Intel Laptop bus speeds

[internationalist]

Hi,

1. Is it really important that I search/hunt for Intel laptops only with 800mhz FSB rather than 533mhz? Obviously, teh 800 is going to be faster, but will it be considerably faster and advantageous for a web developer?

(should this question have been asked in CPU's?)

2. Are there 800mhz fsb laptops under the 2.0ghz bar?

Thanks,
Shad

 

[theworminator]

I think you're referring to the Santa Rosa chipset for laptops, where the FSB is now 800mhz (instead of 667 I think). If I recall correctly, it gave a slight performance boost, but it's not a necessary item. Oddly enough, it still utilizes DDR2-667 memory as it's native memory speed, not DDR2-800.

As for your second question, yeah there are. Look for a laptop with a T7100 processor, they're 1.8 ghz running a 800mhz FSB. For example: http/www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0926INGFS10089666

 

[internationalist]

So there are 800mhz fsb laptop available, now, let me add a second part to my question that I should have mentioned earlier. Have you heard of any under $1,000 mark?

I'm guessing, but should I just expect to find only 533mhz fsb laptops for under $1k?

 

[theworminator]

You can find some under a grand. Check the Dell website, the Inspiron 1520 can be upgraded to the T7250, for 150 bucks. So for like 850 you can get a 800mhz FSB. Is there any reason you want that FSB so much?

 

[internationalist]

Well, from what I've learned over the years (though this info might be slightly outdated?) is that system buses are rather important to overall performance speeds and thus the number 800 sounds better than 533.

Am I being too anal about it? What do I need to know/consider with looking at a system bus in determining which laptop I should buy? If I shouldn't contemplate it that much, can you tell me why I shouldn't?

Thanks,
Shad

 

[theworminator]

They are important, yeah, and getting a Santa Rosa platform will definitely increase your computer's power. It's just that you previous 2 posts seemed to be something along the lines of "I want a laptop that has a 800mhz FSB, and that's the only requirement", so I was kinda questioning why that would be your only evaluation.

Anyway, my new recommendation: the Dell Vostro 1500. As much as I dislike Dell, it's really cheap, and seems to be suggested by a lot of people as a pretty decent laptop. Take your mix of options, but all CPUs on that laptop are 800Mhz FSB. I'd suggest 2 gigs of RAM. And Windows XP, since I just don't like Vista, but then again, personal choice.

Plus, right now, you get a $309 dollar savings with the Vostro 1500. Mess around with the settings until you find what you want

 

[internationalist]

Thanks for the reply. I was a bit lax in telling you what I was looking for, so here it is:

17"
c2d
1.6-1.9ghz
1gb (i can install the other gig for cheaper)
>=80gb
128vram dedicated perferably
web cam & mic

all of that under $1k (tax incl)

maybe it's a pipe dream. lol i started another thread in this room http/www.tomshardware.com/forum/50009-35-what-laptop if you want to reply there.

by the way, i'm not asking you to do my shopping for me, but more of just clearing up what i should have stated earlier.

thanks again,
shad

 

[ibleet]

The laptop FSB didn't jump from 533 to 800. The one in the middle that you keep skipping is 667Mhz. Another factor to consider is the amount of L2 Cache. Some of the odd numbered, T7(1)00, T7(3)00, T7(5)00 for example, have a FSB of 800Mhz and 2 of them, the 3 and 5, have 4MB L2 Cache. The 7100 has 2MB L2 Cache.

The even numbered, T7200 for example, has a 667Mhz FSB and 4MB L2 Cache. So for best performance per cost ratio, I'm thinking that the T7300 may be the best bet. If the cpu speed isn't that important, then the T7100 may work best for the money.

Is that confusing enough?

 

[theworminator]

I was about to mention the 667 speed, but he seemed to want 800 anyway, so I just jumped straight to Santa Rosa.