Half of notebooks to feature Quad-core processors

eWeek.com.

According to Xbit Laboratories, the cornerstone of PC performance, the microprocessor, is continuing to evolve to provide new levels of performance to the PC market. For decades, the main focus for increasing microprocessor performance was in the area of clock speed, with suppliers battling to offer parts with the most megahertz or gigahertz.

However, the competition now has shifted to the battle over cores, with suppliers racing to offer parts that boost performance by providing greater parallelism.

Desktop quad-core processors from AMD and Intel have been around for some time and now both firms have a number of mobile quad-core processors available, says The Inquirer.

The move towards quad-core processors is perhaps not so surprising, however more intriguing is IHS iSuppli's claim that 90% of laptops will have “on-chip graphics processing units” by 2015.

DigiTimes Mobos says along with the move towards higher-performance multi-core designs, notebook PC microprocessors also are evolving to suit mobile lifestyles. Today's consumers are demanding computers that can be used on the go, all day.