To anybody,

Last July 27, Intel officially launched the duo 2 core processors. The test on early copies shows that it trounces AMD (for the first time in 2-3 years) in all categories. So, it looks promising. Not a P4 anymore. But it's roots are in P3 and centrino. Those Israeli's know how to design chips!

My question is this: anybody have assembled a desktop yet? The chip seems available here already. I downloaded PC Express price list and saw it for the first time. Prices are ok and within budget. (10k for 1.83ghz and 13k fopr 2.13 ghz chip).

The reason I am asking is my almost 4 year old AMD 2200 is aging. Then my P4 desknote got busted. I need P13,300 to have it fixed. I could buy a duo core chip for that. And I am taking a long time rendering in video, and I am sure PS could also use that duo core.

So anyone already assembled one or is planning to get one?




-Mel

Mel, I'm in the hunt for a pc and might be getting one by next week. Hmmm, dou 2 core? Seems tempting :p

Mel, I'm in the hunt for a pc and might be getting one by next week. Hmmm, dou 2 core? Seems tempting :p


For the first time, it's exciting once again. Much like when the 486 replaced the 386. And the speed improvements on software that can take advantage of multithreading is really tangible. EVen if you compare it to Pentium Ds, the core 2 duo will still trounce them significantly!


Been doing some research. Hard to find some good boards. Not all dual core boards will do. The Intel i865 chipset is a safe bet.

There's only two chips now, the e6300 and the e6400. Which one will you be going for?


I really need this badly. My video edits are taking too long now rendering. Managed to use a Dell 1.66ghz duo core (yonah) 1gb notebook and it trounced my old 2.5 year old AMD 2200 1gb desktop with a 3:30 video clip render of 31 min vs the duo core's 7 min!!!!:Dum: Amazing speed! And to think that Dell was severely fragged and had all those bloatware still installed!

A desktop core 2 duo will be faster as this was a notebook version and a core duo, NOT a core 2 duo.


Let me know how it turns out. I need your tip/advice on the motherboard you chose, and how it turns out speedwise.




-Mel

There's only two chips now, the e6300 and the e6400. Which one will you be going for?

-Mel

the e6600 is already available locally with some suppliers at a cost of around 18k for the processor alone

I would suggest to at least get the e6600 core 2 duo, e6300 and e6400 are actually stripped down versions of the core 2 duo codenamed "Conroe." These stripped down versions are codenamed "Allendale." Allendale only has 2 mb of L2 cache, while Conroe has 4mb shared L2 cache.

It's kinda sad that they already retired the Pentium brand... Intel has been using it since 1993.

Haifa, Israel is currently under a lot of trouble. That's where they develop Conroe, Conroe XE, and Merom. I have lots of co-physicists that are there in Intel, i hope tension will end soon, because Intel's operations will suffer significantly.

i'm waiting for the core 2 duo codenamed "Merom" notebooks. It's a matter of time for them to reach our shores.
...And when Apple start using those Core 2 Duo's... (if they will, maybe a bit longer wait) ... then that's the time for me to switch to a macbookpro.

the e6600 is already available locally with some suppliers at a cost of around 18k for the processor alone

I was expecting it at that price, Louie.

I will keep an open mind, but the price difference between the e6400 and the e6600 is P5k. That could already pay for the board or a lower end board and a case/ps/kb combo.

For photos, it's not that much unless you have hundreds of raws to convert, but if you don't batch it properly, the opening and closing of the file will probably contribute more to the delay than the 2mb cache difference.

Where I need it most is video editing. And to that end, yes, that will probably sway me. But I usually work in 3-5 min segments, and my longer segments (reception) don't really have too many filters, so I'd probably get a 20-30 sec time savings on the e6600 for the shorter segments, or maybe 2-4 min on longer clips. To me, that's a bit short a reason for P5k cost of the e6600. If I get a decent board, I might even OC the e6400 and narraw the gap a bit.

I don't really want to get the fastest as I will surely feel a bit bad about it when Intel introduces their quad cores this year. Apple already will do that that with their quad core G5 like Pro series. The AMD will follow suit shortly as they are about a year behind with the newer X2. So, they'll just jimmy-rig their current X2 into 2 slots and come out with their own quad core.

