"Hybrid" might be a bit of a stretch, but my new PC has an always on Intel Atom for various always on tasks (Email, home server, MythTV, etc.) and an Intel Core i7 for more demanding tasks (gaming, compiling large programs, SDR, etc.). Main system specs: CPU: Intel Core i7 3930K RAM: 16GB 1600MHz DDR3 MB: Intel DX79SI HDD: 1TB 7200RPM GPU: Nvidia GTX 560 Ti 2GB OS: Gentoo Linux Low power system specs: CPU: Intel Atom D2700 RAM: 4GB 1066MHz 1.35V DDR3 MB: Jetway JNC9KDL-2700 HDD: 1TB 7200RPM OS: Gentoo Linux Front panel display specs: CPU: TI OMAP 3621 RAM: 512MB Flash: 8GB LCD: 7" LED backlit 600x1024 IPS with touch OS: Cyanogenmod 7.1.0 Power system: 42A front end converter, 60A battery backup DC/DC converter, 30A battery charger, "Lainey Schmidt" digital power management controller. And before anyone asks, it will have Eco mode (Atom only), Power mode (Atom and i7), and Turbo mode (Atom and i7 with fans at full throttle).
If you are an engineer, you see fans, circuit boards, and wires. Yet all I remember seeing is a butterfly.
Always on? Hmmmm, maybe you can put some unused CPU cycles to good use? http://priuschat.com/forums/freds-house-pancakes/24641-anyone-out-there-folding-home.html
It already does that. The case is recycled. There used to be a 2.4GHz dual Britney inside the case. (The Britney was a very fast CPU back in the day. Now, an Atom is faster than a Britney...) The nice part is that the fact that the case can handle a dual Britney means it has no problems with an i7. From what information I could find, the TDP of a Britney is 130W, which coincides with the TDP of an i7! (That does not account for Turbo Boost, but the estimated TDP of an i7 running full turbo is 180W or so, no problem for a case that handled 260W.) I work for Intel, so I got the CPU and motherboard at half price.
