Lilbits 397: Thermals matter

Intel and AMD keep cranking out mobile processors that they claim puts the power of a desktop computer into a notebook. There’s just one problem — not all notebooks are designed to handle that kind of horsepower.

While testing a couple of recent laptops with Intel’s new Core i7-10875H and Core i9-10980HK Comet Lake H processors, the folks at NotebookCheck found that the models with the theoretically slower chip scored higher in benchmarks under heavy load.

That’s because the Core i9 chip generates a lot of heat, and it’s hard for a thin and light laptop to keep the processor cool enough to run at optimal performance for an extended period.

In other recent tech news, Microsoft is getting closer to releasing the Windows 10 May 2020 Update, Samsung may have a cheaper version of the Galaxy Fold on the way, and you probably shouldn’t leave your Thunderbolt-equipped laptop out of sight in public places.

Here’s a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.

• That awkward moment when the Core i7-10875H outperforms the more expensive Core i9-10980HK [NotebookCheck]
  Thermals matter in thin and light laptops — because a notebook with inefficient cooling and a higher-priced/higher-performance processor might not perform as well as a better-cooled model with lesser chip.
• Microsoft releases Windows 10 Version 2004 (the May 2020 Update) to developers via MSDN. [ZDNet]
  It should begin rolling out to end users sometime around May 28, 2020.
• Microsoft Edge 84 adds Read aloud support for PDFs [TechDows]
  Microsoft’s new Chromium-based Edge adds support for Read Aloud PDF files (a feature that was previously available in the non-Chromium version of Edge). Right now it’s only available in Edge Canary 84, but it should make its way to stable versions in time.
• Some info on the Galaxy Fold Lite [@MaxWinebach]
  Rumor/leak: Samsung is working on a Galaxy Fold Lite 4G smartphone with lower price tag (and cheaper hardware including a smaller external display and thicker display glass).
• Google Pixel 4a may be late [Caschy’s Blog]
  We had been expecting a May 22nd launch. Now it looks like that may have been pushed back to early June.
• When Lightning Strikes Thrice: Breaking Thunderbolt 3 Security [Thunderspy]
  The Thunderspy vulnerability allows an attacker to unlock and access data from Windows or Linux PCs with Thunderbolt ports if they were manufactured before 2019. Macs are unaffected unless they’re dual booting Windows. Physical access to a PC is required.
• I hear you like cases, so here’s an iPad case for your $350 iPad case  [The Verge]
  Apple sells a $350 keyboard case for iPads now. This $100 case… goes over that case. It looks nice. It’s unclear if there’s a need for it. 

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