Santa Rosa Questions/Comments

CheddarTrek · 03-29-2007, 04:24 AM

Hey there everyone,

I've decided that I'm probably going to buy a new laptop when Santa Rosa comes out. I've had my current one for just over 4 years; it's a rather large desktop replacement laptop that I'm hoping to replace with something more portable.

What I'm curious about however, is how much of an improvement Santa Rosa will be over what's already out there.

As far as I can tell, the improvements are as follows:

800 MHz Front Side Bus Speed - Ok, I know that currently the Core 2 Duo processors are at 667 MHz, so the new one is faster, great. I have, however, been told in the past that optimal performance is obtained when the FSB matches the RAM speed. Most RAM for laptops nowadays is still at 533 or 667 MHz. So are new laptops likely to incorporate 800 MHz RAM? If not, will the 800 MHz FSB therefore be a bad thing without faster RAM?

GMA x3000 - Upgraded Integrated Graphics! Wahoo! I have a discrete graphics chip in my current laptop, and if possible I'd like to have one in my new laptop, but I realize that the ultraportables often don't have the option. Yes, I do play online games occasionally, but I also do some photoshop work as well as run various chemistry programs on the road that work better with discrete graphics. Since this x3000 is supposed to be better, how much better? What exactly is the difference in the old, the new, and discrete? I would like to know if I'll be able to do those things adequately with the x3000, otherwise I'll need to get a laptop with discrete graphics. I'm afraid I don't understand much about the graphics situation except that discrete graphics cards have their own memory and therefore they don't have to pester the computer for its RAM, so quoting things at me about shading and other technical terms I am unfamiliar with (which someone tried yesterday when I asked) isn't likely to help.

Flash Memory (Robson) - I think I get this bit. It's basically having some flash memory available to save some things on instead of having to use the Hard Drive right? Using the hard drive uses battery power. Using flash would allow for faster access to anything you have stored there, including the OS. Sounds like a good plan. Any ideas on how much storage space will be available here?

965 Chipset (Crestline) - I'm not clear on what a chipset is, sorry to say. I'm not sure if this is the same one used for the Core 2 Duo processors or not, or what, if any, improvement it will add to the table.

I think, maybe, there is something about improving wireless capabilities as well. That's not too big of a deal for me though, since I've never had problems connecting wirelessly with my older laptop. I figure that something newer and hopefully better will also get the job done.

So! Thanks very much in advance for any help that any of you can offer. I'd really appreciate getting some information on these things, and I doubt that I'm the only one who is interested.

Cheers,
CT

CheddarTrek · 03-30-2007, 12:01 AM

Ok, so, I realize that no one has really answered my questions yet. I'm thinking that maybe they got lost in all my chatter above, so I'll try to ask more clearly. Sorries!

Do you think 800 MHz RAM will be offered with laptops that use Santa Rosa?

If not, will the 800 MHz FSB of Santa Rosa not produce as good of a performance as a FSB that matches the RAM speed?

How exactly is x3000 better than the current integrated graphics, and how close is it to being as good as a discrete card?

Will I be able to run graphics intensive programs adequately with the x3000? Or must I buy a discrete card to get them to work? (Note that I only need them to work decently; I have a desktop for when I need them to work really well).

Thanks.

CharmPeddler · 03-30-2007, 01:32 AM

lol what is santa rosa?

CPTMuller · 03-30-2007, 02:11 AM

Its the new chipset for laptops (mobo I believe?)
Cant say I know much about it, I would assume that 800mhz ram will come out in simmaler time and SSD drives are already available (dunno publicly or not) and x3000 is just the new one, maybe it runs dx10, but it wont run much more than old games at low settings....
Thats my 2cents, try notebookforums.com thats where I go for anything intensive.

