26. Conclusion

One thing is clear. The new platform incorporating Intel's new 915P notebook chipset family means that a host of features previously found only in modern desktop PCs will be advancing into mobile PCs in the near-to-medium term. Unfortunately, one may well question whether this is good or even necessary, as our measurements showed that current dedicated graphics solutions based on PCIe do not do well in terms of power consumption. Admittedly they do offer better performance than predecessor chips with an AGP port, but who as a user would willingly sacrifice precious battery life for the sake of this small boost? We wouldn't.

The new faster and more frugal DDR2 memory technology turns out to be more of a paper tiger than a real brute when used with the new 533 MHz FSB Pentium M and the 915PM chipset with dedicated graphics chip and memory. The dual-channel memory interface of the 915PM chipset doesn't have much impact either. The performance-limiting factor remains for the time being the too-small maximum FSB bandwidth of Intel's current mobile CPU generation.

In combination with another member of the new chipset family, the 915GM, using DDR2 memory in dual-channel mode does make more sense. In this case, part of the otherwise unused memory bandwidth is used to prepare video data via an integrated graphics core. Thus we come to a positive aspect of this product launch, the new graphics core.

This "newcomer", the GMA900, doesn't just promise on paper to boldly go into new realms of 3D performance for notebooks with integrated graphics. We feel confident that in practice, it will likely prove to be the most powerful integrated graphics solution for notebooks so far - despite the fact that we are not yet able to support this claim with corresponding performance data. It remains to be seen whether a major improvement in graphics performance with the same or slightly less battery life will prove to be a forceful argument for corporate purchasing. We think this is doubtful.

Individual buyers too will ask themselves whether features like SATA and high-definition audio are really necessary for everyday use. But in fact, that's not even the right question to ask when assessing this platform. All of these features, like ExpressCard, the new standard for I/O cards in notebooks, are simply options. In other words: notebook makers may put all or only some of these into new products.

Therefore, you now have to take a closer look than ever before when buying a notebook: read that fine print on brochures and data sheets more carefully. After all, who wants to leave a store with a "new" notebook with Intel's 2nd generation Centrino mobile technology, only to find out that it has only DDR333 memory or single channel DDR2-533, and perhaps also lacks high-definition audio and SATA?

Bottom line: we would advise users not necessarily on the lookout for the latest models to consider devices with first-generation Centrino technology. The main reason is that whenever a change of generation occurs, older devices frequently get cleared out at considerable discounts. Remember that solid, well-proven notebooks, which 1st generation Centrino devices unquestionably are, do not automatically become bad the day after a new generation hits the store shelves.