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web hosting

2009-10-08T21:02:00.001-07:00

web hosting is the practice of using an Internet server to link websites stored on a hard drive to the Internet. All websites across the Internet are hosted on such Internet servers. There are countless web hosts that offer a myriad of services, from dedicated support of a single website to mass public offerings of small websites crowded onto single servers. Many companies are now looking at reselling web hosting in order to earn additional revenue during this recession.
Reseller web hosting is not much different from standard web hosting. A standard web host will rent an Internet server or own its own server on location. They will have full physical and digital access to this server to do with it as they please. This gives them a large degree of control over the services that they offer. It is also a lot of work.
Reseller web hosts rent web space from these standard web hosts. However, resellers rent the space with the intent of turning around and renting that same space out to someone else at a profit. Essentially, a reseller web host is a middle man in the Internet website hosting industry.
While the practice is ethically questionable, there are certain beneficial services that a reseller web host can offer. For instance, they might offer a level of personal service that cannot be matched by larger companies. They might also combine their web hosting offer with their other products and/or services, such as website design or business consulting. Basically, reseller web hosts thrive by offering alternate services that either complement or are complemented by the web hosting. This is the main way in which they differ from standard web hosts.
Reseller web hosts look for a lot of different things when they are initially renting out their space. Generally, they will go to a web host that specializes in offering reseller services. This first web host will give the reseller a large amount of space and bandwidth with a specially designed control panel that will allow the reseller to delegate out the space, bandwidth, and other services as they see fit.
Traditionally, reseller web hosting has been a relatively limited practice. It has only been used by those with previous experience with web hosting that are just looking to augment their services. Recently, reseller web hosting has experienced an influx of small- to medium-sized businesses looking for an additional source of profit

Best Web Hosting Services

2009-10-08T21:01:00.001-07:00

The Best Web Hosting Service Dreamz hosting We are offering different kind of Web Hosting solutions which will be good fit for your needs. We specialized in Linux Hosting, Joomla Hosting, Wordpress Hosting, and Moodle Hosting,and offering range of plans which can be fit in any kind of budgets.
The internet business is one that is quite interesting because of the various dynamics going on in the business simultaneously with each other. There are so many people interested in so many things when it comes to the best web hosting that quite often so many people really don’t focus on any one aspect in order to achieve the results that they want. A very good example of this is in the case of web hosting. Words like top, best, great, good and other descriptive terms are the words that tend to be used in terms of discussing web hosting, rather than very objective statistics that actually show the worthiness of a particular web hosting website.

GoDaddy the largest web hosting domain

2009-10-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

GoDaddy is one of the largest web hosting and domain registration companies in the world. It was founded in 1997, and as of 2009, it had more than 36 million domain names that it managed – this is 3 times more than its closest competitor. I have used GoDaddy for several years for my web hosting and domain registrations, so I wanted to detail what I like and don’t like about GoDaddy.
I like their prices. OK, so they may not have the cheapest prices in town, but I have not found better prices with a company that looked as professional and safe as GoDaddy. I might could have saved a dollar or two, but to me it wasn’t worth the risk of dealing with a company that I did not know.
I like their quick response. If I want to setup a new domain on my hosting account, or add a new database, or create a sub-domain, it usually only takes 20-30 minutes for those changes to take affect. I don’t have to wait 12 hours, 24 hours, or even more that some companies require.
I love their customer service. Every time I call, I get a quick answer and very professional service. The technicians are knowledgeable and have understood exactly what I needed each time. I think that every company in the world should go through the same customer service training that GoDaddy employees go through – that is how much I like their customer service.
What I don’t like is there slow interface. Seems like is takes forever to get where I need to go with their user interface. Just about every click seems to take a good 10-15 seconds to respond. It is a good thing that I only have to make changes once, or I would lose patience in a hurry!

Want To Choose The Best Web Hosting ..

2009-10-08T05:24:00.001-07:00

1- Disk Space: Every web hosting provider make different plans with different spaces, some of them are UNLIMITED and the other are LIMITED by specific gigs. You can choose your disk space according to your amount of space that your website and your work requires.
2- Data Transfer [Bandwidth]: You also need to see if the hosting company provides you with sufficient bandwidth for efficient data transfer or not. you only who can define that. if you have website for media, graphic, clips or images, so you have to choose the hosting plan that has high gigs of bandwidth not to face problem with days.
3- Dependence And Support: The biggest companies have online service 24x7. So you have to make sure firstly that the company which you will deal with it have this service. Make sure if they are responing to your issue rapidly or not ! and if you can depend on them in solving any problem may face you.
4- 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.
5- 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.

