Up to a few years ago, CPU makers -- especially Intel and AMD -- were obsessed by speed. The faster their processor, the more they could say to strike a blow against their competitors.

However, faster clock speed required more electricity and generated more heat. Because the machines were hotter, more cooling was necessary. Cooling also consumed a lot of energy.

Now, with Green becoming the color of the technology everywhere, chipmakers have shifted their attention to making processors perform better while consuming less electricity. This is even more relevant to mobile computers.

To begin with, nobody likes a notebook that becomes as hot as a toaster after it has been used for a while. On the other hand, energy-efficient components will reduce power consumption and prolong battery life, which is a very important consideration for any mobile worker.

Intel, which makes the processors inside the majority of computers in the world, announced last week the latest platform for mobile computers: Centrino 2.

Intel is very good at creating marketing confusion, as there is also Centrino Duo. It is no surprise that many of us prefer to call Intel's technologies by their codenames. The new platform is called "Montevina".

The power consumption of the new Centrino 2 family of processors has been reduced from 35 watts to 25 watts. The amount of L2 cache memory in some processors has also been raised to 3 and 6 MB, which means computers can now have more space for data to move at a faster speed.

With the proliferation of High Definition content, Intel has also designed Centrino 2 to include HD encoding capability. Another new feature is the possibility to switch graphics engines. Then, while the original Centrino supports the IEEE 802.11 a/b/g wireless connection, the Centrino 2 has a native support for the n standard.

When this new standard is adopted here in Indonesia, the speed of data will reach up to 450 megabits per second (Mbps). Support for WiMAX is also included.

The new processors come with or without the vPro management and configuration features that used to be available only on desktop computers. Company-provided notebooks can take advantage of the Centrino 2 with vPro processors; home users will not need it.

The processors themselves are made using 45-nanometer (nm) technology. Again, to go Green, Intel claims that it does not use helium in the production process.

Clock speeds range from 2.26 GHz to 2.8 GHz. For true speed buffs, there is the Intel Core 2 Extreme with a clock speed of 3.06 GHz.

In around three months, the first quad core processor for the notebook will be available. Of course, these high-speed processors may not fit into the ultra-slim and lightweight notebooks. They are more likely to be used to drive large notebooks such as the 18.4-inch Acer Aspire Gemstone Blue.

There will be 14 different processors to choose from. So, folks, get ready for even faster notebooks with longer battery life. -- Zatni Arbi

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