There's always faster cpus in the future for sure, so either get the best or do the middle way and ride it through to its lifespan. But I do have to draw the line, so I guess, this is as good as time as any. All I know is that in some clips I edit in video, sticking with my 2.5 year old desktop is costing me time. I have a 4 min clip that took 1:01 hr to render to mpg2 with some heavy duty filters. Not good. I bet that will go down to 10-12 min with the duo 2 core, based on a benchmark I did with the core duo yonah notebook I used 2 weeks ago. If I get a 7-9 min benchmark on a e6600, well, that's about 3-5 min time savings. I think I can live with that extra 5 min tops just to save P5k. After all, I've endured a 1 hour wait. 10-12 min is still FAR from 1 hour in terms of waiting.


And for sure, because it's dual core, I can probably sneek in some editing on the foreground while the render is happening on the background. It will slow down that render some, but remember, while editing, you mostly doing mouse clicks with an occassional playback of what you've done. But at least, it won't stutter my screen playback, and I'd probably just lose 5-10 min of render time because of the this task. Either way, a productivity boost.

Thanks for the heads up. Will have more fodder to digest now.

-Mel

I would suggest to at least get the e6600 core 2 duo, e6300 and e6400 are actually stripped down versions of the core 2 duo codenamed "Conroe." These stripped down versions are codenamed "Allendale." Allendale only has 2 mb of L2 cache, while Conroe has 4mb shared L2 cache.

It's kinda sad that they already retired the Pentium brand... Intel has been using it since 1993.

I believe the core 2 duo for desktop is codenamed "conroe". The core 2 duo for notebooks is "merom." There's a codename for the server cpus but the name eludes me now. It doesn't matter if it's 2mb or 4mb cache, if it is for the desktop, it's conroe. At least that's how I saw it on the Intel slide show they showed months ago.

As for getting the e6600, please see my response to Louie.

As for the Pentium brand being retired. Well, it's about time. It was a dead end. They knew it as early as 3-4 years ago. Hence Intel's move to push the R&D at Israel. By 2004, they already announced the duo core series and it was really scheduled for 2007. They are ahead by about 6 months. In fact, they are ahead by over 1 year as far as the interim duo core, the yonah design being used for notebooks now has shown how good it is. I know, I was able to use one and this is why I am excited.

The yonah vs merom (duo core vs duo 2 core) has some slight speed improvements. Typically it is about 5-15% or about 10% avg depending. It may or may not be important to some. If you are just typing or switching tasks from Word, Excel, PS, etc., it may not matter much. But when you are doing really heavy duty stuff like video editing, maybe it's best to wait for the merom version.

Me? I don't mind getting the current yonah. It's still plenty fast. But if you can wait, the price of the merom is the same as the yonah. Better wait it out.

Trouble is you may have to wait maybe 2-3 months. The yonah has been out since January, but our mall local vendors still have a long inventory of the single core chips at the bloated price. So, I doubt if they will be too eager to introduce duo cores for the same price. You can even get a 1.66ghz duo core now at cooltoyz for P60k. Now why bother with a centrino 1.7ghz?

It would be nice if you have a relative in the USA who can get you Dell duo core. For sure, you'll spend only U$900 avg.


-Mel

The name allendale was dropped to unify the "codename" into Conroe.

i'm waiting for the core 2 duo codenamed "Merom" notebooks. It's a matter of time for them to reach our shores.
...And when Apple start using those Core 2 Duo's... (if they will, maybe a bit longer wait) ... then that's the time for me to switch to a macbookpro.


Francis,

I saw a couple with merom or core 2 duo notebooks at PC Corner. They're even at the 2ghz range!! Very fast! They're price is very good. Many duo cores, especially the Intel Certified ones are really rock bottom!

The question I want to ask now is -- Do you guys know if PC Corner (at Gilmore) reliable? Is this a good store to buy notebooks or PCs?


-Mel

Mel,

Hope you don't mind my asking but when you say good price for the duo core notebooks around how much do they go for?

Mel,

Thanks, ill check them out... i have been surfing pccorners website and they don't have it there yet, i guess it's not updated...
Around how much were the merom laptops?

PC Corner is not a small company... so for me, buying from them is no problem... They also own the Laptopking store there ( www.laptopking.com.ph (http://www.laptopking.com.ph) )

Mel,

Hope you don't mind my asking but when you say good price for the duo core notebooks around how much do they go for?


