difference in pentium 4M vs. pentium M?

what are the main differences between the pentium 4 M processors and the Pentium M (yeah.. im laptop shopping for college)

I can buy a pentium 4 M processor thats faster then the M series even goes.. for cheaper

is there a big battery life difference or something?

 

The architecture is completely different. The PM uses a dual core design. Not only does it consume a lot less power and generate a lot less heat, it performs much better than a comprably clocked P4.

P4M's are normal P4's that have a built in throttling "feature" that reduces battery consumption and heat (a normal P4 has a battery life of an hour or so, IIRC) -- and also severely cramps performance.

If you're buying a new laptop, PM is much, much better than the P4M. I'd sooner buy a P3 or Celeron laptop than any P4 variant.

If you can, try to get a laptop with the Centrino logo. Centrino combines three elements: a Pentium M processor, the Centrino chipset that's designed to work with the Pentium M, and a on-board wireless netowrk card.

 

thanks a lot... time to go shopping