Laptop processors explained
November 8, 2004 | I'm about to buy a laptop, and I'm confused about what kind of processor to get: Pentium or Celeron? I've always understood that Pentium is the better of the two, but I don't really understand why. Can you please explain the difference?
| Submitted by:
Valeve,
CNET forums
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| The processor, or CPU, is the brains of the computer.
Although there are several different processors in the Intel Pentium family, you're right--they're generally more powerful than Celeron processors, which are also made by Intel.
In a nutshell, the most significant differences between the Pentium and Celeron are:
- the Pentiums' superior L2 cache (how much data they can hold for quick access) and
- frontside bus speed (how fast they can retrieve data from the main memory).
Find out more about other kinds of common laptop processors in CNET's laptop buying guide.
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Justin Jaffe's reviews and recommendations have appeared in publications that include Business Week and the San Francisco Chronicle.
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