10 Notebook Technologies Worth Anticipating in the Year of the Ox

CNET China·ZOL February 1, 2009 【Original】 Author: Anqi Editor-in-Charge: Anqi· What changes will this year's laptops bring?

Another Spring Festival has passed, and a new year has come. Faced with the traditional back-to-school sales peak season, all manufacturers have made adequate preparations, and a series of price reduction and promotional activities will be launched again. However, our consumers are getting smarter now. While paying attention to the price, they also show great interest in the new technology of laptops.

So, what changes might the laptops released in 2009 bring? Based on our evaluation experience over the past two years, we have summarized ten new technologies worth looking forward to. These include Centrino platforms, graphics chips, memory hard drives, LCD screens, batteries, and casings, etc. Finally, we also predicted the development trend of laptop types, which will certainly help you choose your laptop.

(1) Screen: LED backlight gradually replaces CCFL

In the past few years, the backlight source of mainstream laptop LCD screens has been CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent lamp). However, with the maturity of LED (light-emitting diode) technology, more and more laptops will adopt LED backlight sources in the future. (It should be noted that the backlight source and the LCD panel are two components of the screen. There is no change in the LCD panel for the time being, and TN screens still dominate.)

Compared with CCFL backlight, LED backlight has brighter colors

Compared with CCFL backlight, LED backlight has many advantages, such as long life, low power consumption, wide color gamut, uniform color, flat light source (thinner screen), etc. Therefore, industry insiders generally believe that with the reduction of cost, LED backlight will gradually replace CCFL backlight and become a common technology on ordinary laptops.

It should be noted that LED backlight can be further subdivided into white LED and three-primary-color LED. White LED is relatively cheap and consumes less power, while three-primary-color LED has a wider color gamut and is expensive. If ranked by color performance, it should be: three-primary-color LED > white LED > CCFL.

(2) 16:9 aspect ratio screens becoming mainstream

We have already mentioned that laptop screens consist of two parts: backlight source and LCD panel. Now let's focus on the new changes in LCD panels. As we all know, during the manufacturing process of LCD panels, a whole large panel needs to be cut into multiple small panels. The more pieces cut, the cheaper each small panel becomes.

Screens of the same size but different proportions in two 14.1-inch laptops

After the most recent production line upgrade, manufacturers found that compared to 16:10, using a 16:9 cutting method was more economical. Thus, they began to vigorously promote 16:9 panels. According to our current understanding, more laptops will adopt 16:9 LCD screens this year, and in two or three years, it may replace 16:10 and become the mainstream standard.

In practical applications, 16:9 screens are more suitable for watching widescreen movies and can better place windows side by side. However, when browsing web pages, the amount of content displayed per screen slightly decreases. Additionally, we have discovered that under the same size, laptops with 16:9 screens have slightly better portability (slimmer body, lighter weight).

(3) Memory specifications quickly transition to DDR3

Since the highest frequency of DDR2 memory can only reach 800MHz, it will not be able to meet the application requirements of higher bandwidth platforms in the future. Therefore, the new memory standard "DDR3" is also emerging. Compared to DDR2, DDR3 not only achieves a higher frequency (1600MHz), but also provides double the bandwidth at the same frequency, effectively improving system performance. In addition, it reduces the voltage from 1.8V to 1.5V, meaning that even with a significant increase in frequency, the power consumption and heat generation of memory will not increase significantly.

The growth process of DDR memory from generation 1 to generation 3

In the laptop field, Intel originally hoped to use the Centrino 2 platform launched in July 2008 to promote the popularization of DDR3 memory. However, due to various reasons, the popularization speed of DDR3 memory was slower than expected, and by the end of 2008, only a few models adopted DDR3 memory. Nevertheless, the overall trend of DDR3 replacing DDR2 will not change, and we believe that in 2009, more and more laptops will adopt DDR3 memory.

It should be noted that the slots for DDR3 and DDR2 are incompatible, so old DDR2 users cannot upgrade to DDR3 memory themselves. However, you do not need to feel regretful because DDR2 has not yet become a bottleneck for system performance, and a single DDR2-667 is sufficient. If you use an integrated graphics card (such as GMA X4500), it is best to use two memory sticks to form dual channels, which will greatly improve the efficiency of the graphics chip.

(4) Cost reduction and capacity increase of solid-state hard drives

Thanks to technological progress, the capacity of SSD solid-state hard drives is steadily increasing, and prices are slowly dropping. This means that in the next few years, large-capacity solid-state hard drives will no longer be exclusive to high-end laptops but will appear on more mainstream models.

