# G4 vs Pentium-M

## SilveRo

I am soon going to buy a new laptop, and I'm uncertain between a Dell Inspiron 8600 and an iBook. Reguardless how long it takes to compile everything I install, I still love Gentoo, so I was wondering:

the G4 vs the Intel Pentium-M   ->  which one compiles stuff faster?

Any clockspeed example will be fine, but in my case it will be Apple's 933 MHz versus Intel's Pentium-M 1.4 GHz (and the Centrino technology, but I don't know if this influences the processor speed or it only reguards the Wireless stuff).

Any additional info or advice reguarding comparisons betweed PPC and Intel and/or these two laptops would be great!!

THANK YOU!!!  =)

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## sireyessire

i have a P-M centrino 1.7GHz and all i can say to you is that its 1Mo of cache (L2) helps it to compile faster than a P4 2.8GHz HT.

i don't know for G4 : i haven't got an Apple since the Mac SE  :Wink: 

There are lots of benchmarks on the web just check it out

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## SilveRo

 *sireyessire wrote:*   

> i have a P-M centrino 1.7GHz and all i can say to you is that its 1Mo of cache (L2) helps it to compile faster than a P4 2.8GHz HT.
> 
> i don't know for G4 : i haven't got an Apple since the Mac SE 
> 
> There are lots of benchmarks on the web just check it out

 

Thx  =)

I haven't seen any benchmarks done using gcc, but I'll keep googling   ;D

[EDITED]  

Uhm, I'm starting to find sone!!  ;D

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## DrACoNuS

I happen to have one of both hehe 

My work laptop is an IBM T41P with a 1.7Ghz Pentium-M 512MB DDR 60GB HD

My home laptop is 12" iBook G4 640MB DDR 30Gig HD (upgrading it to an 80Gig soon)

I run gentoo on both laptops (I dual boot OSX on the iBook)

First things first the Pentium compiles code faster about 25%-30% is a rough estimate. 

However the iBook seems quite a bit snappier when executing certain programs.

Of course there are certain things that will favour one cpu over the other much like intel vs amd.

My work laptop was about $3000 CND i believe my iBook was $1499.

I deffinately favour the iBook over my IBM, the batterly life is longer, I chose the 12" because it is super compact and still has a beutifull 1024x768 LCD. And PPC Linux is just more fun! The only downside to my iBook is i have an Airport Extreme wireless card based off a Broadcom chipset and that is currently not supported in linux. All the other hardware works great. The new generation of iBooks are sexy, fast and priced very well. It has a Radeon 9200 and integrated bluetooth and is even priced competatively against similiar x86 laptops a first for Apple. My best gentoo experiences have been on my iBook G4. It's so tiny and portable! This is how all laptops should be.

If you plan on doing a lot of business related shit on your laptop or you are looking for a mobile powerhouse I deffinately recommend the IBM, it is my companion from 7am to 5pm every day. And comes along on all my flights. It is deffinately more multi function and the wireless now has widespread support. But its also very expensive, you pay for IBM quality and speed in a laptop. If you can afford it, buy it. The T41p is solid, it has a magnesium allow chassis and its super slim and FAST I am using it now, i dont use my desktop @ in the office anymore i just dock this thing. Sadly I'm leaving this job in 3 weeks and the laptop isnt commin with me.

I know I rambled but it is more or less a personal preference thing. Compile speed isnt everything on a laptop, I keep a lot of my packages static for a few months at a time before doing a mass upgrade usually using DistCC over my LAN. Portability and execution speed are important to me so the iBook fits my gentoo needs.

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## SilveRo

 *DrACoNuS wrote:*   

> I happen to have one of both hehe 
> 
> My work laptop is an IBM T41P with a 1.7Ghz Pentium-M 512MB DDR 60GB HD
> 
> My home laptop is 12" iBook G4 640MB DDR 30Gig HD (upgrading it to an 80Gig soon)
> ...

 

THX, I love your ramblings, that's exactly what I wanted  =P

One of the reasons I am more inclined towards the Dell is because of the incredible screen (1920x1200, 15.4") and the 3-year warranty, versus the iBook's 14" 1024x768 and one year warantee... This said, I LOVE the looks of the iBook, but many people say that it's not so powerfull.... Right now I'm really uncertain, so I'll keep gathering information and comments of other users so I can make up my mind  =)

I can't afford the T41P (and similar models), even though I'd love to have one.... maybe I'll get one if I end up working for IBM    ;D

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## DrACoNuS

Can't go wrong with Dell, its all about the warrenty. Not to mention the bang for you buck. If you're looking for something that borderlines desktop replacement (which it sounds like you are) then go with a pentium. Also the 12" and the 14" iBook have the same native resolution 1024x768 so you get a better screen with the 12" plus its tiny!  :Very Happy: 

Nonetheless I say order the dell and get installing!

