What Is Intel Centrino?

Reader Froilan asks (in a nutshell): What is Centrino? What does it really do? Is it for laptops only? There's Core 2 Duo and there's Centrino... what is Centrino all about?

I kid you not, I get this question once a week at least. And I'm shocked, because Intel spent $300 million marketing the Centrino brand when it launched in 2003, and more since. And yet, confusion about what Centrino means remains rampant.

If you really want to know what Centrino is, it's this: Nothing. Centrino is primarily just a marketing term that Intel uses to describe a whole bunch of laptop technologies. But those technologies have changed over time, so what Centrino described in 2003 is completely out of date in 2007. Yet old and new PCs are both "Centrino." I've never understood why Intel felt it needed to make a brand out of a bunch of laptop components (in addition to the much more important CPU branding), but we're stuck with it, regardless.

At a higher level, Centrino refers to three components of a laptop:

• The CPU (now the Core 2 Duo or the rare Core Duo you still find)
• The wireless card (now the 802.11a/g/n Wi-Fi adapter)
• The chipset (which dictates the RAM support, BIOS, integrated graphics, and other unde-the-hood technologies that you largely need not worry about)

A computer must contain all three of these things to be described as Centrino and earn that valuable sticker on the case.

You'll also see "Centrino Pro" and "Centrino Duo" logos. Again, these are marketing terms that don't really mean much. Don't worry about the difference between them, they're about the same. However, if you see a rare logo that doesn't have "Pro" or "Duo" after it, it's probably a PC with a Core Solo chip in it and should be avoided.

If you're buying a new computer, remember to look beyond that Centrino label: For all you know it could be referring to a technology from four years ago. You want to find out specifically what the CPU is and what the wireless technology is: Insist on a Core 2 Duo computer; getting an 802.11n-capable Wi-Fi chip is also a good idea for future-proofing your laptop.

I know it's confusing, but I hope this helps demystify the issue somewhat. As always, if you're at all confused about a laptop you're considering buying, send me the specs or a link in email (don't forget your return email address or I can't write back!) and I'll be happy to offer an opinion on the specific machine.