The chip gradually increased the number of cores and worries about heat

Intel has just had a "blood change" with its Core 2 Duo chips but has announced plans to introduce four-core lines, codenamed Kentsfield. Not at all, AMD later released the same 4x4 product this year. However, both firms have not been able to provide a solution to the heat problem.

Photo: CNet A few years ago, single-core processing equipment struggled to maintain a stable system of operation every time the computer temperature increased. New generation AMD and Intel dual-core chips provide much more efficient power savings than single-core "predecessors".

However, when users have not yet felt the superior features of the dual-core line, both companies have urgently prepared four-core versions. This makes many people wonder if the 2-core chip is only a temporary solution for manufacturers, especially when virtualization technology penetrates the desktop system.

Intel has yet to disclose thermal parameters for Kentsfield, but it is essentially two sets of Core 2 Duo units that are mounted on one chip, so the temperature may rise higher. Also, Pat Moorhead, AMD's deputy market manager, admits that the 4x4 system will consume more energy than their current dual-core device. However, both Intel and AMD claim they have learned many lessons about chip heat.

Increasing PC temperature may cause other components such as hard drives to work unexpectedly and users must be equipped with a noisy cooling system, especially in laptops.

Dean McCarron, an analyst with Mercury Research (USA), said that Kentsfield and 4x4 are designed to target high-end customers who are willing to spend money to equip their computers with the system. Cool and high-performance technology.

According to some sources familiar with Intel, the group is ready to transition from 65 nm manufacturing technology to 45 nm next year with smaller transistors. Power consumption will also be significantly reduced when using small transistors. Intel will address this issue further in the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in September.

The concept of proper temperature will also change when virtualization technology appears on the desktop system. Virtualization software has been applied in the server and allows administrators to run different types of applications on a single server.

PC virtualization will only flourish in a few years, but some products like Parallels have allowed Apple computer users to run Windows operating systems in parallel with the Mac operating system. If many applications are opened in multiple virtual environments with multi-core chips, the system will have to operate at higher capacity and cause the temperature to start to escalate.

Moorhead said this situation will soon be overcome because chip makers are building low-power transistors to improve performance and harmonize well with effective cooling technologies.