Intel Information

Intel X25-M SSD: Intel Delivers

2009-12-03T23:04:00.000-08:00

No one really paid much attention to Intel getting into the SSD (Solid State Disk) business. We all heard the announcements, we heard the claims of amazing performance, but I didn't really believe it. After all, it was just a matter of hooking up a bunch of flash chips to a controller and putting them in a

drive enclosure, right?

The closer we got to release and the more time I spent with competing products, the more I realized that Intel's biggest launch of 2008 wasn't going to be Nehalem - it was going to be its SSDs. If Intel could price them right, and if Intel could deliver on the performance, the biggest upgrade you could do for your PC - whether desktop or notebook, wouldn't be to toss in a faster CPU, it would be to migrate to one of these SSDs. Combine Nehalem and one of these mythical SSDs and you were in for a treat. But that was a big if...Intel still had to deliver. We already talked about the drives back at IDF. The Intel X25-M and the X18-M, available in 80GB capacities, 2.5" and 1.8" form factors (respectively) with 160GB versions on the way. Today we are allowed to share performance data and pricing information, one of which is more impressive than the other. Intel will be selling the X25-M at $595 MSRP through OEMs and channel vendors, although I

hear the street price may be lower.

Both of the -M models are based on Intel's MLC flash, while a X25-E using SLC flash will be due out by the end of this year. I'll detail the differences in a bit. The pricing is rough, that puts Intel's X25-M at cheaper than SLC drives on the market but more expensive than MLC drives. Your options are effectively to get a 128GB MLC drive, an 80GB Intel X25-M or a 64GB SLC drive. But as you can expect, I wouldn't be quite this excited if the decision were that easy. Over the next several pages we're going to walk through the architecture of a NAND flash based SSD, investigate the problems with current MLC drives (and show how the Intel drive isn't affected) and finally compare the performance of the Intel drive to MLC, SLC and standard hard drives (both 2.5" and 3.5") in a slew of real world applications.

If you want to know the ending first I won't make you wait. Intel absolutely delivered with its first SSDs. After I completed my initial testing of the drive I sent AnandTech Senior Editor, Gary Key a message:

"I think Intel just Conroe’d the HDD market."

Honestly, within 6 months I'd expect it to be just as important to have one of these drives in your system, as your boot/application drive, as it was to have Conroe in your system back in 2006. The only issue here, the only problem I have is the price. I was hoping for something much lower from Intel and although the pricing is justified based on the performance, it ensures that the X25-M like most high performance SSDs, remains a luxury item. While the X25-M isn't the world's fastest storage device across the board, it is among the fastest. And in the areas that it does dominate, it does so unbelievably well. The other great thing? You’ve got one of the world’s fastest hard drives, and it can fit in your notebook.

Intel's X25-M Solid State Drive

2009-12-03T23:02:00.000-08:00

Looking back at recent developments in the flash solid state drive (SSD) market, we could tell that it was only a matter of time until Intel jumped in feet-first. Flash-based hard drives are about to assail the hard drive market from the very high end, where conventional hard drives are being outperformed by flash products, and from the low end, where cost and low power consumption count most. However, the mainstream has remained largely ignored, due to insufficient capacity, the intolerable cost of flash SSDs, and shortcomings, such as the absence of the power savings promised by many flash SSD makers. Being a true flash memory vendor—as opposed to so many others out there—Intel has the advantage of being able to design and refine its own product. And that’s what it has done. The X25-M is a multi-level cell (MLC) flash based drive that is capable of competing with the best single-level cell (SLC) drives on the market.

Flash SSD Facts and Overview

A solid-state drive means that the unit doesn’t include any moving parts as conventional hard drives do. As a result, flash SSDs are robust and potentially much more efficient. They’re also capable of providing almost instant access to data, while hard drives have to spend time moving arms and spinning disks to access individual blocks. We looked at the first flash-based SSD by Samsung exactly two years ago. It reached the 50 MB/s transfer speed that was offered by comparable 2.5” drives at that time, but it required half the power to operate.

The first retail products appeared a year later from Sandisk, Samsung and Ridata, and others followed a few months later, offering nice performance and attractive efficiency. But they still did not truly beat the magnetic hard drive.

M-Tron was the first company to ship a flash SSD that is actually capable of outperforming a hard drive very clearly. MemoRight followed up with increased performance, clearly positioning high-end flash SSDs to replace enterprise hard drives, but we found that most of the flash-based SSDs, despite being faster than hard drives, still could not provide improved energy efficiency (with a few exceptions). For us this is a huge issue, as everyone speaks about power savings, which, in fact often weren’t there. Our last article, which compared 14 flash SSD products, only recommends the latest offering by Samsung (also sold by OCZ), which combines impressive performance with excellent efficiency. The cost issue, however, has remained: good flash SSDs are expensive, to the point of being unaffordable to mainstream buyers.

The Intel Promise: 175x Better Disk Performance

Back at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco last August, Intel provided an insight into its flash SSD family, and spelled out the main performance points. One of the claims was a 175x performance boost over hard drives, which have only shown incremental performance increases over the last 10 years. This reflects our findings in the article Capacities Outran Performance, which we released almost two years ago. Some of you may already know the key data from various news and announcements: Intel intends to reach 250 MB/s read speed at 0.085 ms access time and revolutionary lower power consumption. This clearly is a challenge to the big guys in the flash market, namely Samsung, Toshiba and Hynix. Intel, which takes the fifth position behind its joint-venture partner Micron, obviously wants to change the balance of power by entering the storage business. Others, such as Hitachi, Seagate and Western Digital, are certainly watching closely. Let’s look at Intel’s first shake up of this competitive market.

Intel SSD X25-M 80GB Review. SSDs are Cool

2009-12-03T23:00:00.000-08:00

SSDs were all the hype last year, then the "bubble" popped when tests performed on the Macbook Air showed that the SSD drive did little more than add $1,500 to the computer's final price. No performance increase, no battery life increase - two of the promises (among others) that SSD buyers were expecting from this technology.
When they were announced, the Intel Solid State Drive (SSD) seemed fast enough to justify a field test, so we installed a 80GB Intel X25-M SSD into a 2 years old Sony Vaio SZ laptop to see what would happen. Why such an old laptop? Because we think that the perceived unresponsiveness observed by many users is caused by the lack of disk performance. Disk accesses are the main reason why many simple computer tasks (boot, shutdown, applications loading, thumbnails generation...) feel so slow. We hoped that adding this drive alone with give a "boost" to the aging laptop.
So what are the results? It worked! Thanks to the SSD awesome performance, the laptop responds quickly. The Intel X25 80GB makes SSDs cool again and proves that hard drive performance can be more important than processing power.
Our old laptop is now almost as responsive as a nearby new desktop PC equipped with a Western Digital Velociraptor 10k rpm drive (300GB). The Vaio SZ's PCMark 05 HDD score went from 2996 to 18817! As a reference, the desktop PC and its Raptor 10k rpm drive gets a score of 8298... Unfortunately, a benchmark is a benchmark and real-life performance is sometimes different from synthetic measurements, so we'll try to tell you how the user experience is affected by this Intel X25-M SSD.
Admittedly, the original 5400rpm drive was a little weak, so we ordered a modern disk that would be considered a worthy upgrade by laptop users: the Western Digital Scorpio 7200rpm 250GB. It is one of the best 2.5" platter-drive you can get.

Test configuration

Windows XP SP2
Intel Core Duo 1.83Ghz (T2400)
3GB of RAM
HDD1: Seagate Momentus 5400.2 100GB (original drive)
HDD2: Western Digital Scorpio WD2500BEKT 250GB (7200rpm "upgrade")
HDD3: Intel X25 80GB (model SSDSA2MH080G1GN)

Performance tests

As you can see, the boot times are impressively fast, but there's better: Applications can load up three times faster than the original hard disk. Loading Photoshop CS2 now feels as fast as my desktop machine. As you can see, upgrading to a faster platter drive brings a small performance (and capacity) boost for a reasonable price (around $110), but platter drives are no match for the raw performance of the Intel X25-M SSD.

Power savings?

We won't be testing the potential battery savings of the SSD. The reason is that in a laptop most of the power is going to the display, the CPU and the GPU anyways. Improving the power consumption of the hard drive has little to no practical implications. Expect no miracles on this side.

Conclusion

The Intel X25-M SSD (80GB) is impressive and really demonstrates the potential of SSD drives. It is faster than most desktop hard drives and runs completely quiet and cool. Obviously, you can pair two of these and get twice the throughput. At $600 (bulk price) with a small 80GB capacity, I'll leave it to you to appreciate how much you "need" to get this "Raptor in a laptop" drive. I assume that most people would still go for a conventional drive - I would (but at $300, I'll jump on it).
However, this clearly shows that in the next two years, we might get 120GB SSD drives for $200. This is still expensive, but capacity is not a key factor for everyone, especially for those who use their laptops as a secondary system. Also, Keep in mind that today's disk controllers and drivers are still built around mechanical drives, so expect a lot of progress on that front as well - this will further boost performance. Given the mechanical drive performance evolution over the past few years, it's pretty clear that SSDs will keep the performance lead. At some point, their price and capacity will be compelling enough to take significant market share from mechanical drives, just as they did for multimedia players.

Intel X25-M SSD

2009-12-03T22:58:00.000-08:00

The new 80GB X25-M is the blazing fast SSD just released from Intel that has knocked our socks off in testing. Our first chance to take a look at this drive is inside the HP EliteBook 8530w where it screamed through every single test we threw at it. Not only did this drive increase performance substantially across the board, but we also saw a significant jump in battery life. In this review of the HP EliteBook 8530w we cover the changes before and after the SSD upgrade, and show you just what you’d be missing if you couldn’t scrap together the funds for this drive.

HP EliteBook 8530w Specifications:

Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 Processor (2.53GHz, 6MB L2 cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Microsoft Genuine Windows Vista Business
15.4-inch WUXGA+ anti-glare (1920 x 1200)
512MB NVIDIA Quadro FX 770M Workstation GPU
4GB DDR2 800MHz RAM (2 x 2GB Configuration)
80GB Intel X25-M SSD (Up to 250MB/s Read, 70MB/s Write)
Blu-Ray and DVD+/-RW Optical Drive
WiFi, Ethernet, Modem, and Bluetooth Connectivity
8-Cell 73WHr Battery
3-Year on-site Warranty
Dimensions: 1.1" x 14.0" x 10.4"
Weight: 6.5lbs without power adapter, 8lbs with power adapter

Cost to upgrade
Everyone knows that you have to pay to play and with any upgrade to an SSD you need to pay quite a bit. At the time of this review the going street price of the 80GB Intel X25-M SSD is $660 online. On the HP website it will cost $524 to upgrade from a 160GB 7200RPM drive to the 80GB Intel SSD. You can also add a second hard drive or SSD in the EliteBook 8530w's Upgrade Bay (replaces the optical drive) for additional storage. The Intel SSD will be available for sale on the HP wibsite with the 8530w on October 20th. While the price is steep by itself, it is only about thirty percent of the overall price of the above notebook configuration, and less still when compared to drives currently on the market. This upgrade isn’t for everyone, but I can say if you take a chance on this drive you won’t be disappointed.
Performance boost
Out of all the notebooks I have reviewed, and countless system components, no single item has ever given the overall speed bump that we witnessed from the Intel X25-M SSD. With just a swap of hard drive our HP EliteBook saw a huge bump in system speed from the first boot with a fast initial system load and Vista configuration, as well as a super snappy user interface. Little things such as clearing off system bloatware, which normally takes a bit of time as the system deletes files off the hard drive, happened almost instantly. As soon as we would select an application to uninstall and give the final confirmation the notebook would blip progress window and close it in a fraction of a second. Something was noticeably different with this system configuration, and from the first benchmark we ran we started to see why.
HDTune reported speeds as high as 192MB/s in some benchmark runs, with the average settling in at 182MB/s. Compared to most SSD’s in the 90MB/s range, or even our last SSD review with the 64GB Samsung model with 130MB/s average, this was a huge bump in speed. When you compare it to the fastest notebook drives that barely peak 80MB/s, or even the 10,000RPM Velociraptor desktop drive that peaks at 123MB/s you start to see just how fast this drive is. It should also be mentioned that while smoking other drives, it also runs perfectly silent and consumes less power than most notebook hard drives. Under full load being benchmarked the Intel X25-M SSD puts off barely a hint of heat, feeling cool to the touch at 83 degrees Fahrenheit recorded by our temperature gun.

HDTune for 7200.2 notebook hard drive:

HDTune for WD Velociraptor high performance desktop hard drive:

HDTune for Intel X25-M SSD:

The next benchmark in our list is PCMark05, which saw an astonishing jump in score from 6,287 in our original review to 9,452 with the Intel SSD. This is over a 3,000 point jump from a drive upgrade and nothing else. Both 3DMark06 and PCMark Vantage saw boosts in performance, but not as big of a jump as PCMark05. 3DMark06 went from 5,230 in the original review to 5,847 with the SSD. PCMark Vantage jumped from 3,944 to 5,516, over a 25% bump.
Battery life boost
To get almost three times speed from a drive, you would expect that system power usage would increase at least a little bit. In the Bizarro world with the Intel X25-M we saw the exact opposite, with power consumption levels dropping by more than 20%. In terms of real life performance under the same testing procedure using the balanced power profile, brightness set to 60%, and wireless enable battery life increased by 1 hour. In the original review we found battery life to top out at 3 hours and 38 minutes, and after the SSD upgrade the system managed 4 hours and 38 minutes before it went into sleep mode at 5% battery life remaining.
Conclusion
Intel really made a winning product with the X25-M 80GB SSD, blowing previous performance SSD models out of the water, while still being light on power consumption and heat output. While still pricy at $660 compared to standard hard drives, it isn’t nearly as bad as what SSDs used to cost even six months ago. For those looking to add this option to your notebook during customization, you are looking at $524 from HP at this time. In my eyes this is the best single upgrade for a notebook on the market, outside of going from an Intel Celeron to Intel Core 2 Duo processor.

Intel Core i5 750 Review

2009-12-03T22:54:00.000-08:00

Introduction
Yes, I am aware of the fact that the NDA on the new Intel products has ended almost a week ago and, yes, I was actually planning on releasing this article on launch day, but due to several other launches, projects and articles I didn't have the time to finish all the necessary tests on all the different platforms I wanted to include in this article. So, instead of doing it half-half, I decided to postpone the release of the article so it would more than just a work-in-progress.

So, what is all the fuss about? Basically: Core i5, LGA1156 and the Intel P55 chipset. I can assume that, since this article is a couple of days too late, you already know what this new release is all about. In short I would describe the LGA1156 platform as "affordable 1366", although you will notice that the high-end 1156 hardware configurations will come close to the less-expensive 1366 configurations price-wise. Nevertheless, the main purpose of the new LGA1156 platform is to make Core i7 cheaper. To do so, Intel has removed the third memory channel and has integrated the IOH, containing the PCI-e lanes and the connection between CPU and peripherals, onto the CPU die. Next to that, the new processors will have either less cores or no Hyper-Treading. Removing the IOH and disabling cores/hyper threading is not only more cost-effective, but should also reduce the motherboard production costs and the total power consumption.

To NDA or not to NDA?

The fact that I'm apologizing for not posting the article when NDA ends may come across as laughable, but I shouldn't be the one apologizing in the first place. As most of the technology enthusiasts know, the NDA on any of the three product launches has been broken so many times that I actually see Intel's NDA strategy as meaningless. An NDA, or: non-disclosure agreement, is to prevent information regarding a certain product launch to be leaked to the big public; for instance performance figures, pricing rates or even in-depth technology features. Now, even in the past, we knew that Asian sources often 'broke' NDA by sharing bits of information a couple of weeks before the actual launch, but this time breaking NDA was taking a step further.

This time around however, weeks, even months before the media was allowed to talk one word about the upcoming Intel products, motherboards and processors were available in retail stores all across Asia and even Europe, and that’s without counting including the ES samples in the wild! This created a totally ridiculous situation where media was not allowed to talk about performance, but anybody could just go out and find the products themselves. Reason for this seems to be an error somewhere in the Intel HQ, which stated to distributors that they could sell the products, but not advertise that they had them. In the video of TweakTown underneath this paragraph, you can clearly see local stores selling Core i5 products, but none of them actually put links on their website. In any case, for those who wonder, it can be completely different: just think about the secrecy with which AMD developed its new HD58xx series: so close to the launch and publicly no one has a real clue about its performance.

Core i5 750 - Core i7 860 and 870 processor review

2009-12-03T22:52:00.000-08:00

Goodness gracious great processors of fire... can you believe it has been nearly a year ago since Intel released the dazzling Core i7 series processor? What an instant hit directly from the start they were. The problem with Core i7 however is that it is a slightly expensive platform, especially in combination with X58 chipset based motherboards... also your average X58 motherboard will set you back a good 250 USD alone, add to that the cheapest 289 USD'ish Core i7 920 processor and then well, you'd still need to build the rest of the PC.
So while Core i7 started to dominate and glorify the top enthusiast segment of the market, in the past year the mainstream to high-end segment was left alone. The current Core 2 Duo and Quad processors are plenty competitive and as such Intel simply did not introduce new processors and motherboard chipsets. For me as a technology journalist that was a weird thing to see. Was Intel in a comfort zone? Did they want to sit out the economic crisis or just maximize the Core 2 series revenue stream? We'll never really know but it certainly took a very long time before we noticed some new products.

Meanwhile, facing the same economic crisis and haunted by a processor bug, AMD had to readapt, refocus, redesign and reintroduce their Phenom series processors. Boy what rough water they had to sail, as right after the TLB bug was fixed, the economy crashed. But hats off to them, ever since the beginning of 2009 AMD started to sell Phenom II processors that were finally able to compete with chipzilla's processors, and with good success. And that is important as the market could never function properly without some kind of competition.
Today the turn goes back to Intel. They are introducing the P55 motherboard chipset and no less than three new Nehalem based Lynnfield processors, with many more to follow in the upcoming months. Today's product releases are targeted at the higher segment of the mainstream market, what you read about today can hardly be called cheap or 'very' affordable, with one exception.

Two out of the three Lynnfield processors introduced today are actually positioned and classified in the Core i7 range of processors, and just one processor is an actual Core i5 series processor. They all have several key features in common. They come with a lovely 95 Watt TDP, are Nehalem (Core i7 family architecture) based and yes... they come with that new much discussed package on Socket LGA 1156. Yeah chaps, we have a lot to talk about and to show you, of course. We'll separate the P55 motherboard chipset and the three new processors into two articles, this article will cover Core i7 870, Core i7 860 and Core i5 750. Another article will cover the P55 chipset and overclocking experience with an MSI motherboard and then later this week more reviews on P55 motherboards from names like ASUS, Gigabyte and ECS. So with that said, let us quickly head on over to the next page where we'll start off with this processor review article. Hihooo Lynnfield, here we come...

Data Specialist Professional Products and Services

2009-11-30T08:22:00.000-08:00

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SISG consultants understand these critical factors and for 2 decades have been partnering with clients as well as other business partners to plan, build and implement solutions that impact the bottom line. Our consultants are Certified Public Accountants, MBA’s, and hold advanced technical degrees in Information Technology as well as Project Management and software certifications. This fusion of business and technology education coupled with our vast experience is the key to our success and sets us apart from typical IT consulting firms.

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Intel’s Roadmaps Reveal Conroe Clock Speeds & Information

2009-11-30T08:20:00.000-08:00

Intel is convinced that by the end of this year it will have turned the tables on AMD; with Conroe, Merom, and Woodcrest, Intel fully expects to regain the performance crown while offering much lower power consumption than their present-day CPUs. While I’m expecting Intel to do well, it’s hard to say for sure whether it’ll achieve its ultimate goal. Of course, if you ask Intel, it has had the world’s fastest processors for the past five years straight. Regardless, it’s about time for a processor roadmap update, and luckily I have one right here.

As you can guess, Intel is phasing out the Pentium brand and replacing it with its new Core brand. We first saw this on the mobile side with the Core Duo and Core Solo CPUs, and we’ll see it again this fall with some derivative of the Core name on the desktop. What we’ve all known as Conroe for a while now will eventually be called the Core something E6000 or E4000. The E6000 and E4000 break down as follows:

Processor Number	Clock Speed	FSB	L2 Cache
E6700	2.66GHz	1,066MHz	4MB
E6600	2.40GHz	1,066MHz	4MB
E6400	2.13GHz	1,066MHz	2MB
E6300	1.86GHz	1,066MHz	2MB
E4200	1.60GHz	800MHz	2MB

With the latest roadmaps, we finally have an indication of clock speeds for Intel’s new architecture. Remember that Conroe has a deeper pipe than Yonah, thus allowing it to reach higher clock speeds, but the decrease in efficiency is most likely more than made up for by architecture changes (such as the four-issue core).

The increase in L2 cache on the higher-end parts will also prove to be beneficial to performance, especially considering that these parts still lack an on-die memory controller. I’ve already seen that Yonah can perform, clock for clock, very similarly to AMD’s Athlon 64 X2, so I’d expect Conroe to do no less. The larger L2 cache on Conroe also explains why Yonah’s L2 access latency went up from 10 cycles in Dothan to 14 cycles; it seems as though Yonah’s L2 cache is a 2MB version of the 4MB cache we’ll see later this year in Conroe (and in Merom on the mobile side).

The other key aspect of Conroe is its higher FSB frequency, from 667MHz in Yonah up to 800/1,066MHz. More FSB bandwidth will help keep those larger caches full and help in multitasking scenarios where both cores are active.

Note that all of the Conroe E6000 and E4000 CPUs are still LGA-775, meaning they should work in current 975X-based motherboards. Of course the 975X chipset is still a high-end solution; Intel will release the G965 and P965 chipsets for the mainstream market alongside the new processors. The G965/P965 solutions will both support DDR2-800 and a 1,066MHz FSB, so they will be able to run the full gamut of Conroe E6000/E4000 CPUs.

Interestingly enough, there will be a Xeon based on Woodcrest (the server version of Conroe) clocked at 3.0GHz with a 1,333MHz FSB released sometime in the third quarter of this year, as well. Given Intel’s prior history of turning Xeons into Extreme Edition processors, we may very well see a 3.0GHz Core Extreme Edition processor on the desktop later this year.

With Core Duo still taking its sweet time to get out into the mainstream market, it’s no surprise that Merom (Yonah’s successor) won’t be out until the fourth quarter of this year. It’s quite possible that Merom gets pushed off into early 2007 to give Core Duo a reasonable lifespan. The details on Merom are as follows:

Processor Number	Clock Speed	FSB	L2 Cache
T7600	2.33GHz	667MHz	4MB
T7400	2.16GHz	667MHz	4MB
T7200	2.0GHz	667MHz	4MB
T5600	1.83GHz	667MHz	2MB

Architecturally, Merom should be very similar to Conroe, and Intel is talking about including a new set of SIMD instructions with the new chips (currently called Enhanced Processor SSE, maybe SSE4 in the future). Merom is slated to debut on Core Duo’s Napa platform but will receive its own brand-new chipset and wireless solution (the Santa Rosa platform) in early 2007.

