But moving from 400 MHz to 700 MHz alone is a 175 percent increase even without any of the 70 new Streaming Single Instruction Multiple Data instructions or 256 Kbps of full-speed Level 2 cache that are part of the SpeedStep chips. Intel Corp.'s SpeedStep extends battery life, but it's not for every use. Large screen size is more important than high clock speed for many users. A big-screen notebook PC might not fit on your lap, on tray tables or in a briefcase. Travel weight is determined by adding 2 pounds to a unit's base weight.
Modular designs let users instantly customize the system by swapping components.
A unit's external video refresh rate has to be fast if you plan to use a notebook PC for presentations. The SpeedStep is the first technology to the market. AMD's Gemini chips aren't even mentioned on the company's Web site, but reports say they will be similar to the SpeedStep, with a step-down speed lower than Intel's. AMD has announced that a mobile version of its fast Athlon chip will be available by this fall. Transmeta is pushing the Crusoe chip, which steps back from the ever-growing transistor count of other CPUs.