Carlos,

I mind! I won't answer you! Just kidding!:Grin:

Their OEM assembled unit based on a Quanta or Asus construction. They look and will work just the same except for some features not available (e.g. one model has no blue tooth). But the basic stuff is there. The OEM reconfigures the ram, cpu, HD and adjusts them to create multiple models.

These notebooks are Intel contracts to the large 3 notebook makers in the world to create what is called the VBI program. In it, 7 main parts are identified that should be mandatory standardized. They are:

1. LCD
2. keyboard
3. optical drives
4. batteries
5. HD
6. battery charger
7. LCD A panel

The reason for this initiative is that a small company cannot order in large volumes compared to an IBM or a Dell. But by aggregating orders and standardizing on the parts so that in case of shortages, one part from another builder will be compatible with another. This also solves the problem of supporting the products, lowering inventory costs and storage, etc. Imagine, storing multiple type of batteries for years because you want to support a 3 year old notebook (for extended warranty).

How much?

Hold on to your seat.

Would you believe P56k for a Quanta design WT1 case/board/dvdwriter/etc 1.66ghz duo core (yonah), 512mb ram, 14.1" LCD (1250 x 800), 60gb HD, wifi a/b/g, lan-10/100/1000 ?

And if you trade in your notebook (or desktop?) you get outright P10k off the price for a total of P46k? and that unit can be working or not working(doesn't matter). How does that grab you? :)


So, are you game?

check out the web site: www.pccorner.com.ph

I think unit is good and have checked these Intel commissioned models and they are ok (see www.notebookreview.com and goe to the asus s96j or z96j models for example). You will see a review of the unit and user comments. It's been out for maybe 3 months already.

Remember, that these designs are made by the ODM (Asus, Compal, or Quanta) not by Intel. But they are commissioned by Intel and Intel guarrantees the support (not Asus or Compal or Quanta). They are so good, that even the manufacturers (ODM) themselves released a model of the same thing themselves (e.g. the z96j for Asus from the Intel s96j commission). In these cases, it's Asus who gives the warranty. It's a matter of legality and responsibility. But it's the same board/chassis and overall machine!

If you want another configuration (higher ram, larger HD, use of core 2 duo instead of the core duo) choose their other models and be prepared to pay more P60k-120k. But typically a 60-80k gets you a really good one. If you are on a budget, P46k is just fine with me. Remember, it is duo core!!

But I want to know is, if PC Corner is OK as a vendor. I don't want to be left hanging to dry if I have problems.


-Mel

[quote=Mel Enriquez]Carlos,

I mind! I won't answer you! Just kidding!:Grin:

hahaha! since you won't answer, i won't thank you, hehe! thanks mel!:)

susulitin ko na, tanungin kita ulit:Grin:

am really a non-techie person, but am planning to start learning photoshop or something like it, and was wondering whether that laptop you mentioned would be capable in handling that. i was thinking of a mac but seems a little expensive compared to the other options. i was thinking of the laptop also to replace my aged desktop.

given that, would the laptop you mentioned be good enough? what minimum requirements should i look for? am not looking for the best, given that my budget is very limited, but am looking for the best value in a laptop fast enough for non-pro work, but somehting that can keep up as my demands on it grow (in other words kung gumaling ako sa photography and post processing, hehe) P50k to P70k maybe?

also am sure there is a price diff between the core duo and the core 2 duo, is the differential worth it? and how different are they?

thanks mel! pasensya na at dami kong tanong, mukhang techie ka kasi, hehe!

btw, in response to your question, pc corner is a big operation already, though my experience is very limited with them, they have proven to be very reliable and professional. hope this helps!

guys,
correction lang po.
Intel's products are Intel Core Duo (yonah) and Intel Core 2 Duo (conroe, merom and woodcrest). I read some who calls it intel duo core.. maybe because the press used to call stuff dual cores. Then another one is that it is possible to have a Centrino running Core 2 Duo, since "Centrino" is a platform and not a product :)

thanks for the concern on the engrs in the R&D plant in Israel, I believe that there are bomb shelters in the bldgs.. and for those that don't have, they are requested to work from home.

Cheers!

thanks for the concern on the engrs in the R&D plant in Israel, I believe that there are bomb shelters in the bldgs.. and for those that don't have, they are requested to work from home.

Cheers!

