Which laptop processor will run quietest/coolest

  • Thread starter Thread starter Steve Johnson
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Steve Johnson

I am in the market for a new/used laptop and will probably buy on ebay or
other auction site so wont be able to return. Looks like the high end
processor choices (above 2Ghz) are either P4's, Centrino's or AMD 64's.

I use my laptop in a very sound sensitive environment and cant have a noisy
fan blowing. I had to return a Dell for just this reason.

Can anyone tell me which, on average, of these processors tends to run the
coolest for a given speed and, therefore, would need less fan cooling?

I realize that case size, manufacturer, etc. will all bear on the question
but just want a starting point.

Thanks.
 
Steve said:
I am in the market for a new/used laptop and will probably buy on
ebay or other auction site so wont be able to return. Looks like the
high end processor choices (above 2Ghz) are either P4's, Centrino's
or AMD 64's.
I use my laptop in a very sound sensitive environment and cant have a
noisy fan blowing. I had to return a Dell for just this reason.

Can anyone tell me which, on average, of these processors tends to
run the coolest for a given speed and, therefore, would need less fan
cooling?
I realize that case size, manufacturer, etc. will all bear on the
question but just want a starting point.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

There is some variability in the cooling systems/fan requirements among
manufacturers using the same processors, but in general, the more
capable computers - faster processors, better GPU's, more RAM (a minor
factor), faster HDs (also somewhat a minor factor), will generate the
most waste heat and have more fan noise. The P4, 3+Ghz with ATI, Nvidia
graphics, 7200 rpm drives have the largest and noisiest fans.

So, the opposite is directionally true: the slower CPUs, less capable
graphics, less ram, slower HDs will run cooler and more quietly. The
most silent are the small form factor ~1Ghz Pentium M, 10-12 inch
screens, Intel graphics, etc.

The smaller laptops are gaining in popularity since, despite the "slow"
CPUs and "basic" graphics, are capable of satisfying the computational
demands of many people, are extremely portable, and have outstanding
battery life, excellent LCD screens, not forgetting that they are
generally silent.

Dell, IBM, Sony (not an exhaustive list) all make very nice small form
factor, quiet laptops.

Q
 
I am in the market for a new/used laptop and will probably buy on ebay or
other auction site so wont be able to return. Looks like the high end
processor choices (above 2Ghz) are either P4's, Centrino's or AMD 64's.

I use my laptop in a very sound sensitive environment and cant have a noisy
fan blowing. I had to return a Dell for just this reason.

Can anyone tell me which, on average, of these processors tends to run the
coolest for a given speed and, therefore, would need less fan cooling?

I realize that case size, manufacturer, etc. will all bear on the question
but just want a starting point.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I have a Compaq Athlon 64 3400+ notebook and the fan only runs if I'm
doing heavy duty crunching like running a Verilog simulation. For ordinary
desktop tasks the fan is off. The A64s can scale their clock speed and
core voltage depending on the load. I use the ondemand speed governor in
Linux which keeps the clock speed down to 800MHz when you are doing light
duty tasks like word processing or web browsing. When you do sustained
heavy duty processing the speed goes up to 2.2GHz and the fan turns on but
it's still pretty quiet. There is a new generation of Mobile A64s called
Turions which are very low power. If you want something quiet go for a
Turion, HP/Compaq has several.
 
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