Intel Reduces Power Consumption in Pentium 4

Intel seems to be very interested in the power consumption of its mainstream Pentium 4 CPU's these days. It put out two product notifications, 106404-01 describing the 9xx series of PDs, and 106205-00 - to talk about the 6xx line. The CPUID of PDs will change from F64 to F65, and the stepping will be known as D-0, up from the old C-1. They've also dropped the power from 130 W to 95 W, a change that is quite late and that doesn't seem to be able to change the figures of the sales.

The changes are affecting the 2.8, 3.0 and 3.4 GHz non-VT models, and the 3.4 and 3.6 GHz VT ones. A hint of an upcoming 3.2 model was also revealed. The down side is the need for a new BIOS to support them. However, if they do it well, it might be a good change.

The single core models will also lose some power, dropping from 86 W TDP to 65 W. The stepping follows the dual cores, going from C-1 to D-0, affecting 3.0, 3.4 and 3.6 GHz parts, (with the 3.2 GHz model joining in later). There is no indication of a BIOS change here, but it may be possible later.

Intel is updating the older models these days, a move to confirm the fact that CPUs will be the most important part of Intel's sales in the near future, at least for the time being. Or, how they are presenting it, "Intel is bringing the benefits of energy-efficient performance to the world. Energy-efficient performance is the intersection of great performance, expanded capabilities and energy efficiency. It is derived from advances in architecture, silicon, platforms and software, and it enables continued innovation and tangible benefits for both business and consumers." Some would say they know better.