# Mobile Pentium Processor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 20, 2002, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mobile-pentium-processor/144137 "2002-12-20T23:33:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![oldman\_withers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9fc29f/32.png) [@oldman\_withers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldman_withers)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mobile-pentium-processor/144137/1 "2002-12-20T23:33:29Z")
I’m looking at some laptops from Dell and some of them feature a “Mobile Pentium 4 Processor.” I’m thinking this is what they call a normal processor when they put it in a laptop. If indeed it is “specially made” to be mobile, whatever that entails, I’d like to know. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Toddly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@Toddly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toddly)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2002, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mobile-pentium-processor/144137/2 "2002-12-21T00:14:40Z")
It is my understanding that one of the benefits of the “mobile” processors are that they use less energy so that battery life is extended.Read more [here](http://www.intel.com/home/notebook/benefits/) ---
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2002, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mobile-pentium-processor/144137/3 "2002-12-21T01:32:38Z")
Mobile processors operate at lower voltage, resulting in lower power usage. They also use a smaller physical package, and feature a technology called “SpeedStep” which varies the processors speed depending on the load. You don’t need a 2Ghz processor when you’re running Word, so why not clock it down to 500Mhz and reduce power usage even further?