Centrino (Intel)

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Intel's "Centrino Technology" is a highly-marketed, commonly confused specification that applies to certain laptops which contain Intel's Pentium M or Core processors. Due to the way Intel chose to market Centrino, it is frequently confused with the processor itself, with the result that many consumers feel that they "need" to buy a laptop with Centrino technology in order to have a well-performing laptop.

Centrino is actually a hardware specification. In order to sport the nifty "Centrino(TM) Mobile Technology" sticker, a laptop must comply with the following specifications:

1. It must have either a Pentium M processor or a Core processor.
2. Its motherboard must be based around a specific Intel chipset. (The specific model depends on the version of Centrino.)
3. It must have a specific Intel wireless network card. (Again, the specific model depends on the version of Centrino.)

What does this all mean? Well, not very much. The Pentium M and Core processors (especially those with the Dothan core and 2MB of L2 cache) are extremely powerful and efficient processors*. However, many manufacturers offer laptops that contain the Pentium M or Core processors, but don't have the flashy Centrino sticker. Will they run slower than the Centrinos?

No, probably not. Your wireless card might be slightly faster or slower, or you may have better integrated sound, but Centrino technology is not a major factor in performance. This is not to say that Centrino laptops are "bad" or will be poor performers, just that they're not that different from their non-Centrino cousins. In effect, Intel has chosen three of their products and guaranteed that they will work together (yippee).

If you feel more comfortable with Centrino, by all means go ahead and buy a Centrino laptop, but if a vendor is charging extra for laptops with Centrino, don't get fooled into believing you're buying a "superior" product. In the end, your choice of processor will have a much greater effect.

*A 2.0 GHz Dothan Pentium M is actually faster than most 3.6 GHz Pentium 4 processors and consumes about 1/10 the power.