When Intel's Pentium 4 comes to notebooks next year, consumers will discover a boost in computing power--and possibly an extra fan.
The new mobile Pentium 4 chip, which sources familiar with Intel's plans say will launch in late March or early April, will run at 1.6GHz and 1.7GHz--faster than any other portable chip.
But sources say the new Pentium 4 will also be much more power hungry than current Pentium III-M processors, which go up to 1.2GHz, or current Athlon 4 mobile chips from Advanced Micro Devices.
As a result, notebook makers will need to take extra precautions to fit the Pentium 4 into existing lines. Models that don't have a second fan for heat removal, for example, will likely have to add one. Larger, heavier batteries will also be part of the mix.
Some industry watchers have jokingly referred to the mobile Pentium 4 as the George Foreman Lean, Mean Grilling Machine.
"This baby cooks," said Kevin Krewell, senior analyst with MDR-Instat, publisher of the Microprocessor Report. Krewell estimates the chip will consume about 30 watts of power when pushed to its limits.
News source: ZDNet
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