1.8-inch SSD solid-state hard drives are compact, thin, and consume low power

Compared to traditional HDD mechanical hard drives, SSD solid-state hard drives have many advantages such as fast read/write speed, shock resistance, silent operation, compactness, lightweight design, and wide operating temperature range... making them the perfect companion for laptops. However, the high cost and small capacity are the main obstacles to its popularity. For example: currently, one thousand yuan can buy a 1.5TB (1500GB) mechanical hard drive, but only a 64GB solid-state hard drive.

It can be seen that although SSD replacing HDD is an inevitable trend, HDD will still be dominant in 2009. Before affordable large-capacity solid-state hard drives appear, hybrid hard drives with NAND flash (as cache) might be a suitable transitional product. It can load the operating system and some commonly used data into the NAND flash.

(5) Montevina Refresh Platform Ready to Launch

As everyone knows, Centrino platforms consist of three major modules: processor, chipset, and wireless network card. Each update involves upgrading these three modules. However, to allow some users to experience new technologies early, Intel always releases a transitional platform with a suffix of "Refresh" between two generations.

The main characteristic of this transitional platform is: only the processor part is upgraded, while the chipset and wireless module remain unchanged. Just like the SantaRosa Refresh platform switching to 45nm processors (T8100, etc.), the Montevina Refresh platform to be released in the second quarter of 2009 will also switch to the latest Nehalem processors.

Intel Mobile Platform Update Roadmap

According to Intel's Tick-Tock strategy (updating the manufacturing process every year and updating the architecture the following year, repeating this cycle), this time the core architecture of the processor will be upgraded. Compared to the currently mainstream Merom architecture processors (including Core 2 Duo, Pentium Dual-Core, and Celeron Dual-Core), the next-generation Nehalem architecture has the following seven improvements:

1. Integrated memory controller. The processor can directly read and write memory data without going through the north bridge chip, thus enhancing memory performance.

2. Replacing the FSB bus with QPI bus. The processor can not only communicate with the north bridge but also enable communication between CPU cores.

3. Adding third-level cache. The second-level cache adopts ultra-low-latency small-capacity design, and the newly added third-level cache is shared design.

4. Hyper-Threading technology returns. Simulating one core as two for use, it can increase multi-task parallel processing performance by about 30%.

5. Turbo Mode technology. Dynamic acceleration of core operations. When running single-threaded tasks, only one core can work and overclock.

6. SSE4.2 instruction set. On the basis of SSE4.1, adding STTNI and ATA two instruction sets to enhance office application efficiency.

7. VT-d virtualization technology. Not only can the processor be virtualized, but device input and output virtualization is also increased, enhancing efficiency.

Various new features of Nehalem architecture processors

Although Nehalem is not strictly speaking a completely new architecture, it has made seven revolutionary changes for new-generation applications. From some current tests, the Nehalem Core i7 shows about a 20%~30% overall performance improvement compared to the same-frequency Core 2, and the memory bandwidth sees a 50%~100% leap. However, for ordinary users, these performance improvements are difficult to feel in daily applications, and instead may increase heat generation and shorten battery life.

It is worth noting that in the fourth quarter of this year (subject to change due to the financial crisis), the next-generation complete Centrino platform "Calpella" will be released. In addition to adopting the Nehalem processor, there will also be some changes in the chipset and wireless network card. We will provide more details about Calpella in future articles.

(6) Graphics Chip Competition: A Tripartite Standoff

In the past two years, Intel's GMA series integrated graphics cards have occupied nearly 50% of the market share, but the overall trend is declining (because the current mainstream applications require higher graphics processing performance); the remaining 50% is mainly divided between NVIDIA and AMD-ATI discrete graphics cards, with NVIDIA having a slightly larger share. However, after the well-known incident occurred, some consumers switched to AMD-ATI products.

Therefore, in this year's graphics chip market, the market shares of the three giants may become closer, presenting a tripartite standoff with intense competition. Especially in the discrete graphics card market, NVIDIA and AMD-ATI will each take out their "latest weapons": NVIDIA GeForce 100M series and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4000 series.

