Inside Intel's New Centrino Duo and Centrino Pro
(Santa Rosa)
What Else Is New
The Intel Graphics Meda Accelerator X3100 integrated graphics now offer DirectX10 support and improved gaming performance. Still, this integrated solution is no match for discrete options from the likes of nVidia (as seen in the ThinkPad T61) and ATI (as seen in the E-265M and HDX9000). Intel has also upped the maximum amount of allocated video memory to 384MB (from 224MB), allowing Windows Vista to process its translucent interface and redraw high-resolution screens without hiccups. The bump up to 384MB also means that the graphics core has a bigger appetite for memory. Our suggestion is to boost system memory to 2GB whenever possible, in order to leave enough memory for other functions. Intel's 4965AGN chip is the next generation of Wi-Fi, supporting the draft 802.11n standard. You'll be able to get realistic throughput speeds of 130 Mbps, provided that you have a compatible 802.11n router. The 4965AGN chipset will not, however, have the support for the WiMAX standard that many had anticipated.
NAND Flash or Solid State memory will soon replace the spinning hard drive. For now, many OEMs will be looking into Intel's Turbo Memory, an optional feature in the new Centrino platforms. Intel Turbo Memory consists of Intel's NAND Flash and Intel software drivers. This additional flash component can benefit a laptop in several ways. Flash memory reduces the amount of time it takes for a PC to power up and access programs by a process called caching. Intel Turbo Memory is available in either a 512MB or a 1GB configuration. PC makers can integrate either solution by soldering it separately onto the motherboard or via a plug-in PCI-E module. The ThinkPad T61 takes advantage of this feature by incorporating a 512MB module.
Intel's new Centrino Duo and Pro chipsets are a promising platform. Improvements include faster processors to accompany the speedier FSB, draft 802.11n support, a more powerful graphics core, and the Turbo Memory feature. The Santa Rosa platform has already set the stage for this year's laptops. It's up to you to take advantage of it.
Benchmark Test Results
Check out the details of the benchmark test results for the laptops with the new Centrino platform.Labels: centrino
Inside Intel's New Centrino Duo and Centrino Pro
(Santa Rosa)
Revved-Up Performance
We used the Dell Inspiron E1705 (Vista) with the previous chipset ("Napa") as our comparison system. For the new Dell, Fujitsu, and the HP dv2500t machines, test results aren't earth-shattering. You'll see gains of 3 to 10 percent with them on Adobe Photoshop CS2, Windows Media Encoder, and CineBench 9.5 tests. As you move to the Gateway, Lenovo, and HP HDX9000 systems, performance gains get into the 10 to 30 percent range, but that could easily be a function of the faster processors. The HDX9000, ThinkPad T61 Widescreen, and the E-265M finished our Photoshop scripts and Windows Media Encoding tests in record time. On SYSmark 2007 Preview Overall, the T61 Widescreen and HDX9000 outscored the Dell Inspiron E1705 (Vista) by 22 and 33 percent, respectively. The Gateway E-265M outperformed the E1705 by a 30 percent margin, thanks in large part to its Windows XP operating system, which has proven to be faster in certain test areas than Vista.
Intel is touting better battery life with its new chipset. On paper, the chipset can dynamically change the speed of the FSB to save power, essentially ratcheting the speeds of the processor and chipset down to a lower gear with what Intel calls its Enhanced Sleep state. Expect to see better battery life and less heat dissipation than the previous Napa chipset. We performed some aggressive battery-run-down tests with a 7-hour DVD made up of video clips from the The Incredibles. As expected, great battery life is still a function of size. Both the Dell Latitude D630 and the Gateway E-265M have monstrous batteries and therefore lasted the longest, surpassing the 3.5-hour mark. None of the new Centrino laptops were uncomfortably warm; all of them had temperature readings, using an infrared thermometer, below 100ºF. To get a better sense of what battery life will be for the new platform, we'll have to wait for BAPCo's MobileMark 2007, an industry-standard benchmark test that'll serve as a better gauge for battery performance. From an anecdotal standpoint, though, the prospects are very goodLabels: centrino
Inside Intel's New Centrino Duo and Centrino Pro
(Santa Rosa)
Which Chipset Is Which?
