Andy R <quadreverb@yahoo.com> writes:

> I believe they "underclock" them and run them at a
> lower voltage. Usually laptops are behind on desktops
> on speed right? I believe this is because they use the
> same die, but it's able to run on less voltage and
> cooler at a lower clock speed.

In the case of the VIA C3, it's supposedly because 1) they use a 0.13
micron process, and 2) they don't include certain parts of the
FPU. The latter means that it doesn't perform as well for some
floating point stuff, but both mean that the die is smaller, and thus
power requirements are lower. Also, the operating voltage is lower too
(I guess that's due to the smaller traces?)

Now if I could just find a place to *buy* one of the things ;-)