New Intel Centrino: mobile twokernel in the masses?

So, was done. The long-awaited mobile platform Intel found the final name and was represented to public. Fully the renewed components, numerous innovations, changed logotype - appearance Centrino Duo on meaningfulness for the market of the mobile PC is comparable unless with appearance of the first generation Centrino. Innovations - this, undoubtedly, well. But here as will they prove in the real tasks and that will in the total give to the user? It is a question on which we and will endeavour to answer.

To deepen in a theory and describe the features of a new mobile platform we will not be (about it in the same number), and will pass at once to part practical. About advantages of the multyCPU systems on the whole and twokernel decisions in particular for the past year on the pages of our edition it was said very much. However much the question was mainly table and server decisions, which notedly differ from the mobile PC, - in the plan of mass/gabarit descriptions, energy consumption, model of application and etc. At the users of the mobile PC priorities are other, their vital question: whether the engineers Intel succeeded to save all advantages of the previous generation Centrino in transition on multykernel configurations. Simplest method to answer on it - to compare «old» and «new».

First notebooks on Centrino Duo: what new?

On information of suppliers, mass appearance of laptops on the basis of Centrino Duo is expected during a month, nearer by the end of February. On today in our country the models on a new platform represented five companies at least, to our testing three new had time: ASUS V6X00J and two devices from LG - P1 Express Dual and M1 Express Dual. The LG notebooks are executed in a new design, ASUS V6X00J is the complete copy of the model V6X00VA on the Sonoma platform. On the large account, no special external distinctive signs, besides a new logotype, at the given notebooks on a new platform are present, all innovations are inwardly. Except for actually a platform, it is needed to mark appearance of row of new discrete graphic accelerators from ATI and NVIDIA. But about them another time. And today in a spotlight Centrino Duo. Will we begin?

V6X00J: the classics from ASUS in a new look

A new notebook from ASUS outwardly practically does not differ from the devices of the series V6. Neither the design of corps nor location of interface sockets changed: V6X00J - almost the complete analogue V6X00VA in all, whatever touches a platform. It still is the excellent notebook of classic arrangement with a traditional one 15-inch SXGA-matrix, good ergonomics and more than quite good functionality. Successful choice in order to represent a new platform, and an user will not be disappointed: it will get the decision tested by time in the plan of ergonomics and functionality, but with notedly greater productivity in a number of tasks, that will be quite unsuperfluous.

LG M1/P1 Express Dual: new platform and new design

LG Electronics represented four new models from which to us got M1 Express Dual and P1 Express Dual. First is notebook of classic arrangement without the special pretentious novelties both in configuration and in the equipment, and the second is more interesting: the one 15,4-inch widescreen matrix WSXGA+ and practically valuable keyboard with a separate digital block are set in it, that enough rarely meets in notebooks even with where by the greater diagonal of screen. Both devices (it is equal as well as all new line from LG) are equipped by scaners of finger-prints, that lately is very claimed in a corporate sector. To the equipment of new also there are no claims: powerful CPU, new graphic accelerators from ATI and NVIDIA, capacious hard disks and volume of RAM sufficient for office applications will allow future their proprietors to decide the enough wide circle of tasks.

Technical descriptions of the tested notebooks.

Model ASUS V6X00VA ASUS V6X00J LG P1 Express Dual LG M1 Express Dual
CPU Pentium M 770 (2,13 GHz) Intel Core Duo T2600 (2,16 GHz) Intel Core Duo T2300 (1,66 GHz) Intel Core Duo T2500 (2,0 GHz)
RAM 1024 MB DDR2-533 2048 MB DDR2-667 1024 MB DDR2-667 1024 MB DDR2-667
Chipset Intel 915PM Mobile Intel 945PM Express Mobile Intel 945PM Express Mobile Intel 945PM Express
Display 15,1 SXGA+ (1400×1050) 15,1 SXGA+ (1400×1050) 15,4 WSXGA+ (1680×1050) 15 SXGA+ (1400×1050)
Brightness of display, max/min 0/150 0/150 85/15 135/15
Hard drive ATA 100 GB (5400 t/min, 8 MB cash) SATA 100 GB (5400 t/min, 8 MB cash) SATA 100 GB (7200 t/min, 8 MB cash) SATA 100 GB (7200 t/min, 8 MB cash)
Optical drive DVD±RW DL DVD±RW DL DVD±RW DL DVD±RW DL
Graphic adapter ATI Mobility Radeon X700 (128 MB) NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 (TC to 512 MB) ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 (HM to 512 MB) NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 (TC to 512 MB)
External sockets USB 2.0 (4), VGA, FireWire, RJ11, RJ45, Mic-In, S/PDIF (Headphones), IrDA, PCMCIA USB 2.0 (4), VGA, FireWire, RJ11, RJ45, Mic-In, S/PDIF (Headphones), IrDA, Express Сard USB 2.0 (3), VGA, S-Video, FireWire, RJ11, RJ45, Mic-In, Line-In, S/PDIF (Headphones), IrDA, Express Сard USB 2.0 (3), VGA, S-Video, FireWire, RJ11, RJ45, Mic-In, Line-In, S/PDIF (Headphones), IrDA, Express Сard
Network possibilities 1000 Mb, LAN, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, modem 56K 1000 Mb, LAN, Wi-Fi 3945 ABG, Bluetooth, modem 56K 1000 Mb, LAN, Wi-Fi 3945 ABG, Bluetooth, modem 56K 1000 Mb, LAN, Wi-Fi 3945 ABG, Bluetooth, modem 56K
Card-reader SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro XD/SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro XD/SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro
Mass, kg 2,45 2,45 2,80 2,60
Size (W×T×H), мм 331×272×30 331×272×30 355×261×32 329×274×30
Set OS Windows XP Professional Windows XP Professional Windows XP Home Windows XP Home

Results of testing

Taking into account circumstance that processors though and are mobile, but twokernel, in our list of tests additions - test in 3dsmax (render Brazil), processor test from the package of 3DMark 06, test of archiving and execution of script in Adobe Photoshop CS appeared for notebooks. In other the set it is already well by a sign to our readers - 3DMark 03 and the game UT2004 for estimation of fast-acting in 3D-application, and also Battery Eater '05 and Mobile Mark '02 for estimation of productivity of work from batteries.

