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If youve been shopping for a desktop replacement notebook lately, chances are that the processors in the machines youve compared were never intended for a portable PC. Even with the myriad mobile chips available from AMD and Intel, desktop CPU–equipped notebooks are common. Thats because PC makers want to take advantage of the higher GHz ratings—and lower prices—of the desktop parts.
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As a result, unsuspecting consumers are left with a less than desirable mobile experience: poor battery life and heat issues that are rarely worth the clock-speed bragging rights. So Intel has stepped in to provide a more enticing solution for makers who want a desktop architecture in machines that should be able to leave the desktop from time to time.
The new chip is the Mobile Intel Pentium 4 processor (or Mobile P4 for short)—not to be confused with Intels other mobile-chip families, the Intel Mobile Pentium 4 Processor-M and the Intel Pentium M). The new Mobile P4 is a modified version of the standard desktop “Northwood” P4 that operates with a 533-MHz front-side bus (FSB).
Like its anchored counterpart, the Mobile P4 runs at speeds up to 3.06 GHz and has full Intel NetBurst microarchitecture. But HyperThreading is turned off in the Mobile P4, and the cutting-edge 800-MHz FSB of Canterwood- or Springdale-based desktops is not supported. These omissions, along with support for Enhanced Intel SpeedStep and Deeper Sleep technologies, help the desktop core achieve more notebook-like battery life.
For the whole story, check out the PC Magazine article.