Intel Asus EeeTop PC ET2002

2009-11-27T01:48:00.000-08:00

The Asus EeeTop PC ET2002 is a with a 20-inch display and a dual-core Intel Atom processor that sells for about $600. It’s part of Asus’ popular Eee line which original featured just the company’s netbooks, but has grown to include a number of different products that make it “easy to learn, easy to work, and easy to play”. Previously most nettop models, including Asus’ EeeBox, were just netbooks brought to the desktop–this was effective for the price but underwhelming on the performance front. After all, the limitations we accept when on battery power are much different from what we will accept when sitting at home. To deal with this scenario the ET2002 not only moves to a dual-core Atom processor (the Atom 330), but it uses Nvidia’s Intel Asus EeeTop PC ET2002. ION brings a significant graphics boost to the

, making it ready for tasks that you would ask of a desktop, including HD video playback and mainstream gaming. It also offers GPU acceleration of certain tasks, like video encoding through Nvidia’s Intel Asus EeeTop PC ET2002. These things are important when you have a 20-inch 1600×900 display sitting in front of you as well as a built-in DVD drive. The ET2002 has 2GB of RAM, wireless b/g/n, and a 320GB hard drive.

The Intel Asus EeeTop PC ET2002 is about 20-inches wide and 16-inches tall. It requires about 10-inches of depth to stand properly. This makes it a good size for most desks, and smaller than the combination of a 20-inch LCD and a tower. The system ships with an undersized, numberpad-less keyboard, and a travel-sized mouse which also save room (though you’ll probably want to upgrade both). The computer isn’t quite as good looking as some of the other all-in-ones that we’ve see on the market, but given it’s emphasis on value, it doesn’t give us much to complain about. A nice 20-inch LCD panel is framed with a rather wide bezel and at bottom of the entire cabinet is a speaker. The base is composed of two pieces–an adjustable metal stand which controls the tilt of the LCD and a clear plastic component with a soft rubber foot on the bottom. Overall the design is a bit clunky but it’s something that people won’t have a problem putting on a desk on even in their kitchen. If there are any features to complain about it would be the seven blue LEDs below the display. These are constantly shining and can be distracting, especially during media playback. The worst part is that some of the LEDs are for volume up/down, a Home button, and the LCD OSD, which don’t certainly require LED indicators.

One of the best parts of the Intel Asus EeeTop PC ET2002 is its versatility. Many people might be expecting a simple system that works for checking your email and little else, but it can do much more than that. The 20-inch system works great for watching video and the speakers get surprisingly loud, so they are great for listening to music. The computer also has an optical drive, a card reader, and an HDMI input for watching video from another device Intel Asus EeeTop PC ET2002 (or playing video games through your console). Another major perk–it runs with only one cable connected. It obviously needs power, but the mouse, keyboard, and internet connection are all handled wirelessly.

Intel Asus EeeTop PC ET2002 got at least one part of the EeeTop perfectly right: the setup. After taking it out of the box, plugging it in, and turning it on the EeeTop instantly recognized its keyboard and mouse. After that I was connected to my wireless network in seconds and on the internet doing what I wanted to do before I knew it. The point of an all-in-one is convenience and ease of use, and Asus nailed both of them.

When it comes to usability, the EeeTop was also strong. The full-sized display could use more height for productivity purposes, but it worked for most (especially media). The dual-core Atom was the most significant hurdle to the Intel Asus EeeTop PC ET2002 success (at least in my estimation), but it wasn’t ever a serious issue, even running Vista. The system certainly doesn’t have a lot of CPU power to spare, but the inclusion of ION means that 3D and video will be able to run, leaving the CPU to handle the rest. It sometimes choked when too much was thrown at it, but it’s not particularly bad. In fact the Intel Asus EeeTop PC ET2002 was just slow when multitasking if an application or two was demanding. ION isn’t perfect, but it’s an impressive solution and it tends to be the star of the show if you know what to look for–most people will just see that their $599 all-in-one plays HD video (even while installing a program) and be happy with that, not thinking about what’s making it possible.

The system has enough storage for most people as well as enough USB ports for expansion (six) but does not have eSATA or Firewire. The keyboard isn’t particularly good, nor is the mouse, but they are included and can be swapped out if you think it’s worth it. If you are only spending an hour or two a day on the computer they will be adequate. Asus EeeTop PC ET2002 All-in-One ended up being a really attractive product. For $600 you are getting a 20-inch display, a wireless keyboard/mouse, and a computer that can play HD video. Plus clean desktop lovers will have a system that runs with only one wire connected to it. It’s also a computer that can be setup by someone of any skill level in under ten minutes. There are cheaper options out there, but with the Intel Asus EeeTop PC ET2002 you are getting that dual-core Atom processor and Nvidia’s ION, both of which are important when it comes to performance and the system’s ultimate capabilities. The extra $100 or so dollars will be well worth it when you want to do some casual gaming or fire up a 720p video.

Intel Silicon Photonics

2009-11-27T01:42:00.000-08:00

It's been almost two years since Intel Silicon Photonics any "breakthroughs" in silicon photonics. Well, we can't let that stand, can we?

The APD is new ground, not just because it's a different part, but because its performance outdoes "any equivalent device in a III-V-based or exotic material," says Mario Paniccia, an Intel Silicon Photonics fellow and director of the company's Photonics Technology Lab. (III-V, or "three-five," refers to a class of compounds such as indium phosphide (InP) or gallium arsenide.)

That's a first. Intel Silicon Photonics have always been a tradeoff. The devices would be easier to integrate and cheaper to manufacture, since they can be built using complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) techniques that are commonplace in the chip world -- but the performance suffers. Intel Silicon Photonics has been aiming for CMOS devices with 90 percent of the performance of InP ones.

The APDs aren't anywhere close to being a marketable product, by the way. "This is a research result. It's actually a very new result, Paniccia says. Like any big company, Intel has started and ended its share of projects. But Intel Silicon Photonics has stuck, a testament to how vital Intel believes this technology is to the future of computing.

There have been changes, though. All the photonics work is now being done at created early this year out of the Intel and flash memory businesses. Why? It so happens, Intel Silicon Photonics work was being done at what is now Numonyx's fab. Intel found it easiest to just keep the operation in place, Paniccia says. So, the engineers technically work at Numonyx and build their devices on the same Numonyx production lines that are churning out high-volume memory chips.

Going the distance

Intel's silicon photonics efforts are aimed mostly at short-reach connections, but the APD could easily be applied to a telecom network. The devices usually get mentioned in the context of long-haul spans, partly because they're too expensive to use elsewhere -- $200 to $300 apiece, Paniccia says.

The advantage of an APD is that a weaker light source can generate a sufficient current. That means you can take some liberties on the transmission side -- moving the source a farther distance away, for instance. Among the possible applications Paniccia cited was the fiber-to-the-home network, where APDs could conceivably be used to extend the reach of fiber links. Performance for APDs can be measured in the gain-bandwidth product -- that is, the device's gain multiplied by the speed of the connection, which comes out to a fixed number measured in Hertz. For an indium phosphide APD, that gain-bandwidth product is around 120 GHz, Intel says. Intel's silicon APD is showing 340 GHz, implying that it would have better gain than InP devices.

Intel didn't specify the speed it's aiming for with APD, but the company is shooting high with its marketing, saying a silicon APD could be an aid in 40-Gbit/s networks. That would be quite a leap, as APDs are only available in speeds up to 2.5 Gbit/s today."A 40-Gbit/s APD might be really pushing it, but as something they're talking about for the future, it might be reasonable," says Ali Abouzari, vice president of sales forIntel Silicon Photonics.

To describe which part of the APD is made of silicon, it's helpful to look at how an APD works. A normal photodiode receives a photon of light and produces an electron pair (you can think of a "hole" as the opposite of an electron), creating electrical current. An APD adds a multiplication region where that reaction gets amplified, creating many more electron/hole pairs and a stronger current. Intel used silicon for the multiplication region. But to absorb the photon and get the process started, Intel needed germanium, because silicon is transparent to the infrared wavelengths used in communications. Silicon can't "catch" the light. Plenty of challenges exist with this approach. One is that the silicon and germanium atoms form lattices that don't quite match up, and that can cause some current to leak out even when there's no light present. Intel is still working on getting that "dark current" down, Paniccia says.

Intel Core 2 Duo processors 40 percent performance

2009-11-27T01:37:00.000-08:00

Intel Corp. announced the arrival of its Intel Core 2 Duo processors 40 percent performance that the company described as its most important product since the Pentium processor released in 1993. The Core 2 Duo marks a change in Intel's approach to chip making, as the company admitted it had hit a technical wall since its 1990s dominance, which was powered by the huge leap in speed that the Pentium processor offered.

Now the company has focused on shrinking circuitry, allowing them to affix two computing engines to a single piece of silicon, which gives computers as much as 40 percent improved performance while still emitting less heat, the company says. Intel Chief Executive Paul S. Otellini said that the company planned to ship at least one million chips out in the next two months, which would get them into the PCs of computer makers in time for the holiday season. Intel Core 2 Duo processors 40 percent performance has said that systems based on the Core 2 Extreme -- Intel's processor developed for video games are already available, and Hewlett-Packard, Gateway and Dell have all announced they will sell PCs equipped with the Intel Core 2 Duo processors 40 percent performance.

This move could be just what the company needs to regain its former dominance, which has slipped over the last three years to Advanced Micro Devices (A.M.D.). The smaller company has become known for its faster and more efficient processors, leading to its acquisition of five market share points last year, according to technology research company Mercury Research. A.M.D. released a response to Intel's announcement stating it “is now quite accustomed to Intel Core 2 Duo processors 40 percent performance reacting and attempting to follow (their) lead” in the market.

Intel Officially Launched Xeon 5500 Series

2009-11-27T01:30:00.000-08:00

After the previous release of Intel Officially Launched Xeon 5500 Series for desktop version back to November last year, Intel Inc has just officially launched the new Xeon processors targeted for enterprise server market. The new 5500 series or previously named as Nehalem EP are claimed to be the world’s most powerful processors that has been enhanced with various cutting edge technologies.

Similar to other Intel Officially Launched Xeon 5500 Series that is based on 45-nm High-K process technology, the Xeon 5500 series has been further enhanced with various Intel technologies targeted for performance boost while able to conserve energy while in idle mode. Thanks to its advanced Intel Turbo Boost Technology that is able to adjust its core frequency dynamically depending on the Intel Officially Launched Xeon 5500 Series . Besides, its hyper-Threading Technology will able to handle multiple Intel Officially Launched Xeon 5500 Series virtually observed as eight-cores while powered by a quad cores Nehalem processor. That is not all, it has been equipped with Virtualization Technology that enables multiple OS (Operating system) running simultaneously on the same Intel Officially Launched Xeon 5500 Series . To reduce memory bottleneck, Intel Officially Launched Xeon 5500 Series an Intel QuickPath Technology (with integrated memory controller) that is able to deliver much higher performance as compared to competitor’s solutions.

This has definitely marked another great milestone with the most significant launch after the previous Pentium Pro series back to 1995 and the giant chipmaker does promise to come out with a 32-nm “Westmere” version as a its successor withIntel Officially Launched Xeon 5500 Series in single die targeted for much demanding applications in short future.

Intel Core 2 Duo Vs Intel Dual Core Processor

2009-11-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

1. Architecture

Core 2 Duo : Uses an architecture ton create two cores on a single die or in other words there is two chips in one package.
Dual Core : It is the first Double Core Technology from Intel. It uses a less sophisticated mechanism but basically it uses two cores in a single die.
Conclusion : Dual Core is an older architecture and Core 2 Duo is an improvement over that architecture making it more efficient.

2. Performance

Core 2 Duo : It has better performance than Dual Core Processors in almost all Benchmarking tests.
Dual Core : It is better performer than all previous processors in Pentium Series but no better than Core 2 Duo.
Conclusion : Core 2 Duo is a clear winner here.

3. Thermal Output

Core 2 Duo : Core 2 Duo Processors are significantly cooler than all other processors.
Dual Core : Remains cool but not like Core 2 Duo.
Conclusion : Core 2 Duo wins here.

4. Overclocking

Core 2 Duo : They can be easily overclocked up to 4.0 GHz with suitable coolers. Even a overclocking at 6.0GHz was made possible with Liquid Nitrogen cooling.
Dual Core : Can be overclocked upto 20-30% of its specified clock speed without much problem.
Conclusion : Core 2 Duo has better overclockability.

5. Power Consumption

Core 2 Duo : Very good power efficient processor with max TDP of 65Watts.
Dual Core : Extremely power efficient with max TDP of 15Watts.
Conclusion : Dual Core has lower power consumption.

6. Clock Speeds

Core 2 Duo : Greater clock speeds of upto 3.33 GHz is available now. (Model No. E8600)
Dual Core : Not so high clock speeds available. Max 2.33 GHz is available for model no. T2700.
Conclusion : Core 2 Duo models are available with greater clock speeds.

7. Price

Core 2 Duo : These processors are priced from $120 to $270 for different versions of processors.
Dual Core : These processors are priced from $40 to $140 for different versions of processors.
Conclusion : Dual Core Processors are available at really low prices now.

8. Cache

Core 2 Duo : You can get a max of 6MB L2 cache for Core 2 Duo. (E.G. Model No. E8300, E8400, E8500, E8600, …)
Dual Core : Max 2MB L2 cache is available.
Conclusion : Core 2 Duo models are available with greater clock speeds.

9. Front Side Bus Speed

Core 2 Duo : It is available with front side bus speeds of upto 1333 MHz. (E.G. Model No. E8300, E8400, E8500, E8600, …)
Dual Core : Max of 667 MHz speed is available.
Conclusion : Greater FSB Speed is available with Core 2 Duo.

10. Overall

Core 2 Duo : It is a better processor with higher price tag.
Dual Core : It is not as good as Core 2 Duo but is available at a cheaper price tag.
Conclusion : If you are looking for a budget processor, go for Dual Core otherwise Core 2 Duo is a better choice.

Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 Review

2009-11-19T16:08:00.000-08:00

What CPUs suit best for contemporary applications – dual- or quad-core ones? It is very hard to answer this question, so no wonder that the adherents of both concepts are constantly engaged into long fierce debates about what’s best. While top quad-core processors work at the same frequencies as the dual-core ones, there are not that many applications out there that could really use their entire potential. On the other hand, dual-core CPUs overclock better, boast more favorable thermal characteristics, and the most important thing – cost considerably less than their quad-core counterparts. That is why many enthusiasts do not hurry to spend their money on Core 2 Quad and Core 2 Extreme processors just yet.

Nevertheless, Intel seems to be working really hard on helping the users with decision making. They try to shift the users’ attention to those models that can offer maximum parallelism. Otherwise how would you explain the fact that they focus more and more on quad-core solutions, pushing dual-core CPUs into the lower-price market segment? For example, since Intel introduced 45nm production process, they haven’t increased the frequencies of their Core 2 Duo processor family even once. As a result, the top quad-core processor models have finally outpaced dual-core processors in terms of clock speeds, which doesn’t seem logical. Here I would also like to add that the new processors with promising Nehalem micro-architecture that are coming out in Q4 2008 should start conquering the market in the quad-core segment first. Thanks to simultaneous multithreading technology (SMT) these processors will be able to process up to 8 threads at the same time. Dual-core CPUs on new micro-architecture should appear in the market more than 6 months later. So those of you who don’t feel like paying extra money for additional cores will have to stay with Core 2 Duo solutions for another considerable while.

Of course, we can’ disregard the fact that Intel’s dual-core processor family is being changed dramatically, especially its lower-end models. Namely, new Wolfdale models with slashed characteristics – E7000 and E5000 – already appeared or will appear there in the nearest future. However, this evolution is meaningful only for users looking for inexpensive computers. It doesn’t take into account the interests of those who shop in $200-$300 price range. But even Intel cannot ignore for a long time this pretty large group of users who need high-frequency dual-core mainstream processors. That is why very soon the company is going to expand their Wolfdale processor family by adding one more high-speed 45nm CPU to the top of the lineup. It will work at 3.33GHz frequency. So our today’s article is going to talk about this new processor – Intel Core 2 Duo E8600.

I have to say that Core 2 Duo E8600 is also extremely interesting because it will be the first processor with E0 stepping. After that the new processor stepping will get into other 45nm Wolfdale processors, too. As a rule, the new cores bring new hopes for even better overclocking potential that is why we all look forward to the test results for the new Core 2 Duo E8600. So, let’s finish our introduction right there and move on to the actual CPU and benchmarks that we all have been looking forward to.

Dual Core Linux Performance

2009-11-19T16:01:00.000-08:00

While nearly all of Intel's attention is focused on their newer LGA-1366 platform with the high-end Core i7 processors and then the forthcoming Core i5 series, there are still plenty of viable processors left for the LGA-775 motherboards. There are of course a number of different Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, and Core 2 Extreme CPUs on the market, but beyond that Intel's Celeron family does still exist. Most computer enthusiasts simply write off the Celeron products as being too slow, but among the newer Celeron parts there are even some dual-core processors. For a forthcoming article we had picked up an Intel Celeron E1400 for looking at the Linux video decoding performance on a slow system (similar to our HD Video Playback With A $20 CPU & $30 GPU On Linux article), but as we have never published performance results for a dual-core Celeron on Linux, we have decided to get those numbers out there today for those that are interested.

The E1400 is one of four Celeron desktop processors that offer two processing cores and are codenamed Allendale. The other three processors are the E1200, E1500, and the E1600, with the difference between them largely just being the clock frequency. This Intel Celeron processor is built upon a 65nm process and Allendale is derived from Intel's Core micro-architecture. This CPU offers the normal set of features, including SSE3, Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology, 64-bit support, and XD bit.

The Intel Celeron E1400 is clocked at 2.0GHz, provides 512KB of L2 cache, has an 800MHz FSB, a 65 Watt TDP, and is compatible with LGA-775 motherboards. The fastest dual-core Celeron is the E1600, which is clocked at 2.4GHz, while the slowest is the E1200 and it comes clocked at 1.6GHz. All of these dual-core Celeron processors have a cost of about $50 USD.

Intel Plan 600-MHz Pentium III For September Release

2009-11-15T00:36:00.000-08:00

Intel plans to release a 600-MHz Pentium III processor in September with a 133-MHz system bus and 256 kilobytes of integrated Level 2 cache, according to an Intel price sheet examined by Computer Retail Week. The 600-MHZ Pentium III, the first high-end Intel chip to be united with its secondary cache, will be priced at $761 in quantities of 10,000. Integrating the L2 cache onto the processor die tends to significantly increase processing power. Current Celeron processors with 128 KB of integrated L2 cache can closely match performance of a Pentium II with 512 KB of L2 cache on the Slot 1 module, for example.

The new processor also bumps up clock speeds significantly, helping Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel distance its processors from rival Advanced Micro Devices' CPUs. At the same time, Intel will reduce pricing on its existing Pentium III processors. The 500-MHz Pentium III, initially released in March, will drop about 50 percent, from $625 this month to $299 in September.

"That's a pretty fast drop for a high-end chip," said Bill Bryant, general manager of Datel Systems, a retail chain based in San Diego. Also scheduled for release in September is a 533-MHz Pentium III with a 133-MHz system bus at $415. A 550-MHz Pentium III with a 100-MHz system bus is slated for May at $730, dropping to $696 in July and $520 in September. Pentium II processors receive similar price reductions, culminating in identical pricing schemes for the Pentium II 450-MHz and the Pentium III 450-MHz from May to September.

In addition to high-end desktop CPUs, Intel's pricing road map shows plans for the first Pentium III mobile chip with Geyserville, a code-name for a technology that reduces power consumption in high-speed processors. That 1.6-volt part will be released at 600 MHz or higher with 256 KB of on-chip L2 cache at $761. Geyserville processors are dual-mode, operating at higher clock speeds when plugged into a wall outlet and automatically switching to lower frequencies when running on a battery. The idea is to deliver desktop-equivalent speeds when drawing electrical power and dropping down to typical portable speeds when using limited resources of batteries.

Bryant said he expects Geyserville notebooks to initially appeal to businesses purchasing high-end notebooks. "Top-of-the-line notebooks run about $4,000, and by the end of the year, you are still going to be spending in that range," he said. "Those CPUs will be significant next year when the price comes down low enough that they will be in the mid-price range."

Other mobile Pentium III chips also will be released in September. Intel is scheduled to ship 1.3-volt 450-MHz and 500-MHz mobile Pentium IIIs, priced at $341 and $520, respectively.

Additional highlights in Intel's price road map include a 667-MHz Pentium III Xeon with 256 KB of integrated L2 cache set to ship in September at a $1,040 price point. The Celeron 333-MHz (with 128 KB of L2 cache on die) will drop from $81 this month to $61 in July, and a 500-MHz Celeron is slated to ship in September at $185. At the low end, Intel is expected to release shortly its new chip set, model 810, which integrates fairly high-end audio and video functionality in an effort to reduce overall system prices.

Intel to eliminate toxic lead from its microprocessor chips

2009-11-15T00:35:00.001-08:00

Intel Corp. has announced plans to stop using lead as a soldering agent in its microprocessors. Lead is a chemical element with widespread industrial use. It is particularly useful as a semiconductor, due to its specific electrical and mechanical properties. The element, however, is a highly potent toxin known to cause blood and nervous system disorders, including mental dysfunction, especially in children.

Intel began phasing out the use of lead in its products in 2002, with the introduction of a tin-silver-copper soldering alloy. This alloy had replaced lead as a soldering agent in nearly all Intel chip sets and processors by 2004, with the exception of 0.02 grams of lead that continued to be used inside each chip.

This lead will now be eliminated in favor of the tin-silver-copper alloy, beginning with the Penryn line of processors. The company plans to have its microprocessors be lead-free by the end of the year, and to phase out lead in its 65-nanometer-process chips in 2008.

The use of toxic metals in electronics manufacture has become a serious health problem worldwide. High rates of obsolescence have contributed to a global "electronic waste" problem, in which vast quantities of electronics have been ending up as garbage, particularly in Third World countries that are paid to dispose of First World waste.

Unregulated disposal of this waste, whether by landfilling, burning or even disassembly for parts, exposes local workers, residents and ecosystems to a heavy toxic payload. Lead in particular is known for its ability to contaminate soil and groundwater.

According to Solving the E-waste Problem, a United-Nations-led alliance between three U.N. agencies, 16 businesses and several government agencies and universities, electronic waste is one of the fastest-growing types of trash in the world, with levels rapidly approaching 40 million metric tons per year.

Intel Preps Dual-Core Celeron Microprocessors – Documents.

2009-11-15T00:26:00.000-08:00

It was just a matter of time before the leading makers of central processing units (CPUs) start to sell dual-core chips for value computers and it now seems that the time will come in the first quarter of next year, when Intel Corp. unveils dual-core Intel Celeron microprocessors aiming the most affordable personal computers (PCs).

The first Intel Celeron E1200 dual-core processor working at 1.60GHz, utilizing 800MHz processor system bus and featuring 512KB of unified secondary-level cache will emerge in the first quarter of 2008 to target cost-effective desktops. Later during the year Intel plans to add more chips into the Intel Celeron E1000 dual-core lineup, creating a comprehensive family of affordable chips with two processing engines.

Intel’s Celeron E1000 dual-core processors are set to be made using 65nm process technology and are projected to fit into 65W thermal design power envelope. The new CPUs will be drop-in compatible with all platforms that support code-named Conroe processors, e.g. Intel Core 2 Duo or Intel Pentium dual-core E2000-series.

According to documents seen by X-bit labs, Intel plans to describe the new Intel Celeron dual-core processor as delivering “entry multi-tasking experience for value-conscious customers”. Currently Intel sells Celeron processors for $34 - $59, therefore, it is possible to expect that the new E1000-series will also fit into that gap. It is interesting to note that the launch of the new Celeron dual-core chips will not mean end of life for Intel Pentium processors, which will continue to serve upper segment of low-cost desktop systems.