...not merely engineers...
Half of the QT engineers and Research engineers there in Haifa Plant are Physicists(many are my classmates in DLSU)... and not actually engineers... Friends told me that “Business as usual” in Intel despite sirens triggering as much as 10 times a day where everyone heads to the bomb shelter. Food is rationed to each employee. A third of the people work from Home or in Sites in the South (Yakum, Pitach Tikva, Jersulem)

which equates to.... delay in Launching platform "Santa Rosa"

[quote=Mel Enriquez]Carlos,

am really a non-techie person, but am planning to start learning photoshop or something like it, and was wondering whether that laptop you mentioned would be capable in handling that. i was thinking of a mac but seems a little expensive compared to the other options. i was thinking of the laptop also to replace my aged desktop.

given that, would the laptop you mentioned be good enough? what minimum requirements should i look for? am not looking for the best, given that my budget is very limited, but am looking for the best value in a laptop fast enough for non-pro work, but somehting that can keep up as my demands on it grow (in other words kung gumaling ako sa photography and post processing, hehe) P50k to P70k maybe?

also am sure there is a price diff between the core duo and the core 2 duo, is the differential worth it? and how different are they?

thanks mel! pasensya na at dami kong tanong, mukhang techie ka kasi, hehe!

btw, in response to your question, pc corner is a big operation already, though my experience is very limited with them, they have proven to be very reliable and professional. hope this helps!

------------------------------

Carlos,

I do video editing. I just got myeself a HD camera 3-4 months ago. Trust me, if there's anything that's more computer intensive in terms of CPU, HD, memory, video subsystem, etc. -- it's video. If you think 7-10 layers and filters in photoshop is tough on the machine, try that on a video editing software and you will see why we want duo or dual cores.

Dual core is a generic term you use for a single chip containing 2 cpus. Even AMD has a dual core in the X2 series. Intel had the Pentium D (a hyrbrid Pentium 4 put into a single die). But the Pentium D is an efficient design.

Duo Core and Dual 2 Core are trademarks of Intel. Much like using the term Xeon or Pentium 4 (now retired). A Duo Core and a Duo 2 Core are both dual core cpus. Still with me?:Shock:

The advantage of the duo cores especially the newer duo 2 cores (desktop or notebook, or server), is that they are very, very efficient and but runs much cooler. They do not have the problems of the defunct Pentium 4. It means that a 2ghz duo core is going to be faster than a Pentium 4 at 3.2ghz. My rough estimate is that, it's safe to multipley 3.2-3.5x on a given ghz speed of a duo core to get you an idea of how fast it goes compared to a P4. A 2ghz duo 2 core will be like running a 6.4ghz P4. That is, if they could make a P4 run that fast without it bursting to flames! Or consuming 1,000 watts of electricity!!!

Now, these duo 2 cores run very low in power. At top speeds, meaning really using all that cpu muscle, it's probably around 120 watts tops based on initial tests. But a pentium D 3.0 ghz is going to kill in electric bills you if it runs full throttle! It can hit 300 watts easy for the chip alone! This is why, I waited and waited for the core duo. You could buy a Pentium D 3.0ghz chip now for desktop for below P10k (the chip only) and assemble yourself a nice PC for about P20-25k. But add a bit more there, about P5-8k and you have a cooler duo core 2.13 ghz desktop w/c will trounce that pentium d processor.

These new core duos will eventually replace the old P4 architecture as they ramp up the supply of duo 2 core chips. Perhaps by end of 2007, the P4, even their Pentium D counterparts will be replaced totally.

Lest anyone contest me, this is just an estimate and it assumes a heavy load like video rendering. If you are just using a wordprocessor or excel, or surfing the net, save your money and buy a single core chip. But if you intend to process tons of raw file conversions or you are PS savvy and do this multilayer filters and the likes, well you can't go wrong with a duo core be it a notebook or a desktop.

But be adviced that duo core desktops will be faster than the notebook version for the same speed. A year ago, it was getting shameful becasue a lowly 2ghz centrino ran about as fast as a Pentium 4 desktop. Not anymore. But the speed difference may not be as significant for most applications, except maybe for video editing and heavy cpu tasks.

And you trade portability with notebooks. So, if you want portability, go for notebooks. Also, you will spend more with it and not get a humoungous 250-300gb HD, but will be limited to 60-80-120gb on the laptop.

