Refine search for CPUs and Memory

Intel Core 2 Duo ‘Merom’ Notebooks

Author	Benny Har-Even
Published	28th Aug 2006

Discuss this article

Email this to a friend

TrustedReviews Newsletters

The processors available are as follows.

These are virtually the same as that as for Core Duo so what then are the differences between the mobile versions of the Core Duo and Core 2 Duo?

In a nutshell though the biggest difference over the Core Duo is the increase in Level 2 cache from 2MB to 4MB, which accounts for the transistor count increasing from 151 million to 291 million.

However, there are two versions of Merom with only 2MB of Level 2 cache. The 4MB versions are rather randomly designated part of a 7000 series, while the cheaper 2MB cache versions are given a 5000 series rating.

The other difference is that EM64T support has been added to Core 2 Duo, though until the 64-bit version of Windows appears this will only be useful to a limited number of people.

Despite technically being based on different architectures, it’s easy to be of the opinion that the differences between the Core Duo and the Core 2 Duo are not that great. Credence is given to this by the fact that Intel is not updating its Centrino branding for the new CPU. For an OEM to label its notebook Centrino Duo it can use either a Core Duo or a Core 2 Duo, as well Intel’s 945 chipset and PRO Wireless silicon.

For the launch, we were sent two notebooks to showcase the power of the new CPU - one from AJP and one from Rock. These are housed in the Clevo chassis we are quite familiar with having seen it on several previous occasions.

While they might have chosen the same chassis, Rock and AJP have gone for very different clock speeds. AJP has gone for the entry-level mobile Core 2 Duo running at 1.66GHz with 2MB of Level 2 cache, while Rock has chosen the top-end 2.33GHz Merom with a full 4MB of cache. This is clearly the main difference for the £400 price difference.

It’s surprising then to find that the cheaper notebook offers a higher resolution screen. While Rock has specified a 1,680 x 1,050 screen, AJP has gone for a super high resolution 1,920 x 1,200. However, you can add a 1,920 x 1,200 display to the Rock for an extra £50 plus VAT, which doesn’t seem too bad. Both feature GeForce Go 7900 GTX graphics, the Rock has a massive 512MB frame buffer while the AJP only has 256MB. Other than that these are virtually identical notebooks, save for some differences in the lid styling.