Web hosting Technology Overview

2009-10-08T05:23:00.003-07:00

Have you ever wondered how the technology that powers the Internet and the web actually works? There are specific protocols in place that allow web surfers to find the pages they're looking for and see them in the way their builders intended. Keep reading to find out how the net keeps running smoothly.
Millions of people surf the Internet every day. There are literally billions of web pages opened up and read, all at the blink of an eye. The technology that drives the World Wide Web is simply incredible; humans cannot truly appreciate the magnitude and scope of it. There is simply too much going on all at the same time for us to imagine.
However, we do know how the technology that drives “web surfing” works. Most people do not take the time to stop and think about it, but the Internet was manufactured by humans. It seems to have taken on a life of its own, but it is still run and maintained by ordinary people all over the world.
The fact that the World Wide Web is man made does not detract from how amazing it is; in fact, it is even more incredible that we could have put something like this together in such a short period of time. It is also wonderful that it has become such an integral part of our lives that we do not even give it any thought. We take the Internet for granted: this wonderful combination of servers and databases that gives us websites is simply a tool that the vast majority of us use on a daily basis.
Sometimes it is hard to believe that the World Wide Web can be provided by machines sitting in cold rooms around the world. Anyone with a bit of networking and web experience knows the basic technology that goes into the process. However, without research, it is very difficult to translate that knowledge into the actual process. How is it possible that billions of page views can be handled by these machines?
There are plenty of other questions that arise for the uninformed. How do domain names work? What does a web server do with a page request? What does the user’s computer do with the page when it gets it? These are all questions that are easy to answer, but very few people actually take the time to look into them.

Web Hosting Goes Green

2009-10-08T05:23:00.001-07:00

If you’re of the opinion that going green is just a “fad,” think again. The green movement is gaining popularity and finding its way into all aspects of our lives, from the food we eat to the websites we view. That’s right; the websites we choose to view and support can now have a major affect on the environment as well.
The Internet already seems pretty environmentally friendly; it allows information pertaining to sustainable living to spread like wildfire without the use of paper or anything else that could end up in a landfill. Some websites, though, are going the extra mile to help this new environmental movement that is aimed at making our world a better place for future generations.

Web hosting (Canada)

2009-10-08T05:21:00.002-07:00

It may be that Canada isn't at the top of the web hosting game, but clearly from reading this article you should see that they are on the march. If any of the reasons I mentioned pique your interest, using a Canadian web host would be a low risk, high reward business venture. After all, they are our friendly neighbors to the north and most of them do speak English.
When I think of Canada, I think of an extremely progressive nation politically and scientifically. It's no wonder that they're one of the leaders in the communications and technologies industry. An example of this would be how they host the IT360º Conference & Expo every year, which leads Canada in providing IT professionals with a unique IT experience. The event focuses on four key industry elements: Network, Linux/Open Source, Storage, and Security. In an industry that never stops growing, Canada is right there with the biggest names in IT.

Hints for finding the best free web hosting service

2009-10-08T05:21:00.001-07:00

Generally it is best not to choose a free hosting package with more features than you need, and also check to see if the company somehow receives revenue from the free hosting itself to keep it in business. As already mentioned, it is best to try to get accepted to a more selective free host if possible. Look at other sites hosted there to see what kind of ads are on your site, and the server speed (keep in mind newer hosts will be faster at first). Read the Terms of Service (TOS) and host features to make sure it has enough bandwidth for your site, large webspace and file size limit, and any scripting options you might need. Read free webspace reviews and ratings by other users on free hosting directories. If you don't have your own domain name, you might want to use a free URL forwarding service so you can change your site's host if needed.

Web hosting is mandatory to remain within the competitive business arena

2009-10-08T05:20:00.000-07:00

This is the time of online communication and none of us can deny the convenience of electronic commerce. The web hosting companies
are now offering attractive options for the corporations seeking online presence. The web hosting companies are plenty and selection of a proper website hosting company is essential. Searching for an affordable option is easy now as there are plenty of shared hosting
facilities on offer. Still, it is worth mentioning that the reputed companies use dedicated servers that support only their own website.

The web based service providers of Australia have come up with alluring web hosting solutions; it is a good idea to take a quick look on the available web hosting solutions. VPS server or use of the virtual private server is indeed an interesting way of using the serer. There remain concepts like green hosting as well, it is nothing but resembles eco friendly web hosting. Cloud computing is becoming a popular concept, there are several ways of using a server, when a server is used for considerably less span of time it is called cloud computing.

The popular website hosting companies provide details and rates with comprehensive quotes. Free consultation offered by various web companies helps us to know more about web hosting. At times, special sites are launched just to provide information related to some events. These sites are necessary for a limited span of time and for these sites cloud computing concepts are powerful. By visiting a nearby reputed web design company it is possible to get all the details. For any sort of businesses website hosting is nowadays mandatory. Necessity of web space might differ and for this it is best to seek consultation of the professional web hosting providers to get idea about the required web space. It is worth mentioning that requirement of web space may vary.

