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volcano · Oct 29, 2006, 04:17 PM

Just out of curiousity:

Does anyone know why all PC laptop manufacturers that use an Intel Core (or Core 2) Duo processor call it Intel Centrino Duo? I know that's how it's "officially' advertised on Intel's website, so maybe I should really ask: why does Apple simply call it the Intel Core Duo/Core 2 Duo and not use Intel's "official" nomenclature from their website?

Thoughts? It just seems bizarre to me.

What is it, really?
Intel Core 2 Duo
Intel Core 2 Duo Mobility
Intel Centrino Duo
Intel Centrino Duo Mobility

I've seen it referred to all the terms above, and the second one seems idiotic to me because isn't the Core 2 Duo only a mobile processor? Seems redundant. Then again, Intel talks about the Intel Core 2 Duo desktop processor on their site as well -- it doesn't make sense!

masugu · Oct 29, 2006, 04:44 PM

Core 2 Duo is the name of the processor for both mobile and desktop Intel chips.

"Centrino Duo" is the name of the "Platform Brand" for notebooks whic contains the Core 2 Duo mobile processor AND a specified chipset / communication solution validated by Intel.

So an OEM cannot use the Centrino brand unless it has passed verification with Intel. Apple just uses the actual chip - the Core 2 Duo - so it does not use the Centrino Duo brand.

BadApple · Oct 29, 2006, 05:16 PM

Intel heavily markets and advertises its Centurino brand. Many consumes tend to look at those stickers on their next PC purchase. I think the reason AMD purchased ATI is to use the same marketing strategy Intel has been using with Centurino platform marketing. PC makers can use that brand name when they purchase the complete package from Intel.

hldan · Oct 29, 2006, 06:38 PM

Originally Posted by volcano

Just out of curiousity:

Does anyone know why all PC laptop manufacturers that use an Intel Core (or Core 2) Duo processor call it Intel Centrino Duo? I know that's how it's "officially' advertised on Intel's website, so maybe I should really ask: why does Apple simply call it the Intel Core Duo/Core 2 Duo and not use Intel's "official" nomenclature from their website?

Thoughts? It just seems bizarre to me.

What is it, really?
Intel Core 2 Duo
Intel Core 2 Duo Mobility
Intel Centrino Duo
Intel Centrino Duo Mobility

I've seen it referred to all the terms above, and the second one seems idiotic to me because isn't the Core 2 Duo only a mobile processor? Seems redundant. Then again, Intel talks about the Intel Core 2 Duo desktop processor on their site as well -- it doesn't make sense!

To Answer your question completely, both Macs and PC's use the same Core 2 Duo chip. Centrino is a branded name and not a processor type, but in order for any PC to possess the Centrino branded label they have to contain the C2D processor and the Intel 945 chipset and the Intel Pro/Wireless. Apple does not use the Intel Pro/Wireless, they have always used their own proprietary wireless cards. So without the complete Intel chipset Macs cannot behold the Centrino name.
Not all PC's with C2D contain the Centrino brand.

ghporter · Oct 29, 2006, 06:56 PM

hldan said almost exactly what masugu said, and they're both right. "Centrino" refers to a lot more than just the processor, and always has. It's a chipset which sometimes includes a wireless component as well.

This is also why we need Apple-specific drivers for our Macs to work with Windows XP: the chipset is different from what PC computers use, so Macs need their own special drivers.

mduell · Oct 29, 2006, 10:16 PM

The MacBook Pro CPU is Intel Core 2 Duo Mobility; this CPU is also known my it's codename, Merom.

Intel Core 2 Duo is the desktop version of the same CPU; it has a higher front side bus speed (1066Mhz instead of 667Mhz), and burns about another 30W of power.

Intel Centrino Duo and Intel Centrino Duo Mobility are platforms. To qualify the system must have an Intel Core (2) Duo (Mobility) CPU, Intel 945 system chipset, and Intel 3495 wifi chipset. Apple is still using Atheros wifi chipsets rather than Intel's, so they can't/don't use this branding.

Originally Posted by ghporter

This is also why we need Apple-specific drivers for our Macs to work with Windows XP: the chipset is different from what PC computers use, so Macs need their own special drivers.

As far as I know Intel Macs are using the same 945PM/GM chipsets as everyone else; only the firmware method (EFI rather than BIOS) is different.

ghporter · Oct 30, 2006, 09:15 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

As far as I know Intel Macs are using the same 945PM/GM chipsets as everyone else; only the firmware method (EFI rather than BIOS) is different.

From a somewhat broader perspective, isn't it fairly accurate to say that on a PC the BIOS is part of the chipset? That is, the chipset is pretty much useless without a chipset-specific BIOS version, right? And the same motherboard can behave very differently simply by having a different (yet still fully compatible) BIOS version, right? Next step: EFI does for an Intel Mac what BIOS does for a PC, right? Last step: BIOS/EFI manages the interaction of basically everything with the chipset, right? So effectively the chipset implementation in an Intel Mac is "different" from the implementation of the same physical components in a BIOS-based PC. It could be argued that two different PC motherboards with the SAME hardware chipset but using different BIOS versions are as different as night and day.

I was trying to NOT get into this chain of logic in explaining the whole "drivers go through the low-level hardware interface as well as the OS to interact with the hardware" bit. Long practice in "make it as simple as possible" makes this sort of answer almost automatic sometimes.

mduell · Oct 30, 2006, 10:11 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

From a somewhat broader perspective, isn't it fairly accurate to say that on a PC the BIOS is part of the chipset? That is, the chipset is pretty much useless without a chipset-specific BIOS version, right? And the same motherboard can behave very differently simply by having a different (yet still fully compatible) BIOS version, right? Next step: EFI does for an Intel Mac what BIOS does for a PC, right? Last step: BIOS/EFI manages the interaction of basically everything with the chipset, right? So effectively the chipset implementation in an Intel Mac is "different" from the implementation of the same physical components in a BIOS-based PC. It could be argued that two different PC motherboards with the SAME hardware chipset but using different BIOS versions are as different as night and day.

I was trying to NOT get into this chain of logic in explaining the whole "drivers go through the low-level hardware interface as well as the OS to interact with the hardware" bit. Long practice in "make it as simple as possible" makes this sort of answer almost automatic sometimes.

The word "chipset" may be ambiguous, but using Intel's convention, the chipset is only the northbridge (MCH) - Chipset System Diagram
The greater subsystem, including the southbridge (ICH), firmware, and ports is refered to as the "chipset system."
The chipset isn't even directly connected to the firmware, BIOS or EFI.

ghporter · Oct 30, 2006, 10:44 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

The word "chipset" may be ambiguous, but using Intel's convention, the chipset is only the northbridge (MCH) - Chipset System Diagram
The greater subsystem, including the southbridge (ICH), firmware, and ports is refered to as the "chipset system."
The chipset isn't even directly connected to the firmware, BIOS or EFI.

Ok, it seems that Intel considers only the northbridge, effectively the CPU's interface with the rest of the system, to be the "chipset." It was always my understanding that BIOS was the instruction set for the motherboard's support/management chips (a broader definition of "chipset," I guess). Where DOES BIOS fit into the whole picture then? And if the firmware is not the big difference between a Mac logic board and any Intel PC motherboard, what is?