Given relatively low clock-speed and not a large cache, it is unlikely that Intel Celeron E1000 dual-core microprocessors will show incredible performance. Nevertheless, the forthcoming emergence of the new chips proof that multi-core technology are rushing into the value segment of the market.

The launch of low-cost dual-core Intel Celeron E1000-series processors will cause the chip giant’s rival Advanced Micro Devices to either waterfall prices of its entry-level single-core AMD Athlon LE and AMD Sempron chips, or to introduce value dual-core processors as well and reconsider pricing of single-core offerings.

Half a Willamette

2009-11-15T00:24:00.000-08:00

The new Celeron core is based on a 128KB L2 version of the original Willamette core that the Pentium 4 debuted with in November of 2000. Unlike previous-generation Celerons, the Willamette-128 core is no different architecturally than the Pentium 4's old Willamette core. The cache organization and mapping algorithms are still the same, the only difference is that the Celeron core is only outfitted with a 128KB L2 cache instead of the 256KB cache present on the original Pentium 4.

Only having a 128KB L2 cache increases the Celeron's dependency on a high-speed memory bus. Luckily, the processor will work just fine on an 845 or 850 platform both of which offer a significantly larger amount of memory bandwidth than the i815 that the older Celerons were often paired with. With only a 128KB L2 cache, the new Celeron would appreciate the higher bandwidth i850 even more than the Pentium 4. Keep in mind that the short-lived Tualatin based Celeron processors had a 256KB L2 cache; there are situations where the new core can be outperformed by its predecessor.

Keep in mind that the first generation Pentium 4s didn't always fare so well against the Pentium III and especially the Tualatin based processors. Now with a smaller L2 cache, it will take even more for the Celeron to do well. For information on the NetBurst architecture behind the Celeron take a look at our one page explanation of its strengths and weaknesses.

The new Celeron also uses the now "old" 100MHz quad-pumped FSB, delivering a total of 3.2GB/s of FSB bandwidth. This won't be a limitation for quite a while as the Celeron won't be ramping up to clock speeds nearly as high or nearly as quickly as with the Pentium 4. The quad-pumped FSB fixes an age-old problem with the Celeron - a lack of FSB bandwidth, and when paired with DDR memory on an i845 or even RDRAM on an i850 the issue of low main memory bandwidth is nonexistent as well.

The introductory speed of the new processor is 1.7GHz running at 1.75V. Remembering that this is a 0.18-micron core helps explain the reason behind the high core voltage. Speaking of which, the new Celeron is only being introduced on the 0.18-micron process but will undoubtedly migrate down to 0.13-micron as quickly as possible. Intel still has a good amount of 0.18-micron manufacturing capacity and until those fabs get converted over for 0.13-micron production we won't see a significant push for a smaller Celeron (the 128KB L2 cache already makes it very cheap to produce).

Although the use of Intel's 0.18-micron severely limits the overclocking potential of the chip, remember that Intel got the Pentium 4 up to 2GHz on this process and that was with twice as much cache and significantly more transistors.

It's safe to assume that after the Celeron hits 2GHz Intel will transition it to a derivative of the Northwood core, most likely with a 256KB L2 cache. But until that time we have to deal with the warm-running 0.18-micron Celeron at 1.7GHz.

Intel Core I5 Computer CPU Vs Intel Core I7 920 Computer Processor Review

2009-11-15T00:23:00.001-08:00

Specifications

The new great debate out today is between the release of the new Intel Core I5 computer CPU and the previous equivalent I7 920 computer processor. They aren't really made to be the same processor, but their performance is close enough to make it a battle of the $$$! I will describe some recent developments and how people have stacked them up against each other in day to day computers and even overclocking performance. I will keep things as simple as possible.

The new Intel Core I5 computer CPU is part of the tri-release of computer processors that have new upgrades. The Intel Core I5 computer CPU has 95 watt voltage, 2.66ghz to 3.2ghz speed with turbo boost, two channels of DDR3 1333mhz memory and 8mb of Intel's Smart Cache.

The Core I5 is just like the Core I7's that are made to be energy efficient, but are more for people that don't need the fastest machine in the world. The Turbo Boost helps you get the power you need, where you need it and when you need it. It is just a performance specification that sees that you have a demand in one area and will focus on it to provide you with the power you need.

Smart Cache is thing that many gamers love because it is an upgrade to the old cache system. It allows you to stay updated with all these multi-threaded games out today that are so demanding on your computer system.

Overclocking

When you compare two computer processors you have to take some things into consideration. You would think that the strongest would overclock the best, but that is not always true. This situation is a little weird within itself. I will explain below.

The Intel Core I5 is actually a better and stronger computer CPU than the Core I7 920, but only because of the Turbo Boost technology. This is only viewable when they are both running on stock. However, if you are overclocking the I7 920 has a much higher capability and will beat the Intel Core I5 computer processor no problem.

This partially pertains to the difference in computer CPU sockets they are using. The Intel Core I5 is using the new 1156 socket and the Intel Core I7 is using the 1366 socket. Obviously one is capable of handling a lot more data. So it is simple to see why in the overclocking world it is the winner.

Conclusion

From tabulating the dating and reviews of the computer cpu on many different stock and overclocking setups it is simple to see that these computer processors are made for exactly what Intel said. Intel Core I5 computer CPU is made for home computer users that don't play a lot of heavy duty games or computer CPU intensive programs. Intel Core I7 computer cpu is made for varying levels of gamers and video encoders and decoders that have use of that kind of power and overclocking potential.

You may be one or the other, but I have been on both sides of the game. At this moment, whatever is most cost effective is going to win the ballgame. If you are going to buy something make sure you buy it for the right purposes or you may feel like you could have gotten a better deal later on.

Intel Celeron vs Pentium

2009-11-15T00:22:00.000-08:00

The Celeron and Pentium Processors are two of Intel's best selling CPUs. They are found in a majority of home computer systems. When comparing the two processors it should be first understood that there are different types of Pentium processors - the original Pentium all the way to the Pentium 4 (the latest Pentium processor). The Celeron processors are more or less the same, although you will find them in a wide variety of speeds.

The Intel Celeron processor was always designed to be a low-cost alternative to the Pentium processor line. It is much like a car company that offers various priced cars from the luxury sedan to the economy compact. The Celeron is simply a downgraded Pentium, that almost anyone can afford (it is essentially the compact). To begin, Celeron chips have a smaller L2 cache 9128kb compared with 512kb in the Pentium 4 Northwood, which translates into slower processing speeds. In fact, current Celerons have a clock speed limit of about 2.0GHz, where as the Pentium for is capable of speed in excess of 3.0GHz. In addition, the Pentium runs at a lower core voltage because it is more energy effecient (1.75V vs. 1.5V).

In summary, the Pentium 4 is more powerful than the most advanced Celeron processor on the market. However, Intel has planned it to be this way. Many applications will work just great with a Celeron processor, despite a little less power than the Pentium 4. It is a way to save a little cash when buying a new pc - but don't forget the saying "you get what you pay for." Celeron processors are of good Intel quality, but they will never be as good as the Pentium.

This Celeron vs. Pentium review was brought to you by SciNet Science and Technology Search Engine. SciNet is not affiliated with or specifically endorses the Celeron or Pentium processors or the manufacturer, Intel Corp. Please consult the Celeron and Pentium product information and configuration before you purchase either processor. It is also a good idea to seek other up-to-date product reviews and information as necessary.

Budget CPU for Enthusiasts Intel Celeron E3300 Processor Review

2009-11-15T00:21:00.000-08:00

The first Intel processors manufactured with 45 nm process were introduced in the end of 2007. Since then dual- and quad-core Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors from Wolfdale and Yorkfield families managed to become very popular due to undoubtedly more attractive combination of consumer features than their predecessors. They offered considerably higher performance in top price segments that is why they quickly ousted the previous generation 65 nm solutions on Kentsfield and Conroe cores. A little later, when 45 nm processors matured even more and their production costs went down, Intel started using Wolfdale cores in inexpensive dual-core CPUs from Core 2 Duo and Pentium series. As a result, there remained only one group of processors among numerous Intel offerings for different market segments that was still using old Conroe (Allendale) processor cores manufactured with 65 nm process. It is Celeron lineup including single-core as well as dual-core solutions from E1600 and 400 series.

However, it is not that surprising at all. Intel traditionally positioned Celeron processors as some kind of “socket-plugs”, which offered minimal performance at very low price. Their speed doesn’t stand a chance, but they easily find their way in users’ systems due to their extremely low price. This Intel’s attitude to Celeron processor family leads to its extremely slow evolution and modest technical specs. In fact, dual-core Celeron processors appeared solely because Intel’s competitor, AMD, started offering CPUs with two computational cores for the low-end price segment and Intel decided not to fall back even in the lowest price range. But at the same time, the working frequencies of dual-core Celeron processors have so far reached only 2.4 GHz, while their L2 cache memory has been limited to absolutely ridiculous 512 KB.

Nevertheless, time has come for a significant refresh in the Celeron camp. The thing is that when AMD Phenom II and AMD Athlon II came out, it was no longer the Sempron solutions that have long sunk into oblivion, but much faster AMD Athlon processors that were competing against Intel Celeron. And these pretty fast alternatives made Celeron look pretty bad even from a formal standpoint. Therefore, Intel had to do some work on improving their junior CPU family by transferring it to new semiconductor dies manufactured with 45nm process. This measure was also possible because production of 45 nm dies was a totally matured process by that time: production costs were low and the production volumes on Intel fabs became so big that introduction of new manufacturing process in the new processor family no longer required to sacrifice the production of more expensive solutions.

As a result, new Celeron processors of yet unknown E3000 revision started to hit the stores. These are the new refreshed low-cost dual-core Intel processors on 45 nm cores. Besides the new manufacturing process, these CPUs acquired higher clock speeds and twice as big L2 cache. No wonder that as a result of these transformations, Intel had to assign new processor model names to these CPUs: new dual-core Celerons are much more superior to their predecessors even at a quick glance. However, it is still a good question what they look like compared to AMD Athlon and more expensive Intel Pentium solutions. So today, we are going to undertake the investigation that should help us determine how good of a buy the new Celeron could be for an inexpensive home or office computer system.

AMD and Intel Announce Settlement of All Antitrust and IP Disputes

2009-11-15T00:19:00.000-08:00

Intel News Release

SUNNYVALE/SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Nov. 12, 2009 – Intel Corporation and Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) today announced a comprehensive agreement to end all outstanding legal disputes between the companies, including antitrust litigation and patent cross license disputes.

In a joint statement the two companies commented, "While the relationship between the two companies has been difficult in the past, this agreement ends the legal disputes and enables the companies to focus all of our efforts on product innovation and development."

Under terms of the agreement, AMD and Intel obtain patent rights from a new 5-year cross license agreement, Intel and AMD will give up any claims of breach from the previous license agreement, and Intel will pay AMD $1.25 billion. Intel has also agreed to abide by a set of business practice provisions. As a result, AMD will drop all pending litigation including the case in U.S. District Court in Delaware and two cases pending in Japan. AMD will also withdraw all of its regulatory complaints worldwide. The agreement will be made public in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Intel Initiates Stepping Conversion for Intel P55 Core-Logic

2009-11-15T00:16:00.001-08:00

Intel Corp. late on Wednesday said that it would shortly introduce a new stepping of its latest Intel P55 core-logic. The new B3 stepping will not require mainboard makers to change anything to the mainboards, however, the latest stepping will support future processors and will require new storage drivers.

The B2 to B3 steppings of the Intel P55 are identical in fit, form, electrical, mechanical, and thermal specifications. Thus, mainboard makers may simply start placing the new B3 version onto existing designs. Still, Intel recommends customers to perform their standard validation testing on the new stepping. Samples have been available starting from the 2^nd of October, 2009, the initial commercial shipments of Intel P55 B3 will begin on the 7^th of December, 2009. Customers should be ready to receive a combination of both B2 and B3 stepping chipset by the 5^th of February, 2010.

Intel P55 B3 chipset will undergo the following changes, according to Intel:

New MM number and S-spec numbers for the converted products;
Firmware and minor BIOS updates are required with the conversion;
Processor MRC/microcode update required to enable future processors;
Recommended storage driver upgrade from Intel MSM 8.9 to Intel RST 9.5.

Intel P55 chipset supports the new Core i7 and i5 processors based on 45nm Lynnfield core that integrate both a 16-lane PCI Express 2.0 graphics port and two-channel memory controller. Besides, Intel P55 should also support the forthcoming 32nm Clarkdale processors with integrated graphics core. A new Direct Media Interface (DMI) connects between the processor and P55 chipset. The chipset supports 8 PCI Express 2.0 x1 Ports (2.5GT/s), 1 PCI Express 2.0 x16 (which can work in x8 mode for dual graphics boards configuration). The chipset also supports 6 Serial ATA-300 ports with RAID levels 0/1/5/10, up to 14 USB 2.0 ports, Intel high-definition audio, Ethernet and so on.

Intel stressed that both B2 and B3 steppings of Intel P55 will support code-named Clarkdale chips.

“Current P55 boards as well as new P55 boards should support Clarkdale. As always end users should check with their board vendor before upgrading,” said George Alfs, an Intel spokesperson.

Five Essential Considerations for FrontPage Hosting

2009-11-15T00:15:00.001-08:00

1.) FrontPage Version

The version of FrontPage on your computer is so crucial because the features vary greatly between editions. For this reason, you need to make sure the service provider offers the extensions that support your particular version of the FrontPage client.

2.) Additional Features

Although FrontPage support might be your main objective, you will need several more features in order to have a great website and presence. Some features you may want to keep in mind are email accounts, webmail and web stat tools. While some versions of FrontPage offer the ability to integrate a hit counter, this feature pales in comparison to what you get with a detailed third-party reporting tool. If you are building a website to sell products or services from, you certainly need to focus on solutions that come with shopping carts, SSL support and other e-commerce features.

3.) Server Resources

The allocation of resources the host provides is also essential when considering FrontPage hosting. The resources that are of the most importance to you are disk space and bandwidth. They are so critical because they ultimately determine how large your site can be and the volume of traffic it is able to support. Some hosts offers disk space and bandwidth in actual measurements. For example, one company might have a package that supplies 300 GB disk space and 3000 GB bandwidth. If you go over these allotments, you may be subject to penalties and additional charges. You also have firms that simply label their packages as “unlimited,” which usually means that you do not have to pay for any overages. While both scenarios can work out in your favor, it is imperative to access your resource needs in order to prevent problems with your FrontPage site in the future.

4.) Reliability of the Host

There are literally thousands of companies that offer support for FrontPage. That does not mean are of equal quality. Although the actual program is native to the Windows environment, it can also be run efficiently on other platforms such as Unix and various distributions of Linux. Regardless of the operating system, reliability is of the utmost importance. This is why it is so critical to find out the company’s background and reputation in the business before purchasing service from them.

5.) The Need for FrontPage

Perhaps the most important factor that needs to be considered is whether or not your really need a FrontPage hosting solution. This is something you need to think about because there are many other tools that can help you accomplish the same goals and a whole lot more. You should also know that FrontPage is no longer officially supported by Microsoft and considered outdated compared to modern solutions on the market.

How to Make Money with Web Hosting

2009-11-15T00:14:00.002-08:00

We all know that web hosting is the basis of all web sites. It helps us attract visitors, it displays what we are desperately trying to get across, and it allows us to survive in the cut throat internet world. While these are all important qualities that come with web hosting, there are many other opportunities. Dying to make extra cash? Surprisingly, web hosting can actually help with your bills. In a few simple steps, you will be on your way to a richer lifestyle.

Fortunately, there is a new trend in the web industry. Reseller Hosting, which consists of purchasing a web hosting package and reselling it for a larger price, has been making webmasters just a few cents richer. Although this sounds like a daunting task, it actually only requires a large amount of space. Once the webmaster acquires such a large server and bandwidth, he/she is able to divide it up among other people. As long as they are willing to pay a monthly fee, you will never get screwed over.

Regardless of how much money you want to make, purchasing this re-seller hosting does not cost much. For an average of $30/month, you can purchase enough space to make a profit. While all of these websites will be on a shared server, the majority of webmasters do not mind this downside. After all, not everyone can shell out thousands a month just to acquire their own dedicated server. Once you have found a few loyal customers who will not create any illegal material, you will be generating a profit every single month out of the year. Fortunately, until you stop your hosting, you will never be out of a job.

In order to sell this type of hosting, you absolutely need to network. Regrettably, there are many webmasters trying to follow the trend. For this reason alone, you should look in unpopulated areas. Try and find a website or forum that has not yet been tackled by other masses of website owners. For instance, find websites similar to your own. If you do not have one, look on webmaster-related forums such as Digital Point or Webmaster-Talk. These areas are populated with thousands of interested clients, who will be more than happy to jump on the bandwagon, if you do have a great deal.

Still desperately trying to find other ways to market? Many website owners advertise through blogs and buy text link ads. As a result, people will be more apt to find what you are offering. If this doesn't work, you could even start marketing in a local newspaper or a newsletter that goes out to professional companies who are always looking for alternatives. Nevertheless, there are plenty of consumers out there. You just need to be creative and put in the effort, in order to get anywhere.

For years web hosting has been flooding the market. However, it has just recently become a form of revenue for webmasters who just don't own their own web hosting company. It is a wonderful alternative to an additional part time job, especially if this is what you love to do. Networking with others, controlling a server, while working on your website certainly sounds like the perfect occupation.

How to Choose the Best Web Hosting Service

2009-11-15T00:14:00.001-08:00

One of the most crucial decisions that most online businesses have to make is choosing the best web hosting service. With a popular or well known and reliable Internet Service Provider (ISP) you won't face many problems, however with a poor web hosting service provider it can be a nightmare.

Choosing the right kind of web hosting service can be a very daunting task at times as there are some very important features that you need to make sure of. Here you can find below what exactly to look for when choosing the best web hosting service.

Amount of web space: A web hosting service provider would usually assign you a certain amount of space on their server. You need to ensure that does it have the right amount of space for your website and your business requirements. You might want to expand your online business tomorrow and would require much more space. So it's imperative for you that the web hosting company should be able to provide you with ample of space especially if your website is rich in graphics or has video clips.

FTP access: FTP access is very crucial since it provides the ability to upload new pages. Some web hosting service providers allow you to just design your web pages with their own personal web builder. This may be useful for beginners however you need to ensure if they provide you the facility to expand later when you enhance your online business capabilities.

Degree of reliability, security and speed of access: Speed, security and reliability are extremely important for the success of any online business. While choosing a reliable web hosting service you need to ensure that this is taken care of. A site that is not available, not updated on time or is down, will lose many online visitors. If an online visitor finds your site listed on a search engine, and he tries to access it but finds it down, he is sure to move on to the next link and you lose an important customer or visitor. Even slow working websites are very frustrating. So how do you know if a hosting company is reliable or not? By word of mouth or feedback from others! If that's not possible then you can yourself try accessing your site during peak hours and non-peak hours too. Your site has to be secure of intruders at the same time, especially if it's an ecommerce website.

Dependence and support: Does the web hosting service provide 24x7 supports? Do they respond rapidly to your issue? Can you depend on them? If you need 24-hour technical support that larger companies need then expect to pay substantially more. In fact, people are much more expensive than machines.

Pricing plans : Price is also one factor that you should look out for when choosing the best web hosting service. It's not necessarily true that the most expensive hosts are the best. Simply compare prices and services before you finalize one.

Data transfer (Bandwidth): You also need to see if the hosting company provides you with sufficient bandwidth for efficient data transfer. After all it's your website and you need to ensure that you are getting the best services for the money you invest.

Web Hosting Instructions

2009-11-15T00:11:00.000-08:00

Web domains. Hosting. Content. These are the three top priorities for any webmaster, regardless of how experienced they are. Unfortunately, these three essentials often leave people in the dark, as there are dozens of companies offering the “same” packages for different prices. With an overflow of routes you could take, it can get mind boggling to figure out the appropriate steps. For this reason, instructions are essential if you are looking for a smooth path.

The first thing you should do is make a list of what your current goals are. If you are making a professional site, you'll need a secure and reliable host. For instance, if you know that your website will reach thousands of people within a few months, perhaps you should find a web hosting package that includes extra bandwidth. You need additional space, especially if visitors are constantly going to be accessing your website. On the other hand, if you are just experimenting, you should stick to the free hosting packages. Geocities or Angel Fire certainly provides a basic package, which will leave you satisfied. After all, you do not need bells and whistles if you aren't serious about the website in the long run. If you do end up changing your mind, you can always switch services and transfer your website.

Once you have made your decision, you need to find a reputable service. While searching for hosting companies on Google may seem appropriate, it often stems bad results. It is important to remember that just because it is listed on a search engine, doesn't mean it is 100% safe and legit. Therefore, if you do find a potential company, you should get a second opinion. It is usually smart to join a webmaster related forum like SitePoint to discuss such matters. This way you can hear about other people's experiences and what companies to avoid. Additional references from friends or family would also be ideal.

After picking a host, you will need to provide your credit card information. For many users, 3ix.org is a favorite, as it rarely charges you much. Surprisingly, there are discount coupon codes you can acquire through the internet, to also help you with your initial fee. Due to the fact that you have to include your private information, it is absolutely crucial to make sure you find a legit business. The last thing you want is to lose any money. Therefore, you should google their name and check out the reviews from fellow users. This will most definitely make all of the difference, especially if you find out that they are a fraud.

For website beginners, web hosting doesn't have to be difficult or even too time consuming. As long as you find reputable sources, second opinions, and a great easy to use package, you are well on your way to website success. With these instructions in mind, there should be no frustrations or year long debates on what company to use. It is quite simple, once you get in the webmaster's frame of mind.

Intel sells $1 billion worth of Intel Atom chipsets year-to-date

2009-11-08T18:30:00.002-08:00

Intel has done well riding on the back of the netbook boom. It presented its third quarter financial results yesterday and revealed that so far this year it has sold $1 billion of Intel Atom chipsets. An astonishing number given that this the chip didn’t exist two years ago.

“[Sales of] Atom and the associated chipsets were a bit above $400 million, it was $415 million. Year-to-date, we have sold over, or right at, $1 billion worth of Atom and associated chipsets,” said Stacy Smith, chief financial officer of Intel.

With overall 2009 Intel Atom sales forecasts expected to be in the range of $1.3 and $1.5 billion, it’s clear that netbooks are a segment that people are definitely interested in, despite Michael Dell’s protestations. Of course, you’ll find Intel Atom chipsets in most of the netbooks on the market today. They have an even greater market share in this space than they do in the desktop segment, where there main rival is AMD.

Competitors in the netbook segment are few and far between, AMD has chose to avoid it and the likes of the VIA Nano are still at the fringes. However, this is likely to change next year with smartbooks looking to come to the fore and ARM SoCs (system on chips) looking to take share from Intel in the portable computing segment.

iSuppli is predicting global netbook shipments will rise to 22.2 million units in 2009, up 68.5 percent from 13.2 million in 2008. While Atom represents only a small share of Intel’s total revenue, its profitability is disproportionately high. “Netbook microprocessors are a high-margin product because they utilize old technology,” said Matthew Wilkins, principal analyst for iSuppli. “The Atom is based on the old Pentium M microprocessor and uses a mature manufacturing process. Because of this, Intel is getting very high yields and an extremely high margin on the Atom.”