Recommended free web hosts

2009-10-08T05:19:00.001-07:00

It would be awfully hard to recommend any free web space host and someone not like it, as different people need different web hosting features and have different priorities, and the webhosting quality may change over time. Also some people want free domain hosting (you own the domain), and others might not be able to buy a domain name. Here are some of the most recommended free web hosts, and their main features.
50Webs (http://www.50webs.com/) gives you a URL such as http://you.50webs.com/ (or you can use your own domain name), and offers 60 MB webspace, POP3 email, and unlimited bandwidth. You can upload via a file manger or FTP import. There are no ads or popups placed on your hosted web pages. You can setup multiple addon domains and subdomains under the same web hosting account.
Tripod (http://www.tripod.lycos.com/) is controversial. Many people hate the ads they put on your site or its other limitations, but it is one of the oldest and most reliable free web hosts. They give you 20 MB webspace, a subdomain, file manager and editor, and webpage statistics. The bandwidth limit is 1 GB/month. You can upload several file types such as RealAudio, RealVideo, Flash, MP3, and Java; and CGI/Perl, SSI, and FrontPage Server Extensions scripting is supported.

Can you really get FREE web hosting?

2009-10-08T05:18:00.001-07:00

Yes, there are hundreds of free hosting web sites, as far as not having to pay any money to have your website hosted. Generally they either cost you in time, web hosting restrictions, or modifying your free web pages by adding popups, banners, or other adverts. When looking for free web hosting (especially on search engines), you should beware that there are also a large number of commercial web hosts that claim to offer free hosting services, but those often have a catch, such as paying an excessive amount for a domain name or other service, and therefore aren't really free. The free free hosting guide below will give you some tips for finding the right free webhosting comapny for you

How do the free web hosts make money?

2009-10-08T05:17:00.000-07:00

The free website hosts often make money in other ways, such as putting banners, popups, or popunders ads on your free webpages. Some free web hosting companies do not put ads on your site, but require you as the webmaster to click on banners in their control panel or signup process, or just display banners in the file manager in hopes you will click them. Some lure visitors with free hosting in hopes you will upgrade and pay for advanced features. A few send you occasional emails with ads, or may even sell your email address. A new method that is becoming popular is requiring a certain number of "quality" forum posting, usually as a means of getting free content for them and thereby being able to display more ads to their website visitors.

Identifying Trending & Range-Bound Currencies

2009-09-27T07:24:00.002-07:00

The overall forex market generally trends more than the overall stock market. Why? The equity market, which is really a market of many individual stocks, is governed by the micro dynamics of particular companies. The forex market, on the other hand, is driven by macroeconomic trends that can sometimes take years to play out. These trends best manifest themselves through the major pairs and the commodity block currencies. Here we take a look at these trends, examining where and why they occur. Then we also look at what types of pairs offer the best opportunities for range-bound trading.

The Majors

There are only four major currency pairs in forex, which makes it a quite easy to follow the market. They are:

EUR/USD - euro / U.S. dollar
USD/JPY - U.S. dollar / Japanese yen
GBP/USD - British pound / U.S. dollar
USD/CHF - U.S. dollar / Swiss franc
It is understandable why the United States, the European Union and Japan would have the most active and liquid currencies in the world, but why the United Kingdom? After all, as of 2005, India has a larger GDP ($3.3 trillion vs. $1.7 trillion for the U.K.), while Russia's GDP ($1.4 trillion) and Brazil's GDP ($1.5 trillion) almost match U.K.'s total economic production. The explanation, which applies to much of the forex market, is tradition. The U.K. was the first economy in the world to develop sophisticated capital markets and at one time it was the British pound, not the U.S. dollar, that served as the world's reserve currency. Because of this legacy and because of London's primacy as the center of global forex dealing, the pound is still considered one of the major currencies of the world.

The Swiss franc, on the other hand, takes its place amongst the four majors because of Switzerland's famed neutrality and fiscal prudence. At one time the Swiss franc was 40% backed by gold, but to many traders in the forex market it is still known as "liquid gold". In times of turmoil or economic stagflation, traders turn to the Swiss franc as a safe-haven currency.

The largest major pair - in fact the single most liquid financial instrument in the world - is the EUR/USD. This pair trades almost $1 trillion per day of notional value from Tokyo to London to New York 24 hours a day, five days a week. The two currencies represent the two largest economic entities in the world: the U.S. with an annual GDP of $11 trillion and the Eurozone with a GDP of about $10.5 trillion.

Although U.S. economic growth has been far better than that of the Eurozone (3.1% vs.1.6%), the Eurozone economy generates net trade surpluses while the U.S. runs chronic trade deficits. The superior balance-sheet position of the Eurozone and the sheer size of the Eurozone economy has made the euro an attractive alternative reserve currency to the dollar. As such, many central banks including Russia, Brazil and South Korea have diversified some of their reserves into euro. Clearly this diversification process has taken time as do many of the events or shifts that affect the forex market. That is why one of the key attributes of successful trend trading in forex is a longer-term outlook.

