The central processing unit (CPU) is probably the most important chip in the computer. It contains the arithmetic and logic unit (ALU), so the computer can do calculations, and the control unit that controls the flow of data between the CPU and other components. There's a lot of competition between manufacturers of processors and the speeds they offer. But the plain fact is that while it is heavily featured in the marketing literature even the slower processors (1.4 to 1.6GHz) are fast enough for most uses. Money saved on processors might more usefully be spent on memory or better graphics.

There are two things that really matter with laptop processors: the balance struck between processor power and battery consumption, and the links to mobile technology that enable you to make the most of the laptop's portability. For the first, simply put, processors with the word mobile in their name are going to be the best choice, as in Mobile Intel Pentium 4 or Athlon XP Mobile or Turion. These use less power and run cooler (a definite plus in a laptop). For the second, Intel's combination of processor, chipset and wireless card technologies marketed under the brand name Centrino is hard to beat. As I mentioned in my guidelines don't be put off by lower speeds in Mobile CPUs. They work in a different way which makes them operate just as fast but at a lower MHz speed. A fine example of this is the Pentium Mobile (Centrino) 1.6 GHz which is equivalent in speed to a Desktop P4 3.0 GHz!!

If possible try to avoid laptops with desktop CPUs (usually 2.8 GHz or above without the word 'mobile' or the letter 'M' in the name). Fitting desktop components in a laptop is rarely a good idea. The excessive heat build up and power consumption will cause problems in the longer term.

This is a brief extract from our laptop buyers guide which can be found on our website at http://www.dbits.co.uk/

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