from:
http://www.labwithleo.com/transcripts/LWL-transcript-episode143.pdf
Caller:
I'VE GOT A PROBLEM.
I'VE GOT A COMPUTER THAT'S
RUNNING A PRESCOTT 3.4 Pentium 4 IN IT.
AND IT RUNS EXTREMELY HOT.
Answer (with snippage):
THAT'S ONE OF THE
REASONS THE PRESCOTT IS A FLOP.
YOU KNOW WHO WAS
REALLY DISAPPOINTED WAS Intel.
THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT GETTING
THAT CHIP UP TO 4 GIGAHERTZ
UNTIL THEY REALIZED THAT THE
THING WAS PUTTING OFF SO MUCH
HEAT YOU COULD BOIL WATER ON IT.
AND THEY ACTUALLY KIND OF
CHANGED THEIR WHOLE CHIP
STRATEGY BECAUSE OF THAT ONE
Pentium 4 CHIP.
THEY SAID WE'RE GOING IN THE
WRONG DIRECTION AND THAT'S WHEN
THE Core 2s CAME OUT.
THE Core 2s RUN AT
SLOWER CLOCK SPEEDS.
YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SEE ANOTHER
3.4 GIGAHERTZ CHIP PROBABLY.
WHAT Intel FOUND, AND THIS WAS
THE BIG DISAPPOINTMENT WITH
PRESCOTT - PRESCOTT WAS A VERY
BIG CHIP WITH LONG PIPELINES,
LOTS OF THEM, A LOT OF
TRANSISTORS IN THAT CHIP, AND
WHAT THEY FOUND WAS THEY HAD
GONE KIND OF DOWN THE RABBIT
HOLE WITH THAT CHIP DESIGN.
THEY PUSHED IT TOO FAR AND IT
WAS GETTING TOO HOT, IT WAS TOO
INEFFICIENT.
SO, THEY WENT BACK TO THE
DRAWING BOARD AND FORTUNATELY
THEY HAD A LITTLE SKUNK WORKS
PROJECT GOING ON IN ISRAEL.
THEY HAD DESIGNED THE LITTLE
PORTABLE CHIPS FOR Intel THAT
WERE SO SUCCESSFUL AND THEY
SAID, GUYS, WE NEED A NEW
DESKTOP PROCESSOR AND THAT'S
WHEN THEY CAME UP WITH THE
Core, FIRST THE Core Duo AND
THEN THE Core 2.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THESE CHIPS
ARE ACTUALLY CLOSER TO A
Pentium 3 THAN THEY ARE A Pentium 4.
THEY HAVE SHORTER PIPELINES,
BUT THEY RUN COOLER AND THEY
RUN MORE EFFICIENTLY.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THEY GET
MORE WORK DONE IN FEWER CYCLES.
SO, YES, THEY'RE NOT RUNNING AT
3.8, 3.4 GIGAHERTZ.
THEY'RE RUNNING, YOU KNOW, 2.4,
2.8, 3 GIGAHERTZ.
BUT EVEN AT THOSE SLOWER CLOCK
SPEEDS THEY'RE MORE EFFICIENT
AND THEY'RE A HECK OF A LOT COOLER.
SO, MY RECOMMENDATION, IF YOU
WANT TO UPGRADE, IF YOU'RE
FINDING THAT THAT PRESCOTT IS
TOO HOT, MY RECOMMENDATION
WOULD BE GET A NEW MOTHERBOARD
THAT SUPPORTS THE Core 2, GO
WITH A Core 2 Duo; I THINK
THEY'RE VERY GOOD.
IF YOU WANT TO STAY COOL, GO
WITH THE SLOWER CLOCK SPEEDS
BECAUSE THEY -- YOU KNOW, WHEN
THEY'RE WORKING, THEY'LL GET
HOT JUST AS MUCH AS ANY OTHER ONE.
YOU KNOW, THESE COMPUTERS ARE
HOT NOWADAYS, BUT THEY'RE MUCH
MORE EFFICIENT AND MUCH COOLER
THAN THE PRESCOTT.
THE PRESCOTT WAS JUST AN
UNFORTUNATE CHIP DESIGN AND
Intel BACKED OFF ON THAT COMPLETELY.
THAT WAS AN EMBARRASSMENT,
FRANKLY, FOR THEM.
BUT WHAT'S INTERESTING IS THEY
WERE ABLE TO TURN ON A DIME
THANKS TO THIS LITTLE ISRAELI
SKUNK WORKS AND THEY WERE ABLE
TO COME UP WITH A NEW DESIGN
