The issue about core duos and power....

Yeah, I'm sure it's been discussed already. The whole laptop power issue that arises with the intel core duo and USB 2.0...

I've searched, and apparently it can find no matches for "Core duo", and after visually scanning pages and pages of threads, i'm going to bite and just create another.

Here's the deal, people have found that the new intel core duo processor has a problem with it's 'sleep state' and the USB 2.0 ports. I'm not an expert, but from what i can tell, it has a problem where the power consumption jumps up when a usb2.0 item is plugged in, and cant seem to get into a lower sleep state again until the computer is restarted. This drains the battery BADLY and overall reduces battery life.

I've also read info that the origenal pentium M had this problem as well, but I have little other info on THAT subject.

Also, I've heard that there's a patch for the problem, but the patch fix seems to stop working after the computer has been put into hybernation and then brought out. The problem will come back unless the computer is restarted.


Now I'm interested in all of this because I'm looking forward to buying the new Sager laptop with the Core Duo chip in it. And i'm going to guess like nearly ALL of their computers, it will come with a USB 2.0 digital camera built into the system that's un-detatchable.


I'm wondering if i'll be having any problems with power consumption. And furthermore, how do i get said patch? I havnt read up a lot on the subject recently, so things might have changed.

Any tips, new info, help?

 

Hey, the built in camera is built in, so it isn't a USB camera, I believe.

Anyhoo', the power consumption problems were supposedly fixed in a patch so go check out Intel's site about this.

cheers,
Mike

 

Well other laptops with so-called 'built in' cameras were having the same problem, so the interface is probably USB2.0 anyway.

I'll go see what I can turn up

 

From what I recall.

The problem is a windows issue, it probably effects all laptops, definately Pentium M's and Code Duo's, whether if effects AMD's is a bit up in the air since there is no reliable tests (last I read) of the AMD to see if it has the same issue.

The patch is a registry edit, nothing too hard just a adding a key, I've not seen any other patches for it, so I'm assuming that Micro$oft are still working on it.

Edit: Oh and the camera most likely does utilize a USB interface so would probably be an issue.

 

The only "patch" I've heard about was from some review site. Not an official MS release(I don't expect Intel to release anything independently).

Since there seems to be a general concensus that this can be corrected via software, I'm fairly certain MS will release an update at some point in the future. Not sure when...but i'm betting they'll take their time, so as to make sure it's done right and doesn't break anything else.

 

so this mean we can't connect anything USB2.0 to our laptops??? I have an ipod, a digital camera, a pendrive.. what the hell

 

Read it again. Nowhere does it say that.

The issue is that when a USB device is connected, sometimes(not 100% of the time), when the computer goes into a low power mode, the USB device might not(if it's drawing power over the bus). Therefore, it'll continue to suck juice from the machine, significantly reducing the amount of battery life.

If the items are not powered off the bus, it doesn't make nearly as much of a difference. There's also some people who aren't regularly experiencing these problems.

That's why it's been kind of vague. It's generally accepted it affects most systems...but the effect may not be as dramatic in many instances.

Either way, it'll be addressed with a software patch. There's arguments over whether it's an incorrect hardware implementation by Intel or bad coding by MS, but most people agree that MS is supposedly able to resolve it with a software correction.

 

It's actually a problem with Windows XP, not Core Duos. There is already a registry fix out there, but it's not official and doesn't correct the issue completely. Hopefully MS is working on an official fix.

 

:::

"TheRunaway" is right, It's the Problem of MS XP.
The more funny is the stupid sales of "Pacific Notebook"
also say it's a Core Duo Bugs to the customer and
Acer 8204 have problem due to 8204 have build-in Cam.
What a stupid misleading Pacific Notebook Sales
who fooling people arround.....!

:::

 

There is an article about it which I posted in the Asus section a few weeks ago.
Here is the thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=41651