Forex News Trading: The latest marketing wizardry in the forex market

2009-09-27T07:24:00.001-07:00

I want to explain to you how so-called News Trading is the latest method devised by the marketing wizards to take your money.

The more subtle marketing wizards package it very scientifically. They use impressive looking historical statistics to show how price action unfolded immediately after certain economic data releases. See the pattern, they trumpet, and make money from it.

The less subtle approach explains how to beat the gun with proprietary data feeds on supposedly important data releases. In reality, most of these data releases have never had any significant impact on the forex market before, but despite this, the marketing wizards invite you to join them in the shoot-out by paying a monthly subscription in the belief that this will help you beat the market makers.

Before I go any further in showing you how to really lose your money, your mind and your interest in this most lucrative market, let me just tell you why I think you can pay attention to what I have to say on the topic. Apart from the fact that I describe in my book, Bird Watching in Lion Country – Retail Forex Trading Explained (BWILC), the absolute necessity of real-time analysis and the folly of basing a trading strategy for the long-term on very short-term technical analysis indicators - or other illusionary patterns - I also explain a term which I coined: “relational analysis”. This simply means that, if you are trading forex, you have to relate three things all the time: price, time and events.

News trading as a concept has mainly to do with “events” and specifically with those anticipated events that cause prices to move more than usual, but only briefly - brief even in terms of short-term trading. News trading as offered by the marketing wizards takes this concept and then distorts it to rob you of your money.

Non-farm payrolls: March 1998

My mentor is an institutional bond trader who has a simple view on technical analysis: “if the prices are high, it may be time to sell and if the prices are low it may be a time to buy”. (He amusingly referred to traders’ screens filled with every conceivable squiggle, line and indicator as Playboys – dirty pictures.)

The point he was making is that trading decisions were not made based on technical analysis other than for the basic positioning it could give you as regards where the price is now, relative to where it has been recently. If you are closely monitoring the market you will have a feel for this anyway, but charts are helpful for a quick snapshot picture.

Noting and being acutely aware of upcoming economic data releases was one of the main elements of his analysis and approach to understanding the market and price action. This is what he based his trading decisions on. At the time I started trading in 1998 I was only vaguely aware of things like CPI, PPI, trade balance, money supply, and unemployment – all the things that give economists and analysts that warm and fuzzy feeling – but I quickly acquired an interest, figured out what each of them meant and started using the Sunday papers’ business section to monitor releases and follow the comments.

Rollovers in Forex

2009-09-27T07:23:00.002-07:00

Even though the mighty US dominates many markets, most of Spot Forex is still traded through London in Great Britain. So for our next description we shall use London time. Most deals in Forex are done as Spot deals. Spot deals are nearly always due for settlement two business days later. This is referred to as the value date or delivery date. On that date the counter parties theoretically take delivery of the currency they have sold or bought.

In Spot FX the majority of the time the end of the business day is 21:59 (London time). Any positions still open at this time are automatically rolled over to the next business day, which again finishes at 21:59.

This is necessary to avoid the actual delivery of the currency. As Spot FX is predominantly speculative most of the time the traders never wish to actually take delivery of the currency. They will instruct the brokerage to always rollover their position.

Many of the brokers nowadays do this automatically and it will be in their policies and procedures. The act of rolling the currency pair over is known as tom.next, which stands for tomorrow and the next day.

Just to go over this again, your broker will automatically rollover your position unless you instruct him that you actually want delivery of the currency. Another point noting is that most leveraged accounts are unable to actually deliver the currency as there is insufficient capital there to cover the transaction.

Remember that if you are trading on margin, you have in effect got a loan from your broker for the amount you are trading. If you had a 1 lot position you broker has advanced you the $100,000 even though you did not actually have $100,000. The broker will normally charge you the interest differential between the two currencies if you rollover your position. This normally only happens if you have rolled over the position and not if you open and close the position within the same business day.

To calculate the broker's interest he will normally close your position at the end of the business day and again reopen a new position almost simultaneously. You open a 1 lot ($100,000) EUR/USD position on Monday 15th at 11:00 at an exchange rate of 0.9950.

During the day the rate fluctuates and at 22:00 the rate is 0.9975. The broker closes your position and reopens a new position with a different value date. The new position was opened at 0.9976 - a 1 pip difference. The 1 pip deference reflects the difference in interest rates between the US Dollar and the Euro.

In our example your are long Euro and short US Dollar. As the US Dollar in the example has a higher interest rate than the Euro you pay the premium of 1 pip.

Now the good news. If you had the reverse position and you were short Euros and long US Dollars you would gain the interest differential of 1 pip. If the first named currency has an overnight interest rate lower than the second currency then you will pay that interest differential if you bought that currency. If the first named currency has a higher interest rate than the second currency then you will gain the interest differential.

