Rating: 
Summary: A laptop with a desktop CPU.
Review: Toshiba and other laptop vendors are using desktop P4s in many of their notebook computers and this has led to some misunderstandings (Amazon should be more upfront about this). This particular model uses an older "Willamette" P4 that was designed for desktop use. There is also some bad information in some of the reviews that have been posted. Hopefully this may help:There are two families of P4s. One is the older, larger (.18 micron) "Willamette" core, which has 256K of L2 cache and is designed to be used in desktops. The newer "Northwood" core (.13 micron) has 512K of L2 cache and comes in two sub-types: desktop and mobile. If the frequency is equal then the Northwood will be about 10% faster than the Willamette. In other words if a 2GHz Willamette takes 10 minutes to do something a 2GHz Northwood will (on average) do it in 9 minutes. Some applications will see as much as a 30% improvement thanks to the larger cache an other enhancements in the .13 Northwood core. If a laptop has a mobile P4, the CPU should be identified as a P4M. The P4M is *only* built on the .13 micron "Northwood" core and so will *always* have 512K of L2 cache. If you aren't sure check the web site of the manufacturer (a good idea anyway to see how their web support looks). A P4M cost more than a desktop P4. The main reasons are the packaging is more expensive (to dissipate heat better) and the voltage of the CPU is lower to save power and reduce heat (low voltage parts must meet stricter manufacturing standards). Toshiba is using the desktop P4 in notebooks so they can sell a fast laptop for less money (saves around $200). The plus is you save money too. The down side is your battery life is shorter and the laptop will be larger and heavier to support the extra cooling requirements. Myth: The desktop part may "burn up".
Fact: Impossible. The P4 and P4M are the ONLY CPUs on the market that will reduce their clocks speed before they overheat (called "clock throttling") and speed back up when they cool down. Even if your heat sink fell off the P4 or P4M will still function. If this happened to a PIII it will stop and require a reboot and an Athlon will catch fire.
(Go to http://www6.tomshardware.com/cpu/01q3/010917/index.html for more info on over-heating CPUs and see a video of an Athlon catching fire! Fun stuff!) Myth: The PIII is "more reliable" than the P4.
Fact: The P4 was built to the stricter reliability rules than the PIII (or Athlon). New methods were used to eliminate the risk of electro-migration and hot electron failures. No other consumer CPU has been built any where near this standard. The down side is the P4 cost more. The PIII also has fewer transistors and therefore uses less power. You should balance your choice with that in mind. Myth: Wait for the P4 Xeon this fall.
Fact: The P4 Xeon is a server part that will never go in laptop (it uses a larger package for starters). The P4 Xeon has been shipping for a year so if you wait for this fall you might feel a little foolish. :>) I have even seen reviewers say future P4s will support a GPS. Um, the CPU has nothing to do with having a GPS. A GPS is an add-on part just like a modem or a hard drive; any CPU will support one.
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