Intel Atom leak shows 1.87GHz, dual-core

2009-11-08T18:30:00.001-08:00

Details have surfaced about the near future of Intel's Atom processor for handhelds, courtesy of a new leaked roadmap for the chips. Though Intel has only publicly acknowledged a 1.6GHz Atom 230 processor and alluded to others, the slip shows that Intel expects to spread the line to the high end in the near future. After the initial version, the semiconductor firm plans a 1.87GHz Atom 200-series chip; in standard form, it would be a direct upgrade with a faster speed but the same 533MHz bus and 512KB of Level 2 cache memory.

However, a new 300 series would also see the first dual-core Atoms with a 1.87GHz, Atom 300 processor. The upgrade could handle as many as four instruction threads at once through the use of Intel's HyperThreading, which can run more than one stream of instructions on a processor at once and prevent chips from idling unnecessarily during heavy work.

The leak does not immediately suggest a launch window for the Atom upgrades, though the speed points to a potential upgrade in the summer. It does reveal that the known 1.6GHz processor will ship to suppliers for $29 each in 1000-unit batches, making an expected ASUS Eee PC upgrade possible in the spring as well as other rivals planned throughout the year.

Dual Core Atom: Intel D945GCLF2 & Atom 330 Review

2009-11-08T18:27:00.000-08:00

Last week, when going through the "what's new" list of a local supplier, I found a gem: an inexpensive mini-ITX motherboard with a dual core Atom processor. This little marvel, the Intel D945GCLF2, does not even show up on the Intel web site - other than being noted as announced during IDF. Interested in what it was capable of, I bought one on the spot.

The idea of very low power processors that are "fast enough" for many applications is starting to catch on. It would be fair to say that Asus took the world by fire with their original Eee PC, and followed it up with the highly successful Eee PC 901 - spawning a whole new "netbook" category of sub-notebook computers with enough processing power for Internet access and every day tasks. Mind you, Asus dropped the ball by not hitting its initially announced $199 Eee PC price tag, however there are now very capable netbooks around $300, like some models of the Acer AspireOne.

Asus then followed by releasing the Eee Box, bringing low powered tiny desktops to the public - sure they won't run Crysis, but they will do office apps and internet browsing, for less money, and while only sipping power compared to gaming boxes, and they can save even more money by avoiding the Microsoft Tax, by shipping a friendly Linux distribution pre-installed on the computer.

Low power computers are in fact enough for most people's use, and make excellent second, third or fourth computers in a family home. After all, how much power do you need to run Open Office and FireFox? Not much.

Here is the specifications for the D945GCLF2, taken from its manual on the supplied CD:

Mini-ITX form factor 6.75"x6.75"
Dual Core Intel Atom processor
one 240 pin DIMM socket supporting 533/667MHz single channel DDR2 up to 2GB in size
Intel 945GC chipset: 82945GC Northbridge with integrated graphics, 82801GB ICH7 Southbridge
GMA 950 integrated graphics
S-Video output via Chrontel CH7021A SDTV/HDTV encoder
RealTek ALC662 codec with HDA and 6 channel audio
SPDIFF header on motherboard
one PCI slot
8 USB2.0 ports (4 on back panel, 4 on two headers)
one IDE interface
two SATA2 interfaces
one VGA connector
one S-Video port
one parallel port
one serial port
PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports
Intel BIOS with SMBIOS support, Rapid BIOS boot, Express BIOS Update
Gigabit Ethernet
ACPI support, Wake on USB, PCI, PS/2, Lan
supports Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows XP Home and Pro, 32 bit and 64 bit

2009-11-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

While the N280 doesn’t differ from the N270 in clock speed, with both running at 1.6 GHz, the newer chip benefits from being paired with the new GN40, which brings with it HD video acceleration.

As handy as netbooks have proven to be at casual web browsing and even the odd video, it does trip up when it comes to the more intensive multimedia features. The GN40 chipset adds hardware help for playback of 720p video, making the Atom N280 set probably a better companion now than a portable DVD player (particularly if you have high-def video encodes).

The Atom N280 itself has a lower thermal design power at 2 W compared to the N270 at 2.5 W, but with the beefier chipset, the N280 and GN40 TDP jumps to 16.5 W. The N270 with the N945GSE has a TDP of 11.8 W.

Of course, the upgraded N280 with the GN40, while better with videos, doesn’t really measure up to what Nvidia brings to the table with the Ion chipset. We took a look at the Nvidia Ion paired with the Atom in more of a nettop form, but such a chipset would be mighty impressive in a netbook.

For now, however, the Atom N280 and GN40 is the only available option for 720p video from a netbook -- and it’s not bad if you can get several movies' worth out of it from the Asus Eee 1000HE.

Intel's Atom Processors and Chipsets

2009-11-08T18:23:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the new 45 nm manufacturing process, Intel can offer Pentium M-class performance within a 2 Watt power envelope running on a 25 square millimeter die. They have a maximum sustained power, or Thermal Design Power (TDP), of between 0.6 and 2.5 Watts. Such a tiny x86 processor can now be used in small embedded computing devices and could in theory displace the existing favored platform of the mobile world, theARM ( News - Alert) processor (though the Atom chips will doubtless cost more than any ARM processor and will consume a bit more power).

Atom chips are actually meant to open up an entirely new market involving Intel’s IA-32 architecture, including such things as high-end smartphones, without usurping the sale of existing mobile processors. Expect the Atoms to appear in MIDs (Mobile Internet Devices) and UMPC (Ultra Mobile PCs) a relatively new category of mobile devices optimized for specific usage models such as Internet-to-go, Entertainment-to-go, and Education-to-go, even while affording full PC capability and versatility, a perhaps running Linux, too.

Other non-Poulsbo versions of the chip, code-named Diamondville, will ship with two-chip chipsets. These processors will be available in single-core and dual-core versions will most like appear in such diminutive notebooks as the Asustek Computers' Eee PC and lower-end desktops, perhaps withWiMAX capability. Intel calls these devices by the amusing names of “netbooks” and “nettops”, which means they’re the itsy bitsy analogs of notebooks and desktops. It is said that the very low-cost Classmate PC will be using the Intel Atom. The Classmate is a PC designed to improve education and provide economic opportunities in third-world countries and among the world’s not-so-fortunate people.

In the techno-industrial world, Intel undoubtedly has recognized the mobility craze, and would like nothing better than to sell the chips that make possible a whole new vast market of highly portable yet highly powerful, PC-like devices. Expect some of these devices to start appearing in mid or 3Q 2008.

Intel® Atom™ Processor

2009-11-08T18:21:00.000-08:00

Intel's smallest chip. Built with the world's smallest transistors¹.

"This is our smallest processor built with the world's smallest transistors. The Intel® Atom™ processor is based on an entirely new design, built for low power and designed specifically for a new wave of Mobile Internet Devices and simple, low-cost PC's. This small wonder is a fundamental new shift in design, small yet powerful enough to enable a big Internet experience on these new devices. We believe it will unleash new innovation across the industry."

– Intel Executive Vice President Sean Maloney

As Intel's smallest and lowest power processor², the Intel® Atom™ processor enables the latest Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), and another new category of devices for the internet called netbooks and nettops.

Newly designed from the ground up, 45nm Intel® Atom™ processors pack an astounding 47 million transistors on a single chip measuring less than 26mm², making them Intel's smallest and lowest power processors.¹ All this while delivering the power and performance you need for full Internet capabilities.+

Get a new range of power-efficient devices with excellent performance enabled by all new hafnium-infused 45nm high-k silicon technology
Increase energy efficiency in smaller more compact designs with a thermal design power specification ranging from less than 1W to 2.5 watts for mobile devices
Extend battery life in select devices with an incredibly low idle and average power allowing the device to stay powered on while also conserving energy

Based on an entirely new microarchitecture, the Intel® Atom™ processor was developed specifically for targeted performance and low power while maintaining full Intel® Core™ microarchitecture instruction set compatibility. Intel® Atom™ processors also feature multiple threads for better performance and increased system responsiveness.

Intel Atom Development Program

2009-11-08T18:20:00.000-08:00

With the Intel Atom program, Eurotech and Intel core capabilities come together. In our Single Board Computers we combine the power of Intel Atom architecture with Eurotech's value proposition. Eurotech offers competitive advantages in both hardware and software design and build as well as in our business model, focused on flexibility to ensure our customers receive the right Intel Atom-based solution and support to meet unique corporate and device needs.

Value: Hardware

We offer you the choice of ATOM Single Board Computer configurations.

The Catalyst COM Module, the initial Eurotech/Atom product, delivers the full suite of Intel Atom capabilities in a small form factor with lowest power consumption of any x86 system today. The 67 x 100 mm custom form factor offers flexibility without sacrificing capabilities or increasing cost.

Value: Software

Eurotech applied decades of Intel architecture experience to developing the Catalyst Atom SBC from firmware to framework. The Catalyst Module offers a conforming system BIOS developed in-house but with extensive support from Intel, ensuring customers that our code is optimized to Intel Atom power management architecture. Our embedded controller software was also developed in-house for a low cost, low power, and industrial strength solution. Furthermore, our operating system (OS) choices on the Catalyst Module are extensive.

Optimized software solution for Intel Atom with focus on low power, low cost, and application-readiness
Broad participation in the Linux development community and close relationship with Microsoft, including several MPVs and certified developers
Atom-optimized BIOS, developed by Eurotech Intel architecture senior engineering staff
In-house OS expertise for Windows CE, XP Embedded, Linux, VxWorks, QNX, WindRiver, and much more

Value : Business Model

Eurotech is dedicated to offering flexibility in both our product line and our business model, which is easily customized to meet unique OEM needs for the Catalyst Module and other Intel Atom-based solutions. Customers can build their own carrier board (by working with Eurotech or through a third party) to accompany the Catalyst Module and work with Eurotech using off-the-shelf, optimized, or architected solutions.

To earn more about our full range of Intel Atom-based solutions and how they can maximize the MIPS to mW ratio of your device.

About Eurotech

Eurotech is a global leader in the design, development and production of application-ready embedded computer systems. Eurotech architects systems that help companies bring their products to market quickly through the latest technologies with advanced graphics capabilities, low-power consumption, and robust functionality. Eurotech Inc. specializes in helping customers connect their applications to the latest available wireless, mobile and enabling technologies such as the Intel Atom for Single Board Computers. Eurotech is a Maryland-based subsidiary of Eurotech Group, S.p.A.

Acer Aspire One AOA150(Intel Atom N270 Processor 1.6GHz, 1GB RAM)

2009-11-08T18:18:00.000-08:00

When the Aspire One was first unveiled at Computex Taipei, it brought about much excitement among those intimate with the Netbook segment. Not because it had ground-breaking features (though there is one particular technology which is unique to the Aspire at this time), but because a value vendor had finally entered the niche market.

While no one can accuse the S$798 (US$573.23) Eee PC 901 for being unaffordable (that dubious honor remains with the HP Mini-Note), Acer's version comes at a pocket-friendly S$699 (US$502.12), yet retains a competent feature set. Our only gripe lies with the puny 8GB solid-state storage, though the Taiwanese maker has a unique workaround which quite impressed us.

Design

It may be cheap, but that doesn't mean the Aspire One missed out on beauty school. It's two-tone color scheme is attractive and second to the HP Mini-Note only because the latter sports a full aluminum body. At 29mm thick and less than 1kg in weight, this Acer is both slimmer and lighter than the Asus Eee PC 901. Unfortunately, this increased portability actually decreases the mobility of the Aspire One, as we shall see later in the performance and battery life section. The unit is available in white or blue.

One of the best design elements, in our opinion, is the keyboard. With more real estate than the Eee PC 901, the Aspire One is definitely the budget Netbook of choice if you need a machine to do more than just typing URLs and short emails. The gold standard in Netbook keyboards, however, still remains with the HP Mini-Note. The touchpad of the Acer is similar to the HP's version in that the mouse buttons are located at the flanks instead of the bottom. This may take some getting used to though we don't imagine it will cost too much grief to users.

There are no shortcut keys present on the Aspire One, though a wireless radio switch is available at the front of the unit. The rear is reserved for the battery and the ports have been positioned along the sides for easy access. A Webcam, along with a microphone, sits above the 8.9-inch display.

Features

We'll not keep you in suspense for long. The exciting bit of technology Acer built into the Aspire One to sidestep its puny 8GB storage is the inclusion of two memory card readers. What a yawner, right? But wait, there's more. While one of them is a standard 5-in-1 reader which takes SD/SDHC/MMC, Memory Stick and xD-Picture Cards, the other's sole purpose is to expand the primary storage using an SD/SDHC card. Instead of showing as a secondary drive, files will span between the in-built SSD and memory card seamlessly. This allows Acer to reduce the initial cost of ownership while permitting users to expand the main capacity cheaply. The SDHC format can reach a maximum of 32GB and, at this time, costs around S$50 (US$35.92) for an 8GB card. Prices are expected to drop as higher sizes become available.

The 8.9-inch display has a maximum resolution of 1,024 x 600 pixels, which is on par with other Netbooks in this size category. The underlying graphics chipset is an integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 950 processor, so don't expect gaming to be a forte of this machine. The Aspire One provides a monitor-out port which allows larger displays to be hooked up. The audio quality is nothing to write home about, though it should suffice for casual music lovers and videos.

While the Eee PC 901 sports a Draft-N Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radio, the Aspire One has only a standard 802.11b/g wireless connectivity and no Bluetooth. Other features are respectable, with three USB 2.0, dual memory card slots and a 10/100Mbps Ethernet port. A 1.3-megapixel camera sits above the display for impromptu snapshots and video-conferencing.

Intel and Declining Power Consumption

2009-11-08T18:10:00.000-08:00

Power consumption and integrating a processor into portable or embedded devices have always caused problems for Intel, and this is not the first time the company has offered processors aimed at those uses. But the Atom is radically different in that it has a new architecture specially created to reduce power use.

A Short History: Before the Pentium-M

As far back as the 80386, Intel offered versions intended for low power and especially mobile use. The 80386EX, for example, had a chipset built into the CPU and consumed significantly less power than standard 386s. And low-power versions of the 486, the Pentium, and the Pentium II (the Dixon, with its 256 kB of built-in cache) were also offered. And yet in every case they essentially used a very similar (if not identical) architecture to the one used in the desktop version of the processor. In practice, these processors were efficient, but the difference between a standard version and a version for portable PCs remained slight.

The Pentium-M

Released in 2003, the Pentium-M was revolutionary in that it used a different architecture from that of the Pentium 4 and consumed much less power, while maintaining high performance. Yet it was still a derivative of the Pentium III, with the same faults, and the successive improvements to the Pentium-M (leading up to the Core 2 processors) have only increased power consumption. Intel has tried to come out with low-power processors (the A1x0, for example), but essentially they were slowed-down versions of the Pentium-M.

Atom Changes All of That

Atom is a different architecture in the sense that it was designed to reduce power consumption and that the processor uses a totally new design. It isn’t an adaptation of an earlier architecture. Concretely, Intel is now able to offer processors that consume very little power – the high-end Atoms consume less power than the (generally very slow) ULV versions of the standard architectures.

Forex Trading Software for Mac OS X

2009-11-08T18:07:00.000-08:00

People who have never dreamed of trading find themselves engrossed in the prospect of earning big money through the use of online forex trading software. However, the main question is still whether these forex trading robots actually live up to their claims of earning you money. The answer is that some of these forex robots actually are decent. Unfortunately, most of them are nothing but hype.

If you are a normal trader and you do not have enough time to spend in front of your computer, then getting a forex robot that runs on autopilot can work to your advantage. You just need to remember several things when deciding which software you will get.

1. Find a software with a proven record of accomplishment. The makers should give ample proof that the software actually works. It should perform according to its claims. Ask for historical data about the software, so you can judge whether the software will perform like its claim.

2. It should also contain an expert advisor that give out legitimate advice on trading.

3. Check their customer support. With online systems, you’ll never know when they will break down. So make sure that support is ready and available whenever you need it. Also, make sure that they can give you ample solutions or give you a good time frame on when they can solve the problems you are experiencing. A quick and efficient customer support is essential when getting forex trading robots.

4. Be extra careful about choosing your own online forex trading software. Keep in mind that not all of them are legitimate. Make certain that the software you are going for is legitimate. Conduct your own personal research. You can participate in forums or ask around for advice and recommendations from friends. If you feel that the software is not performing up to its standard then try and get your money back, most of these softwares provide this option.

Automated forex robots help you out in trading forex. Apart from what were mentioned above, consider what your personal goals are for trading. This will also help you in deciding the perfect software for you.

Forex Trading Software for MAC

More and more people seem to be requesting forex trading software for MAC computers. I’ve been there myself, facing the struggle trying to find the ultimate trading software for making this possible.

The thing is that most likely every application that is built for trading (forex trading platforms, forex expert advisors, forex autopilot systems) is made for Windows based computers – unless you can be good with a Java web based platform.

Virtualization on the other hand opens for new opportunities for those traders who love to stick with their MAC, or even Linux computer.

Virtualization means you can run another operation system virtually alongside the current one you’re on right now all at the same time without needing to reboot.

So get your hands into some setup configurations and within an hour or two you should be ready to enjoy your favorite forex trading software right from Intel MAC computer.

I’ve put together several options on which one you could choose. You’ll find the each different setup configuration linked below.

1. VirtualBox is great, it’s also a freeware! How to setup
2. Parallels Desktop offers a 30 day free trail. Full license from US $ 79.99
3. WMware Fusion also offers a 30 days free trail. License key from US $ 79.99

Take your time and do some testing with the different virtualizatino software’s. Then if you go for one of the paid ones you can easily apply for the license key to use the full version when you have tried it during the 30 day “test period”.

Intel raises 3rd-quarter sales outlook, citing improved demand for its products

2009-11-08T18:04:00.002-08:00

NEW YORK — Intel Corp. raised its third-quarter revenue forecast above Wall Street's expectations Friday, citing strong demand for its chips and giving another signal that business is improving for one of the world's biggest technology companies.

Intel's shares rose 4 percent in pre-market trading.

The leading maker of computer microprocessors said it now expects sales of $8.8 billion to $9.2 billion. Its last guidance, which came July 14, was for revenue in the range of $8.1 billion to $8.9 billion.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters were expecting $8.55 billion in revenue before Friday.

Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel also said it expects the quarter's gross profit margin to be in the upper half of the range it previously forecast.

Intel had already signaled in July that its business was on the mend after a difficult downturn and the PC industry's worst stretch since 2001. The company's second-quarter sales were well past Wall Street's expectations, and its guidance for the current quarter was better than what analysts were predicting at the time.

Although Intel said Friday demand for its products is strong, the implications for the struggling personal-computer business are unclear.

The company's sales exceeded expectations in the last quarter partly because PC makers needed to restock their chip inventories after letting them run lower than normal to save money.

And Dell Inc., the world's No. 2 PC maker, said Thursday as it reported quarterly earnings that while consumers are showing more signs of coming back to stores to buy PCs, corporations are still holding off. Dell said it might not see a significant turnaround in tech spending by businesses until next year.

Intel shares rose 77 cents to $20.24 in premarket trading.

Intel To be Sued From U.S. Prisoner Inmate?

2009-11-08T18:04:00.001-08:00

I was searching for a good story to start in 2009 when I found the this: A U.S. prison inmate sued Intel for $5 billion! What a wonderful start of the new year for Daw Blog :).

The 43 year old Matthew Young insisted that the Intel’s Core 2 Duo chip and its virtualization technology are based on trade secrets pilfered from him by way of Apple’s Steve Jobs.

Mr Young recently filled court papers with an Oregon-based US District Court, 43-year-old Matthew Robert Young claims that he shared these trade secrets with “His Steveness in 2003 and that Jobs quickly spilled the beans to the world’s largest chip maker”. What Matthew Young wrote to Intel?

Dear Intel Corporation:

Does this look familiar? Well it should. It is the Hacker Proof, Virus Proof Computer, that I invented, which I Call [LANCELOT]. I showed it to Steve Jobs, at Apple Computer, and asked him for Two Hundred and Fifty Million Dollars, he took it to you at Intel, and you built it but you do not know how to turn it on.

So here is what you are going to do. You are going to Agree to pay me Seventy Percent (70 %) every thing that You Gross Profit, and then I will tell you how to turn It on and make it do what I Designed it to do.

You have 30 days to Respond, on Bonded paper, with your Signature written in Blue ink, or I am going to send copies Of my schematics to AMD (Advance Micro Devices) and Tell them how it works for next to nothing.

Intel responded:

We have received the materials you provided to us in connection with the above referenced matter. After consideration and review of the submitted documents, Intel has determined not to pursue this matter.

Thank you for your interest in Intel Corporation and for bringing this opportunity to our attention.

According to Mr. Young Intel did not agree to that 70% profit cut. He also pointed out But he that with its letter, as well as in the later correspondence, that Intel never denied that or even challenged that he was the original creator of Core 2 Duo chip.

In his court filing, Matthew Young “prays that the United States District Court will Issue a Judgment Awarding” him $5 billion. Yes, $5 billion - the same sum Dylan Stephen Jayne demanded from Google for “crimes against humanity“.

Young is sentenced in the Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario, Oregon. He demanded a hearing, in which he claimed to demonstrate that he is “the only person in the world at present who knows how to make both the Core-2 Duo micro processor and Virtual Technology work.”

The court papers say that in March 2003, court Mr. Young have sent Steve Jobs designs and schematics for a “Hacker proof, Virus proof Computer with Multiphase Microprocessors” that he called “Lancelot”. According to him, Steve Jobs should help him in development and marketing technology, or buy it for $250 million.

Stock Picks: Intel, JPMorgan, J&J, Harley-Davidson

2009-11-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

Needham analyst Y. Edwin Mok said on Oct. 14 that Intel once again beat high expectations in its earnings report released after the close of trading Oct. 13, with its strong third-quarter results and higher guidance. Mok said the company is benefiting from strong demand for retail notebooks and Nehalem servers. With better control of costs and prices, the analyst sees a structural improvement in the company’s margin profile. Beyond the near-term, Mok believes the adoption of Microsoft’s new Windows 7 operating system will drive a much-needed corporate refresh of PCs in 2010, leading to further revenue growth and substantially higher EPS for Intel.

The analyst raised his non-GAAP earnings forecast for 2009 from 88 cents to $1.06, and his 2010 view from $1.30 to $1.65 on higher revenue and margin estimates. He raised his price target to $28.

Standard & Poor’s Equity Research maintains strong buy

S&P Equity analyst Stuart Plesser noted on Oct. 14 that JPMorgan posted third-quarter operating earnings of 80 cents per share, vs. 11 cents one year earlier, 35 cents above his estimate. Plesser said JPMorgan’s results benefitted from better-than-expected investment banking results, largely reflecting the tightening of spreads on securities it owns. Credit on loans held continued to deteriorate, with nonperforming loans totaling 2.72% of total loans vs. 2.17% in the previous quarter.

Plesser continues to look for elevated credit provisions through mid-2010, but for credit to improve in the third quarter of 2010.

First Global reiterates moderate outperform

First Global analysts said on Oct. 14 that Johnson & Johnson’s overall performance in the third quarter was “quite decent”, with the company’s reported earnings for the quarter surpassing First Global’s forecast, as well as the Wall Street consensus estimate, by a wide margin. Given J&J’s diverse revenue stream and management’s strong track record, First Global believes that the company’s revenue growth will bounce back to its historic levels of 5-7% in 2010.