To simplify the above. If you are long (bought) a particular currency and that currency has a higher overnight interest rate you will gain. If you are short (sold) the currency with a higher overnight interest rate then you will lose the difference.

I would like to emphasise here that although we are going a little in-depth to explain how all this works, your broker will calculate all this for you. The purpose of this article is just to give you an overview of how the forex market works

Taking Profits

2009-09-27T07:23:00.001-07:00

So much time is spent on entering a trade. Today I want to focus on some exit strategies. This is not a full Fibonacci course, so if you don't understand the basics I suggest that you visit my website for help with those aspects.

Human nature makes trading very challenging. Sometimes you want to exit a trade too quickly when it goes against you, and to cling on to a winner too long. Too often a winning trade will reverse, taking back most of your profits, or even going into a loss. On the other hand if you exit too soon, you risk missing some big profits. You may find that you're sitting on the sidelines while the market continues well beyond your exit.

In this lesson I'll show you how to bank those profits before they turn against you.

Choosing a Forex Broker

2009-09-27T07:22:00.001-07:00

As you may already know, foreign exchange (Forex/FX) is an unregulated market that is not traded on an exchange, which means that prices you see and get from one broker could vary from those of another broker. There are mainly two types of brokers. One type is an ECN (Electronic Communications Network) and another a Market-Maker.

Market-makers "make" or set the prices on their systems based on what they think is best for themselves as the counter-party. This is because every time you sell, they must buy, and when you buy, they must sell to you. This is why they can give you a fixed spread since they are setting both the bid and the ask price. Many of them will then try to "hedge" or "cover" your order by passing it on to someone else; however, some may decide to hold your order, and thus trade against you. This can result in a conflict of interest between the retail trader (you) and the market-maker.

ECNs, on the other hand, pass on prices from several banks and market-makers, as well as from the other traders in the ECN, and display the best bid/ask prices based on these input. This is why sometimes you can get no spread on ECNs, especially in very liquid currency pairs. How do ECNs make money then? They do so by charging you a fixed commission for each transaction.

Foreign Exchange Market

2009-09-27T07:21:00.000-07:00

The foreign exchange (currency or forex or FX) market exists wherever one currency is traded for another. It is by far the largest market in the world, in terms of cash value traded, and includes trading between large banks, central banks, currency speculators, multinational corporations, governments, and other financial markets and institutions. Retail traders (small speculators) are a small part of this market. They may only participate indirectly through brokers or banks and may be targets of forex scams.

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An Ideal College freshers

2009-09-25T05:43:00.000-07:00

AN ideal college freshman must be relaxed. One must conserve his or her energy in preparation for the grueling two years with majors. That is specially essential if you are taking a technical course such as Management Accounting or Electronics and Communications Engineering.
If you have been a model in high school or a ballet dancer and you’ve been continuing to do these things, then do so if you are still a college freshman. That won’t affect your studies because most subjects in the first two years in college are just reviews of what you had taken in high school. In other words, the lessons
are still fresh in one’s mind such as trigonometry, biology, religious studies and other what-have-yous.
If you are a scholar, then that’s better. But be aware that there is a grade cap in each subject that you have to cope, otherwise you’ll lose your scholarship. If you are an athlete or a cheerleader and your college tuition is funded through this athletic scholarship , then you must maintain your performance so that you won’t lose your scholarship. See more on how to cope with college life here in StuVu. This is your ticket to an exciting college life.

Make Your College Life Exciting

2009-09-25T05:41:00.000-07:00

COLLEGE can be a lonely place especially if you come from a rural town and your girlfriend or your friends won’t go with you to college. Staying in a boarding school may help but we’d like to introduce to you an online feature which can maximize your college fun.
Of course, we’d like to emphasize that StuVu must not replace your study time but during lonely times when there is nothing else to unwind about, StuVu is a great alternative. Here in StuVu, you can meet new friends. Who knows, you’ll find your new love here in StuVu.
When you create a profile here in StuVu, you’ll have the capability to upload exciting pictures, videos and every procrastination and rant that you have via the StuVu blog. Of course , that includes entries vividly describing how the atmosphere in each classroom/college professor/instructor looks like and how facilities from one campus vary with the other in that particular community that you are enrolled in. Students also get to discuss what the happenings in the place are as well as the trendy sororities recommended. Another feature in StuVu is students helping out one another in tackling difficult lessons

Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core processor

2009-08-02T04:20:00.002-07:00

When more is better-with four processing cores the Intel Core 2 Extreme processor delivers unrivaled¹ performance for the latest, greatest generation of multi-threaded games and multimedia apps.Now with a new version based on Intel's cutting edge 45nm technology utilizing hafnium-infused circuitry to deliver even greater performance and power efficiency. The Intel® Core™2 Extreme processor QX9770 running at 3.2 GHz delivers the best possible experience for today's most demanding users.
12 MB of total L2 cache
1600 MHz front side bus
Intel® Network Processors

Built on a high-performance fully programmable architecture, Intel network processors offer the speed, flexibility, and ease-of-use/reuse you need to accelerate time-to-market, extend time-in-market, and to enable a broad range of services from the customer premises to the core of the network. Network processors optimized for home, small-to-medium enterprise, and networked embedded applications. Flexible wire-speed processing for OC-3 to OC-12 multiservice network applications.
The Intel® IXC1100 control plane processor extends the benefits of Intel XScale® technology, including its rich set of development tools, to meet the processing needs of multi-service switches, VoIP media gateways, wireless infrastructure and other networking equipment.The information on this page is provided for the benefit of customers with existing designs.

