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Intel Centrino 2 vs AMD Puma…which one?

Again, I come to a point of making a decision.

Right after Intel launches its new Centrino 2 processor for mobile computing, AMD wants to come out and play too. AMD Puma has been launched in Asia and already being sold in IT vendors around town.

I have always been a huge fan of AMD and I’ve been using AMD ever since the K2 processor era. I think it’s because I feel that AMD has a better processing power when it comes to 3D games such as Counter Strike back when I was a hardcore gamer…kinda. But that was during the era of desktop PCs.

Now…almost all IT geeks and enthusiast are looking for mobility power, with minimum battery consumption.

I have done few readings and research on my own to know which processor would suit today’s lifestyle when it comes to mobile computing. I have evaluated laptops that uses Intel and AMD. I find that Intel has a slight edge over AMD in terms of usability and battery consumption. And the WLAN on Centrino machines are stronger in terms of its radio signal to catch the available WiFi AP in the surrounding area.

As for AMD on laptops, I can still “feel” the power when it handles heavy graphics and 3D games. It still renders 3D very well even on a low memory laptops. Of course, it also depends on the graphic card. I think it was a GeForce Go with 128MB memory on nForce motherboard.

But now both of the chip makers are out playing in the field again with their new processors. We have seens lots of dual-core machines out there and some even have quad-core. Yet to see is the 8-core laptop PCs, like the one being used by Mac Pro desktop. That would be awesome.

Here’s a snippet of an article I found for the new Centrino 2 processor:

Computing performance

Using the latest 45nm chips, the Penryn Core 2 Duo processors are said to be faster while consuming less power. According to Intel, the 2.8GHz Penryn chip takes 30 seconds less to perform a single task compared with the previous-gen 2.33GHz model, while, at the same time, using 60 percent less power.

The Intel Turbo Memory feature has also been given a boost, with the maximum RAM upped to 2GB. This component is supposed to reduce boot times while increasing battery life and performance. However, its previous iteration didn’t really impress reviewers all that much, so we’ll have to wait and see if the new implementation has improved.

Graphics

Integrated graphics has finally entered the DirectX 10 era. The GM45 and GM47 mainboards hold Intel’s X4500HD video chips which are capable of decoding HD movies natively without the use of third-party software. The GM47 version has slightly better performance in this area, thanks to its 640MHz GPU, compared with the 533MHz model in GM45. PM45 chipsets are reserved for machines which hold discrete GPUs. With more and more LCD TVs being found in homes, it’s also timely that HDMI ports are part of the Centrino 2 standard.

However, an interesting twist to this story is that there is now an optional feature which allows the user to switch between the integrated GPU and discrete video card. Though this functionality has existed on Sony VAIO SZ series notebooks, the Centrino 2 implementation kicks in automatically and does not require the system to reboot. Unfortunately, unlike AMD’s Puma platform which lets the system use both integrated and discrete solutions simultaneously, Intel’s version is an either-or model.

Connectivity

Anticipating more prevalent HD video downloads as well as greater penetration of home media networks, Centrino 2 laptops will come with Gigabit Ethernet ports and 802.11n radios as standard. Moreover, as one of its primary supporters, Intel is offering WiMAX connectivity as an option on the new platform.

Security

This one is for the cubicle warrior. The latest Centrino 2 with vPro machines hold all the advantages of the vPro platform, but now include an anti-theft component. When the stolen PC is connected to the Internet, the system administrator can wipe out the encryption key on the hardware remotely, thereby rendering the data on the harddisk useless.

And here’s a snippet that I found on the new AMD Puma:

Instead of playing the number-crunching game, AMD is, instead, leveraging on the graphics technology from ATI. Its latest mobile platform, codenamed Puma, offers a tight integration between the CPU and video chipset for exceptional gaming and multimedia performance. As Dirk Meyer, AMD president and chief operating officer, put it during his keynote at Computex Taipei 2008, “It’s not about creating technology for technology sake, but for an immersive experience… The future of computing is visual.”

Consisting of the new dual-core AMD Turion X2 Ultra mobile processor (codenamed Griffin) and Series-7 mainboard (M780G and SB700), the most exciting feature must surely be the AMD PowerXpress technology. The mainboard comes with an integrated ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics processor, a DirectX 10-capabilty solution which AMD claims offers 3x the performance of its competitor. But alongside, a discrete ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3400 or HD 3600 graphics card (GPU) can be included. In this case, PowerXpress kicks in to seamlessly switch between the integrated and discrete GPUs, depending on whether battery life or performance is required.