First Global said that at 13 times estimated 2009 earnings of $4.60, J&J stock trades at a moderate premium to its industry peers, which its analysts think thinks is justified in view of the company’s diversified portfolio, strong balance sheet and robust pipeline.

Wells Fargo upgrades to outperform from market perform; raises estimates, valuation range

Wells Fargo analyst Timothy Conder said on Oct. 14 that he upgraded Harley-Davidson’s stock on his belief that investors have yet to fully appreciate the likely year-end 2009 supply/demand gap that should allow for low single-digits 2010-11 shipment growth and stabilizing used bike prices in the first half of 2010. Conder sees the benefits of a still-evolving lower operating cost structure and a positively skewed profit profile for the company’s financial services unit.

The analyst also sees a likely resumption of Harley-Davidson’s share repurchase program with excess free cash flow. He raised his $1.32 2010 earnings per share estimate to $1.44 and sets a $2.12 2011 estimate. He raised his $19-$21 valuation range to $30-$32.

Forex Brokers Intel Posted Better Than Expected Earnings And Revenue

2009-11-08T17:56:00.000-08:00

Intels better than expected earnings and revenue indicating a better than expected economic recovery will drive the European equity markets this morning.

Calendar

Economic Data Releases
Country	Name	Time (GMT)	Expectation	Prior	Comment
UK	08:30	Claimant Count Rate (SEP)	5.1%	5.0%
EC	09:00	Industrial Production YoY (AUG)	-15.5%	-15.9%
US	12:30	Advance Retail Sales (SEP)	-2.1%	2.7%

Earnings Data Releases
Country	Name	Time (GMT)	Expectation	Prior	Comment
US	Bef-Mkt	Abbott Laboratories	0.896
US	15:00	JPMorgan	0.508

What's going on?

Intel announced very good results yesterday with sequential revenues and earnings growth (and both also beat analysts' expectations). Intel's solid performance will drive equities higher today from the get go.

The earnings season is picking up steam and several companies will report results today. We maintain our expectation that earnings in general will beat analysts' estimates, which in turn will drive markets higher. In particular, pay attention to JPMorgan.

We see a resistance around 1,079 in S&P 500, and if we break through that level (the future currently implies that we will) our eyes will be on the 1,121 resistance level.

In terms of macro data, the main releases today will be US Retail Sales and minutes from the FOMC meeting.

FX

FX	Daily stance	Comment
EURUSD	0/+	Still prefer to buy dips down to 1.4850 for a push through 1.49 en-route to 1.50 eventually
USDJPY	0/-	Res now at 89.50 for a push down to 88.60, then 88.25
EURJPY	0/-	Seen capped at 133.0 now for a push back to 131.50 lvls, stop abv 133.50
GBPUSD	0/-	Risk current rebound can reach 1.6025-30 but still sell for 1.55850 again, stop abv 1.6120
AUDUSD	0/+	Rally expected to continue to 0.9280 lvls while support at 0.9090 holds

Equities

Equities	Daily stance	Comment
DAX	0/+	Buy on dips towards 5700 targeting 5757. S/L below 5675.
FTSE100	0/+	Buy on dips towards 5145 targeting 5182. S/L below 5130.
S&P500	0/+	Buy at the break of 1080 targeting 1088. S/L below 1077.
Nasdaq100	0/+
Dow Jones	0/+

Futures

Commodities	Daily Stance	Comment
Gold	0/+	Look to buy dips down to 1,060 for another test for new 2009 highs. Nervous below 1,050
Silver	0/+	Expect break abv 18.0 to target 18.40 levels. Below 17.80 would defer
Oil (CLX9)	0/+	Next target at 75.90. Above there and it's open skies up to $95 ! Suppt now 73.50

FX Options

FX- Options	Comment
EURUSD	Market was bid for 4mth and out vega with downside interest. Risk reversals getting paid (buying EUR puts) as well so the curve should remain well supported.
USDJPY	Gamma turns better bid as Dollar selling continues. 1mth riskies is back at 2.0 favouring USD puts so market is still nervous around these levels.
AUDUSD	Vols were bid this session as spot drives higher above 91.00 Gamma remains well bid and risk reversals are moving away from AUD puts towards flat.

Analysis Disclosure & Disclaimer

Saxo Bank A/S shall not be responsible for any loss arising from any investment based on any recommendation, forecast or other information herein contained. The contents of this publication should not be construed as an express or implied promise, guarantee or implication by Saxo Bank that clients will profit from the strategies herein or that losses in connection therewith can or will be limited. Trades in accordance with the recommendations in an analysis, especially leveraged investments such as foreign exchange trading and investment in derivatives, can be very speculative and may result in losses as well as profits, in particular if the conditions mentioned in the analysis do not occur as anticipated.

Saxo Bank utilizes financial information providers and information from such providers may form the basis for an analysis. Saxo Bank accepts no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any information herein contained.

Any recommendations and other comments in Saxo Bank's analysis derive from objective fundamental macro economical and company specific calculations, statistical and technical analysis, and subjective general market assessment.

If an analysis contains recommendations to buy or sell a specific financial instrument, such recommendation should be seen as Saxo Bank's opinion that the specific instrument will respectively outperform the relevant market or underperform compared to the market. Saxo Bank's recommendations should statistically correspond to an even distribution between buy and sell recommendations.

The recommendations may expire promptly due to market volatility and in general, Saxo Bank does not anticipate its recommendations to be valid more than one month. An analysis will be updated if and only if a market development or other issues relevant to the analysis render a new analysis on the same topic relevant. Saxo Bank's analysis does not cover any specific financial product over time but only products which Saxo Bank's strategy team finds it important to cover at any given point in time.

In order to prevent conflicts of interest, Saxo Bank has established appropriate business procedures, incl. procedures applicable to research and analysis to ensure objective research reports. Saxo Bank's research reports have not been discussed with the parties, e.g. issuers of securities, mentioned in the analysis.

Saxo Bank is under supervision by the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority. Saxo Bank does not engage in corporate finance activities and accordingly, Saxo Bank's employees, incl. the persons responsible for an analysis, do not receive remuneration associated with investment banking transactions.

Dedicated Server Range Expands Intel CP, at WebHostingUK

2009-11-08T17:55:00.000-08:00

Nottingham, United Kingdom - (The Hosting News) - December 14, 2007 - Web hosting provider, WebHosting UK, has enhanced its range of dedicated servers, with CPU's such as Core 2 Duo Quad Core Xeon Q6600 and branded Dell Servers with Intel CPU's Quad Core Intel Xeon X3210 and Intel Dual Core Xeon 3050.

Andrew King, CEO for UK Hosting Corporation Limited noted, ''WebHosting UK Dedicated Servers are an ideal choice for ambitious, growing companies to fully incorporate the benefits and opportunities offered by a Dedicated Server at an affordable cost within UK. We utilize the best hardware available in the market today for our servers along with one of the largest networks and bandwidth providers like Level 3, Tiscali, and Deutsche Telekom to provide fast speed, great network uptime and much more.''

All WebHosting UK dedicated servers are fully managed and include features such as 24x7 technical support, 24x7 server monitoring, 100% Power and Network Uptime guarantee as standard. The servers are located in the World-class Blue Square Datacenter based in Maidenhead, UK, powered with lightning fast speeds and uninterrupted connections to ensure smooth functioning of all the websites and applications hosted on those servers.

WebHosting UK special offer server "Core 2 Duo Quad Core Xeon Q6600", 8MB cache (http://www.webhosting.uk.com/dedicated-servers-web-hosting.php) is available with 4GB DDR RAM, 2 x 250 GB SATA HDD, 3500 GB Monthly Bandwidth, 100 mbps Dedicated Network with upgrades Up to 8GB RAM, 2 x 500GB Drives with RAID 1 and 5000GB monthly bandwidth. Server is priced very attractively at Â£260 / Month and doesn't involve any setup fee. Server setup for all the above configuration is FREE. Clients will have a choice of cPanel / WHM and Plesk Control panel for Linux servers and Windows Plesk control panel for Windows servers. Server OS choices includes CentOS 5.0, Fedora Core 6, Debian 4.0, Free BSD 6.2, RHEL 4, Windows 2003 Standard and Windows 2003 Enterprise.

Founded in 2001, WebHosting UK offers an array of managed hosting services which includes cPanel hosting, windows hosting, Linux and Windows Resellers, VPS Hosting, Semi-Dedicated Servers and Dedicated Hosting Servers with all important features such as 24x7 technical support, 99.9+ % Uptime Guarantee included as standard.

Web Hosting Provider, SoftLayer Technologies, Implements Intel Xeon Servers

2009-11-08T17:53:00.002-08:00

Dallas, Texas – (The Hosting News) – November 8, 2006 – On-demand hosting provider, SoftLayer Technologies, has implemented Intel Xeon-based servers with Dempsey and Woodcrest processors. In addition, dedicated KVM over IP comes standard with all Dempsey and Woodcrest servers, a free hardware upgrade.

Steven Canale, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at SoftLayer commented, ”We pride ourselves on consistently delivering best-in-class solutions to our customers. Not only are these new systems lightning fast, but weâ€™ve also made them affordable.”

According to Mr. Canale, the Xeon-based Dempsey servers are an extension of Intel’s Netburst architecture featuring dual core technology. Mr. Canale continued, ”With the Dempsey server line, we’re offering great value for high performance. Single processor, dual core servers start at $179 per month while dual processor, dual core servers start at $249 per month.”

SoftLayer also offers the Xeon-based Woodcrest servers. These servers incorporate a new architecture change from Intel and include 1333Mhz front side bus, fully buffered DIMMs for maximum RAM performance and PCI-E expansion for RAID applications. Offering intensive processing power for mission critical applications, dual processor, dual core Woodcrest servers start at $299 per month.

Mr. Canale concluded, ”At SoftLayer, we do everything possible to ensure our customerâ€™s needs are met and expectations exceeded. Combine these new offerings with SoftLayer’s private network and customers get a world-class product line with complete control and remote management capabilities.”

Both systems include:

â€¢ Supermicro 1U architecture with hot swap SATA/SAS hard drives

â€¢ High density SATA drives for maximum storage (750GB) or fast SA-SCSI drives at 15k for maximum performance

â€¢ 10/100/1000 Network cards for public and private networks

â€¢ IPMI 2.0 control with built in KVM over IP functionality

Located in the INFOMART in Dallas, Texas, SoftLayer was formed in June 2005 by a team of industry executives seeking to deliver low cost next generation on-demand hosting services for the small to medium enterprise (SME). Utilizing proprietary software, coupled with the industryâ€™s first network-within-a-network topology, the company delivers unprecedented power and control to securely manage IT environments while providing unparalleled scalability. For more information please call 866.398.7638.

Unix vs Intel

2009-11-08T17:53:00.001-08:00

Making the right choice for your large-scale corporate needs is, to say the least, very important. And it’s tougher than it used to be. For years, Unix servers from IBM, Sun and HP have been the logical and popular choice for large applications. The power of a Unix server, with up to 64 processors, together with the scalability and stability of a Unix operating system has created a whole generation of IT professionals who would rather fight than switch. But, my, my – how things can change...

First, consider some of the initial costs. Intel-based servers are usually cheaper than proprietary Unix servers, making Intel server clustering a less expensive way to scale out your business. With price not always the most important consideration, you still have to weigh the advantages of one, large Unix server running just one copy of applications and the operating system on all the processors – far easier and faster to troubleshoot. With Intel-based servers you have another cost advantage – more negotiating power. When you go Unix, you get locked into one vendor, like HP or Sun, and you pretty much have to live with whatever they do down the road. Intel servers, on the other hand, run standard processors and software allowing you to cluster together boxes from different manufacturers fairly easily. So if you’re not happy with one vendor, you can say, “See ya!” and go somewhere else.

And then there is the issue of power. It used to be that Unix offered 64-bit chips and Intel only 32 bits. That made a monster difference in memory addressability for managing very large databases. Last year, however, Intel finally got its Itanium 64-bit chip to market. And with the upcoming release of its successor chip, McKinley, Intel is expected to deliver a formidable, although relatively untested in the real world, 64-bit chip.

Microsoft has apparently done its part to improve the stability of the Windows operating system with NT. Waning are the concerns you used to have about how far you could scale it reliably on Intel-based servers. Alas, you will have to deal with software upgrades with Microsoft products and perhaps endure rebooting with seeming regularity. Of course, you could decide to run Unix on your Intel-based servers. Although its open-source cousin, Linux has been stealing the show primarily because you can download it free, Red Hat has done a decent job with support services, and you can tweak the code to better suit your requirements.

If you find yourself wrestling with what’s best for you, you may yearn for the simplicity of days gone by – when Unix held the keys to the castle for very large-scale server needs. But you can bet that the flexibility offered by today’s products is worth the additional time and effort you’ll spend making your decision.

Intel Phasing Out Web Hosting Service

2009-11-08T17:51:00.000-08:00

Intel Tuesday said it will slowly shut down its Intel Online Services (IOS) Web hosting business over the next 12 months.

As a wholly owned subsidiary of the Santa Clara, Calif.-based chip making giant, IOS provides managed Web services, mostly for businesses, but also for some of Intel's internal operations.

The company said it will continue providing services to an undisclosed amount of existing customers in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Japan and help them transition to other services over the next year. No new customers are being accepted.

The decision comes a day after computer-services giant Electronic Data Systems Corp. said it had purchased Loudcloud Web site management business for $63.5 million.

The move rings similar to other Web hosting companies that have sputtered or filed for bankruptcy, such as Exodus Communications.

"While IOS has been successful in attracting new customers, market trends and financial projections for the hosting services industry lead us to today's decision," said Intel Online Services president Dalibor Vrsalovic. "Our focus now will be to fully support customers and ensure a continued high level of service while we assist them in their transition plans.

The company said IOS and its technology would eventually be absorbed into Intel's worldwide information technology operations. A company spokesperson said it was too early to tell if the changes would result in job cuts.

Intel Online Services' primary focus is the delivery of second-generation Internet application hosting services. The company also purchases, assimilates, and installs all the hardware and software necessary to run applications.

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The service, called AppChoice, includes a controller that allows hardware, operating system, applications, storage and network infrastructure to be managed as a single unit, called a "customer pod".

The subsidiary manages the operations of that pod and works with the customer to automate routine and administrative tasks, such as repairing, troubleshooting and server provisioning.

IOS's client list includes such big names as eBay, Akamai, the Discovery Channel and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The IOS service was also one of the first companies to be certified by Microsoft Corp. for its Gold Certification Program for Application Infrastructure Providers (AIPs).

"In the course of building IOS, we developed advanced technology that automates and standardizes key Web hosting functions, as well as operational expertise that enabled us to deliver some of the best service levels in the industry," Vrsalovic said.

Founded four years ago, IOS opened its first two Internet service centers - a major production facility in Santa Clara, Calif., and a development facility in Folsom, Calif.

The company also supports a major Internet service center in Northern Virginia, and developed centers in Japan and England.

The consolidation is part of Intel's goal of becoming what it calls a "100 percent e-corporation."

Other Intel ventures to get adjusted or dropped include a streaming media division, an e-commerce group and a consumer-electronics group.

As a result of the decision to wind down IOS operations, Intel said it expects to take a pre-tax charge of approximately $100 million in the second quarter, primarily affecting cost of sales. The charge is related to the write-down of capital assets and other costs associated with the phasing out of IOS activity.

Get FREE Web Hosting NOW! | Intel Xeon Nehalem with Hyper Thread, 12GB DDR3 RAM

2009-11-08T17:46:00.000-08:00

Server Specification: Intel Xeon Nehalem with Hyper Threading & Turbo Boost, 12GB DDR3 RAM, 10K RPM Hard Disk in RAID1. Also included is a separate hard drive for weekly backups. More reasons to host your websites with: Linux Features:
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Intel exits Web hosting market

2009-11-08T17:45:00.000-08:00

Intel is bailing out of the Web hosting market as part of its push to become a 100 percent e-corporation.

Intel has been looking at the market trends and statistics, and claim the financial projections have led them to this decision. Intel Online Services (IOS), the subsidiary that looks after the managed hosting services, will be integrated into Intel over the next 30 days. Intel will continue to offer the service until June 30, 2003.

-All IOS personnel and physical assets will be integrated into Intel's internal IT organisations," a spokesperson for Intel told ZDNet Australia. -We're going to continue to provide those services, and we're going to work with our customers to ensure a smooth transition, but we're not going to be pursuing any new customers."

The spokesperson said no lay-offs are expected. -Everybody has valuable skills which can be used internally," she said.

World-wide Intel expect to take a one-off hit of US$100 million in the second quarter, related to the write-down of capital assets and other costs associated with phasing out IOS.

Intel exits Online Services Web hosting business The Circuit Brief Article

2009-11-08T17:42:00.000-08:00

INTEL CORP. LAST WEEK SAID IT PLANNED TO discontinue its Web-hosting business, Intel Online Services (IOS). As a result, the chipmaker expects to record a pretax charge of $100 million during Q2.

Intel said it would continue to provide services to existing customers over the next 12 months, but no new customers will be taken on.

"While IOS has been successful in attracting new customers, market trends and financial projections for the hosting services industry led us to today's decision," said Dalibor Vrsalovic, president of IOS. "Our focus now will be to fully support customers and ensure a continued high level of service while we assist them in their transition plans."

The Intel-developed technology that automates and standardizes Web-hosting functions as well as operational expertise will be absorbed into the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company's worldwide information technology operations to support its goal of becoming a 100 percent e-corporation.

The $100 million charge will primarily affect cost of sales, Intel said, and is related to the write-down of capital assets and other costs associated with phasing out the business.

Intel seeks new 'microserver' standard

2009-11-08T17:41:00.000-08:00

The chipmaker will offer its design specification to the Server System Infrastructure Forum by the end of the year, said Jason Waxman, general manager of Intel's high-density computing group. If the group's board votes its approval for the specification, group members may use the designs royalty-free, he said in a meeting with reporters here.

"Before the end of the year, it will happen," Waxman said.

An Intel 'microserver.' Click on photo for more images.

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)

The computer industry is in constant tension between proprietary designs and standards that anyone may use. The former can mean tidy profits for companies, as long as the technology is widely adopted, but the latter can spur broader adoption. Intel's primary business, selling processors, benefits more from the latter when it comes to cultivating a new server market segment.

Who's it for?
Waxman believes the servers will appeal to Web site hosting companies that need a lot of servers for relatively low-traffic Web sites.

"At most Web sites hosting providers, do you know what the server does? Nothing. It just sits there," Waxman said, so a low power draw when idle is an important characteristic. But when that request to view the Web page does arrive, it must respond quickly.

This sales pitch recapitulates one for first-generation blade servers from early this decade. So what's different now from the first time, when those commercially unsuccessful blade servers were replaced with much more powerful, sophisticated, and expensive models? This time, though the Intel microservers are simple, they have reasonably good performance, Waxman said.

"For the low-end, scaled-out Web hosting space, we think we can put enough power in a low enough power envelope," Waxman said.

What's inside?
The diminutive server consists of a single quad-core processor and four memory banks. Intel showed 16 microservers housed in an 8.75-inch-tall chassis that supplies them all with power, cooling, and a network connection to the outside world. Along the bottom of the chassis is a bay with 16 "sleds" that each has a trio of 2.5-inch hard drives that directly connect to each microserver.

The present microserver uses a 1.86GHz quad-core processor, the "Lynnfield" model of Intel's new "Nehalem" generation. Its top power consumption is 45 watts, but early in 2010, Intel will release a dual-core "Clarkdale" model that consumes only 30 watts when running flat-out.

That's at the top end, though. Intel's goal is for the entire microserver--which also includes memory and supporting chips--to idle at just 25 watts of power.

Intel Consolidates Data Centers to Reduce Costs

2009-11-08T17:39:00.000-08:00

(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Leading chip manufacturer Intel (www.intel.com) is undergoing a four-year refresh cycle for servers to consolidate its data centers, which stands to save the company close to $250 million in operating costs over eight years, said Intel CTO Diane Bryant on Tuesday.

So far, the company has widdled its 147 data centers down to around 70, said Bryant. From 2007 to 2015, the company hopes to save $250 million in costs related to data centers, including cooling, system maintenance and support.

Launched in 2007, the four-year refresh cycle for servers implements faster chips, consolidates servers and stores more applications in virtualized environments.

The strategy has already paid off, helping the company save $45 million in 2008 alone.

The company has replaced 10 single-core Xeon chips with a single Nehalem-based quad-core Xeon chip, which has helped it to reduce hardware in its facilities while boosting the total server performance.

Intel has also managed to decrease hardware acquisition costs and any associated overhead costs, such as energy and maintenance, per server. For example, the company has installed more energy-efficient servers to reduce power costs.

Other ways the company is working towards improving its energy efficiency in data centers are participating in US government agencies like the US Environmental Protection Agency, using technologies to optimize server performance by maintaining high utilization rates, and moving applications from dedicated hardware to virtualized environments.

The company is also testing out different tactics to cut its energy costs, such as experimenting with a data center that uses minimal air conditioning, and working with universities and companies like HP and IBM to find the best methods of cooling data centers.

Gigabyte GA-965G-DS3 (Intel G965)

2009-11-07T18:46:00.000-08:00

Testbed Configuration
Processor	Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800
Mainboard	Gigabyte GA-965G-DS3
Memory	2 x 1GB Kingston HyperX DDR2-800
Graphics Card	MSI GeForce 7900 GT 256MB
Harddisk	Seagate 7200.7 80GB SATA (NTFS)
Operating System	Windows XP Professional w/SP2

Final Words

The Gigabyte GA-965G-DS3 is still not in its final stages and not yet fit for retail with under-performing onboard graphics (no thank to Intel's beta drivers) and broken overclocking. The good thing of course is that the GA-965G-DS3 is matured enough as a standalone motherboard that its general performance (with a discreet graphics card), stability and compatibility are very competitive against retail Core 2 boards such as the GA-965P-DS3 and ASUS' 975X Express based P5W DH Deluxe. This much, we've expected out of the board. However, rarely there is a case where one would think of purchasing an IGP motherboard to run discreet graphics, especially since there is the GA-965P-DS3 for that purpose.

Theoretical benefits of the GMA X3000's hybrid and programmable architecture are pretty high for an onboard GPU, but as you can see from the benchmarks, it will still be a while yet till we actually see tangible results in its favor. Both graphics drivers and performance are still very raw and un-optimized as current benchmark numbers show that it is only within the same ballpark as the older generation GMA 950. OpenGL performance however, has a long way to catch up.

The basic foundation of the board is complete, but overclocking and onboard graphics are still quite raw.

However, Intel has designed the GMA X3000 to take advantage of the next generation of programmable graphics capabilities such as DirectX 10. As such, it isn't only the maturity of its drivers that will eventually make a difference, but software that will actually be able to utilize its programmable pipeline architecture. Since the underlying architecture is catered towards DirectX 10, and that itself won't be out till Windows Vista debuts, there are of course no games or software available today that can harness the GMA X3000 for its full capabilities. As such, it's pretty much safe to say that the GMA X3000's potential will be very much muted till Windows Vista and the next lineup of DirectX 10 software have been rolled out. However first and foremost, Intel has to work on their driver set to make the GMA X3000 operate in full form in both DirectX 9 and 10 environments as well us speed up OpenGL performance. A tall order indeed for a non-graphics inclined company, but with Intel's mighty resources, we hope to see these issues ironed out soon as Intel G965 Express based motherboards are slated for mass retail really soon.

