New Computer Chips Are Really Cool

Every year about this time we think about how we can make our computer run our drawing programs faster but also use less power and get rid of all that damn fan noise. Our last attempt involved a big honking Antec Sonata case and an expensive CPU fan and it still drives us nuts. This year there is a real opportunity to build a computer that is really cool and comsumes very little power, and while Intel is winning the speed and power awards with its new Core Duo, AMD cleans their clock when it comes to saving power and heat. The 3800+ X2 ADD under full power tested at 25 watts, less than half of the best Intel chip, and barely enough to need a heat sink, let alone a fan. However, even the Intel uses half the power of our current P4 hotplate, a great improvement. Shoppers beware- AMD sells the chip with three different power ratings and the differences on the label are obscure. Look for "Energy Efficient Small Formfactor" on the box. We want to build a really quiet, green computer and look forward to suggestions, not including "buy a Mac" or "get a notebook". ::Lost Circuits