26-10-2010, 01:31 PM
Crusoe-Processor.pdf (Size: 98.91 KB / Downloads: 309)
INTRODUCTION
Mobile computing has been the buzzword for quite a long time. Mobile computing
devices like laptops, webslates & notebook PCs are becoming common
nowadays. The heart of every PC whether a desktop or mobile PC is the
microprocessor. Several microprocessors are available in the market for desktop
PCs from companies like Intel, AMD, Cyrix etc.The mobile computing market has
never had a microprocessor specifically designed for it. The microprocessors used
in mobile PCs are optimized versions of the desktop PC microprocessor. Mobile
computing makes very different demands on processors than desktop computing,
yet up until now, mobile x86 platforms have simply made do with the same old
processors originally designed for desktops. Those processors consume lots of
power, and they get very hot. When you're on the go, a power-hungry processor
means you have to pay a price: run out of power before you've finished, run more
slowly and lose application performance, or run through the airport with pounds of
extra batteries. A hot processor also needs fans to cool it; making the resulting
mobile computer bigger, clunkier and noisier. A newly designed microprocessor
with low power consumption will still be rejected by the market if the performance
is poor. So any attempt in this regard must have a proper 'performance-power'
balance to ensure commercial success. A newly designed microprocessor must be
fully x86 compatible that is they should run x86 applications just like conventional
x86 microprocessors since most of the presently available software’s have been
designed to work on x86 platform.