question - notebooks vs desktops

[reemas]

can anyone tell me if a notebook with the same specifications will run slower than a desktop with the same specifications?

i heard from a few computer mags that this is true, but i wasn't sure.

anyone know more about this or have experience with this?

thanks.

[Feanor2004]

Check the speed of front side bus (Laptop's agains PC's), I think that is a point

[madru]

Hmm... How much the "same." Bus, memory, hd, proc, .... will all be a contributing factor. Still, desktop will most definitely be faster. Another thing to consider is the area of application. I'm sure that given two top end machines (desktop and laptop), both will feel about the same at tasks such as email, word processing, web, etc. However, the difference in speed will be a lot more noticeable when it comes to complex/demanding computations.

[Chomolungma]

from my experience, hard disk speed and buffer is critical.

most new PB HD spin @4200 with ~2 MB of buffer while most iMac and PM have HD spinning @7200 rpm and anywhere from 2 to 8 MB of buffer.

My old TiBook has a @3500 rpm HD feeding a 100mhz Bus. Impressive? I think not.

i think we'll eventuallly see the benefit of Serial-ATA HD.

Something to think about ~2 to 3 years down the road (magnetic RAM and nanotechnology mass storage solution e.g. millipede by IBM)

-Chomo

[LethalWolfe]

Originally posted by reemas
can anyone tell me if a notebook with the same specifications will run slower than a desktop with the same specifications?

i heard from a few computer mags that this is true, but i wasn't sure.

anyone know more about this or have experience with this?

thanks.

If you compare a desktop and a laptop that have exactly the same specs then the performance will be the same. But laptops usually don't have the same specs as a desktop (unless you are looking at Alienware's gaming laptopr or something). Even if a laptop has the same cpu of a desktop the laptop will usually have, for example, a slower harddrive, lower FSB speed, and weaker video card (if it has a dedicated video card at all) in a attempt to save power and reproduce heat.


Lethal

[billyboy]

If the power outs, your laptop will cream any desktop

[Westside guy]

Originally posted by reemas
can anyone tell me if a notebook with the same specifications will run slower than a desktop with the same specifications?

The answer is yes (as has been pointed out already, I realize); but in practical terms it doesn't matter except to a tiny minority of users. Computers are fast enough now that processor speed is no longer particularly relevant for most tasks.

billyboy: I got a big laugh out of your comment!