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600

2009-08-02T04:20:00.001-07:00

There's no doubt that 2006 was one of the most incredible years in technology in recent memory. There were scandals, impressive landscape-shifting mergers, strange new alliances and many new products and technologies unveiled. One launch that stands out in everyone's mind is Intel's Conroe last summer. We were teased with leaked benchmark results and other information months before the release and once the launch finally hit, we were all relieved to see that it actually lived up to the hype.

After a launch like this, we didn't think that a follow-up would arrive for a while. We were wrong. In the early fall, we first learned about Intel's quad-core CPU, which is essentially two Conroes under the same IHS. I admit, I didn't expect to actually see it so soon, but come November, it was publicly available for anyone to purchase. Intel's at the top of their game, and don't want to step down anytime soon.

When they first launched their QX6700, they held off launching the Q6600 until early January. We don't know the reason for the delay, but now the possibility of having your own quad-core machine without breaking the bank has finally arrived. Let's first get the basics out of the way.

Oh My Quad

The Q6600 is a 2.4GHz chip, like its little brother the E6600. Both CPUs are nearly identical and use the same die(s), except that the Q6600 has two of them. Essentially, everything is doubled. Twice the cores, twice the cache and twice the drool. Like the other Core 2 Duos, Core 2 Quads are based on a 65nm process, although the process requires a slightly higher stock voltage. Since both the Quads are so similar to the Duos, it's no surprise to see that the die size is simply doubled as well, resulting in 2 x 143mm^2.

When compared to the top of the line QX6700 chip, the specs are again identical except for the 2.66GHz clock speed. Other than that, the CPUs are the same, just binned differently. When comparing to the top end Core 2 Duo, the differences are a lot more meaningful. While the QX6700 retails for just under $1,000, so does the X6800. However, when considering the QX6700, you receive a lower clock speed in return for twice the cores. At that point, it's up to you whether you want or need the sheer clock speed or greater benefits for your multi-thread applications.

To help put everything into perspective, here's a simple graph showcasing all of Intel's current Core 2 offerings.
CPU Model

Clock Speed

FSB

L2 Cache

TDP

Cores

Pricing
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 2.66GHz 1066MHz 4MB x 2 130w 4 $999
Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 2.93GHz 1066MHz 4MB 75W 2 $999
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40GHz 1066MHz 4MB x 2 105W 4 $851
Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 2.66GHz 1066MHz 4MB 65W 2 $530
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.40GHz 1066MHz 4MB 65W 2 $316
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 2.13GHz 1066MHz 2MB 65W 2 $224
Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 1.86GHz 1066MHz 2MB 65W 2 $183
Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 1.80GHz 800MHz 2MB 65W 2 $163

One interesting point to note is that even though the Q6600 is essentially 2 x E6600, the TDP is not doubled, but rather sits at a comfortable 105W. The higher clocked QX6700 is 130W, however, which is why we don't see a QX6800 instead. A TDP of 130W is high to begin with, but considering the much slower 820 D we reviewed less than a year ago also had a TDP of 130W, power consumption still hasn't entered uncharted territory, and there are thermal solutions available to deal with that kind of heat.

Below, you can see a highly detailed illustration of the quad-core's innards. In case you thought that two dies would be a tight squeeze, think again! Despite having four cores, there's still a reasonable amount of breathing room in there. For a more realistic view of the chip with the HS off, you can check out the picture provided by Intel

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz - Wolfdale Arrives

2009-08-02T04:19:00.002-07:00

In the summer of 2006, Intel released their 65nm Conroe-based processors, and to say they won the hearts of many would be an understatement. It was one product-launch that Intel didn't want to hit lightly, especially since AMD were actively taking from their customer base - on the enthusiast side, most notably. When said and done, Intel did accomplish what they planned to do. They put the industry through a blender and showed us how to be excited about processors again.

Although frequencies with Conroe were not as high as what we were used to seeing from Intel, the folks in Santa Clara proved that a high frequency didn't mean much if the processor itself was inefficient. Indeed, a 2.4GHz Conroe Dual-Core proved just how much better an efficient processor could be, and it quickly became the most common processor choice for the enthusiast.