In 2009, the graphics chips of the three giants will present a tripartite standoff

It is understood that the new NVIDIA GeForce mobile graphics cards will include GTX 180M / 170M (G92 core), GTS 160M (G94 core), GT 130M / G 110M (G96 core), G 105M (G98 core), and other models, respectively replacing the current 9800M, 9600M, and 9300M graphics cards. However, since the core architecture hasn't changed, the overall performance won't improve much.

On the AMD-ATI side, the Mobility Radeon HD 4000 series for mobile platforms is ready, including HD 4800 (M98 core), HD 4600 (M96 core), HD 4500/4300 (M92 core) four sub-series, respectively replacing HD 3800 (M88 core), HD 3600 (M86 core), and HD 3400 (M82 core) graphics cards. Judging from the core code, the HD 4000 series architecture has changed, so its performance improvement is worth looking forward to.

(7) Dual Graphics Card Switching and Hybrid Crossfire Technology

These two technologies actually appeared in 2008, but the speed of popularization wasn't very fast. We believe that in 2009, more laptops will adopt this technology. Their advantage lies in solving the contradiction between laptop graphics performance and battery life: users can activate only the integrated graphics card and turn off the discrete graphics card when using the laptop outdoors, thus drastically reducing power consumption and extending battery life; when playing games or doing 3D drawing indoors while connected to a power source, the discrete graphics card can be activated to obtain better graphics processing performance.

Intel Hybrid Graphics Technology AMD Hybrid CrossFire Technology

In this aspect, AMD-ATI performs better, as it can simultaneously activate both the discrete and integrated graphics cards in high-performance mode, and the combined performance will be about 20% higher than using only the discrete graphics card. This is AMD Puma platform's unique hybrid crossfire (Hybrid CrossFire) technology. Intel's Hybrid Graphics technology can only achieve dual graphics card switching but cannot use them simultaneously.

We believe that this technology is indeed very practical and should gradually become a common feature of laptops. From the perspective of laptop manufacturers, the competition in the future is not about who has stronger hardware performance, but who makes their laptops more convenient and comfortable to use. Only those manufacturers who truly consider the users' needs can achieve ultimate success in fierce market competition.

(8) New Long-Life Lithium-Ion Batteries: Sonata

After three years of research and development, Boston-Power's Sonata lithium-ion battery is finally ready to enter the laptop market. It is reported that HP laptops will be the first to use this battery, named "Enviro," and will be officially sold in 2009. The greatest advantage of the Sonata battery is that its lifespan is three times longer than that of regular lithium-ion batteries, with no decline in performance.

Regular lithium-ion batteries usually take at least one hour to charge up to 80% in fast charging mode, and after 300 charge cycles, the battery performance declines by 60%~80%. The Sonata battery has almost three times the number of charge-discharge cycles as regular batteries, with up to 1000 charge cycles, and there is no decline in performance. Moreover, the Sonata battery takes only 30 minutes to charge up to 80%, and just 50 minutes to fully charge, which is very practical for business people and travelers.

Will Sonata lithium-ion batteries smoothly enter the laptop market?

It should be noted that this new type of battery only enhances durability and charging speed, but there is no significant increase in battery capacity. Therefore, in the short term, there will be no significant improvement in laptop battery life. Of course, if the price is reasonable, it is likely to be accepted by various laptop manufacturers. In fact, many companies are actively researching reforms for laptop batteries, such as ZPower's silver-zinc batteries, which have also attracted much attention.

(9) Richer and More Personalized Shell Patterns

Several years ago, laptops were usually only affordable for business people, so their appearances were mainly black and gray. But in recent years, consumer-class (home-use) laptops have shown explosive growth. While consumers pay attention to cost-effectiveness, they also have higher requirements for personalized appearance design.

Color shell laptops with piano lacquer finish Notebooks with colorful patterns on the lid

We see that all manufacturers have started innovating on laptop shells. However, limited by cost, most laptops under 10,000 yuan still cannot use expensive materials such as magnesium alloy, carbon fiber, and titanium alloy, and can only improve and beautify ordinary ABS engineering plastics. Therefore, processes such as UV piano lacquer, in-mold transfer printing, skin-like coating, and woven texture have been developed. Some have bright luster, some are delicate and comfortable, and others are simple and elegant, and anti-scratch and wear-resistant.

Laptop shell colors have become varied, with pure colors such as white, yellow, and blue, and some manufacturers have also launched graffiti versions and painted versions, maximizing the attraction of consumers' attention. Some laptop shells can even be replaced at any time... Truly proving the old saying: "There is nothing you can't imagine, and nothing you can't achieve."