Intel has also been promoting their new Clear Video technology and HDCP compliance for the GMA X3000, but the GA-965G-DS3 is a full ATX board and not really designed for entertainment purposes. Without any other video output ports except one VGA, the board will probably not be of interest to those looking for a new digital entertainment PC setup. Then again, we're still excited to see what the retail ready performance of the Gigabyte GA-965G-DS3 and GMA X3000 will be like, so stay tuned for a full update once we are able to get our hands on one along with Intel's new graphics drivers.

Intel graphics drivers employ questionable 3DMark Vantage optimizations

2009-11-07T18:44:00.000-08:00

In the early days of GPUs, application-specification performance optimizations in graphics drivers were viewed by many as cheating. Accusations were hurled with regularity, and in some cases, there was real cheating going on. Some optimizations surreptitiously degraded image quality in order to boost performance, which obviously isn't kosher. Optimizations that don't affect an application's image quality are harder to condemn, though, especially if you're talking about games. If a driver can offer users smoother gameplay without any ill effects, why shouldn't it be allowed?

The situation gets more complicated when one considers optimizations that specifically target benchmarks. Synthetic tests don't have user experiences to improve, just arbitrary scores to inflate. Yet the higher scores achieved through benchmark-specific optimizations could influence a PC maker's choice of graphics solution or help determine the pricing of a graphics card.

Futuremark's popular 3DMark benchmark has been the target of several questionable optimizations over the years. Given that history, it's not surprising that the company has strict guidelines for the graphics drivers it approves for use with 3DMark Vantage. These guidelines, which can be viewed here (PDF), explicitly forbid optimizations that specifically target the 3DMark Vantage executable. Here's an excerpt:

With the exception of configuring the correct rendering mode on multi-GPU systems, it is prohibited for the driver to detect the launch of 3DMark Vantage executable and to alter, replace or override any quality parameters or parts of the benchmark workload based on the detection. Optimizations in the driver that utilize empirical data of 3DMark Vantage workloads are prohibited.

No ambiguity there, then: Vantage-specific optimizations aren't allowed.

Intel may not be playing fair, though. We recently learned AMD has notified Futuremark that Intel's 15.15.4.1872 Graphics Media Accelerator drivers for Windows 7 incorporate performance optimizations that specifically target the benchmark, so we decided to investigate.

We tested 3DMark Vantage 1.0.1 with these drivers on a G41 Express-based Gigabyte GA-G41M-ES2H motherboard running the Windows 7 x64 release-to-manufacturing build, a Core 2 Duo E6300, 4GB of DDR2-800 memory, and a Raptor WD1500ADFD hard drive.

We first ran the benchmark normally. Then, we renamed the 3DMark executable from "3DMarkVantage.exe" to "3DMarkVintage.exe". And—wouldn't you know it?—there was a substantial performance difference between the two.

Our system's overall score climbs by 37% when the graphics driver knows it's running Vantage. That's not all. Check out the CPU and GPU components of the overall score:

The GPU score jumps by a whopping 46% thanks to Intel's apparent Vantage optimization. At the same time, the CPU score falls by nearly 10%. Curious.

Next, we ran a perfmon log of CPU utilization during each of 3DMark's CPU and GPU component tests. Vantage takes its sweet time loading each test, so our start and end times aren't perfectly aligned for each run. However, the pattern is pretty obvious.

In the GPU tests, the system's CPU utilization is much higher with the default executable than with the "3DMarkVintage" executable. There isn't much difference in CPU utilization in the CPU tests, though.

Windows 7 Drivers x86x64 Updated

2009-11-07T18:41:00.000-08:00

Windows 7 Drivers x86x64 - Updated 29.10.2009 | 2.02 Gb

After installing Windows 7, you may need to download the latest Windows 7 drivers for some of the hardware in your PC. Since Windows 7 is a new operating system, manufacturers are now releasing Windows 7 drivers for their products. Updating to the latest Windows 7 drivers may help keep your PC running at its best.
List of drivers:
Audio
* Analog Devices SoundMAX HD Audio Windows 7 Driver 6.0.01.7131
* Realtek HD Audio Driver R2.35 - x86/x64
* Realtek AC97 Audio Driver PG537 - x86/x64
* Realtek HDMI Audio Driver R2.35 - x86/x64
* C-Media CM106 - x86/x64
* C-Media CM6501 - x86/x64
* C-Media CM8738 - x86/x64
* C-Media CM8768 - x86/x64
* C-Media CM8770 - x86/x64
* C-Media CM8787 - x86/x64
* C-Media CM8788 - x86/x64
* Conexant Hermosa HD Audio Windows 7 Driver v.4.98.9 - x86/x64
* VIA HD Audio Codec (VT1708B, VIA HD Audio Codec VT1702S, VIA HD Audio Codec VT1708S) v.7.30a - x86/x64

Video
* AMD/ATI Catalyst 9.10 Desktop WHQL x86
* AMD/ATI Catalyst 9.10 Desktop WHQL x64
* AMD/ATI Catalyst 9.9 Notebook WHQL x86
* AMD/ATI Catalyst 9.9 Notebook WHQL x64
* AMD/ATI Catalyst 9.8 OLD GRAPHIC CARDS WHQL x86
* AMD/ATI Catalyst 9.8 OLD GRAPHIC CARDS WHQL x64
* Intel Graphics Driver (G41 ; G43 ; G45 ; Q43 ; Q45 ; GL40 ; GS40 ; GM45; GS45) v.15.15.6- x86/x64
* Intel Graphics Driver (945G,945GZ,946GZ,G965,Q965,Q963,G33,G35,Q33,Q35,G31,945GC,945GM,945GME,945GMS,940GML,GM965,GME965,GLE960,) v.15.12.75 -

x86/x64
* Nvidia 191.07 Desktop WHQL x86
* Nvidia 191.07 Desktop WHQL x64
* Nvidia 186.81 Notebook WHQL x86
* Nvidia 186.81 Notebook WHQL x64
* SiS UniVGA Graphics Driver ( SiSM672MX, SiSM672, SiS672, SiS672FX, SiSM671MX, SiSM671, SiS671, SiS671FX) v.5.22 - x86/x64
* VIA CN896 VIA Chrome9™, P4M900 VIA Chrome9™, VN896 VIA Chrome9™ HC v.24.10.04p - x86/x64
* VIA VX800 VIA Chrome9™ HC, VX820/UT VIA Chrome9™ HC v.24.10.04k - x86/x64
* VIA VX855 VIA Chrome9™ HCM, VX875 VIA Chrome9™ HCM v.24.10.04j - x86/x64

Chipset
* AMD/ATI Catalyst 9.10 WHQL x86
* AMD/ATI Catalyst 9.10 WHQL x64
* Intel Chipset Driver 9.1.1.1020 x86/x64
* NVIDIA nForce Windows 7 Driver v.15.49 x86
* NVIDIA nForce Windows 7 Driver v.15.49 x64
* VIA Hyperion Chipset Driver 5.24a - x86/x64

LAN
* Atheros (AR8121/AR8113/AR8114/AR8131/AR8132) - x86/x64
* Atheros (L1 Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000 Base-T Controller) - x86/x64
* Broadcom BCM57xx Ethernet Driver v.12.2.2.0 - x86/x64
* Intel PRO/10/1000 (PRO/10GbE) Ethernet Driver v.14.6 - x86/x64
* JMicron JMC25x/JMC26x Driver v.6.0.12.7 - x86/x64
* Marvell Yukon Gigabit Ethernet Driver v.11.22.3.3 - x86/x64
* Realtek Ethernet Windows 7 Driver v.7.006.1019 - x86/x64
* VIA (VT8251 Integrated, VT8231, VT8233, VT8235 & VT8237 Integrated (Rhine & Rhine II), VT6103 Rhine (PHY), VT6105/L/LOM and VT6106/H/L/S series (Rhine III), VT6105M Management Fast Ethernet Controller (Rhine III), VT6115 Fast Ethernet Controller (Rhine III), VT6107 Fast Ethernet Controller (Rhine & Rhine II)) - x86/x64

Card Reader
* Alcor Micro Card Reader Driver v.1.15.54 - x86/x64
* JMicron JMB38x Driver v.1.00.33.02 - x86/x64
* O2Micro Memory Stick Reader Driver (OZ6933,OZ711E0,OZ711EC1,OZ711E1,OZ711E2,OZ711M1,OZ711M2,OZ711M3) V3.00.0006 - x86/x64
* Realtek (RTS 5121,5101,5111,5116,5158,5159) - x86/x64
* Ricoh R5C83x/84x Driver v.2.07.01.00 - x86/x64

Wi-Fi
* Atheros AR50XX Wireless Windows 7 Driver v.8.0.0.238 - x86/x64
* Broadcom Wireless BCM43xx Windows 7 Driver v.5.30.21.0 - x86/x64
* Intel Wi-Fi Windows 7 Driver v.13.0.0.107 - x86/x64
* Realtek Wi-Fi Windows 7 Driver RTL8180 - x86/x64
* Realtek Wi-Fi Windows 7 Driver RTL8185 - x86/x64
* Realtek Wi-Fi Windows 7 Driver RTL8187L - x86/x64
* Realtek Wi-Fi Windows 7 Driver RTL8187B - x86/x64
* Realtek Wi-Fi Windows 7 Driver RTL8187S - x86/x64
* Realtek Wi-Fi Windows 7 Driver RTL8190 - x86/x64
* Realtek Wi-Fi Windows 7 Driver RTL8191SE - x86/x64
* Realtek Wi-Fi Windows 7 Driver RTL8192E - x86/x64
* Realtek Wi-Fi Windows 7 Driver RTL8192SE - x86/x64

29.10.2009 Replaced:
* Realtek Ethernet Windows 7 Driver v.7.003.0720 - x86/x64 for Realtek Ethernet Windows 7 Driver v.7.006.1019 - x86/x64
* JMicron JMC25x/JMC26x Driver v.6.0.11.10 - x86/x64 on JMicron JMC25x/JMC26x Driver v.6.0.12.7 - x86/x64

Added 29/10/2009:
* SiS UniVGA Graphics Driver (SiSM672MX, SiSM672, SiS672, SiS672FX, SiSM671MX, SiSM671, SiS671, SiS671FX) v.5.22 - x86/x64

Release Date: 29.10.2009
Platform: Windows 7 x86/x64
Compatibility with Vista: complete
Language: English + Russian
Tabletka: Not required
Size: 2.02 GB

Intel GL40/GM45/GS45 Intel Graphics Media Accelerator Driver 15.15.6.64.1892 Windows 7 x64

2009-11-07T18:36:00.000-08:00

Version: 15.15.6.64.1892
Release: 10 Sep 2009
Update: 5 Nov 2009
License: Free Driver
File Name: GFX_Win7_64_15.15.6.64.1892_PV_Intel.exe
File Size: 25.31 Mb
Environment:Windows 7 x64
Category: Display and Video Drivers
Vendor: Intel Drivers
Subcategory:Intel Display and Video Drivers

>> Driver Summary >>

Intel G41/G43/G45/Q43/Q45/GL40/GM45/GS45 Intel Graphics Media Accelerator Driver 15.15.6.64.1892 Windows 7 x64..

>> Product Information and Specification >>

The Mobile Intel GL40 Express Chipset features, for channel DDR3-667, DDR2-667, DDR2-800 and DDR3-800 memory support, 800 MHz system bus and PCI Express* x1 I/O ports, Serial ATA, and Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connectivity.

The Mobile Intel GM45 Express Chipset, featuring the Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 4500MHD, delivers:

Microsoft Windows Vista Premium support with the highest level of Microsoft Windows Aero experience

Blu-ray logo capable HD video playback, with native support for Blu-ray drives

Great 3D graphics performance, delivering over 3X scores on 3D Mark 06

Intel Clear Video Technology for excellent video quality

The Mobile Intel GM45 Express Chipset features hardware based decoding for Blu-ray content, dual-channel DDR3 and DDR2 memory support, 1066 MHz system bus, PCI Express x16 graphics port and PCI Express x1 I/O ports, Serial ATA, and Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connectivity.

The mobile Intel GS45 Express Chipset , featuring the mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 4500MHD, delivers:

Microsoft Windows Vista Premium support with the highest level of Windows Aero experience

Blu-ray logo capable HD video playback, with native support for Blu-ray drives

Great 3D graphics performance

Intel Clear Video Technology for excellent video quality

The mobile Intel GS45 Express chipset features hardware based decoding for Blu-ray content, dual-channel DDR3 and DDR2 memory support, up to 1066 MHz system bus, PCI Express x16 graphics ports and PCI Express x1 I/O ports, Serial ATA, and Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connectivity.

>> Driver Install Instruction >>

1. Define your Intel Display and Video device model.

2. Define your operating system to install your Intel Display and Video device

3. Search Display and Video driver category

4. Find Intel Display and Video driver

5. Select Intel GL40/GM45/GS45 Intel Graphics Media Accelerator Driver 15.15.6.64.1892 Windows 7 x64

6. Download Intel GL40/GM45/GS45 Intel Graphics Media Accelerator Driver 15.15.6.64.1892 Windows 7 x64

7. Install Intel GL40/GM45/GS45 Intel Graphics Media Accelerator Driver 15.15.6.64.1892 Windows 7 x64

8. Restart or reboot your computer to finish your driver installation.

Update Drivers in Windows 7

2009-11-07T18:33:00.000-08:00

Download the latest drivers from the hardware manufacturer's website. Drivers from the manufacturer will be the most current but there are several other driver download options.

As part of this driver update process, you can choose to update drivers from a hardware installation disc or from Windows Update but updating drivers manually (as described below) is usually more effective.

Note: Many drivers come integrated with software that automatically installs the driver. The manufacturer's website will tell you if the driver download is packaged this way and if so, the steps below aren't usually necessary.
Open Device Manager from the Control Panel in Windows 7.

Note: There are also several other ways of opening Device Manager in Windows 7 but this is probably the easiest.
With Device Manager open, locate the hardware device that you want to update the drivers for.

Note: Navigate through the categories of hardware devices by clicking the [+] icon. Specific hardware devices are listed under the major hardware categories.
After finding the hardware you're updating drivers for, right click on the hardware's name or icon and choose Properties. In this Properties window, click the Driver tab.
Click the Update Driver... button.

Note: The Update Driver Software wizard will begin.
On the How do you want to search for driver software? window, click on Browse my computer for driver software.
In the next window labeled Browse for driver software on your computer, click on Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer, located at the bottom of the window.
Click the Have Disk... button located under the text box.
Click the Browse... button on the Install From Disk dialog box that appeared.

In the Locate File dialog box that appears next, navigate to the folder that you extracted as part of the driver download in Step 1 above. There may be multiple folders within the extracted folder so be sure to work your way to the one for Windows 7 if it exists. Don't worry if you don't find one labeled for Windows 7.
Click the INF file that displays in the file list and click the Open button.

Note: INF files are the only files that Device Manager accepts for driver setup information. See the tips at the bottom of the page for some INF file troubleshooting.
Click the OK button back on the Install From Disk dialog box.
Choose the newly added hardware in the text box and then click the Next > button.

If you're prompted with a message warning you about how the device driver may not be compatible with your hardware, click the Yes button to continue installing the driver. Many drivers are not Windows 7 certified but are still perfectly safe to install.

Important: If you're installing a driver obtained from anywhere other than the manufacturer of the hardware, click the No button instead and obtain drivers from the manufacturer directly.
The Windows 7 Update Driver Software wizard will now use the instructions provided in the INF file from Step 10 to install the updated drivers for your hardware.
Follow any additional instructions on screen to complete the driver update.
You may be prompted to restart your computer after the driver update is complete.

Note: Not all driver updates require a restart of your computer. Even if you're not prompted, I always recommend restarting anyway. The driver update process involves changes to the Windows Registry and other important areas of your computer and restarting is a good way to confirm that updating drivers hasn't negatively impacted some other area of Windows.

If a driver update causes a problem, you can always roll back the driver.

Tips:

Couldn't find an INF file in a folder from your driver download? Try looking in another folder.
Couldn't find an INF file in any folder from the extracted driver files? The driver download itself may have been damaged. Try downloading and extracting the device drivers again.
Find multiple INF files in a folder from your driver download? Try each file until the drivers for your hardware are properly installed.
Not a Windows 7 user? See How to Update Drivers in Windows for links to steps specific for your operating system.

How to use Intel's driver website

2009-11-07T18:29:00.000-08:00

In this comprehensive tutorial we will walk you through the process of finding and installing the hardware drivers for your Intel Gigabit Ethernet Controller. This is a vital part of your operating system. If the Ethernet controller is malfunctioning, you are unable to access the Internet or the local connections.

Although it might seem simple to troubleshoot problems related to this device, it is not. Sometimes, the cause of some problems remains hidden. We might encounter situations where IT experts have a lot of work to do before finding and solving the problem.

Here are a few real problems from real people all around the world:

"Hi guys! I have some problems with my Ethernet controller, I don't know how to upgrade/install the right drivers, and I know that my motherboard is the ASUS A7V8X ... but I am having problems finding the right drivers, can anyone help me? Thanks!"
"Hi there. I recently had to reformat and reinstall windows XP, and amongst some of the problems that have surfaced since is that I no longer have the Ethernet controller for my pc. I have an XP 2200+ with an Albatron KX400-8XV Pro motherboard. I am looking for the Ethernet controller driver. The CD that I used when I built the PC has long gone. Any advice as to where I can find it. I've looked around the INTEL website but don't seem to be able to find it"
"Hi I have the "HP Media Center m7160n Desktop PC" and currently I just reformatted my system. After I reformatted I tried connecting to the internet and I kept on getting an error. So I went to device manager and noticed that my Ethernet controller is not recognized and that the driver needs to be updated. But to do that i need to connect to the internet. So if anyone can help me out with what to do that would be very helpful. (And I bought my system almost 2 years ago so I don't have the recovery disk anymore). Any help that you can offer is appreciated. Thanks in advance."

As you can see, after installing the operating system, there are many problems that appear out of nowhere. We must solve these problems if we want to use all of our computer's resources. I have an Intel 82540EM Gigabit Ethernet Controller and Windows can't see it. I have lost my original CD with the drivers. What can I do? Let's see!

Finding and downloading the latest drivers for your device

Almost all manufacturers maintain a database of drivers on their website. This database contains drivers, software, and technical documentation for all of their products. So, if we want to find the latest drivers for our Inter device, we must visit Intel's website at www.intel.com. We can also google "Intel" and the first result is the page we need. Here is how their main page look like:

As you can see, you must first choose your location. I have already chosen Canada-English. Next, you must place your mouse over Work and choose Support. Support is where downloads are usually located. Here is how to reach the support page:

Click the link and you should reach the following page:

You will immediately notice the Download Center link in the General Resources tab. Its description is "Find drivers, BIOS, utilities, updates, plug-ins, and other support software". This is definitely what we need. Go ahead and click the link to reach the next page:

We notice the navigation menu at the left of the page. We need to go to the Ethernet components category, then Ethernet controllers and choose Intel® 82540EM Gigabit Ethernet Controller. You can choose any product from there, depending on your configuration. Here is how the navigation menu looks like:

Click on the link to get to the following page:

You must now choose your operating system from the drop-down menu. I am personally using Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3. However, make sure you choose the system you are using. Once you have chosen, you will reach a page like the one below:

We immediately notice the Drivers tab. It has a driver listed, called "Network Adapter Drivers for Windows* 2000, Windows* XP, and Windows Server* 2003". It installs the network drivers. Includes Intel® PROSet for Windows* Device Manager, Advanced Networking Services (ANS), and SNMP. This is definitely what we need. Go ahead and click it:

On this page, you will find lots of information regarding the hardware driver. You should read all this information to make sure the driver is suited for your system. Once you are certain the driver is the perfect choice, go ahead and click the Download link. You will be asked to accept Intel's terms and conditions. Since we don't have a choice, accept them and the download window should appear:

Click Save File and save it to an easy to remember location on your computer. After downloading it, you should save it to a CD or DVD to have easy access to it whenever you install or reinstall your operating system.

Installing the drivers

Now let's get to the last part of the tutorial, the installation. This is not a difficult process if you follow the instructions to the letter. Double click the file and you should see the following warning message:

We know that the file is genuine and that it came from a trustworthy source, so we can click Run. After a few files are extracted, you should see this:

Click Next and you will have to accept Intel's terms and conditions once again:

Check "I accept the terms in the License agreement. And click Next. You will see the following window:

I would suggest leaving this as it is, since you are not an advanced user. Click Next to reach the final window:

If you click Install, the selected components will be installed. If you want to change anything, now is the time to click Back and change it. Otherwise, click Install and the Installation will begin. It should take just a few minutes.

Restart you computer so the changes can take effect. Try your Internet connection and you should be able to access the World Wide Web. Congratulations!

Intel's 34nm TRIM Firmware & SSD Toolbox

2009-11-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

Introduction

Along with the Windows 7 launch last week, came the long-awaited support for TRIM. As the OS natively supports the new storage command, if there's an SSD installed and no other storage drivers are present, TRIM will work (if the SSD's firmware supports it). It's that simple. If you've been following the SSD landscape for a while, however, you're likely already aware that TRIM isn't exactly a surprise. The feature has been known about for a while, and companies such as OCZ and Super Talent, who offer many Indilinx-based drives, have made TRIM tools available to their customers for some time.

If this is the first you've heard of TRIM, allow me to explain. When SSDs first hit the marketplace, there was little wrong in terms of raw performance. In fact, what we saw was incredible. But, as long-term users have experienced, the drives had the ability to decrease in performance over time due to the lack of proper deletion of block contents. Unlike mechanical hard drives, contents in these blocks aren't truly deleted, but are rather marked for deletion (as in, available for overwriting). This means, that when new data is to be written, the drive has to first remove the data from a given block or blocks, and then write the fresh data.

This seems inefficient, but that's because it is. In fact, it seems rather ridiculous that SSDs ever came to market with such functionality in place, because it doesn't take sheer brilliance to understand that as the drive fills up, it's going to inevitably slow down. As a result of this, TRIM has reason to exist, and in all honestly, it has to exist. It's essentially a proper garbage collector. You delete data... it deletes it, completely freeing up the blocks to be used later.

The reason that Windows 7 seems to be mentioned wherever TRIM is, is for good reason. It's the first OS from Microsoft that officially supports it. You install the company's latest and greatest to an SSD, and you have everything taken care of. Delete a file? TRIM is there. Format the drive? TRIM is there. It's a feature that's unbelievably important to the long-term performance of your SSD, and the perk is that you don't have to worry about it at all with that particular OS.

Unfortunately, unlike such technologies as DirectX 11, TRIM support is not being added to Microsoft's older Windows releases, including Vista. But for those who own a capable drive with TRIM software, the support can be added in a less-than-luxurious manner. As already mentioned, OCZ and Super Talent have offered manual TRIM tools for a while, which requires that the user manually run a CLI application to get the job done. In more extreme scenarios, you can use an application such as HDD Erase to secure erase the entire drive, which cleans up all the blocks on the drive, removes partitions, and even de-initializes it. Essentially, it becomes a truly brand-new SSD once again.

Intel's Solid-State Drive Toolbox

While OCZ and Super Talent have offered TRIM support in some form or another for a while, Intel has been a little slow to the party, but it's in some ways understandable as Intel doesn't like to "rush" anything. The company isn't looking to be the first out the door with such drivers/software, and it's not surprising. Still, while it might have taken a while to get here, the company's "SSD Toolbox" is a great little application that opens up TRIM support to G2 SSD owners. It's GUI, not CLI, so that's a huge plus.