If you chose the notebook route, what you can do to save money in case you run out of space, is to use regular desktop HD, and just buy the casing and connect it to your notebook via USB 2.0. This arrangement has worked for me. And of course, you lose a bit of portability, because you have to carry an external HD and you have to find an outlet to plug it into. But that is a trade-off I can live with. Why? Well, if you do video editing, your notebook battery is not going to last 2 hours anyway, so getting to an outlet is a must. If you plug your notebook, then you might as well plug your external HD.

As for the price difference between the core duo vs the core 2 duo, well, officially they cost the same. The core 2 duo is supposed to be about 5-15% faster too, but they cost the same for the same speed. Again, you won't notice that if you are just typing or surfing. It's the heavy duty stuff where it will matter. But since duo 2 core chips are new, the vendors will price them higher.

Me? I don't mind either way. I can live with losing a 5-10% hit on speed. If the core duo is cheaper (code named Yonah), I don't care as long as it is cheaper than the duo 2 core (code named Merom). You won't notice the speed differences in most cases.

Now, what should you get?

Assuming you will go the notebook route, even the 1.66ghz version will do. Even a 60gb HD will do, with the provision that you just buy or get a 250-300gb HD and an external casing if you need more storage.

But try to get 1gb of ram in there, especially if the video graphics card/chip is shared with your ram. It means that your GPU is going to partake of your ram and that ram will not be usable by your applications. So, best get 1gb of ram. Base on their offerings, you will spend only P46-52k for such a notebook.

The best compromise is a 1.83ghz processor, an 80gb HD and a dedicated gpu. But that will hit you P70-80k. If that is ok by you, then go for it.

But in your case, save that money and just get a 1.66ghz duo core (T2300), an 80gb HD, and try to buy more ram and hit 1gb and be done with it.

In my case, even a 1.66ghz version will do. But I will opt for the 1.83ghz (T2400) and 1gb of ram, and an 80gb HD. My use is heavier, video. Sure, I can opt for 2ghz or even 2.3ghz, but that will boost the cost unnecessarily. By next year, I plan to use a quad core (2 x dual cores in one motherboard), so if I need power, I will go to the desktop. The notebook is just for less demanding stuff.

But mind you, the 1.66ghz or 1.83ghz are not slow pokes! They are miles away from the centirnos of last year or even the fastest P4 desktop you can match it with (3.4 or even 3.8 if you can hit those speeds). It will even trounce a Pentium D 3.0ghz desktop w/c is a dual core machine. So, having this lowly duo core is already a powerhouse system that we have not yet experienced for quite a while. It will take you a loooooooooong time to outgrow its power.


Because you have asked so many questions, I will now hunt or look for you in EBs, to make sure you treat me to lunch or dinner as a consultation fee!:Grin:



-Mel

sorry for this OT repsonse.

PM me your friend's name, we might have common friends. yes, i am aware of the operation there bec I work for the same company. we are updated with situations at the different sites and is assessed by both our corporate security and safety department. what is happening in Israel is an international news so we are all aware that it is not only at intel's R&D that is very much affected.

I am not sure who told you about the delay in a product launch but I can not confirm that info for you ;) trade secret yan! so i will not expound...

Carlos,

I also thought of the mac. But decided not now. There are some reasons:


1. Higher cost. yes, it has gone down dramatically, but there's a P10k difference there for most models.

2. I may have to learn Final Cut Pro (FCP) for video editing. I am just getting the hang of vegas, and spent money on books and sleepless nights learning it, editing in it, so, I am not going to jump ship now that I am getting into the intermediate and advanced feature of the software.

3. Photoshop is still not native intel, so it's going to be a tad slower. Also, I don't like Apeture, no matter what others say. I like Lightroom better. In short, the software is still iffy on thse 2 areas w/c is my bread and butter. I'm sure the office suite is much better in mac, and the other stuff, but the one I need is not yet up to snuff.

4. I'd rather wait for Apple to release Leopard, their replacement OS for the current one called Tiger. That is supposed to allow me to use Windows apps in Apple OS without any more maneuvering or tricks. If I get one now, I will have to pay for the leopard separately.


Mac is a good platform. Solid. User friendly. But not at this time. That's what Windows should be.



-Mel

http://www.intel.com/sites/corporate/pix/badges/core/d_76.gif - Intel® Core™ Duo
http://www.intel.com/sites/corporate/pix/badges/core/2d_76.gif - Intel® Core™2 Duo


Cheers!

Mel,

You have been tremendous help in enlightening my so very limited tech knowledge! Thank you! For non techies like me, that was indeed a very clear approach in helping us understand what's out there!

