Orchid XP v8 <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
> On 05/11/2010 07:11 PM, Warp wrote:
>
> >    I haven't really followed CPU design all that much, but I have the notion
> > that laptops use special versions of desktop CPUs which consume less power
> > and need less ventilation (because that's kind of mandatory in a laptop)
> > at the cost of being less efficient than the desktop counterpart of the
> > same CPU.
>
> Yeah, laptops have several conflicting design constraints. Users want
> the fastest, most powerful CPU and the biggest baddest GPU and stacks of
> RAM and the fastest HD and the biggest, brightest LCD. But they also
> want the batteries to last for 8 hours straight without recharging. And
> they want it to be small, and light. And not get hot. And be quiet.
>
> Obviously, more CPU power = shorter battery life. And more heat. You can
> have more fans and make it louder, or you can have fewer fans and roast
> somebody's lap. Craming stuff into small spaces is also hard, especially
> if it gets hot.
>
> Jesus, I'm glad I don't design laptops! >_<
>
> So yeah, the best desktop will out-perform the best laptop, and if you
> have a desktop and a laptop of the same performance, the laptop will be
> far, far more expensive. (But not as expensive as a Mac, obviously.)
>
> >    Of course that doesn't mean that the fastest laptop CPU today isn't faster
> > than the fastest desktop CPU of 5 years ago.
>
> Sure.
>
> --
> http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
> http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

This may be of little consolation now, but maybe in 20 years or so...

http://www.tech-faq.com/dna-computer.html

Imagine a computer with a CPU about the size of a coin, capable of 66 Gigaflops
and having 700 Terabytes internal memory AND a power consumption of ~
0.0000000001 watts (minus the screen and interface devices, of course).

That should speed up rendering!

D103

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