Understanding Laptop Buzzwords
When you go laptop
shopping, you're going to discover a bewildering bazaar of
various technical terms. Most of these terms are marketing
terms, meaning that non-technical types invented them to
describe technical things. This is okay because technical
people tend to overuse the words keen and neat-o.
Here's a round-up of some laptop technical terms you may
encounter during your shopping exercises:
Celeron M: This term
describes Intel's version of its Celeron microprocessor
that's comparable to the Pentium M (which you can read about
later in this list). In both cases, the M stands for mobile.
The Celeron M is a low-cost alternative to the Pentium M. It
isn't considered part of the Intel Centrino design (see the
following bullet for the lowdown on what Centrino means).
Centrino:
Intel uses this term to describe various laptop technologies
- specifically, stuff designed for a mobile computer that
you won't find in a desktop. The Centrino technology
includes a special chipset (the main circuitry on the
laptop's motherboard), a specifically designed laptop
microprocessor, and wireless networking technology.
Centrino Duo:
The Duo suffix describes a newer version of Centrino
technology, specifically with an Intel dual-core
microprocessor.
Core Duo:
The Intel replacement microprocessor for the Pentium. The
Core Duo chip contains two CPU cores, like getting two
microprocessors on one chip.
Core Solo:
The Intel single-core replacement for the Pentium
microprocessor.
DDR:
Also known as DDR-SDRAM, it stands for double data rate.
This type of computer memory is better than plain ol' SDRAM,
which you can find more info on later in this list.
Dothan:
Intel originally used this name to describe the
next-generation Pentium M microprocessors. Intel wanted to
get away from the number-naming thing, but this notion
failed, and the Dothan eventually became known as the Series
700 Pentium M.
GHz:
An acronym for gigahertz, or billions of cycles per second,
this speed measurement is used to gauge microprocessors.
The actual speed, of
course, varies, and it's often difficult to tell the
difference between a microprocessor running at 2.0 GHz
versus 2.4 GHz when you're doing mundane tasks. But that
doesn't stop the manufacturers from boasting about their
chips' speed.
Mobile Sempron:
An AMD processor designed for laptop (mobile) computing.
It's the economy version of the Turion flavor chip (you can
read about Turion later in this list).
Pentium M:
The M stands for mobile, and the Pentium M chip is the Intel
microprocessor specifically designed for use in laptops.
SDRAM:
This acronym stands for Synchronous Dynamic Random Access
Memory, the most popular type of memory used in computers
today.
Turion 64:
The AMD version of Intel's Pentium M, a powerful 64-bit
mobile processor that comes in single and dual core models.
The dual core is named Turion 64 X2. The Turion was formerly
named the Mobile Athlon 64.
By Laptops for Dummies
<< back
Laptop Buying Guide
|