03-29-2007, 04:24 AM	#1 (permalink)
CheddarTrek New Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 5	Santa Rosa Questions/Comments Hey there everyone, I've decided that I'm probably going to buy a new laptop when Santa Rosa comes out. I've had my current one for just over 4 years; it's a rather large desktop replacement laptop that I'm hoping to replace with something more portable. What I'm curious about however, is how much of an improvement Santa Rosa will be over what's already out there. As far as I can tell, the improvements are as follows: 800 MHz Front Side Bus Speed - Ok, I know that currently the Core 2 Duo processors are at 667 MHz, so the new one is faster, great. I have, however, been told in the past that optimal performance is obtained when the FSB matches the RAM speed. Most RAM for laptops nowadays is still at 533 or 667 MHz. So are new laptops likely to incorporate 800 MHz RAM? If not, will the 800 MHz FSB therefore be a bad thing without faster RAM? GMA x3000 - Upgraded Integrated Graphics! Wahoo! I have a discrete graphics chip in my current laptop, and if possible I'd like to have one in my new laptop, but I realize that the ultraportables often don't have the option. Yes, I do play online games occasionally, but I also do some photoshop work as well as run various chemistry programs on the road that work better with discrete graphics. Since this x3000 is supposed to be better, how much better? What exactly is the difference in the old, the new, and discrete? I would like to know if I'll be able to do those things adequately with the x3000, otherwise I'll need to get a laptop with discrete graphics. I'm afraid I don't understand much about the graphics situation except that discrete graphics cards have their own memory and therefore they don't have to pester the computer for its RAM, so quoting things at me about shading and other technical terms I am unfamiliar with (which someone tried yesterday when I asked) isn't likely to help. Flash Memory (Robson) - I think I get this bit. It's basically having some flash memory available to save some things on instead of having to use the Hard Drive right? Using the hard drive uses battery power. Using flash would allow for faster access to anything you have stored there, including the OS. Sounds like a good plan. Any ideas on how much storage space will be available here? 965 Chipset (Crestline) - I'm not clear on what a chipset is, sorry to say. I'm not sure if this is the same one used for the Core 2 Duo processors or not, or what, if any, improvement it will add to the table. I think, maybe, there is something about improving wireless capabilities as well. That's not too big of a deal for me though, since I've never had problems connecting wirelessly with my older laptop. I figure that something newer and hopefully better will also get the job done. So! Thanks very much in advance for any help that any of you can offer. I'd really appreciate getting some information on these things, and I doubt that I'm the only one who is interested. Cheers, CT

03-30-2007, 01:32 AM	#3 (permalink)
CharmPeddler Gold Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Kansas Posts: 392	lol what is santa rosa? __________________ Dell XPS M1710 17" Wide Screen (used as a Tower) Logitech G15 Keyboard, and MX1000 Laser Mouse Monitor: Chimei 22" WideScreen 800:1, 5ms CPU: 2.16GHz,T7400 Intel Core 2 Duo 4MB Cache RAM: 2GIGs DDR2 667MZH GPU: 512MB GeForce GO 7950GTX HDD: 100GB 7200rpm 8mb cache SATA "Screw tech support..... This is what CF.com is for......" ~bumblebee_tuna http://www.speedtest.net/result/223551258.png

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03-30-2007, 12:01 AM	#2 (permalink)
CheddarTrek New Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 5	Ok, so, I realize that no one has really answered my questions yet. I'm thinking that maybe they got lost in all my chatter above, so I'll try to ask more clearly. Sorries! Do you think 800 MHz RAM will be offered with laptops that use Santa Rosa? If not, will the 800 MHz FSB of Santa Rosa not produce as good of a performance as a FSB that matches the RAM speed? How exactly is x3000 better than the current integrated graphics, and how close is it to being as good as a discrete card? Will I be able to run graphics intensive programs adequately with the x3000? Or must I buy a discrete card to get them to work? (Note that I only need them to work decently; I have a desktop for when I need them to work really well). Thanks.

03-30-2007, 02:11 AM	#4 (permalink)
CPTMuller Platinum Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 770	Its the new chipset for laptops (mobo I believe?) Cant say I know much about it, I would assume that 800mhz ram will come out in simmaler time and SSD drives are already available (dunno publicly or not) and x3000 is just the new one, maybe it runs dx10, but it wont run much more than old games at low settings.... Thats my 2cents, try notebookforums.com thats where I go for anything intensive.