14 DAY TRIAL // The Taiwanese PC vendor Micro-Star International (MSI) announced that it is working on adding a Turbo-battery mode to its notebook family, in order to increase its lifetime. Notebook batteries and memory cards are some of the most important threats to the environment, and prolonging their lifespan will reduce their ecological impact.
The laptops that will feature a Turbo battery will be part of the G-series of notebooks. The GX600 laptop comes with an overclocking button that allows the user instantly increase the CPU core speed. This button will be adjusted to fit the new purpose on the next generation of laptops. According to Sam Chem, director of notebook computer sales at MSI, the Turbo mode will increase the battery lifetime up to 20 percent. If a regular battery in the G-series lasts for two hours, the Turbo mode will add up to 30 more minutes of autonomy.
The Turbo-battery mode will be triggered when the notebook is running on batteries and the user has pushed the Overclock button. If the notebook is plugged in, pushing the Overclock button will have no effect.
The MSI GX600 model is one of the first notebooks to feature an overclocking button. Users are almost never encouraged to unleash more horsepower on mobile PCs, since they are neither rigged with powerful fans, nor do they have the optimal amount of open space to ensure proper ventilation. Another major drawback is that, when overclocked, the CPU will suck the battery dry faster, which is not quite desirable. Needless to say that the amount of heat dissipated by an overclocked processor could easily melt the nearby hardware parts.
MSI's new thermal technology, however, prevents the laptop from melting down. Users can unleash the CPU's daemons without damaging the system. According to Chem, a 2GHz microprocessor can be "convinced" to perform like a 2.4GHz or 2.5GHz part at no risk of damaging the motherboard.
The 2.7 kilograms notebook is powered by an Intel CPU, Nvidia 8600 graphics, 512MB GDDR3 and features a 15.4-inch LCD display. Since it is a gaming mouse, it comes with a special keyboard, that includes the right-side numeric pad.