I wish I could afford a T41p too, I work for a multi-billion dollar company and this T41p is a fruit of their wealth but I certainly don't see my share of the dough in my salary hehe. I don't want to part with this thing  :Sad: 

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## rookery

Here's some more mad ramblings for your laptop considerations:

In my family there have been 4 Dell laptops. None of them survived use for more than 18 months. The only one that survives today has a messed up LCD screen (double image) which Dell would not replace. 

Dell support is crap, and from my small family sample their laptops are crap too. You can search the web and find TONS of people with Dell support horror stories.

2 of those laptops have been replaced with an iBook and a 12" Powerbook. The iBook is on its 3rd year with no problems other than a hard disk that went bad (apple replaced it no problem), and the Powerbook is coming up on 2 years. I own an original titanium powerbook which is over 4 years old. All 3 are rock solid and nobody is looking back.

The "Dell sucks" rant aside, I would say that over and above the "how fast does it compile package xxxx" criteria you should consider these things:

 Battery Life - iBook/12"Pbook 5-6 hrs, 15" powerbook 4-5 hours

 Apple support rocks - with AppleCare you get 3 years coverage on everything and they won't tell you "it looks scratched - you must have dropped it so you're on your own..." if you have a problem.

 East of Boot. Apple's openfirmware boot-loader makes it totally easy to switch between OSX, and your favorite Linux distro. Just powerup, hold down the option key, and you get a nice pretty display of your bootable volumes and off you go  :Very Happy: 

 Actual screen quality - go to an apple store and LOOK   :Shocked:   at the screens on all 3 models. Very bright, very crisp, very fast.

 Usability and design - play with a Dell unInspiron, and then go to the Apple Store and play with a powerbook. No comparison.

 OSX - FreeBSD with all the Apple software on top.

Apple laptops rock, but if you're afraid to make the jump from x86, then I'd say DON'T DO DELL, DO IBM. Get a thinkpad. I think you can even get them with Linux preloaded (and avoid the micro$oft tax!). The preloaded Thinkpad linux is supposed to support all the bells and whistles on the thinkpad - video out, dvd playback, the works. I have setup a couple of Linux thinkpads for people over the last few years, and the hardware was rock solid.

Well hey, hope my rambling gives you food for thought. Good Luck!!

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## SilveRo

 *rookery wrote:*   

> Here's some more mad ramblings for your laptop considerations:
> 
> In my family there have been 4 Dell laptops. None of them survived use for more than 18 months. The only one that survives today has a messed up LCD screen (double image) which Dell would not replace. 
> 
> Dell support is crap, and from my small family sample their laptops are crap too. You can search the web and find TONS of people with Dell support horror stories.
> ...

 

Thank you very much for your ramblings, they will help me make my mind up    :Very Happy: 

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## crazy-bee

Some thing you *definitly* should keep in mind is the current suspend to ram / suspend to disk support within linux/x86. I'm having a Centrino (Acer Travelmate 803), and while I'm very very happy with it, the lack a functional suspend-to-ram (network card is dead after resume, sound, etc.) and semi-functional suspend-to-disk (some 2.6 kernel it works fine, sometimes not) is *very* annyoing. I definitly tried a lot of things, with no luck, and I'd give a lot for *working* suspend-to-ram.

I'm a bit unsure about Gentoo PPC and suspend-to-ram on newer ibooks/powerbooks, but on older Gentoo PPC powerbooks, suspend-to-ram works perfect even within linux. Maybe someone with a decent iBook/Powerbook can confirm this, but a working suspend-to-ram is definitly a big plus buying the Apple.

Another things you may keep in mind (eventhough thats personal taste) is if you dont want your notebook to be your desktop replacement, you dont need a 15" display. No matter if you buy Apple or x86, go into a shop and compare; I only compared different 15" models, and chose a 15" model, while now, I would love to have the notebook a bit smaller.

