12.4.4. Conclusion

Though Linux support is not yet complete, some features of the Centrino(TM) technology already make it worthwhile to take into account when buying your next laptop. Though the new CPUs are named so similarly to existing ones that some people mix them up, they are completely different inside. Compared to the Pentium-4 Mobile CPU, the Pentium-M will allow a smaller form factor for laptops, making them more portable and lighter.

Because of their higher clockspeed, the Pentium-4 CPUs have produced too much heat to build them into slimline notebook cases. Therefore, very flat notebooks have only been available from Apple or with a Pentium III Mobile CPU. Also, the battery power the Pentium-M consumes for a given level of performance will decrease, but I do not have a benchmark about how much the savings actually are yet. PENN Computing offers a nice comparison of Pentium-M and Pentium-4 Mobile . Note: The character M in Pentium-M suggests "mobile". Therefore some people mix this kind of CPU with the mobile versions of the Pentium-III/Pentium-4 CPU.

Laptops based on the Centrino(TM) features are already very popular in the Linux community. Installation reports for almost all Centrino based laptops available at TuxMobil.

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