Yet even while the dedicated GPU is in use for tasks like HD video or gaming, the integrated chipset continues to handle less video-intensive needs like Vista’s Aero interface, thanks to ATI CrossFireX technology. AMD claims the synergy between integrated and discrete graphics gives a 70 percent boost to graphics performance.

This is one of the reasons that, despite reports of the Griffin chip drawing more power than its predecessors, AMD promises longer unplugged time as the system uses five times less CPU clock cycles for multimedia tasks. All this is nice and dandy on paper, but one of the most challenging issues faced by AMD is that there are comparatively fewer models compared with Centrino systems. However, with the launch of Puma, there are twice as many designs based on the latest AMD chipset compared with the previous Turion X2 chip.

Well yes. I’m in a dilemma again. Intel is gaining my interest when the time I’ll choose my next machine. But I’ve always remained faithful with AMD.

From the two articles that I found, I see that both chip makers are really going head to head on this one. Both have similar functionality and similar graphic performance.

Should I remain faithful to my all time favourite AMD, or shall I try out something new like the Centrino 2? I guess I have to depend on my budget on this one.

Every year, I made a point to set my foot in Sarawak. It’s my yearly tradition. Mainly it’s because Geena’s hometown is there, but for me, I just love the place.

No other place in Malaysia that can put me in complete peace of mind. Being there is so relaxing. One thing for me, I’ll be away from work for sure. And more time to relax.

There are many things that I look forward to when I travel to Sarawak. First thing would be the ever so delicious Kolo Mee where you can’t seem to find it anywhere in KL. Even if you do find it, it’s just not the same.

Le Famous Kolo Mee

It’s also one of Kenna Sia’s favourite dishes. I understand why he likes it so much. It’s just awesome. But it’s quite difficult to find the halal version of Kolo Mee, luckily there’s one in Geena’s hometown in Saratok that serves halal Kolo Mee, and it’s quite nice.

Another type of noodle that I enjoy is the Mee Sapi a.k.a. Mee Daging (Sapi means beef). Not bad too.

Now food’s aside.

Another thing that I look forward too are the places in Sarawak, mostly in Kuching and the places along the route to Saratok.

In Kuching, the Riverside area is probably the place to visit for first-timers. I have been to Kuching’s Riverside back in 1995 but that was a long time ago. Time really changed the look of Kuching since then. And the Riverside is now best known as the Water Front. I like it.

Overview of the Riverside

The last time I was in Kuching was last year during the Regatta. The picture above was taken from my hotel room at the Habour View Hotel and from here I can see the river and the ongoing Regatta event. It was awesome.

By the river

I remember the first time I traveled away from Kuching, meaning on the way to Saratok via the trunk road passing along smaller town areas were quite fun for me. And the first stop, Serian.

Serian Town

Reminds me of PJ area in Seksyen 14

Serian is a must stop for those who are traveling to and from Kuching. It is sort of a last stop for fuel and toilet before a non-stop long drive towards the pedalaman areas. There are many other small towns along the way, but Serian is the prefered pit stop.

One of Geena’s university friend, Tessa, is from Serian. So this is her hometown.

The market area

The market area is a must go. Coz there we can find many fresh items to buy like vegetables and other fresh goods. That’s also where I had a strong black kopi “o” before the long drive to Saratok.

Fyi, the drive from Kuching to Saratok usually took about 6–7 hours. I broke the record by taking only 3 hours 20 minutes from Saratok to Kuching at one point driving a Kancil. Yeah, I was speeding. The road was empty mah. Lucky me. And only one time stop for petrol.

Anyway, after Serian there’s no other places to stop. So we have to travel for hours before the next stop in Simpang Semanggang, the rest area before the junction between the route to Sri Aman and Saratok.

The road is only a single lane all the way, for about 400km.

Another thing that I look forward too then traveling along the way is the awesome landscape. We can see many breathtaking view of the mountains and seeing green along the way. This can be matched with Zainal Abidin’s song “Hijau”. Ku lihat hijauuuu!!!

This is probably a common sight along the way.

