Ready for some shocking news? Microsoft, Intel and many other PC vendors are looking to put more focus into mobile going forward, and less towards traditional PCs! Okay… that’s not exactly breaking news, but Intel’s latest Haswell benchmarks certainly help drive that point home even further.
In the past, every major Intel update to processors has been about packing on more performance capabilities and raw speed, with power consumption and other features as secondary. Of course there are exception to the rules, such as the existence of the Atom chip.
According to Tom’s Hardware though, benchmarks are in and show off a capable processor, but it is worth noting that the actual speed performance is only a modest improvement over the existing 3rd-gen Core processors on the market.
Instead, the chip has been designed with mobility in mind, including improved power efficiency. That said, just because the CPU isn’t a beastly upgrade, doesn’t mean that 4th-gen Core processors won’t perform way better than current gen.
Tom’s Hardware points out that these Haswell chips that come with HD 4600 graphics will see considerably better graphics and 3D performance, packing 40 execution units, compared to the 16 found in the HD 4000.
What Does Haswell mean for the future of Windows?
Haswell is an improvement in speed, if not a massive leap. It is also an improvement in efficiency, though don’t expect that to mean that Haswell-based devices will get several hours of extra battery performance – though 30-60 minutes might be possible.
The point is that Intel, Microsoft and its partners are thinking of ways to do things differently and that points to the change in the devices that will be running high-end Intel chips. While desktops and conventional laptops will continue to exist for some time, expect a continued push of ultra-skinny AiO desktops, convertible laptops, tablets and even Mac-mini sized computers.
We are in an age of computing where only power users seem that considered about “bigger, badder, faster chips”. Today we care about not using up tons of electricity, battery efficiency, heat efficiency and many other factors as well.
For a full look at the Benchmarks and other details uncovered regarding the upcoming chip, head over to Tom’s Hardware.
What do you think of Haswell based on what we know so far, excited or not?
All Comments
I’m waiting for a Surface Pro to come out with this CPU and 256GB of storage. I think this would be amazing in every way (Maybe a built in gigabit port as well just for good measure)
Last only 30-60 minutes more? It’s not worth waiting then.
Yeah but on top of that there is improved speed and performance. But yes, I agree that 30-60min isn’t THAT much of an improvement.