AMD Unveils "Cool'n'Quiet" K7 Processor for Desktops and Notebooks

[AGodspeed]

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,80523,00.asp

Advanced Micro Devices unveiled a power management technology on Friday called Cool'n'Quiet that enables its Athlon XP family of processors to alter clock speed depending on the tasks they are performing.

This generally results in lower power output and is well suited to the Japanese market, which places a premium on compact desktop PCs, according to Mari Hayashi, a spokesperson for AMD.

 

[ST4RCUTTER]

That's a smart move, especially in that region. Hopefully AMD can score some corporate spending wins with CPU's that carry this feature. Most of the computers bought for the 2K rollover must be getting a little long in the tooth...

 

[Adul]

Doesn't it sort of sound like a better version of powernow?

 

[Soccerman]

ya it does.. it sounds to me like they're trying to get more accurate clock speeds for the particular demands different apps place on the CPU.

 

[bigshooter]

My room is cold right now. I'm thinking about ocing my processor just to get the room to heat up. I think it's about time to boot up my old slot1 p3 650@910 to get some heat in here.

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

<< My room is cold right now. I'm thinking about ocing my processor just to get the room to heat up. I think it's about time to boot up my old slot1 p3 <a href="mailto:650@910">650@910</a> to get some heat in here. >>


when did this automatic mail address linking start?

the least they could do is make it more intelligent

 

[nortexoid]

wicked, i bet it'll be the norm in the future...cpu expends as much as necessary to perform a given task...at least, i'd hope it is.

 

[Gstanfor]

I'm pretty certain that it is Powernow by any other name.

I'm pretty sure Powernow is built into all Palomino/Morgan cores, so i'm somewhat baffled as to why AMD has not used it in conjunction with the onboard diode to gag critics of thermal protection. It should be quite trivial to make powernow throttle the core down when the temperature gets too high.

Greg

 

[AGodspeed]

I'm pretty sure Powernow is built into all Palomino/Morgan cores, so i'm somewhat baffled as to why AMD has not used it in conjunction with the onboard diode to gag critics of thermal protection. It should be quite trivial to make powernow throttle the core down when the temperature gets too high.

That's good thinking Gstanfor, I'd like to know the reasoning too.

Btw, recent news has suggested that Thoroughbred will carry this same Cool'n'Quiet feature when they debut in laptops in late Feburary. I can't wait for Thoroughbred notebooks, I'm in the market for a notebook @ 1.5GHz.

 

[WilsonTung]

<< m pretty sure Powernow is built into all Palomino/Morgan cores, so i'm
somewhat baffled as to why AMD has not used it >>



My guess - they wanted to make sure BIOS support is there before activating it in the cores.

Also, more importantly, they can market this as a new feature and charge a premium for these chips. I'd guess anywhere from 10-20%, since they can be used in mobile and slim form factor computers.

This pricing scheme would be analagous to Intel's pricing of Pentium 3 LV chips.