Productivity during work from a network

7-Zip. The given test is very a model: supporting multysteam, it evidently demonstrates dignity of multykernels configurations. Advantage of new platforms is simply repressing. Between Pentium M and Core Duo comparable frequency the difference of more than 3,5 mines in the mode of maximal compression and without small 2 mines at the ordinary tuning very impressive proof of practical benefit. Interestingly, that in the mode of maximal compression the additional increase of fast-acting is provided yet and due to more rapid bus of memory and renewed mechanism of data retrieval from cash memory of processor.

3dsmax (render Brazil) and Adobe Photoshop CS. Three basic constituents for the receipt of good result in this case at Core Duo is: enough time high-frequencies, rapid bus of memory and multykernel. Thus, as visible on diagrams, the last renders on a result where greater influencing, than clock rate. Strictly speaking, a result which is demonstrated in both tests by the most rapid mobile system on the base of Core Duo practically one in one corresponds to such at the work station on the base of two Opteron 250 (2,4 GHz) and notedly excels, say, indexes the two Xeon (Nocona) 3,2 GHz. A result, softly speaking, is simply stunning. A little notebook on equal (!) competes with the powerful table work station on the base of two powerful CPU. It is difficult to over-estimate the value of this fact, notebooks begin little by little to intrude in that region in which before a path was booked to them, - to the market of the personal graphic stations. Remained quite a little - to pull up productivity of hard disk and provide possibility of setting in laptop more than 2 GB RAM (theoretical possibility of setting 4 GB RAM in new models is, but on sale of the modules of memory by volume of 2 GB we while did not meet). With respect to falling of fast-acting at V6X00J in the test of rendering 3dsmax, all is banal here: hard disk in ASUS on present measurements it is far not ideal - the 5400 t/min best help in this case.

UT2004/3DMark 03. Comments are superfluous here. UT2004 is not optimized for multykernel configurations, and considerable influence on a result is had by videocard. Presences it is fully enough at the ASUS V6X00VA valuable discrete accelerator, to be notedly torn off from competitors at which video adapters do not have the allocated memory, - even rapid system memory and bus is unable while to provide to productivity comparable with the indexes of valuable discrete decisions.

3DMark 06 (CPU Score). We by no chance chose this subtest exactly: bringing a total result over is not useful, because fast-actings of even the most powerful modern notebook obviously it is not enough for the normal passing of last 3D-benchmark from Futuremark, optimized under multykernel. Exactly this us and interested - it is well visible on a diagram, whatever the systems on Pentium M have no chances both in this test and in the future games. It evidently confirms circumstance that «playing» notebooks certainly will be based on dvuhyadernih processors, because an alternative at producers is not present: all leading developers of playing software if yet and did not declare about support of multykernel CPU in the new products, certainly will do it in the near future.

Working out the total, maybe, that at a new mobile platform the Intel fate is fully forecast: if the producers of software will support it, an user in loss will not remain. Those, who needs a notebook not for work in the packages of level of 3dsmax or Photoshop, also will get the row of advantages: new Centrino allows fully comfort to work at risource capacious applications executable in the background mode.

Productivity during work from batteries

If fast-acting at the feed from a network in a number of resourcecapacious, but, that her less, not quite typical for the ordinary user of notebook of appendixes matters for the enough limited category of proprietors of the mobile PC, that time of their work from batteries at implementation of ordinary office tasks flusters all without the exception. What can offer us Centrino Duo in the plan of realization of technologies of energesave?

Battery Eater '05. A result for new Centrino, softly speaking, is not impressive. Lag practically twice in the mode of reading and more than on a hour in the mode of the maximal loading in the Battery Eater '05 test for comparable on configuration of the systems on a background impressive results during work from a network notedly does for the first impression from a new platform.

Mobile Mark '02. A situation is a little better, the break is not so considerable here, but here results cause more of questions: how was the system on the base of Core Duo 2,16 GHz able to go round on duration of autonomous work an analogue with notedly less frequency? Finding out the reasons of this, we came to following conclusion: notebooks which were at us on testing simply do not fit for estimation of a new platform from point of duration of autonomous work. It is the pre-serial standards collected at the best at the end of the last year, and tuning of the system of energy consumption in them is yet distant from an ideal. For example, at the use of chart of the energy consumption Portable/Laptop ASUS V6X00J persistently did not wish to change frequency of processor without depending on that, there is loading or not, - if a notebook is disconnected from a network, frequency of processor is equal 1GHz and remains unchanging. Therefore speaking about the adequate results of a new platform in tests in a time of autonomous work is some premature. But to this theme we will get back necessarily, when the first serial notebooks in which the Core Duo possibilities in the plan of energesave will be involved in full will get to us.

Results

Taking into account the results of testing, it is possible to felicitate Intel on the successful start of a new platform. Undoubtedly, in notebooks yet there are the shallow failures to complete, but the question is mainly optimization of chart of energy consumption, and on their removal the heap of time will be required not too. In all other the claims are not present - in software, supporting twokernels CPU, to new mobile platforms while there are the no equal. The last point in this dispute will be put by developers the software and users - from that, as far as operatively the first will offer the software optimized under a new platform and as he will be adopted by the last, the Centrino Duo future depends where anymore, than from its prominent technical descriptions.