Intel is expected to launch Haswell processors next month that bring with them a number of improvements over the Ivy bridge chips they replace. As well as much improved integrated GPUs and an expected 10% gain in CPU performance, Haswell chips come with some major power savings.
So great are these power savings in certain power states (notably C6 and C7 states) your PSU may not be able to cope, meaning a power supply upgrade. But how has Intel managed to make such gains in lowering power use? The answer seems to be the integration of a voltage regulator module on-die.
This is the first time that Intel has managed to fully integrate the voltage regulator on to a processor. As well as being 50x smaller than the motherboard bound regulators that have come before, it also allows the chip to enter power saving states much more quickly as well as control CPU, GPU, the memory controller and I/O voltages more efficiently. The end result is significantly lower power draw and the ability to move into power saving states not previously possible.
Intel has been planning to fully integrate the voltage regulator for several years now, but has only now got it to work for Haswell. It doesn’t come without a negative, though. As the voltage regulator is now on-die, your CPU cooling setup has to cope with the additional heat it will produce. That could potentially limit the overclocking headroom of Haswell chips depending on just how hot the regulator gets.
If overclocking isn’t a major concern, which for the majority of people it isn’t, Haswell should be viewed as the CPU to have in your next laptop. The power savings on offer means your battery is going to last that much longer without compromising on performance.
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