Intel Corporation is one of the largest manufacturers of advanced technology central processing units (CPU) in the world, along with its major competitor AMD. Intel focuses primarily on marketing initiatives where they combine a major processor brand with a wireless network device as well as a motherboard chipset. Centrino is one of the most widely branded initiatives in the world, with Intel having invested more than $300 million marketing it.
Core Clock Speed
Core clock speed, or just clock speed, represents how quickly the central processing unit (CPU) can operate instructions sent from user applications or the operating system. The Intel Centrino product line includes many different combinations of processors ranging from 900 megahertz (MHz) to 2.6 gigahertz (GHz). The Pentium 4 line has a range from 1.3 GHz to 3.8 GHz.
Front Side Bus
Front side bus (FSB) determines how quickly a processing core can communicate with other cores as well as devices, such as internal memory. Each successive generation of Centrino product constantly improved the speed at which the FSB communicated. The Centrino product line has a range from 400 megahertz (MHz) to 1066 MHz. The Pentium 4 line has a range from 400 MHz to 1066 MHz.
Centrino Features
The Centrino is one of the leading products in the Intel portfolio due, in large part, to its low cost compared to other Intel products. The Centrino features enhanced mobile performance, longer battery life and finally implements the 802.11n standard. It also has many popular Pentium features including L1 and L2 cache as well as vPro technology. This new technology helps protect against viral intrusions and remote technical support directly from Intel.
Pentium 4 Features
The Pentium 4 line is the latest in a long line of single core processors for Intel. Featuring Hyper-threading (HT) technology that enables software applications to execute two threads in parallel, thereby improving system responsiveness. The Pentium 4 also features SpeedStep technology which allows the core to operate at multiple speeds depending on the needs of the user. Many Pentium 4's also have EMT64 which allows the processor to operate more then 4 gigabytes of virtual and physical memory at the same time.
Conclusions
Pentium 4s are very fast and very hot. These two qualities make it a prime candidate for overclocking to well over 4.0 GHz. The Centrino brand has many features designed specifically to counteract heat and energy usage, making them unlikely candidates for overclocking. When choosing a mobile processor, the Centrino really is the best product Intel has on the market, cheaper and faster. However, with desktop PCs, the ability of the Pentium 4 to overclock with only airflow cooling allows it to outperform most other products.
Tags: Centrino product, line range, line range from, Pentium line, range from, central processing