

Right. I had planned on ordering a 512mb memory upgrade from Crucial as some others have mentioned. The Inspirons, whether P4 or Celeron, both run on 266mhz DDR sodimn, I believe.

Thanks.

[arjunsr]

you have enough replies to make a descision but one more won't hurt. most of this answer is from a call for help answer on the same thing and my personal experience. i had a p2 desktop probably 300 mhz. it played video files (avi and divx) fine. the question really is how much video editing you want to do. that is very processor intensive. if you really don't want to do that much of that, a celeron should handle your needs. there are four different intel options sort of for a laptop. some cram a desktop processor into a laptop. those aren't really a good option you get really crappy battery life. then there is the pentium 4m which does stuff to conserve battery life. centrino is a standard not really a processor. i always thought it was a p4m (someone above said its a celeron) and i think a 855 chipset which has 802.11b built in. not really worth it if you already have wireless cards. then there is the celeron which is a budget processor. the difference is it runs slower and has less memory on the chip.

edit- i'm not sure the actual temperature differences between all the chips but i'm guessing that it'll really be minor.


if money isn't really an issue, go with the better processor, it can only help. you'll notice the difference and be pleased. if it is an issue i think you will be satisfied with a celeron.

[J. Bourne]

Thanks for all the responses. Money really isn't the issue here.

By the way, has anyone benchmarked the Celeron 2.3ghz chip to see how fast it really runs most applications?

I mean, is a 2.3ghz Celeron comparable to a 1.5ghz Pentium 4? Is there some sort of standardized conversion table that anyone has developed?

This issue of Pentium versus Celeron versus Athlon versus Centrino is difficult for a tech'o'phobe like me to decipher.

[Jughead]

Centrino is a group of features it has nothing to do with a processor name it means it has the intel pro 100 wireless chipset, and the Pentium M processor which is for wireless compatibility and batterylife and performance. The Pentium M has nothing to do with a P4 or anything. It is its own standard utilizing 1mb of L2 Cache (p4=512k & Celeron=128k) Thats where it gets its performance. in benchmark test a Pentium M @ 1.5GHz out performs a P4m @ 2.5GHz by a 39% margin. also a 1.6GHz Pentium M out performed against alienwares 3GHz laptop. I got all of these facts from a toms hardware article back in early 2003. I dont feel like finding the link, just seach their site for a centrino vs pentium. It was a research project I did back then, i just remember all the facts from it.

[davehere]

This link from tomshardware guide may help you decide..
http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/20020903/index.html

Njoy!!!

[Dan Grossman]

Originally posted by Jughead
if the only thing you wanna do is internet, email, and word documents. The celeron is ok. If you want to view any kind of multimedia or do more. go with the P4. using a PC/Laptop with a celeron is like driving a dodge omni. It can get ya from point a to point b but lacks any balls what-so-ever. Just my two cents

Using the new P4 with HT technology converted me from AMD, I used to be a huge AMD fan and the only thing I did was use the same hardware except got a P4 mb/processor from the intel chips n tips deal for $199 and there was ZERO comparison. Everything ran so much more efficient... I guess late the flames begin but I do audio mixing and mastering and dabble in some Digital video editing, but would rather not learn to use a mac, so that's the kind of software/hardware I was using to compare the two.

AMD with QuantiSpeed(tm) Architecture 4Ever!
AMD 64 with HyperTransport 4Ever!

[bestdeal]

Originally posted by davehere
This link from tomshardware guide may help you decide..
http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/20020903/index.html

Njoy!!!

Nice article, although a bit old.

I am going to buy a playstation III if I real want to play some game. Using tiny keyboard on a laptop to play game is really a nightmare, and P4 or Celeron make no difference.

Next time if there has any good desktop deal, I am going to get a P4 but not Celeron, so my software can calculate fast on it when I want to know a stock will go up & down in a minute. :)