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## SilveRo

 *crazy-bee wrote:*   

> Some thing you *definitly* should keep in mind is the current suspend to ram / suspend to disk support within linux/x86. I'm having a Centrino (Acer Travelmate 803), and while I'm very very happy with it, the lack a functional suspend-to-ram (network card is dead after resume, sound, etc.) and semi-functional suspend-to-disk (some 2.6 kernel it works fine, sometimes not) is *very* annyoing. I definitly tried a lot of things, with no luck, and I'd give a lot for *working* suspend-to-ram.
> 
> I'm a bit unsure about Gentoo PPC and suspend-to-ram on newer ibooks/powerbooks, but on older Gentoo PPC powerbooks, suspend-to-ram works perfect even within linux. Maybe someone with a decent iBook/Powerbook can confirm this, but a working suspend-to-ram is definitly a big plus buying the Apple.
> 
> Another things you may keep in mind (eventhough thats personal taste) is if you dont want your notebook to be your desktop replacement, you dont need a 15" display. No matter if you buy Apple or x86, go into a shop and compare; I only compared different 15" models, and chose a 15" model, while now, I would love to have the notebook a bit smaller.

 

Well, I mainly use my laptop at home (lying in bed like a slug), and sometimes I take it to class, so I don't really use the suspend functions.... they would be usefull, though. 

I often go to see the gorgeous Apple screens in stores with my girlfriend, that can't wait to buy one herself.

Anyhow, I guess I'll get a Dell, because my grandfather is paying for it, and now that he has lots of Dell's shares, he kind'a got pissed off when I told him I was also considerating Apple  =P

Let's just hope the customer support is decent... Here in Italy things tend to be worse....

Thx for the advice  =)

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## Benny99

just my 2 cents

just got a 8600 with ATI 9600 and WUXGA.

when it arrived the screen was broken and showed onlly every 2nd vertical line, BUT

one call to dell support and the next day guy came and replaced it here, even though I only have collect and return service.

aside from that the NB Rocks. setting up X is a bit of a hassle but works with ati-drivers and a modeline I got from the linux.dell.com forums.

3D is pretty slow though. the ATI drivers seem to be crappy. 2200 glxgears.

but for gaming I have an XP partition and I guess future releases of the ATI drivers should improve this.

I think its because they don' recognize powerplay and keep the chip in lowest clock speed.

haven't tried WLAN and int. bluetooth yet but read somewhere that WLAN works with ndiswrapper (truemobile 1300 broadcom chip).

everything else works, including speedstep (2.6-ck kernel)

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## stgreek

I have 3 thinkpads, and they all work beautifully. If you are looking for a desktop replacement, I'd suggest looking for a R50p or A31p. They have 15" 1600x1200 screens that are much much clearer than the Dell, and are full of features. The problem is they might be a bit on the expensive side.

That said, I have tried and failed to find a laptop that will match an X series or T series in their respective categories. Plus, they are very linux-friendly and durable, so go for it. Apples may be sexy, but not everything will run on ppc, unlike x86.

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## DefconAlpha

like music? rip a lot of cd's?

get the ibook. i have an 800mhz g4 and i can rip 3 albums in the same amount of time it takes my athlon xp 2100+.

besides that slot loading goodness can't be found on many x86 laptops :)

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## hussein

I've really wanted a 12" iBook for well over a year now, must be 18 months at least.  I've added it to the cart in the Apple Store countless times and always just have to stop myself clicking 'Checkout'.

The damn Broadcom WiFi.  I just can't buy it knowing that there is no PCMCIA for a WiFi card and the Airport Extreme is not supported.  If I had the faintest idea how to go about writing a driver of some kind I really would, but I don't, and it appears that no-one else has it working either.  If it wasn't for this I'd have had an iBook ages ago.

So, instead of that little baby I'm going to get a Centrino 1.4 Thinkpad to replace my Intel Vaio.  Its just the way it goes.

If some genius makes the Broadcom work in Linux PPC or Apple bring out a new WiFi chip that is supported, I'd buy it now.

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## nukem996

Personally I have an IBM Thinkpad 1.5ghz Centrino and I am very happy with it. If you do get a Pentium-M go with a Thinkpad, Dell laptops suck. While I have fedora on my laptop because I pretty much got it and have needed it everyday since I would love to put gentoo on here. I program and it does compile very fast. I get a nice 5 hour usage out of the battery and sleep mode works great. The WiFi works as well, you can get the ndiswrapper to use the windows driver or the ipw2100 native linux driver(this one dosnt have WEP support yet).