The following summer, follow-up processors were released, including the E6750 Dual-Core which we evaluated at the time. Besides speed bumps, those processors didn't bring much to the table in way of new features, except for native 1333FSB support. Instead, the processor we are taking a look at today is one of the few new models that effectively replace the Conroe-based chips that we came to love so dearly in summer of '06.

I won't delve deep into how 45nm improves on 65nm, as I explained all of that in our QX9650 review, but I will touch on things briefly. One large benefit that comes with all die shrinks is better power efficiency and lower temperatures. Chips have the capability to run just as fast, if not faster, than their predecessors, all while running cooler and drawing less power. It's a win/win situation.

But with 45nm, Intel introduced more than just a die shrink. The biggest feature that most people will be interested in is the SSE4 instruction set. It affects media-buffs only - those who encode videos - but the performance gains are so evident, that developers of such applications are bound to begin supporting it sooner than later. The speed increases could be as large as 2x, even though it's difficult to believe.

Other improvements include increased L2 cache, half-multipliers (eg, 9.5x), a faster front-side-bus, improved Super Shuffle Engine, Smart Cache (to improve how split loads are accessed and stored) and so many transistors on a single die, it can give people headaches to think about it!
The obvious downside of the QX9650 launch in November was the fact that no other processors complimented it. Therefore, it was QX9650 or bust - until now that is. During CES earlier this month, Intel officially announced their 45nm launch plans, which include the desktop side, server and also mobile. We found out at that time that the Quad-Core models (Q9300 - Q9550) were pushed back to sometime in Q1. Although a solid date was never settled on, original road maps showed January as the scheduled launch. However, the rumor is that due to poor performing Phenom Quad-Core sales, Intel decided to hold off on the launch to help push remaining 65nm models to consumers first.

So how does the road map stand now that some time has past? Although Intel announced near-immediate availability of all 45nm desktop Dual-Cores at CES, only the E8400 has shown up on e-tailers. One popular e-tailer has the other models listed for availability in April. How true that is, I'm unsure, but it's strange given the fact that they were supposed to be available by now.
Processor Name

Cores

Clock

Cache

FSB

TDP

1Ku Price

Available
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9775
4

3.20GHz

2 x 6MB

1600MHz

150W

$1,499
Q1 2008
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770
4

3.20GHz

2 x 6MB

1600MHz

136W

$1,399
Q1 2008
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650
4

3.0GHz

2 x 6MB

1333MHz

130W

$999
Now
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
4

2.86GHz

2 x 6MB

1333MHz

95W

$530
Q1 2008
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450
4

2.66GHz

2 x 6MB

1333MHz

95W

$316
Q1 2008
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300
4

2.5GHz

2 x 3MB

1333MHz

95W

$266
Q1 2008
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500
2

3.16GHz

6MB

1333MHz

65W

$266
Jan 2008
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
2

3.00GHz

6MB

1333MHz

65W

$183
Now
Intel Core 2 Duo E8200
2

2.66GHz

6MB

1333MHz

65W

$163
Jan 2008
Intel Core 2 Duo E8190
2

2.66GHz

6MB

1333MHz

65W

$163
Jan 2008

The biggest downside to the road map is that the Q9xxx are not available. Once they are, they are no doubt going to sell like hotcakes, given the improvements over the previous generation and the fact that the prices do not increase. The upside, though, is that even though the E8400 is the lone desktop Dual-Core to be available right now, we can be happy that it is the model most people would be after.

What makes the E8400 such a great choice is the fact that it's affordable, at $220USD on average, and has a nice clock speed. Let's face it... where overclocking is not concerned, having a 3.0GHz CPU looks better to the ego than say, 2.66GHz. It's all about the smooth frequencies, baby.

intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Preview

2009-08-02T04:19:00.001-07:00

it hasn't been a full year since we saw Intel launch their Core 2 Duo processors, but we will soon be seeing a line-up refresh. This is one product that really needs no introduction, but seeing as this is a refresh, refreshing everyones minds seems appropriate. Intel launched the Core 2 Duo to much fanfare last July. Months prior to this, enthusiasts were drooling over leaks of performance reports, which fortunately, turned out to be right on the money.

The entire Conroe line-up is built on a 65nm process, with the mainstream products offering 4MB of L2 cache. Improved over the previous Pentium 4/Pentium D line-up was better power efficiency resulting in a lower TDP and better overall temperatures. This is appreciated, as two cores under the same IHS can potentially create an unwanted room heater.

All but the lowest end Core 2 Duos take advantage of a 1066FSB. This is where this refreshed line-up comes into play, as it ushers in 1333FSB computing. This noticeable speed bump is all done while retaining the same TDP.

All Conroe 1333FSB processors are identified by by a 50 at the end of the product name, hence E6750, which is effectively taking over the spot of the E6700. Nothing has changed except for the FSB and speeds, except the ratio of course, which had to be altered in order to compliment the upgraded frequency.

