Turion ML-37 Vs Intel

[veryconfused]

Which Intel Pentium M compares to the Turion ML-37.

I am looking at buying a new laptop and am trying to make the Intel/AMD decision.

I would be using the notebook for word processing and graphics editing (photoshop, dreamweaver, flash etc.). No gaming. I need speed and do not want the notebook to weigh a ton of bricks.

I am seeing a pentium M 740, 1 GB RAM/100 GB HDD for $1250
A Turion ML-37, 1 GB RAM/100 GB HDD is for $1300

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Very Confused!

[Rampax]

If you are looking for power, and battery life does not matter, the turion would prevail over the centrino that you are looking at, and it also has 64 bit processing power. However, the centrino will easily beat the turion when it comes to battery life. The turion machine would also be cheaper to equally powerd centrino machines. When compared to the turion ml-37, an intel centrino 760 is virtually exactly the same.

[veryconfused]

How much of a difference in performance would Pentium M 760 have over Pentium M 740 for graphics processing that I described - dreamweaver, flash, photoshop?

I am seeing a great deal for a Pentium M 740/1GB RAM and 100 GB disk at 4200 rpm. (15.4" screen)

I could spend $275 more and get myself a Pentium M 760/1 GB RAM and 80 GB HDD at 5400 rpm (15.4" screen)

OR

I could spend $175 more and get myself a Turion ML-37/1 GB RAM and 80 GB HDD at 5400 rpm. (14" screen)


What should I do? As I said, I don't need gaming.

Jeez - am I confused or what!!!

Thanks for all your answers.

[Rampax]

The centrino 760 (I think) will beat the turion ml-37 in processor demanding applications, but just by a hair. With what you are doing, you also need to consider what kind of graphics card you want (ie: not integrated). As for comparison of the 2 centrinos that you are considering, I do not know how much of a difference you will experience, but my best guess is that you will not see much in dreamweaver and photoshop. The centrino 760 will probably provide faster rendering times in flash than the 740, but there will be little difference (if any) when compared to the turion ml-37.

[veryconfused]

Thanks Rampax!

The graphics card for the Centrino configurations is "Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900", which I presume is the integrated card that you were talking of.

The graphics card for Turion ML-37 is "ATI RADEON(R) XPRESS 200M w/productivity ports"

Are you saying that I need to buy a separate graphics card besides the default integrated card?


Thanks!

[SamuraiCatJB]

No, just that Intel integrated graphics is poor. Intel integrated graphics borrows memory from your main memory. So a 256M laptop when running a game that uses 128M of memory, has only 128M of remaining memory. Borrowing memory from the system is also slower than dedicated memory on a separate graphics card on the laptop (some are graphics modules, some are part of the motherboard depending on manufacturer of the laptop).

If you are planning any graphics related activities, like running windows, you want dedicated memory for graphics, not borrowing from system memory like the Intel northbridge integrated graphics solution. The Radeon would be better at that point.

Some Centrino laptops offer separate graphics solutions from the Intel integrated solution. Intel graphics is cheap, but poor quality. Adding a module is up to the manufacturer, to compete with other graphics solutions on other laptops, but well worth it.

[Rampax]

You cant buy a seperate card for a laptop. You have to find a laptop with dedicated video (a mainstream ati or nvidia video card). I am pretty sure that the radeon xpress 200 is integrated video. The reason that I say you would like dedicated video is because I am presuming that you will be doing hardcore photoshop/flash or whatever. If you consider what you are doing is just casual, then integrated video may be just fine for you.

Look at the system requirements that your most demanding program needs. Photoshop, for example, is most demanding on processor, then ram, then video. If you get integraded video, some of you ram will be used up in video. This is why I say you should get dedicated video.