How do you know if your laptop has the new chipset? One sure way is to find out what model processor it uses. If it's an odd-numbered one (such as T7300, T7500, or T7700), you have the new platform. Of course, you can always navigate through the Microsoft Windows Device Manager and figure out which chipset is loaded, but asking for the processor model number is a sure bet. Deciphering between a Centrino Duo and a Centrino Pro laptop will take some investigating, but finding out if it has the Gigabit controller will clinch it. (The other difference is the AMT drivers.)
As usual, PC Magazine got its hands on several laptops—from HP, Gateway, Lenovo, Fujitsu, and Dell—featuring the new chipset. All of the systems tested have the Centrino Duo platform. (We'll be rounding up Centrino Pro laptops shortly.) Performance gains over the old chipset start picking up as you move up the processor ladder, but typical improvements will be in the 3 to 10 percent range. These gains will become more apparent once key components catch up to speed.
That said, the FSB merely provides a link from the processor to system memory. You'll need components that will take advantage of the speed boost. The HP Pavilion dv2500t, the Fujitsu LifeBook A6030, and the Dell Latitude D630 all feature a 2-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 processor. Further up the ladder is the Gateway E-265M and its 2.2-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 CPU. All the way at the top are the Lenovo ThinkPad T61 Widescreen and the HP Pavilion HDX9000, both with the 2.4-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7700. Intel is also adding the 1.8-GHz Core 2 Duo T7100, and low-voltage processors using the Core 2 Duo L7300(1.4-GHz) and L7500(1.6-GHz). All of these processors are rated to support the new 800-MHz bus frequency.
In order to take full advantage of the new chipset's capabilities, you really need all the components to be rated at 800 MHz. Although the processors and the front-side bus are already there, system memory still has to catch up. Current memory modules (including those in the new Santa Rosa laptops) are rated up to only 667 MHz. Laptops incorporating 800-MHz SODIMMs, or PC2-6400 modules, will become available later on this year. So far, however, Intel has not said one way or another whether its new Centrino Duo and Centrino Pro platforms will support those 800-MHz memory modules.—next: Revved-Up Performance >Labels: centrino
Inside Intel's New Centrino Duo and Centrino Pro
(Santa Rosa)
The latest Centrino Duo and Centrino Pro platforms give you a graphics makeover, support draft-n Wi-Fi, and take you for a ride on the 800-MHz bus.By Cisco Cheng
Intel's unveiling of its next-generation laptop technology is practically a yearly tradition now. Last year, it was a new motherboard chipset and a dual-core processor (code-named "Napa" and "Yonah," respectively). This year, all eyes are on a new motherboard chipset. Most of us know it as Centrino Duo, though Intel calls it by its prelaunch code name, "Santa Rosa." To complicate things, Intel is splitting its Centrino brand into two market segments, consumer and corporate. You'll see the consumer version in stores as the next Centrino Duo. Corporate professionals have already gotten a glimpse of the Centrino Pro platform, which launched in mid-April. Intel has created a successful marketing campaign out of the Centrino brand name, while keeping its nomenclature simple for consumers—at least until now.
A new chipset is typically accompanied by a faster front-side bus (FSB), a new graphics core, and a wireless chip that reflects the latest Wi-Fi trends. Because the Intel Core 2 Duo processor (code-named "Merom") is still relatively new, Intel is not introducing a new processor core, but you'll see additions to the Core 2 Duo line that will take advantage of the faster FSB. With Santa Rosa, Intel moves to the Mobile Intel 965 Express Chipset, delivering a jolt of speed to the FSB (up to 800 MHz from the 667 MHz of the previous chipset). Integrated graphics get a makeover with the Intel GMA X3100. The Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN portion adds draft 802.11n support. These components, plus the Core 2 Duo processor, make up the new Centrino Duo platform on the consumer side. With Centrino Pro, Intel adds a fourth element—the Intel 82566MM and 82566MC Gigabit Network Connection—that will be a requirement in order for PC makers to be able to decorate their corporate laptops with the shiny Centrino Pro sticker. The Intel Gigabit Controller's most compelling feature is its ability to wake a computer from shutdown state (Wake on LAN), wirelessly.—next: Which Chipset Is Which?Labels: centrino