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## snowbum

Yeah Dell and HP are kinda quality jokes. I haven't had any recent "compaqs" now that HP and Compaq are one. Most Japanese notes are strong. Over there, Sony is really cheap for the quality. Toshiba make some pretty sturdy ones, but not as strong. Fujitsu has some good ones. IBM is really nice. I just *hate* the clit pointer as I've heard it so affectionatly called. Panasonic has some real tough models. But Dell and HP.... aww... I'm feeling sad already. They may offer some great specs, but notebooks are about battery life, portability, and durability. The other specs come in second, IMHO.

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## gurke

weee! i got an dell i8k6 and im going to own a 12" ibook in a week. as far as i can estimate the p-m is way faster. it really depends on what youre trying to do with. the i8k6 is great for gentoo (fast compiles), games (fast graphics) and generally the hardware in my one is well supported under linux. my ibook will stay os x since the wlan, the sleep mode and some other things wont work under linux in the g4 ibooks.

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## SilveRo

 *gurke wrote:*   

> weee! i got an dell i8k6 and im going to own a 12" ibook in a week. as far as i can estimate the p-m is way faster. it really depends on what youre trying to do with. the i8k6 is great for gentoo (fast compiles), games (fast graphics) and generally the hardware in my one is well supported under linux. my ibook will stay os x since the wlan, the sleep mode and some other things wont work under linux in the g4 ibooks.

 

Some questions, plz   :Very Happy: 

Do you have both suspend to disk and suspend to ram working? 

Did you try to get a 1920x1200 framebuffer?  

How fast are your compiles? (examples)

How does the processor speed throttling work? (battery life under linux)

thxxx  =*

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## gurke

 *SilveRo wrote:*   

> Some questions, plz  
> 
> Do you have both suspend to disk and suspend to ram working? 
> 
> Did you try to get a 1920x1200 framebuffer?  
> ...

 

-suspend to disk and suspend to ram are not working with the nvidia driver module (it will suspend, but cannot wake up). i read on some pages that it works with the opensource driver.

-i used vesa modes for framebuffer, since i dont use it, except while booting. i read, that you can patch the kernel, to support other framebuffer modes, but i never tried.

-i got an 1,5ghz and emerge kde (3.2 complete) took like 8 hours (emerged xfree before). i have some multimedia useflags, ... last time i compiled kde on my 1,6ghz p4-m it took like 20 hours, so i guess this is really fast.

-throttling is working really great. there are really good apps, that can do dynamic scaling, or even scale adjusted to what apps you are using. battery life is about 3,2-3,5 hours, which is exactly the same as in windows.

for more information you might check out http://www.tuxmobile.org/centrino.html , http://www.tuxmobile.org/dell.html there is lots of information about the i8600.

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## SilveRo

 *gurke wrote:*   

>  *SilveRo wrote:*   Some questions, plz  
> 
> Do you have both suspend to disk and suspend to ram working? 
> 
> Did you try to get a 1920x1200 framebuffer?  
> ...

 

You have been extremely kind, thx for the info!!! 

=*

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## anvesaka

I own a G3 800 (512k cache) ibook, and I can say that it compiles faster and feels faster than my desktop Athlon XP 1800.

iBooks are also really cheap, if you compare them with other ultra-slim portables. And it runs cooler, doesn't make any noise, etc.

Elsewhere there are some bad issues about Gentoo on PPC:

- A lot of packages are masked and you have to use some tricks to install them.

- Does not run Wine (if this matters you).

- Does not run some binary packages wich runs on x86, for example Sockware Flash for Mozilla (you have to use GPL flash, wich is not so good).

But I still prefer PPC for running Linux. It just seems better in hardware aspects, including speed, stability, hardware support, battery life, etc. So probably my next desktop computer will be a G5.... when prices get lower.

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## DefconAlpha

I feel that PPC's were really designed for Linux. I have a G4/500 at work that is dual-booting OS X.3 and Gentoo. The Gentoo installation is on orders of magnitude faster, and besides, the home and end keys actually work. There isn't much support for games, but PPC's were never really the gaming platform. Get a PS2. Nothing says love of the games like a MIPS. :)

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## BernieKe

my previous laptop was a dell inspiron 5150 (with a geforce fx 5200 gfx), i got everything to work perfectly (although i never tried suspend/sleep since i don't use it), cpu scaling worked perfectly, and while watching movies i could get 5hrs 45min of battery life out of it (and that's with a pentium mobile 3ghz, not a centrino  :Wink:  )

i couldn't have been more happier with my dell  :Smile: 

unfortunatly it got stolen, and my next laptop will be a ibook G4, i'm just hoping that by the time i'll be ordering it, they'll have drivers for the airport extreme  :Smile:  (i want something really small this time  :Wink: )

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