I came across an article in the newspaper the other day about a place in Sarawak called Bario. After reading the article, I made a promise to myself that I will, one day, go and visit Bario. From what I read, the writer said that Bario is an untouched place in Sarawak and the people of Bario are indeed very friendly. Note to myself, go to Bario.

A picture of Bario that I Googled. Very nice…

But the thing I look forward to most would be, my “family” in Saratok.

I wonder how Joanne would look like nowadays. By the time I get to Saratok next month she would turn 2 years old, just in time to celebrate her 2nd birthday.

Joanne, in 2007.

Joanne, in 2008.

I know she is getting naughtier by the day. Whenever the phone rings, she would be the first one to pick it up. If she’s not the first, she would fight with the person who is.

I always have a great time when I’m in Saratok. There’s always so much things to do, places to go and people to meet. It is also good to know that I have already been accepted as a family member. I just love them so much. Darn, now I can’t wait…

Or in this case, motorpool.

I know we should encourage pooling but this is ridiculous.

Here’s a riddle. Can you spot the driver?

A little while ago my site was down for about 20 minutes. Why you ask? It’s because I just finished upgrading my site to the new Wordpress 2.6! There’s alot of new features in this WP2.6 and I’ll say it is still the best blog cms out there.

Check out the video intro for the new WP2.6

The new features are great. I simply love the post revision and the Turbo function. And of course, I can now have a picture caption for every one of my photos.

Let’s give it a try…

This is the new caption function. P/S: I love MacBooks...

See that? I can now have captions!!!

Awesome.

To learn more about the new Wordpress 2.6, check out their blog release here.

Congratulations to Dr Lennard Lee for his amazing feat yesterday by conquering the Straits of Gibraltar, dubbed as the Mt Everest of open-water swimming in terms of difficulty.

Credit: TheStar.com.my

Previously, he also made us Malaysians proud by conquering the English Channel. And yesterday, he made us proud again by not only being the first Malaysian to swim across the Straits of Gibraltar, but also possibly the first Asian.

He was not the only one who conquered the Straits yesterday, he went along with his two university mates, Nicholas Berry and Harry Fisher. They managed to swin across the 22km Straits within 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Although the distance of the Straits of Gibraltar is shorter by about 11.5km than the English Channel, it is definitely more challenging. The waters in and around the Straits are very choppy and the temperature can drop to about 15 degrees celcius. There were lots of fishing boats around them but thankfully they managed to keep out of the way. There were sharks and killer whales too.

By the way, they were not wearing wetsuits to keep their body warm. They went in the waters in the most traditional way, not naked but only with trunks, goggles and swimming cap.

So, congrats again to Dr Lennard Lee and his buddies for the amazing accomplishment.

More news can be found here.

Info:

The Straits of Gibraltar separates Europe and Africa, situated between Spain and Morocco. The Straits connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediteraniean Sea.

On the northern side of the Strait is Spain and Gibraltar, while on the southern side is Morocco and Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in North Africa. Its boundaries were known in antiquity as the Pillars of Hercules. There are several small islands, such as the disputed Isla Perejil, that are claimed by both Spain and Morocco.

Credit: Wikipedia.com

I love these things…

School: A place where Papa pays and Son plays.

Life Insurance: A contract that keeps you poor all your life so that you can die Rich.

Nurse: A person who wakes u up to give you sleeping pills.

Marriage: It’s an agreement in which a man loses his bachelor degree and a woman gains her masters.

Tears: The hydraulic force by which masculine willpower is defeated by feminine waterpower.

Lecture: An art of transferring information from the notes of the Lecturer to the notes of the students without passing through ‘the minds of either’

Conference: The confusion of one man multiplied by the number present.

Compromise: The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got the biggest piece.

Dictionary: A place where success comes before work.

Conference Room: A place where everybody talks, nobody listens and everybody disagrees later on.

Father: A banker provided by nature.

Boss: Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are early.

Politician: One who shakes your hand before elections and your Confidence after.

Doctor: A person who kills your ills by pills, and kills you by bills.

Classic: Books, which people praise, but do not read.

Smile: A curve that can set a lot of things straight.

Office: A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life.

Yawn: The only time some married men ever get to open their mouth.

Etc.: A sign to make others believe that you know more than you actually do.

Committee: Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit to decide that nothing can be done together.

Experience: The name men give to their mistakes.

Atom Bomb: An invention to end all inventions.

Philosopher: A fool who torments himself during life, to be wise after death