Regarding the free lunch or dinner, all i can say is happy hunting! haha:D

kidding aside, should we ever come across each other in an EB, rest assured your drinks will be on me! only alcoholic beverages are allowed, haha!

thanks again for the very unselfish clarification on this matter! makes me appreciate further the existence of this forum!

Thanks again and hope to meet you soon!

really very informative inputs in this thread especially the one of Mel's. Really, my needs right now will be limited to photoediting and I think the 2.13 will suffice. No need for those more expensive processors this time.

We'll explained Mel. You sure know your stuff.

Cheers!

Hi Mel,

Just got myself a Core Duo laptop for burning DVDs in the field. It's an Acer Aspire 5562WKMi with the following specs:

T 2300 processor, 1.66 GHz, 667 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2 cache
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB)
512 MB DDR2 RAM expanded to 1.5 GB
80 GB HDD, 5400 rpm
8x DVD burner
14" screen

My first impression is it's at least as fast as, probably even faster than, my workhorse desktop (P4 3 GHz, 2GB RAM) in processing multi-layered 16-bit large TIFFs in CS2.

Romy




To anybody,

Last July 27, Intel officially launched the duo 2 core processors. The test on early copies shows that it trounces AMD (for the first time in 2-3 years) in all categories. So, it looks promising. Not a P4 anymore. But it's roots are in P3 and centrino. Those Israeli's know how to design chips!

My question is this: anybody have assembled a desktop yet? The chip seems available here already. I downloaded PC Express price list and saw it for the first time. Prices are ok and within budget. (10k for 1.83ghz and 13k fopr 2.13 ghz chip).

The reason I am asking is my almost 4 year old AMD 2200 is aging. Then my P4 desknote got busted. I need P13,300 to have it fixed. I could buy a duo core chip for that. And I am taking a long time rendering in video, and I am sure PS could also use that duo core.

So anyone already assembled one or is planning to get one?




-Mel

this kind of information is helpful and commendable to most pc advanced users mostly doing/working high-end applications and etc.

Intel Core Duo is one of best processors as of this time, having a budget, why not shifting into this.

enjoy...

Hi Mel,

Just got myself a Core Duo laptop for burning DVDs in the field. It's an Acer Aspire 5562WKMi with the following specs:

T 2300 processor, 1.66 GHz, 667 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2 cache
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (256 MB)
512 MB DDR2 RAM expanded to 1.5 GB
80 GB HDD, 5400 rpm
8x DVD burner
14" screen

My first impression is it's at least as fast as, probably even faster than, my workhorse desktop (P4 3 GHz, 2GB RAM) in processing multi-layered 16-bit large TIFFs in CS2.

Romy

Romy,

You know, i got exactly the same laptop as yours, Acer 5562 WXMi. I t should really be faster that your p4 3.0ghz...

I love the laptop... i did a video editing job recently... and i was happy with its performance...

Only thing i don't like is battery life... measley 2 hours max... because of the ATI Radeon X1600... btw romy, you can bump up the x1600 memory to 512mb hypermemory if you upgrade your ram to at least 1 gig... i upgaded to 1.5gig.


@Mel- thanks dude for our discussions earlier in this thread... it made me decide that i do not need the merom right now... i got a good deal with this yonah... and i can just drop in a merom chip if the need arises...

@romy- now ko lang nakita, you expanded your memory na pala... so you can use 512 of hypermemory for the x1600

Hi Mel,


My first impression is it's at least as fast as, probably even faster than, my workhorse desktop (P4 3 GHz, 2GB RAM) in processing multi-layered 16-bit large TIFFs in CS2.

Romy

A same spec Pentium M Sonoma 1.83 or 2ghz would probably be at the same level of your pentium 4 3.0ghz...

Romy,

You know, i got exactly the same laptop as yours, Acer 5562 WXMi. I t should really be faster that your p4 3.0ghz...

I love the laptop... i did a video editing job recently... and i was happy with its performance...

Only thing i don't like is battery life... measley 2 hours max... because of the ATI Radeon X1600... btw romy, you can bump up the x1600 memory to 512mb hypermemory if you upgrade your ram to at least 1 gig... i upgaded to 1.5gig.


@Mel- thanks dude for our discussions earlier in this thread... it made me decide that i do not need the merom right now... i got a good deal with this yonah... and i can just drop in a merom chip if the need arises...


