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CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide

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Desktop Versus Mobile

Mobile devices, such as portable computers, have needs that differ from those

of desktop computers, notably the need to consume as little electricity as

possible. This helps in two ways: extending battery charge and creating less

heat.

Both Intel and AMD have engineers devoted to making excellent mobile

versions of their CPUs that sport advanced energy-saving features (see Figure

3-21). These mobile CPUs consume much less power than their desktop

counterparts. They also run in very low power mode and scale up

automatically if the user demands more power from the CPU. If you’re

surfing the Web at an airport terminal, the CPU doesn’t draw too much

power. When you switch to playing an action game, the CPU kicks into gear.

Saving energy by making the CPU run more slowly when demand is light is

generically called throttling.

Figure 3-21 Desktop vs. mobile, fight!

Unfortunately this picture gets more complicated when you throw in heat.

Because most portable and mobile computing devices are very compact, they

can’t dissipate heat as quickly as a well-cooled desktop system. Mobile CPUs

can scale up to handle demanding tasks, but they’ll start accumulating heat

quickly. As this heat nears levels that could damage the CPU, it will engage

in thermal throttling to protect itself. A system trying to do demanding work

with only a fraction of its full power available may grind to a halt!

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