There's a caveat, and it's huge. Pointing out support for the G2 drives wasn't a mistake... G1 users, the earliest adopters, are left in the dark. I'm uncertain why Intel chooses to block these users out, especially since the drives were really, really expensive back then compared to today, but that's business I guess. Whether or not you agree it's unfair, it's certainly unfortunate.

SSDs don't support TRIM unless it's in the firmware, so for G2 X25-M users, an update will need to be made to take advantage of the feature. At the same time, Intel decided to offer up a present to owners of the 160GB model, as the write speed has been boosted from 70MB/s to 100MB/s. Like the lack of TRIM for G1 drives, 80GB G2 owners lack this speed boost for whatever reason. Ugh.

Before we take a look at the updated performance, let's first take a quick tour of the Intel SSD Toolbox software. After launching, you'll see a list of drives installed, Intel and non-Intel (this software will only touch Intel's own X25-M or X18-M G2, minus viewing the SMART information). The simple option's list includes SSD Management Tools, which is where the TRIM tool can be found, Drive Information (hardcore information that will be important to few people), SMART attributes and "Fast" and "Full" diagnostic scans.

The most interesting sub-menu is of course the first one. Here, just a single tool is listed (it could be expanded in the future, although I don't see the need). Simply click the drive in the above list, click "Run", and after about 5 - 10 seconds, the entire process is done. That's it... it's super-fast. For those not using Windows 7, the tool allows scheduling of runs, up to once per day, which is per Intel's recommendation. Because the process happens so fast, Intel stresses that running the tool each day will have no effect on the lifespan of the drive.

The only time anyone using Windows 7 would want to manually run this tool is in the case of deleting and then creating a fresh partition, as that process isn't affected by the TRIM command. For everyone else, this tool is going to be hugely appreciated.

Of all the other available options, the SMART information is a neat one to check out. In particular, the value for "Host Writes" is interesting, as it tells you how much data has been written to the drive since the beginning. In our case, we settle in at 2.90TB. which means the entire drive has been written to over 17 times.

With the look of Intel's Toolbox out of the way, let's take a look at the updated performance, and also the effect that TRIM has on a dirtied drive.

Intel continues training and information program for systems integrators in the Middle East and North Africa

2009-11-07T18:25:00.000-08:00

The training and information program is scheduled to continue throughout 13 countries in the region including Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Morocco.

The conference will focus on informing and training systems integrators on the company's latest technologies for the desktop, mobility and server platforms, as well as updating them on the latest product roadmap and highlighting new market segments and opportunities. This event is part of a road show around the Middle East, Turkey and Africa, which is expected to reach more than 2500 individuals from 1100 companies, helping Intel to further expand its reach in the various countries and cities in the region, where channel sales are growing strongly.

Themed "Evolve, Solve, Succeed - the path to business success", the Intel Channel Conference will focus on growth opportunities for the channel, featuring courses entitled: "Escape PC Price Pressures...with the Next Generation Platform from Intel", "Mobility as a Profitable Growth Engine" and "Taking off with Intel's Server Ecosystem: Leadership Products, Programs, and Support".

On the desktop side, the presentations will center on new dual core technologies and the benefits they bring to users in the domain of the digital home and the digital office. In mobility, presentations will highlight the growth that laptops can bring to system integrators, while the focus in the server arena will be around Intel's new technologies such as DDR2 memory, Intel ® Extended Memory 64 Technology*, PCI Express** I/O and Integrated RAID on motherboard, and how they can enable channel members to compete in new and existing market segments.

"Knowledge and quality are the two key elements of success for system integrators today" said Maan Ahmadie, Intel's channel manager in the Middle East Turkey and Africa, "it is for this reason that our channel conference will focus on roadmap updates, product knowledge and training; this is the best way in which we can bring value to our channel members and help them be at the forefront of technology to develop their business in this fast moving market."

Best Information For Intel Computers

2009-11-07T18:24:00.000-08:00

Intel has become intensely popular that it has been commonly mistaken as a PC brand. Generally, when people say Intel computers, what they really are referring to are Intel-branded computers. For several years or even decades now, since Intel has been launched on the market, when people think of Intel they mistakenly imagine a computer brand. So what does Intel computer really mean? Has anyone actually seen an Intel-branded computer? For sure, nobody has seen one yet. What most individuals actually see is a sticker outside CPUs that says "Intel Inside." What do the sticker sign really mean?

The Famous "Intel Inside" Sticker

Ever since the advent of personal computers, the Intel micro-processor has been used on almost all known computer brands on the market. Naturally, since the name Intel is seen in almost any computer, the phrase 'Intel computers' stuck in a mind of computer and non-computer users alike.

This is especially true when a couple of years ago, Intel launched a product called Centrino. Everybody, especially all the tech personal out there, were all excited over this new product. But for the non-technology savvy and non-computer users, it was common misconception that Centrino was a tag name of a laptop. Centrino to them was a notebook that was super fast, super-reliable and had super-sleek design. But much to their disappointment, Centrino is not at all a computer or a notebook. Centrino is the Intel processor that runs inside the notebook or computer.

What's Really Inside?

So basically, the real product of Intel is not the whole computer set itself. There is no such thing as Intel computers as popularly misinterpreted by most consumers. The real product of Intel is the microprocessor that runs "inside" the computer.

The misconception is also understandable since the processor is considered the brains of the computer. The performance of the computer generally comes down to the performance of its processor, thus the analogy: computer-processor-Intel. Therefore, there really is no surprise to this misconception and people don't even seem to mind correcting it. Even Intel doesn't mind; they greatly benefit from this misconception. New computer users would naturally want nothing more than to have an Intel computer.

What really fortified the popular belief about Intel computers as a computer brand is the amount of recognition that Intel has earned throughout the years as the leading microprocessor manufacturer. Their recognition and popularity is basically backed by its high-end performance. Current Intel processors run at an impressively clock speed of equal to or more than 3.0 GHz. Intel processors are also the best in power and energy efficiency, keeping noise level down and heat production/control. Moreover, the promotion and marketing strategy of Intel may have also contributed to the popular misconception.

What this all really means is that at this period of the Information Age, Intel so far is the most valued processor in the market. They are not the only processors in the market and may not have always been the market leader particularly considering the performance of its rival AMD Athlon. Yes, there have been several times when the rival has been able to launch a product that outperformed Intel's, but, Intel has always managed to climb back. Therefore, due to the integrity, reliability and effectiveness of its main product - the processor - Intel has earned a brand name synonymous with everything that is computers.

Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition

2009-11-04T06:16:00.001-08:00

Where has the time gone? It feels like (to me, at least), that Intel just dropped their Core i7 launch processors, but in reality, it happened a full seven months ago. That's a long time in CPU years, so what about a follow-up? Don't fret... Intel is delivering just that today, although exact availability is yet to be seen.

To quickly recap, in November of 2008, Intel kick-started their i7 line-up with the mainstream i7-920 ($284), the mid-range i7-940 ($562) and also the high-end i7-965 Extreme Edition. Since then, nothing else Core i7 has launched, although a few Core 2 Quad's have, such as the S series (power-efficient) and also some budget Quad-Core.

Intel today launches two models that are set to replace two already launched. The main focus from the company is the i7-975, an Extreme Edition, which boosts the i7-965's clock speed from 3.2GHz to 3.33GHz. It's a sure thing that the i7-975 will eventually replace the i7-965 wholly, but when that will happen is unknown.

Also new is the i7-950, a 3.06GHz part that bumps the clock speeds of the i7-940 from 2.93. Like the i7-975, this model is likely to entirely replace the i7-940. It's important to note that speculated pricing for these two new models put them a little more expensive than the previous parts, but it's highly doubtful that they will stay at such prices for long.

Closer Look at Intel's Brand-New i7's

The i7-950 and i7-975 are more evolutionary than revolutionary, or as many like to call them... "speed bumps", meaning that the architecture is the same, but the clocks experience a boost. Although Intel hasn't been entirely open about any other changes made, it's been rumored that minor changes have also been made to the chip to help improve overclocking, but we'll have to wait and see what overclockers can accomplish before we settle on that.

As you can see in the chart below, Intel currently has a huge line-up of CPUs (excluding Dual-Core), with five Core i7 total. Core i5 will soon be added to this list, but not until around late August/early September when the chips start to flow to the market. As it stands though, the top two models are the only to use a 6.4GT/s QPI, while the others use 4.8GT/s, although the real-world differences between the two are difficult to pinpoint.

Quad-Core CPU Name	Cores	Clock	Cache	QPI/FSB	TDP	1Ku Price
Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition	4	3.33GHz	8MB	3200MHz	150W	$999
Intel Core i7-965 Extreme Edition	4	3.20GHz	8MB	3200MHz	150W	$999
Intel Core i7-950	4	3.06GHz	8MB	2400MHz	130W	$???
Intel Core i7-940	4	2.93GHz	8MB	2400MHz	130W	$562
Intel Core i7-920	4	2.66GHz	8MB	2400MHz	130W	$284
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9775	4	3.20GHz	2 x 6MB	1600MHz	150W	$1,499
Intel Core 2 Extreme Q9650	4	3.00GHz	2 x 6MB	1333MHz	130W	$316
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550S	4	2.83GHz	2 x 6MB	1333MHz	65W	$369
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550	4	2.83GHz	2 x 6MB	1333MHz	95W	$266
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400S	4	2.66GHz	2 x 3MB	1333MHz	65W	$320
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400	4	2.66GHz	2 x 3MB	1333MHz	95W	$213
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300	4	2.50GHz	2 x 3MB	1333MHz	95W	$266
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400S	4	2.66GHz	2 x 2MB	1333MHz	65W	$245
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400	4	2.66GHz	2 x 2MB	1333MHz	95W	$183
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300	4	2.50GHz	2 x 2MB	1333MHz	95W	$183
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200S	4	2.33GHz	2 x 2MB	1333MHz	65W	$245
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200	4	2.33GHz	2 x 2MB	1333MHz	95W	$163

While we don't have an i7-950 on-hand, we do have an i7-975 Extreme Edition. So, let's see how it compares to our entire line-up of processors, including its predecessor, the i7-965.

Why the Core i7 is awesome, Light Peak, and syncing computers

2009-11-04T06:14:00.000-08:00

The Intel Developer Forum looks to be an excuse for Intel to show off all the cool stuff they’ve been cooking up and let PC makers show off some of their products. Of course there’s a multitude of technical sessions each day, though those probably won’t interest many people outside developers and engineers. Today we have two new announcements from Intel: a formal announcement of new processors and a new optical cable technology as well as an interesting syncing technology.

Why the Core i7 Mobile is a big deal

The first announcement comes in form of the official announcement of the Intel Core i7 Mobile Processor. We’ve already seen laptops that use the Core i7 Mobile and now Intel is showing it off. According to Intel, the Core i7 Mobile will bring the power of a desktop PC to a laptop, allowing for much more complex tasks like audio mixing, multiple camera video editing, and high-end gaming. Having seen the difference a Core i7 in a desktop can make, Intel’s claims should be more or less true. Now all we need is for more companies to put these into laptops, a MacBook Pro with a Core i7 Mobile would be fantastic.

Light Peak to replace wires

The second announcement is Intel’s new Light Peak, a new way of connecting devices. Those devices can include anything from peripherals, computer, hard drives, displays, and docking stations among others. It’s all done through optical wires about the width of a human hair, which can replace any sort of wire and can even connect through current connections like USB. Light Peak can transfer data at 10Gb/s when it will be released in 2010 and will be scalable to 100Gb/s over the next decade, which should be able to handle just about any size file with amazing speeds.

Sync computers regardless of OS

In terms of non-Intel announcements, we have Syncables which is showing off its cross-platform syncing application. Syncables Desktop is truly cross-platform, working on Linux as well as Windows and Mac, and allows you to fully sync multiple machines. This includes media, bookmarks, email and any other documents you want to sync. The application also has Facebook and YouTube integration for easy uploading of media. The company is showcasing NetworkSync at IDF, which allows for easy collaboration and streaming through any network.

Intel Core i7-870 & i5-750 - Nehalem for the Mainstream

2009-11-04T06:11:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Lynnfield, also known as the worst-kept secret in history. Where technology is concerned, it's not uncommon to see details released (rather, leaked) about a product long before its launch, but with Lynnfield, the months leading up to this day have been something else. The question lately hasn't been so much, "What do we know?", but rather, "What don't we know?"

I have to admit, that because of this, publishing this article that we put so much time and effort into doesn't feel quite as rewarding as it should. This is thanks in part not only to the flood of leaks of month's past, but more because certain e-tailers don't seem to mind breaking embargo by actually selling Lynnfield processors and P55 motherboards long before the launch.

While I wish some of the above events never occurred, the fact that Lynnfield was such an exciting product to test pretty-well overshadows them. Yes, I'm going to jump into the conclusion early... Lynnfield is amazing, and in many ways, I consider this launch to be much more important than Nehalem's last fall. Why? As Intel puts it, this is "Core i for the mainstream".

That quote is spot-on, because that's just what Lynnfield is. When Nehalem launched last fall, Intel introduced a brand-new processor architecture that instantly became the best we'd ever seen. The processors were faster than the previous Penryn models, and with the addition of HyperThreading, a triple-channel memory controller and L3 Cache, Nehalem didn't just push the bar higher, it jumped while doing it.

But, there were a few sizable caveats that prevented as much adoption as there could have been. First was the pricing, with the least-expensive model, the Core i7-920, selling for near $300. That of course would have been easy to stomach if the motherboards didn't start out at $250. Couple those factors along with the limited availability of LGA1366 CPU coolers and (at the time) expensive DDR3 triple-channel kits, and the rough economy... it's no wonder most consumers decided to settle for Core 2.

Welcome to Intel's LynnfieldThe good news is that Lynnfield is different in almost all regards. With the introduction of the Core i5-750, we finally have a ~$200 option. We're avoiding ultra-expensive motherboards this time around also, as companies such as ASUS and Gigabyte are prepping to release boards that range anywhere from $140 - $300. And because Lynnfield drops us back to a dual-channel memory controller, memory kits are plentiful, and affordable.

During the Nehalem launch, one major complaint I had was that it was near impossible to find a Core i7 CPU cooler at launch. There just weren't any. I'm not sure who's fault that was, but it doesn't matter, because this is another bad situation that we're avoiding. For the past six months, companies have boasted their LGA1156 CPU coolers and mounts, so you can expect a wide-variety of models to become immediately available.

One reason for the lack of delay from the CPU cooler vendors is seen below:

Core i5-750 (Left) & Core 2 Extreme QX9770 (Right)

That's right... compared to the Core 2 Quad of old, the IHS and chip as a whole is almost exactly the same size. The mounts themselves are different, though, so don't expect much luck with trying to use an LGA775 mount on a P55 motherboard.

Like Nehalem, there are many more contacts on the back thanks to all that's bundled under the hood, so Intel has used its creativity in laying them out. Rather than simple circles, they're oval, and placed at an angle. Of course, none of that really matters in the end, but it does result in the CPU remaining a modest size, so that's important.

But what about the die itself? That comes in at 296mm^2 (compared to 107mm^2 of recent Core 2 Quads and 263mm^2 of Nehalem Core i7's). That's right. It might be a scaled-back version of Nehalem, but the die itself is larger thanks to the introduction of other components. The new Lynnfield chips cram 774 million transistors under the hood, while Nehalem Core i7's have 731 million.

Core i5-750 (Left) & Core 2 Extreme QX9770 (Right)

Each time a new processor model is launched, the first question on everyone's mind regards price drops. To clear the air, there will be no immediate price drops on either the Core i or Core 2 line-up - at least, not right now. Because of this, the Core i5-750 takes the crown for being the best value for the buck, as it retails for only ~$200 and manages to beat out the entire Core 2 Quad line-up in all of our tests.

Quad-Core CPU Name	Cores	Threads	Clock	Cache	QPI/FSB	TDP	1Ku Price
Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition	4	8	3.33GHz	1 + 8MB	3200MHz	130W	$999
Intel Core i7-950	4	8	3.06GHz	1 + 8MB	2400MHz	130W	$562
Intel Core i7-920	4	8	2.66GHz	1 + 8MB	2400MHz	130W	$284
Intel Core i7-870	4	8	2.93GHz	1 + 8MB	2400MHz	95W	$555
Intel Core i7-860	4	8	2.66GHz	1 + 8MB	2400MHz	95W	$285
Intel Core i5-750	4	4	2.66GHz	1 + 8MB	2400MHz	95W	$199
Intel Core 2 Q9650	4	4	3.00GHz	2 x 6MB	1333MHz	130W	$316
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550S	4	4	2.83GHz	2 x 6MB	1333MHz	65W	$320
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550	4	4	2.83GHz	2 x 6MB	1333MHz	95W	$266
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400S	4	4	2.66GHz	2 x 3MB	1333MHz	65W	$245
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400	4	4	2.66GHz	2 x 3MB	1333MHz	95W	$183
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300	4	4	2.50GHz	2 x 3MB	1333MHz	95W	$183
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400S	4	4	2.66GHz	2 x 2MB	1333MHz	65W	$213
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400	4	4	2.66GHz	2 x 2MB	1333MHz	95W	$163
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300	4	4	2.50GHz	2 x 2MB	1333MHz	95W	$163
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200S	4	4	2.33GHz	2 x 2MB	1333MHz	65W	$213
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200	4	4	2.33GHz	2 x 2MB	1333MHz	95W	$163

Yes, this list really is Intel's current line-up, even though many of the models seem a little redundant (and overpriced, given the circumstances). You can bet in the coming months this list will thin out fast, especially as more Core i models are released to replace the remaining Core 2 line-up.

Overclocking Intel's Core i5-750 & i7-870

2009-11-04T06:09:00.000-08:00

For a lot of people, one of the best parts of getting a new CPU to upgrade or to build a new PC is to overclock the heck out of it. It's a hobby that's existed for about as long as computers, and why not? As computing enthusiasts, it's in our blood to always expect more performance from our PC's components. It doesn't even have to matter if we need that extra power. It all comes down to knowing that we're getting as much performance out of our dollar as possible.

But that's not to say that overclocking doesn't have a real purpose, either. As long as you achieve what could be considered a 100% stable clock speed, most everything you do is going to get done faster. Depending on the size of the job, you may shave seconds off an encode time, or hours off of a render time. Overclocking isn't always about creating bragging rights, but making sure whatever you need to get done, gets done as fast as possible.

One other benefit of overclocking is the value proposition, as mentioned above. When the choice comes between two processor models, and one is 10% faster but 50% higher in price, it's hard to resist picking up the lesser-expensive part and overclocking it. Once again, depending on your situation and what you need to get done on your PC, overclocking essentially boils down to one thing: free performance.

With the launch of their Core 2 series in the summer of 2006, Intel blew the doors open to mainstream overclocking. Prior to that, overclocking was considered tedious, and too sketchy, and it resulted in only tech enthusiasts who paid any attention to it. Core 2, whether Intel planned it to be or not, felt like it was made for overclocking. Even if you didn't know anything about the process of overclocking, it took no more than a few minutes to figure it out, and 10% clock boosts or higher would be possible with minimal effort.

Since that processor architecture's launch, Intel has enjoyed an arguable domination where overclocking is concerned. It's not that AMD's chips don't overclock well, because they do, but Intel's chips weren't just easier to overclock, but the top-end overclocks were much more impressive. That's changed a bit since AMD's Phenom II launch, as we've seen evidenced with extreme overclocking.

Overclocking Intel's Lynnfield Processors

When Intel launched their Nehalem processors last fall (Core i7-920, i7-940 & i7-965 Extreme Edition), the process of overclocking became a little more complicated than what we were used to. Rather than worry about a Front-Side Bus (FSB) and CPU/Northbridge voltages, we all of a sudden had to take things like Uncore, QPI Link speeds and additional voltages - not to mention extra multipliers - into consideration.

But in a way, we're moving backwards (not a bad thing) with Lynnfield. There isn't as much to stress over in the BIOS, and whether this is ultimately a good thing or not will depend on how serious of an overclocker you are. Compared to X58 motherboards, we lose a bit of control with regards to voltages primarily on P55, but again, this will matter only to those who plan on achieving extreme overclocks - aka: unstable under regular conditions.

Unlike the Core 2 series before it, Lynnfield has another factor at play: Turbo. Simply put, Turbo is a technology that allows a processor to boost its performance beyond its rated speed. In the case here, if a processor has a multiplier of say, 20x (meaning, Host Clock (133MHz) * 20x), Turbo might push one core with a 22x multiplier, meaning that when active, the frequency would be Host Clock * 22x.

For a more robust explanation of what Turbo is and exactly how it works, please refer to a page we dedicated to the feature in our recent launch article. Turbo, though it may not seem it at first, is very important to achieving higher overclocks. Because we're able to go a multiplier beyond the CPU's maximum, it means we likewise reach a higher frequency. So, for more than one reason, we can thank Intel for this feature.

Another nice aspect of Lynnfield overclocking, is that unlike the X58 launch last fall, there are many motherboards that fall well under the $200 price point. The board we used for all of our testing is actually a bit above $200, at ~$220, but we're confident that the overclocks we're about to show you will be achievable on almost any launch motherboard. You might not get away with as low voltage values as we did, but it sure wouldn't take much to match or surpass what we've achieved.

Here's a shot of the motherboard we used for all of our testing and overclocking, Gigabyte's P55-UD5:

Judging by what I've experienced over the course of the past few weeks, I'd heartily recommend this board to anyone looking for a feature-robust and affordable offering. It wasn't only a pleasure to use, but made overclocking a straight-forward affair, and that's a major plus. If the price tag is a little bit higher than what you'd like to pay, Gigabyte offers many variants of their P55 series at different price-points - one as low as $140.

So how about we move right into our overclocks then, huh? Well, first, please take a moment to review our test PC specs, and also our blurb below which explains what we consider to be a stable and worthwhile overclock.

Component	Intel LGA1156 Test System
Processors	Intel Core i7-870 - Quad-Core, 2.93GHz, ~1.25v Intel Core i5-750 - Quad-Core, 2.66GHz, ~1.25v
Motherboard	Gigabyte P55-UD5 - P55-based, F3 BIOS (08/01/09)
Memory	Corsair XMS3 DHX 2x2GB - DDR3-1333 7-7-7-20-2T, 1.65v
Graphics	ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB (Catalyst 8.11)
Audio	On-Board Audio
Storage	Intel X-25M 80GB SSD Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200.11
Power Supply	Corsair HX1000W
Chassis	SilverStone TJ10 Full-Tower
Display	Gateway XHD3000 30"
Cooling	Thermalright MUX-120
Et cetera	Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit

As I've mentioned in past content, I'm not as interested in finding the highest overclock possible as much as I am interested in finding the highest stable overclock. To me, if an overclock crashes the computer after a few minutes of running a stress-test, it has little value except for competition.

How we declare an overclock stable is simple... we stress it as hard as possible for a certain period of time, both with CPU-related tests and also GPU-related, to conclude on what we'll be confident is 100% stability throughout all possible computing scenarios.

For the sake of CPU stress-testing, we use LinX. Compared to other popular CPU stress-testers, LinX's tests are far more gruelling, and proof of that is seen by the fact that it manages to heat the CPU up to 20°C hotter than competing applications, like SP2004. Generally, if the CPU survives the first half-hour of this stress, there's a good chance that it's mostly stable, but I strive for a 12 hour stress as long as time permits.

