Intel Launches Power-Efficient Penryn Processors

Bergkamp10 writes "Over the weekend Intel launched its long-awaited new 'Penryn' line of power-efficient microprocessors, designed to deliver better graphics and application performance as well as virtualization capabilities. The processors are the first to use high-k metal-gate transistors, which makes them faster and less leaky compared with earlier processors that have silicon gates. The processor is lead free and by next year Intel is planning to produce chips that are halogen free, making them more environmentally friendly. Penryn processors jump to higher clock rates and feature cache and design improvements that boost the processors' performance compared with earlier 65-nm processors, which should attract the interest of business workstation users and gamers looking for improved system and media performance."

Comments

Re:Still sticking

[j-pimp]

What you say is directly comparable to the internal combustion engine, say. It makes a lot of sense (and has done so for a lonnnnnng time now) not to use gasoline and to instead work on alternative engine technologies, compressed air, hydrogen, ethanol, and so forth.. but these things are still sideline projects.

Putting aside wars, and peak oil, and the envirorment gas is currently the best way to get an internal combustion engine from point a to b except for perhaps diesel. Diesel trades effeciency for acceleration. Ethanol has less hydrocarbons on a chain so gas will always outperform it unless we find a different exothermic reaction for it.

Hydrogen holds promise, but that research is probably going to come out of an independent party. I'd much rather see a non car manufacturer create a hydrogen powered V8 (if its a renewable clean fuel source there is no reason I can't be wasteful and drive a car that faster than I need it to be), and sell it to GM, Ford, Crystler, Mercedes, BMW, Honda, Toyota, and everyone else.