Tuesday 16 September 2014

That Whirring Fan You Hear When Firing Up Your Laptop May Finally Shut Up

That Whirring Fan You Hear When Firing Up Your Laptop May Finally Shut Up
Over the past few years, laptop have gotten much thinner and lighter — but not much quieter. Whether you have an ultra-thin design or something bulkier, the whirring fan has been a computer owner's constant companion, turning on whenever you start to tax the processor even a little bit outside its comfort zone.
Intel is attacking this problem head-on with its Core M processor, which allows PC and tablet manufacturers to build products with laptop performance in a thin and fanless form factor.
The photo above shows the motherboard for a MacBook Air underneath a motherboard with the same performance, but built around a Core M chip. Not only will the new chips let laptops and tablets get even thinner, but they'll have twice the performance, Intel says. Reps from the company showed Mashable a 12-inch prototype Windows tablet thinner than an iPad Air, but with twice the performance, they added.
The Core M bridges the gap between the company's line of Atom processors, which are used in mobile devices, and the main Core line — the high-power chips that you'd find in laptops and some tablets. Previously, Intel provided lower-power Core chips for ultra-thin designs; Core M replaces that line.
Core M can run faster without getting too hot, thanks to Intel's 14-nanometer chip technology (Moore's Law hasn't quit just yet). Whereas the previous low-power Core chips ran at 11.5 watts, Core M runs at 4.5 — a significant decrease, and without any reduction in performance.
Intel says the Core M is targeted at the "high end" of the tablet market as well as Ultrabooks. Many manufacturers have already unveiled products built around Core M at IFA, including the Asus Zenbook UX305, the HP Envy x2 and the new Lenovo ThinkPad Helix. Intel says more than 20 Core M-based products are in the works, many to be unveiled in the coming months and early next year.
While some PCs and tablets with power demands will always require a fan (the Microsoft Surface Pro, which prioritizes productivity above all else, will likely stick with a full Core chip), the Core M can take over a significant part of the market. And that whirring fan you hear whenever you fire up multiple dynamic browser tabs may finally start to shut up.
Posted by : Gizmeon

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