If the CPU stress passes without error, then GPU stress-testing begins, in order to assure a system-wide stable overclock. To test for this, 3DMark Vantage's Extreme test is used, with the increased resolution of 2560x1600, looped nine times. If this passes, some time is dedicated to real-world game testing, to make sure that gaming is just as stable as it would be if the CPU were at stock. If both these CPU and GPU tests pass without issue, we can confidently declare a stable overclock.

Core i7 (Nehalem) Based MacBook Pros Possible in Q4 2009?

2009-11-04T06:07:00.000-08:00

MacRumors is reporting that it is highly probable Apple will use Core i7 mobile processors in MacBooks and MacBook Pros by Q4 2009. The new 32nm Arrandale Core i7s will still be dual core, but able to process 4 threads—saving more power thanks to the smaller fabrication process plus optimised processor features.

Apple’s MacBook line was recently updated in October 2008 with 45nm Penryn processors, so the next update being prior to the release of Arrandale Core i7 processors would make sense. The 32nm processor size means a die-shrink over the existing 45nm chips, too. It is almost certain that the next line of MacBooks will be based on these new processors.

Intel are expected to also switch their desktop processors to the new 32nm design during the 4th quarter of 2009. However, Apple has never used Intel’s desktop processors in their computers. Apple’s consumer desktops, the Mac Mini and the iMac, both use mobile processors, and the professional desktops use Intel’s server processors.

Meet Intel Wolfdale: Core 2 Duo E8500, E8400 and E8200 Processors Review

2009-11-04T06:04:00.000-08:00

Not so long ago we thought that in early 2008 we will be focusing on comparing the new AMD Phenom processors against the refreshed Intel Penryn manufactured with 45nm technological process. However, these expectations didn’t come true, and both – AMD and Intel – should be blamed for that.

It is true, at this time AMD cannot deliver mass quad-core processors working at competitive frequencies. The currently available Phenom models lose even to previous generation quad-core Intel processors, not to mention the more advanced CPUs. It is quite logical that Intel doesn’t have any significant stimulus to refresh their quad-core processor line-up, because there are simply no worthy competitors to the pretty successful Core 2 Quad on old 65nm cores these days. That is why the launch of new Core 2 Quad processors known as Yorkfield has been postponed for an indefinite period of time, at least until February or March 2008. And although Intel has found an excuse – an alleged problem in the upcoming processors caused by EMI in 1333MHz front side bus when these CPUs are used in hypothetical mainboards with 4-layer PCB design – it doesn’t sound convincing at all.

As for us, we have to state to our disappointment that it doesn’t make sense to compare Phenom against Penryn, because the former is uncompetitive, and the latter is still illusive and remains only an upcoming solution for the time being.

Nevertheless, there are more than enough interesting topics for discussion in the today’s processor market. Although Intel decided to postpone the launch of their quad-core processors on 45nm cores, the Core 2 Duo processor lineup will be refreshed with a few new models. They are going to announce three new processor models with Wolfdale codename within the next few days. They will be Core 2 Duo E8500, E8400 and E8200. These CPUs are based on the revised core manufactured with 45nm process and belong to the same Penryn family as the postponed Yorkfield CPUs. We certainly can’t disregard the arrival of mass Wolfdale processors, which promise to raise the performance bar for Intel’s dual-core solutions to a totally new qualitative level. They feature higher clock speeds, larger L2 cache and a number of other improvements. And the most pleasing thing about them is their cost, set at the same level as that of older Core 2 Duo solutions.

So, in the second half of January 2008 Intel is going to massively update their dual-core processor lineup in $160-$260 price range. This particular event became the main topic of our today’s article that will dwell on the new promising Intel processors and the changes they will bring to the mainstream desktop market.

Intel sees the bottom

2009-11-04T06:03:00.000-08:00

Intel has sounded a note of hope that the PC market may have finally bottomed out.

Speaking on an analyst conference call after the release of Intel's Q1 results, Paul Ottellini, CEO went where no other CEO or commentator has been of late, with the statement: "I believe the worst is now behind us".

Intel's results would seem to support this, with a net profit of $647 million during the first quarter, up on a dreadful Q4, but still 55% down on the same quarter last year. Things are moving upwards, but they've fallen a long way it would seem.

Intel's official statements were guarded though, and in addition to refusing to give revenue predictions for the next quarter, the company had one big warning - enterprises still aren't spending.

Most Intel's recovery has come in the consumer space, and in consumer desktops at that. Enterprises may be struggling with desktops and notebooks that are reaching the three years plus mark, but they are choosing to struggle on with these, rather than go for a hardware refresh.

The situation is further compounded by the fact that, yes, those pesky netbooks, are still gaining popularity, maybe even with corporates, meaning that even stronger consumer sales won't mean huge revenue. While its good to hear a leader like Intel and Ottellini sounding hopeful, its still only a little bit of hope.

2009-11-04T05:58:00.000-08:00

Intel’s latest troika of new CPUs brings Nehalem goodness to the masses

Nehalem for everyone! That simple sentence best explains Intel’s brand-new series of CPUs, which is sure to please budget users everywhere while confounding power users.

Why would a new CPU that gives you the best bang for the buck in town be greeted nervously? Because Intel’s new CPU brings with it a new socket as well as a new infrastructure. This new infrastructure is essentially a fork in the road that forces users to make a difficult choice: Save money today but get locked out of the high-end, or splurge today knowing that the budget CPU is damn near as good as the top-end part.

For the details on Intel’s new budget monster, savor our full report, consume the specs, and then digest the benchmarks to see just which path your next PC should take.

Meet Lynnfield

We normally don’t use a CPU’s code-name once its real name is known, but to help keep your head from popping off over Intel’s confusing naming scheme we’re going to rely on some code-names here for clarity.

Intel’s newest CPU family is code-named Lynnfield. The lineup includes the 2.93GHz Core i7-870, the 2.83GHz Core i7-860, and the 2.66GHz Core i5-750. Lynnfield chips use essentially the same microarchitecture as Intel’s original Core i7 CPUs, which were code-named Bloomfield, but the new CPUs are incompatible with existing Core i7 motherboards. That’s right, you could walk into a store and buy a Core i7 CPU that will not work with the Core i7 motherboard you just bought. Likewise, the Core i7 heatsink cooler you bought may not work with a new Core i7, either.

Despite its smaller size, Intel’s new Lynnfield Core i7/Core i5 CPU (right) actually features an increased transistor count of 774 million and a larger die size of 296 square millimeters, compared with the 731-million-tranny Bloomfield Core i7 (left) and its 263 square-millimeter die.

Socket Switcheroo

The most notable difference in this new crop of Core i7s is the socket. For Lynnfield, Intel is introducing the LGA1156 socket. This socket is, as stated, incompatible with the current LGA1366 motherboards and CPUs. To irk you even more, even the heatsink cooler mounting holes are incompatible, so you probably couldn’t use an LGA1366 cooler, even if you happened to have one. And even more annoying to enthusiasts, LGA775 coolers are also incompatible. Earlier this year, Intel execs told Maximum PC that LGA775 cooler compatibility was being considered for the new chip, but obviously the company has since ruled that out. To break it down: LGA1366 uses a 12cm gap, LGA1156 uses an 11cm gap, and LGA775 uses a 10cm gap. Yes, one centimeter difference and you have to dustbin your pricey high-rise cooler even though it’s capable of handling the thermals of the new chip.

We asked Intel if it was doing this just to piss people off and the company said no, it did it for legitimate engineering reasons. Intel actually lowered the height of the new direct socket load mechanism that clamps the CPU in place, which required moving the mounting holes out. Existing heatsinks capable of the thermal load should work, Intel said, so long as consumers obtain updated mounting brackets from the cooler maker. We have to also note that very new high-end coolers are coming with mounts for LGA1156 too. Still, make sure that if the box says Core i7, support for LGA1156 is included.

Although Intel wouldn’t confirm this, we’ve been told by high-end system builders that certain LGA1366 motherboards and coolers would flex enough to create a gap between cooler and CPU. The new design presumably fixes that problem.

Sockets Compared

Lynnfield Socket

Bloomfield Socket

The new budget Core i5/Core i7 CPUs use a new LGA1156 socket design (top image), which is incompatible with existing LGA1366 Core i7 motherboards and coolers (bottom image). The design eliminates traces for the third memory controller, but builds in wires that will accommodate forthcoming CPUs with integrated graphics cores.

Intel Core i7 920 and 965 review

2009-11-04T05:56:00.000-08:00

Product:	Intel Core i7 920 and 965 Extreme processor
Manufacturer:	Intel
SKU code:	TBA
Information:	Intel
Street price:	Core i7 920 (284 USD) Core i7 965 (999 USD)

Aaah yes, my dear apprentices ... the force is strong today. Hey everybody and welcome to another Guru3D.com review. Intel’s code-named Nehalem processors have been discussed for years now, it's been pending for a long time and Intel's' marketing machine has been spinning for for a while. Today is the day that Intel is lifting the embargo on these consumer desktop processors that you guys all have known to learn as the "Nehalem" processors. The processors will become available this month, and they should be fast, they should be flexible and also, reasonably priced. What's not to like, eh?

So today Intel launches these Nehalem based puppies on the new name Core i7 as in their 7th architectural generation. A name that will catch on quickly and you'll get used to it just as quickly as well. No less then three processors are announced today and Guru3D.com will take a look at two of them. We'll do more though, later this week a couple of x58 motherboard reviews but today we'll also post an extensive Multi-GPU article to see what kind of effect Core i7 processors have on the hottest gaming gear.

But surely we start off with the processors themselves.

Nehalem (familily) processors code-named Bloomfield (Core i7) have four physical processor cores and a triple-channel DDR3 memory controller.

A new processor deserves a new motherboard, so a new chipset is announced today as well; the x58 chipset. We'll cover that mainboard in several other articles this week as well, but we really wanted a review dedicated to the new architecture first.

Speaking of architecture, what we'll do today is to have a deeper look inside the Core i7 processor, the technology, the architecture, a nice little photo-shoot and obviously a decent benchmark session to see where this product establishes itself performance wise. All in all we got a lot to cover, so hover onward to the next page where I'll show you what specifically is being launched today.

Good times, let's rock. Next page please.

Intel to eliminate toxic lead from its microprocessor chips

2009-11-04T05:53:00.000-08:00

Intel vs. AMD: The battle for mobile computing

2009-10-31T04:58:00.000-07:00

Just as with McDonalds vs. Burger King or Boeing vs. Airbus, the battle for top dog in the PC microprocessor world rages on as upstart AMD takes on the establishment in Intel. The two have been battling in the marketplace and in the courts since they ended their partnership on IBM processors in the mid-1980s. Representing pretty much 100% of the microprocessor market between them…is it any surprise that the fate of these two are tied so tightly together? Indeed, Intel itself has had a love-hate following that is the hardware equivalent of the controversial Microsoft. Why? As the 15th world's most powerful brand (source: Millward Brown Optimor), Intel's position is frequently seen as the dominant player at the heart of the PC. Indeed AMD CEO Hector Ruiz exploits these strong feelings every chance he can and has pulled no punches in calling Intel's power illegal and monopolistic. The courts have largely ruled otherwise. But perhaps Ruiz has a point about the value of competition? AMD/Intel hyper-competition has carried over into extremely innovative product design at the two companies. Indeed, the two companies have propelled processor design forward allowing for others in the industry to develop more and more powerful applications. But these two protagonists are not that different. Like sports teams playing to not lose in an overtime match, the two companies have mirrored each other on features, benefits and largely on the technology to achieve them. Indeed just a look at both companies' notebook solutions…AMD's Turion 64 X2 and Intel's Core 2 Duo processor…one finds more high level similarities than differences. Both processors use the same core technologies dual core and L2 caching as their development paths have mirrored one another. With such product similarities, you'd expect their competitiveness to extend to distribution…and it does. Serious brand-name PC makers are also fans of both processor lineups. HP Compaq adds AMD's Turion processor to its powerful 6515b lineup (for example HP Compaq 6515b KA445UT Business ) …while the Toshiba Portege R500-S5004and the Sony VAIO VGN-CR490EBNhave chosen the Intel Core 2 Duo. Websites and retailers continue to play both sides. In fact with just under 20% of US notebook sales (source: IDC), AMD still garners a disproportional amount of representation at retail and on the internet. Indeed, a trip through a self-help jungle of a Best Buy in Southern California by CNet showed that exactly half of the company's PC notebooks have AMD chips. So that's all good and fine, but who actually makes the fastest processor…AMD or Intel? Frankly, it's not an easy question to answer as in part, the answer depends on when you're asking it. That's because technology products like these have a pronounced lifecycle and newly released, more advanced products will give its side a leg up. Indeed, that's the way the last year unfolded. AMD saw its fortunes improve substantially in the summer of 2007 just after the launch of its Turion chip. Driven by this introduction and continued market demand for Microsoft's low power XP platform, AMD gained market share from Intel. Even an updated premium Duo 2 chipset by Intel did little to slow AMD's gains. But after six months in the market and by the fall of 2007, Microsoft Vista started to drive demand for more expensive systems. That meant a surge for upscale Intel processors. Much of the market share gains AMD had wrestled away…were lost back to Intel over the winter of 2007/2008. Actual performance in the form of processor speed has also been hard to nail down. For starters, both companies' chipset nomenclature remains difficult to decipher. There has been no easy to understand replacement for the misleading gigahertz rating. Second, direct comparisons have been hard to come by. Historically, AMD has not been shy about asking Intel to performance duels, yet these sanctioned challenges have not occurred. So what about 3rd party standardized performance tests? Well I hate to say it…only several extensive studies have been carried out, but each has then been subsequently discredited. Typically these studies have been poorly conducted using different PC platforms and thereby limiting any apples-to-apples comparison. Likewise, there haven't been calls from AMD for speed comparisons for some times…which leads one to believe that AMD doesn't have the confidence in head-to-head tests that it once did. This wouldn't be too surprising as AMD is frequently priced slightly lower than Intel. This is a natural market position for the #2 player in a technology category…a performance-value position. Meanwhile, Intel's CEO Paul Otellini says that Intel plans to 'walk away' from low end mobile computing market due to a lack of profitability. Intel has that luxury. So where does all this shake out for someone looking to upgrade her or his PC? In 2008, we would recommend going with Intel if you are a serious power user. Several application areas where there could be a difference would be intensive graphics, heavy multimedia or top end gaming. On the other hand, the processors perform pretty much the same for all other applications. Our experience is that both processors will operate typical current and future software…including Microsoft Vista…very well. Regardless of which way you go, the continuation of the battle between Intel and AMD makes all of us consumers winners.

Intel issues X25-M G2 SSD firmware fix for BIOS

2009-10-31T04:54:00.000-07:00

Eagerly waiting to change that drive password within the system BIOS on your fancy new X25-M G2 solid state drive? Good news, storage junkies -- today you can. After Intel saw its next-gen SSD launch party hit a snag with an off-the-wall quirk that could cause data corruption for those who altered or disabled a drive password within the system BIOS, the company has finally come forward with a firmware update that solves the dilemma, along with world hunger, "the economy" and an undisclosed amount of other universal pains. Hit the read link for instructions on how to update your drive, but don't blame us if every precious memory you've ever collected goes down in flames during the process. Just kidding.

Intel Delivers Security and Manageability for Business PCs

2009-10-31T04:52:00.000-07:00

IT managers today are struggling to manage and secure the notebooks and desktop PCs in their organization. Several factors combine to make this a significant challenge for technology managers.

In addition to a geographically dispersed workforce, many organizations are seeing an increased demand for IT services—especially for mobile PCs—that strains budgets that are already under pressure. There is financial and legal pressure to accurately inventory the IT assets in an organization, which means knowing where the machines are and how they are being used. Lower Costs, Better ROIIntel Centrino 2 and Intel Core 2 processors with vPro technology set a new standard for intelligent business computers by driving lower costs and faster ROI. Which is something both IT and finance can agree on.-->

On the security front, the last several years have seen a dramatic increase in data breaches, identity theft, malicious attacks on PCs, and computer theft. It falls to IT managers to ensure PCs and notebooks are secure and users are employing the proper steps to keep them that way.
In order to keep the business running, IT managers also need to reduce user downtime caused by malicious attacks, IT maintenance work, diagnostics and repair, updates, upgrades, and other IT tasks.

There's no shortage of security and management solutions available that help IT managers confront these challenges. But the typical security and management solutions are software-based, which means IT cannot typically protect or manage a PC whose power is off, if the operating system is unresponsive, or if management agents are missing. They also can't securely manage or protect a notebook or desktop PC in certain types of remote locations, such as over an open wired LAN outside the corporate firewall.

There is an increased need to establish secure, well-managed environments for both mobile and desktop PCs; however, the cost of managing PCs has become a significant percentage of the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of technology. A critical capability that has proven to help IT do more with the resources they have is the ability to protect and remotely manage both notebook and desktop PCs, regardless of power state, wired or wireless state, the state of the OS, or the location of the PC.

Intel vPro technology delivers the hardware-based capabilities IT organizations need to meet the increasing demands for their services. It is designed for business computers, both notebook and desktop PCs, and can be found in Intel® Centrino® 2 with vPro™ technology for notebooks and Intel Core™2 processors with vPro technology for desktop PCs.
Notebook and desktop PCs with vPro deliver even more powerful security, maintenance, and management capabilities. These PCs also offer full, secure remote deployment to help IT managers eliminate desk-side visits during large roll-outs.

The hardware-based capabilities of Intel vPro technology let authorized technicians remotely access PCs that have traditionally been unavailable to the management console. Technicians can use Intel vPro technology to manage the wired or wireless notebook or wired desktop PC even if PC power is off, the operating system is unresponsive, hardware (such as a hard drive) has failed, or management agents are missing. Using a secure tunnel for communications, technicians can remotely maintain, update, and repair both notebook and desktop PCs outside the corporate firewall, on an open wired LAN, or at sites that don't have a proxy server.
PCs with Intel vPro technology are designed with an advanced, energy-efficient package with 64-bit multi-core performance and 64-bit integrated graphics support.
Organizations eagerly awaiting the launch of Windows 7 will find that the combination of Windows 7 Professional and Intel vPro technology brings increased PCs responsiveness while driving down management costs.

Notebooks and desktop PCs with Intel vPro technology help meet IT's security challenges and ensure compliance down-the-wire. Intel vPro technology can help remotely identify viruses, worms, and other threats faster; and stop those threats more effectively. It supports 802.1x, Cisco Self-Defending Network (Cisco SDN), or Microsoft Network Access Protection (Microsoft NAP), so IT can maintain and manage these PCs even in secure network environments. Intel Anti-Theft Technology (Intel AT) for notebooks can help prevent unauthorized access to encrypted data if a notebook is lost or stolen.
Intel vPro technology helps IT technicians meet their maintenance challenges by helping to streamline processes, increase automation, and dramatically improve technician efficiencies for monitoring and maintenance of all PCs with Intel vPro technology during a scheduled maintenance cycle.
Remote problem-resolution is simplified with Intel vPro technology because it allows IT to accurately diagnose hardware problems and troubleshoot and resolve more software and operating system problems, including OS rebuilds, without leaving the service center.
The remote inventory and discovery features of Intel vPro technology help IT eliminate manual inventories, improve compliance with government and industry regulations, and reduce management costs.

Remote configuration options allow IT to remotely configure both notebook and desktop PCs during deployment without a desk-side visit.
Companies that use Intel vPro technology are also finding that it is helping deliver substantial power savings by letting IT be more effective in power management. IT can use Intel vPro technology to securely and remotely power systems up for maintenance and management anytime, so PCs can be powered down when not in use. Combined with third-party management applications, the new generation of Intel vPro technology allows IT administrators to simplify maintenance, eliminate a significant number of desk-side visits, reduce overspending on existing resources, and minimize interruptions to business.
Notebook and desktop PCs with Intel vPro technology use the same management console and communication mechanisms as other PCs. You can manage both notebook and desktop PCs with Intel vPro technology from the same IT console. Leading management software companies such as HP, LANDesk, Microsoft, and Symantec have optimized their software to take advantage of the advanced capabilities of Intel vPro technology.
With the ability to remotely wake, power up, maintain, and manage a PC anytime, technicians can ensure that IT tasks are performed when needed for security, and also performed at advantageous times for mobile and remote users—without requiring user participation.

Intel Sued Over Trade Mark Infringement By Using Duo Core Naming

2009-10-31T04:48:00.000-07:00

Intel is alleged of infringing the name of a US-based company by using the Duo Core naming on its newly released processors. The company with the name of DualCor has filed a legal case against Intel to stop it from continue using Duo Core wording in its marketing campaign and all the related business collaterals. Although the name is not exactly the same, but the pronunciation may cause the confusion to the consumers.

DualCor was established in 2000 with the name of GCVI Inc. and had changed its name to DualCor Technologies
in 2003. According to the filing, the company accused that Intel would have aware of its name but still decided to name its new dual processors as Duo Core since the initial launching back to 2006. In this case, it may have the intention to cause deception to the end consumers of its well established brand. Although DualCor is just a small company, but it has proprietary technology emphasizing on multiple CPUs integrated together that enhance the processing efficiency significantly.

Besides requesting the court to stop Intel from using the Duo Core naming, the company is also demanding for a million dollars of compensation for the alleged infringement. Intel has not responded to this officially but we believe that the chance of renaming its Duo Core processor is almost impossible. Anyway, DualCor would be able to gain good publicity during this alleged action, even though it may lose at the end.

Intel X58 Extreme DX58SO motherboard review

2009-10-31T04:46:00.000-07:00

Product:Intel Extreme motherboard DX58SO
Manufacturer:Intel
SKU code:DX58SO
Information:Intel
Street price:299 USD - 249 EUR

So then, not only did Intel release a really impressive processor series today, to support it, they also had to build a new infrastructure for it. This review is going to cover the basics of Intel's X58 mainboard chipset. The key features of course bringing support to QPI, triple-channel memory and Socket 1366 thus Core i7 processors. Before we start I need to say, this is in fact a reference review with supplied memory, cooler etc. We have another X58 review for you guys where we use multiple multi-GPU graphics cards, snazzy OCZ memory, 3rd party X58 mainboards, new cooling etc .. you know true Guru3D style. But this is the reference X58 Intel board, the first of many X58 reviews to come.

Though you have learned this chipset to be named X58, some of you might recognize the "Tylersburg" as well which was the developers codename.
This new chipset will use the same ICH10(R) "South bridge chipset" as the Intel P45 (Eaglelake) chipsets, but the X58 chipset overall obviously will be drastically different.
The X58 Express will use the new LGA1366 socket (also known as Socket B).
No more memory controller
Intel QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) the interconnect between the Core i7 processor and the X58 Express.

There's another feature about the X58 chipset that will appeal the enthusiast crowds like myself as well. This will be the first (besides Skulltrail) non NVIDIA chipset based mainboard which supports SLI and Crossfire making THE choice of weaponry for future high-end upgrades as you are no longer limited towards an NVIDIA supporting SLI chipset of for that matter a Crossfire bound infrastructure.

But to get SLI support activated, the mainbord series has to be submitted (by manufacturer) and certified by NVIDIA, after which they'll open up support through their drivers. To get multi-card graphics cards support Intel obviously had to include support for at least two x16 PCI Express 2.0 slots with the option for four x8 slots to support quad-graphics cards (CrossfireX).
All in all, plenty of stuff to talk about. Over the next pages we'll take a brief look at the chipset architecture, then a photo shoot and then obviously a test or two to get these geek juices flowing.