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Intel Readies Mobile PIIIs With SpeedStep

Chip giant's new speedy notebook processors can slow down to conserve batteries.

By Tom Mainelli, PCWorld   

Intel has confirmed it will announce on January 18 a mobile Pentium III processor with the new SpeedStep technology (formerly called Geyserville). The company says the new chip will run at 600 MHz when using AC power, but at a slower speed when using a battery. Sources say the new processor will drop to 500 MHz in battery mode--the top speed of today's fastest mobile Pentium III.

The slower speed will consume less battery power, and will help extend a notebook's run time. The speed change is automatic; to initiate the drop users simply unplug the notebook.

The 600-MHz chip closes the gap some between Intel's fastest mobile processor and its new 800-MHz desktop PIII. Expect Intel to announce even faster mobile PIIIs in the near future. Advanced Micro Devices will introduce a similar technology for its mobile processors, called Gemini, sometime in the next year.

Improvement or Cover-Up?

The new chip offers better notebook speed, but some critics complain SpeedStep merely covers up the growing disparity between processor power requirements and notebook battery technologies. Keith Diefendorff, editor in chief of Microprocessor Report, disagrees.

"It's not a useless innovation," he says. "It's a trick that has some value to users."

Many of today's notebook users spend a great deal of time at their desks, and only occasionally go mobile, he says. "These notebooks spend 90 percent of the time plugged into the wall, so this allows you to get a higher speed."

One seldom-mentioned limitation of the technology is that it does nothing to aid heat dissipation, he adds. A 600-MHz processor generates plenty of heat, and while larger notebooks have the space for heat sinks and fans, smaller ones do not.

To take advantage of the higher-speed processors, manufacturers of ultrathin notebooks will have to offer docking stations that aid in the cooling process, Diefendorff says, or incorporate other solutions into their products. For example, a very small notebook with a very fast processor might only reach its top speed for certain user-specified tasks, he says. The rest of the time the notebook would run at a slower speed, regardless of the power source, to prevent itself from burning up. It's not the same as running at high speed all the time, but for some it might be a workable solution.

Critics expect Intel to promote the higher processor speed more prominently than the lower one. Discerning notebook buyers should read the fine print, to make sure their new notebook's performance is what they expect, when they expect it.

Best Option?

Regardless of what detractors think of SpeedStep technology, it's the best near-term solution for notebook vendors interested in offering faster performance while maintaining decent battery life, Diefendorff says.

There isn't a new processor or battery technology coming soon that would make this technology unnecessary, he says. Notebook batteries aren't improving dramatically, and despite manufacturing advances, future high-speed processors will continue to need more power.