New NEC machine cuts down the noise

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

ANALYSIS
Teaming with chipmaker Transmeta, NEC says its new NEC Mate incorporates a Crusoe TM5800 processor, a notebook chip. Thus, the new machine is smaller, uses less power, and operates more quietly than other desktop machines--it's so quiet, the company says, that the only noise it makes sounds like rustling leaves. Because of space constraints in Japanese offices, which place workers into much closer proximity than in typical North American offices, many Japanese companies seek out all-in-one-style compact desktops or ultra-portable notebooks. The fad toward smaller machines is slowly catching on in the United States as well; many analysts attribute growing notebook sales to the rise in smaller yet more powerful machines. Though many PC makers have made efforts to reduce desktop noise, most machines typically use at least one fan, which can produce a distinctive whirring noise while cooling the PC. The NEC Mate bypasses fans by adopting two pieces of technology--the Crusoe processor and an external power supply--both originally designed for notebooks. By using the low-power chip, NEC eliminates the need for a fan to cool the processor. An external power supply, such as those found with notebook PCs or the discontinued Cube computer from Apple, eliminates the need for another fan. The new computer will offer Crusoe TM5800 chips at clock speeds as high as 900MHz. So far, NEC is the only PC maker to incorporate a 900MHz Transmeta chip in products. Most PC makers using Transmeta chips, such as Sony, are shipping its 800MHz TM5800 in notebook PCs. Transmeta faced delays in moving the 800MHz chip into high-volume production at the end of 2001, causing problems with some customers. Sony was forced to push back product introductions, and Toshiba had to cancel products outright. However, the company has since said that the chip is back on track. The NEC Mate compact desktop also offers Japanese consumers a 15-inch screen. Although 15-inch and 16-inch screens are commonplace in notebooks sold in the United States, most business notebooks in Japan often come with 12.1-inch or smaller displays. Most workers "want to have a bigger display," said Shin Wada, director of Transmeta's Japanese office in Tokyo. NEC could not be reached for comment. The entry-level Mate will pair either a 880MHz or 900MHz Crusoe processor and 15-inch, flat-panel display with 128MB of RAM, a 20GB hard drive and a CD-ROM drive. The notebooks will sell for around US$2,000. NEC Solutions America, the company's North American arm, hasn't announced plans to bring the Mate or a compact desktop like it with a Crusoe chip to North America. NEC does offer Crusoe-based notebooks and similar all-in-one PCs with Intel chips in the United States, however. The company's PowerMate 2000, for example, offers an integrated, 15-inch screen along with a 933MHz or 1GHz Pentium III chip from Intel, with 128MB of RAM and a 30GB hard drive. It also sells the Versa UltraLite, a 3.3-pound notebook with a 600MHz Crusoe TM5600 chip.
Have your say instantly in the Tech Update forum. Find out what's where in the new Tech Update with our Guided Tour. Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

UnderINK

I agree with the previous commenter wholeheartedly. I couldn't say it better myself. This is very 'Big Brother'. And while I agree with protecting...

14 minutes ago by UnderINK on European e-identity plan to be unveiled this month
Simon Bisson and Mary Branscombe

Nice to see that Turing's idea of a general purpose computer doing once-hardware-powered tasks in software is now universal ;-) Mary

6 hours ago by Simon Bisson and Mary Branscombe on Software with everything
Jason Burchell

seriously now. I've only bothered to read a small bit of the comments. do me and the rest of the world a favour. stop saying it does not work or...

9 hours ago by Jason Burchell via Facebook on Music industry negotiating over 24-bit downloads
Philip Charles Cohen

Read about it and weep, John Donahoe ... In addition to Visa’s V.me, there is now MasterCard’s PayPass digital wallet soon to arrive; another...

14 hours ago by Philip Charles Cohen via Facebook on PayPal takes phone-based payments to the high street
apexwm

Leslie Satenstein : Where have you ever seen Mozilla even mention this? Firefox is the most popular browser in the GNU/Linux OS, so I don't see...

14 hours ago by apexwm on Firefox rapid release improves Fedora Linux
songmaster

SHleG: Do you remember building a clockwork scorpion kit (I'm pretty sure I have a photo of it somewhere) — I think it was called something like...

16 hours ago by songmaster on Software with everything
Chris Wortman

Good I love Yahoo! Their search engine is getting better than Google as of late. I find more of what I want on the first page, and usually within...

17 hours ago by Chris Wortman via Facebook on Linux Mint 13 ramps up for KDE release
PatrickG

openhgs has made the point for Windows 8 multiple monitors without realising it! With Windows 7 you have to switch the mouse and so your focus...

18 hours ago by PatrickG on Windows 8 could speed multi-monitor uptake
Leslie Satenstein

Mozilla has threatened to stop supporting Linux. I guess that UBUNTU is going with another browser. I indicated that if Mozilla stops supporting...

20 hours ago by Leslie Satenstein via Facebook on Firefox rapid release improves Fedora Linux
Andy Bolstridge

Much as I abhor Microsoft's licensing practices, this is almost certainly down to purchasing IT equipment via 3rd party consultants - you get the...

20 hours ago by Andy Bolstridge via Facebook on 6 million wasted licences and £1,200 PCs: welcome to government IT
Jack Schofield

@openhgs Windows users have had multiple desktops since Linus started writing Linux. They just haven't shipped as standard because not enough...

2 days ago by Jack Schofield on Windows 8 could speed multi-monitor uptake
Jack Schofield

@Phil at Cloud4 What, Microsoft gets £1,200 per PC and £1,622 per server? Gosh, I'm amazed....

2 days ago by Jack Schofield on 6 million wasted licences and £1,200 PCs: welcome to government IT
craigsc

You guys have no idea what is going on at Autonomy. Autonomy could have been a much more profitable organization. The sales operations at Autonomy...

2 days ago by craigsc on HP cuts 27,000 staff as Autonomy chief Lynch leaves
Moley

How does this impact on dual or multi booting? Seems to me to more or less prohibit this, from Windows 8 anyway. Will Grub 2 recognise Windows 8,...

2 days ago by Moley on Windows 8 start-up speed forces USB boot workaround
apexwm

I don't understand why there cannot be a slight pause during the boot process so the user can press a key. Many operating systems do this, even if...

2 days ago by apexwm on Windows 8 start-up speed forces USB boot workaround
Gavin Goodman

You can now buy the Xi3 modular computer in the UK at http://www.ocdistribution.com . This can be bought with the Tand3m software, pricing and...

2 days ago by Gavin Goodman on CES 2012: Xi3 microSERV3R
Phil at Cloud4

I agree: Mike Lynch can clearly build a business and manage strategy. I suspect the exit of Mike is more likely the end of a planned handover...

2 days ago by Phil at Cloud4 on HP cuts 27,000 staff as Autonomy chief Lynch leaves
Phil at Cloud4

This is unbeleivable government wastage with only one winner... Microsoft 1 - Tax payer Nil!

2 days ago by Phil at Cloud4 on 6 million wasted licences and £1,200 PCs: welcome to government IT
Mispam

So what do you do when you can't boot into windows? Why can't I just hold Shift while I power up instead of having to boot into windows and click a...

2 days ago by Mispam on Windows 8 start-up speed forces USB boot workaround
apexwm

I've also seen that Mac OS X for Intel machines is supposed to run in VirtualBox, which would also be a nice solution. I've never tried it though.

2 days ago by apexwm on xTreme Triple Booting: Linux, Mac & Windows