Conclusion
In a direct comparison between the old Pentium M 1.7 GHz and the new Dothan with 2.0 GHz, the newcomer clearly manages to gain the upper hand. In some of the benchmarks, the mobile CPU produced with 90-nm technology is up to 22% faster. Even if you only consider the difference in clock speed between the two CPUs, Dothan still offers a 5% advantage.
The results of the battery life benchmarks show the benefits of 90-nm process technology. The two test systems were identical, except for the CPUs, and gave nearly the same results.
Intel's newcomer can accommodate business and gaming notebooks, as the Winbook W gaming benchmarks clearly prove. At the same time, however, a Dothan CPU doesn't offer any advantage over its Banias predecessor with regard to gaming performance. Still, the Winbook W with the Dothan CPU, which offers excellent features and good performance, can firmly hold its own against competing notebooks.
And again, we applaud Intel's decision to end its marketing strategy of emphasizing gigahertz clock speed specifications as the true measure of processor performance. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether the new processor-number style nomenclature will really make it easier for end users to find the right product.