Intel Consolidates Data Centers to Reduce Costs

(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)

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

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

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

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

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. Click the Update Driver... button.

   Note: The Update Driver Software wizard will begin.

6. On the How do you want to search for driver software? window, click on Browse my computer for driver software.

7. 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.

8. Click the Have Disk... button located under the text box.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. Click the OK button back on the Install From Disk dialog box.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. Follow any additional instructions on screen to complete the driver update.

15. 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:

1. Couldn't find an INF file in a folder from your driver download? Try looking in another folder.

2. 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.

3. Find multiple INF files in a folder from your driver download? Try each file until the drivers for your hardware are properly installed.

4. 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

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

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

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

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.