Yes, Francis... I'd agree that it processes faster than my P4 3 GHz desktop when I'm not yet RAM-limited. But when manipulating multi-layered, 16"x20", 300 dpi 16-bit TIFFs, I'd suspect that CS2 would have to use the HDD as virtual RAM (scratch disk) and the lead of my laptop (1.5 GB RAM, 5400 rpm HDD) over my desktop (2 GB RAM, 7200 rpm HDD) would somehow narrow down.

One of these days, I'll run them head-to-head in some PS work, say radial blurring a large TIFF, to see how much one is really faster than the other in PP.

Romy

Romy,

You know, i got exactly the same laptop as yours, Acer 5562 WXMi. I t should really be faster that your p4 3.0ghz...

I love the laptop... i did a video editing job recently... and i was happy with its performance...

Only thing i don't like is battery life... measley 2 hours max... because of the ATI Radeon X1600... btw romy, you can bump up the x1600 memory to 512mb hypermemory if you upgrade your ram to at least 1 gig... i upgaded to 1.5gig.


@Mel- thanks dude for our discussions earlier in this thread... it made me decide that i do not need the merom right now... i got a good deal with this yonah... and i can just drop in a merom chip if the need arises...

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To Romy and Francis Tuazon,

Glad you got your unit. No need to thank me. I even bungled the name there. It should be core 2 duo. Anyway, mine is still being ordered in the USA. Will have a friend bring it by 1st week of Nov. It's a Dell with higher rez 15" screen, 2ghz core 2 duo, 1gb of ram, 160gb HD and extra long life batt.

I didn't buy my notebook here because Laptop King or that store at Gilmore/Aurora practices bait and switch tactics. Also does hard sell on models I don't really like. So, I am getting it outside the country. Will save me about P20-30k too.



I agree that for photo and PS editing you need lots of ram. 1.5gb seems fair. For video editing, not so much, at least with my software w/c is very stingy and efficient. I could even do with 512mb of ram, but 1gb is just ok.

For video editing, cpu power is a must. A large HD is needed too for all that DV files (hence my choice of 160gb). The other reason I got it from the usa is the batts. Hard to get batts here. I may have to work offline in some instances, and video rendering can really tax the cpu and the batts.

Just did some renders again with a friend who has a Dell 1.66 yonah version of her core duo. My 50 min render is down to 14-15min. That's how good it is. My 2ghz core 2 duo may even yank that down to 10-12min. With video editing, you really notice it in large chunks of minutes, not seconds.

I hope your units serve you both well!

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ps.

Romy, -- I just sent via Air21 today my DVD Sampler v4.61a. You should be getting it by tomorrow according to the courier. I would love your feedback on my work as you know how much I respect and admire your work (w/c is world class). Trust me though, whether you like it or not, you won't fall asleep with it! :)

Its an inspiring tread as I read, I have a dual core xeon apple Mac pro – OS X Tiger but I do not know the function of it. I never encounter problems about my video rendering I’m using Matrox on video editing. Thanks for the info MEL.

Its an inspiring tread as I read, I have a dual core xeon apple Mac pro – OS X Tiger but I do not know the function of it. I never encounter problems about my video rendering I’m using Matrox on video editing. Thanks for the info MEL.

Well, that's some powerful processor there, Allan. More for servers really.

Using a matrox, you won't encounter problems anyway. That's what those are made for, for video. But I'm glad I didn't get one of those early on. Too expensive and you will be tied to the hardware and software. You can't shift. Even worse, once HD becomes mainstream, you're stuck with a

Even if you spent P80k for the top of the line duo 2 core now, that's going to be plenty fast now. Better than spending on P70k for a matrox unless you really do heavy duty editing all the time. But you can always wait for the quad cores w/c will coming out Nov and that's basically going to be it.

Less than a year from now, AMD will have their own quad cores w/c will likely be lower in price. But of course Intel will keep pushing the envelop.

For the ordinary folks, it won't matter much. I'd say stick with the cheapest dual core (AMD has the X2 3600 for only P7,350). If you only do the regular stuff (wordprocessing, spreadsheets, surfing, etc), many won't need the power us video editors need. Even games that take advantage of quad cores is still some years ahead (though there is one now).

In any case, this is all good for us. Lower power consumption, but more processing power at prices of the P4 1.8ghz Northwood of 4-5 years ago.