For performance laptops, power and cooling matters
High-performance components without proper cooling are like a Corvette with a speed limiter
As a tech enthusiast, I have a ongoing interest in performance computing, including performance laptops, which cram an incredible amount of processing power into a remarkably small package.
The new 16-inch MacBook Pro has been rather positively received by tech media, with good reason. The focus has mostly been on the keyboard that has — finally — been brought up to an acceptable standard, but the fact that Apple has crammed an 8-core CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a reasonably well-performing Radeon Pro 5500M GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) into a rather thin laptop with no conspicuously visible heat exhaust vents is quite impressive.
However, getting those components in there is one thing, but keeping them running optimally under load is another. Power and heat have a significant impact of the performance of those high-spec parts. At this point, I believe a short primer on modern mobile CPUs and GPUs is called for.
Power and heat: the two limits of mobile computing
While computer manufacturers generally indicate the speed of the CPUs used their computers, they often…
