AST Opts to Take a Step Back From the Pentium Race

Like greyhounds chasing a mechanical rabbit, computer manufacturers are always racing to build systems based on the latest computer chips, only to look up and see a newer, faster chip pulling away.

But once in a while manufacturers decide that the chase just isn’t worth it.

AST in Irvine, for instance has decided not to build a notebook computer based on Intel’s latest microprocessor for portable PCs, the Pentium 150.

“The question is how long will this processor truly be viable, and what’s coming around the corner to replace it,” said Mark Marlow, director of mobile systems at AST. “We’ve decided we’ll bypass the 150 in favor of some newer technologies coming later.”

Numbers such as 133 and 150 refer to processing speed in megahertz, or millions of cycles per second. The numbers reflect how quickly the central processing unit--the brain of the computer--can execute instructions.

But there are other considerations in the overall performance of a computer, Marlow said. The Pentium 150 is faster than its predecessor but is based on a slower bus, which is the set of lines that link the processor to the hard drive, CD-ROM and other parts of the computer.

As a result, the 150 can process data faster, but it takes longer to move the data back and forth inside the machine. That explains why some experts estimate Pentium 150 notebooks are only 3% faster than 133 machines.

“It’s easy to get misled by the megahertz marketing that goes on,” said Marlow, who added that AST notebooks built using the Pentium 150 would have cost $300 to $500 more than those using the Pentium 133.

Hewlett-Packard has also decided not to build notebooks using the new processor, although other companies, including Toshiba in Irvine, have opted to build machines based on the Pentium 150.