One thing that should be cleared up is that most overclocking enthusiasts have already accomplished the same speeds we are seeing today, with most being exceeded. In fact, there is nothing stopping anyone from popping in an E6600 and overclocking using a 333FSB and 8 multiplier. That would effectively give you the exact same speed as the E6750 we are taking a look at today.

You might be wondering where the benefit is, with this official speed bump. Primarily it will benefit those non-overclockers most. There is no comparison to equal processor speed at 1066FSB and 1333FSB. That added FSB frequency should make a much more noticeable performance difference than the CPU frequency boost itself.

Intel® Core™2 Duo Desktop Processor

2009-08-02T04:18:00.002-07:00

— For the Intel® Core™2 Duo Desktop Processor E6000Δ and E4000Δ sequences, Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core Processor E2000Δ sequence and Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 6x1Δ sequence at 65 W

Depending on the type of system and the chassis characteristics, new system and component designs may be required to provide adequate cooling for the processor. The goal of this document is to provide an understanding of these thermal characteristics and discuss guidelines for meeting the thermal requirements imposed on single processor systems using the Intel® Core™2 Duo desktop processor E6000/E4000Δ sequences, Intel® Pentium® Dual Core Processor E2000Δ sequence, and Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 6x1Δ Sequence.

The concepts given in this document are applicable to any system form factor. Specific examples used will be the Intel enabled reference solution for ATX/uATX systems. See the applicable BTX form factor reference documents to design a thermal solution for that form factor.

64-bit computing on Intel architecture requires a computer system with a processor, chipset, BIOS, operating system, device drivers and applications enabled for Intel® 64 architecture. Processors will not operate (including 32-bit operation) without an Intel® 64 architecture-enabled BIOS. Performance will vary depending on your hardware and software configurations. Consult with your system vendor for more information.

Δ Intel® processor numbers are not a measure of performance. Processor numbers differentiate features within each processor family, not across different processor families. See www.intel.com/products/processor_number/ for details.

‡ Not all specified units of this processor support Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology. See the Processor Spec Finder at processorfinder.intel.com or contact your Intel representative for more information.

± Intel® Virtualization Technology (Intel® VT), Intel® Trusted Execution Technology (Intel® TXT), and Intel® 64 architecture require a computer system with a processor, chipset, BIOS, enabling software and/or operating system, device drivers and applications designed for these features. Performance will vary depending on your configuration. Contact your vendor for more information.

° Enabling Execute Disable Bit functionality requires a PC with a processor with Execute Disable Bit capability and a supporting operating system. Check with your PC manufacturer on whether your system delivers Execute Disable Bit functionality.

Intel Latest Technology

2009-08-02T04:18:00.001-07:00

In the 'Tick, Tock' model, Tock means a new CPU architecture every two years followed by the Tick which means die-shrinkWhile the world is still talking about Intel's shift from 45nm to 32nm, Intel has gone one step ahead and added a 22nm 8-core processor micro-architecture to their design roadmap.At the Intel Developer Forums, Intel talked about their 'Tick, Tock' model of chip development, transition from 45nm to 32nm and also briefed about the 22nm chip design plans. This update comes in the wake of Intel's talks with regional R&D engineers, who shared the project status for next 5 years. A French site called CanardPlus managed to grab the slide from Intel Developer Forum.In the 'Tick, Tock' model, Tock means a new CPU architecture every two years followed by the Tick which means die-shrink. Intel has announced the 45nm Nehalem's successor called Westmere (previously Nehalem-c) on 32nm die-shrink due for release in 2009. Westmere's special feature is the 8-core CPU design where each core will have its own 512 KB L2 cache, and general divided 16 MB cache at the third level.During 2011-12, Intel plans to release 'Ivy Bridge' as the first 22nm chip in 2011, and then follow it up with the 22nm micro-architecture, code named Haswell, that will carry 8-cores in 2012. The Ivy Bridge will be released after 'Sandy Bridge' (previously named Gesher) from the 32nm micro-architecture in 2010.Source: Techtree.com

Intel Amd Servers

2009-08-02T04:17:00.003-07:00

Intel vs AMD servers. Which processor is best for a web hosting server?
If you go to any dedicated server provider, you will see server offers for both AMD and Intel processor based servers. So which one is better for your website or web hosting company? This question is hard to answer because it is dependent on a lot of variables; but I will try my best to give a decisive answer.
AMD and Intel have always been in close competition over the last decade. Whenever Intel was winning, AMD would catch up and overtake Intel. After awhile Intel would catch back up with AMD and overtake them. A competitive market at it’s finest! Anyway, back in 2002-2006 if you would have asked me which I thought was better, I would have said AMD. However, since Intel released its Core2 based processors, I will have to go with Intel for the time being. That is for now…it’s only a matter of time before AMD releases its next generation processor to take back its claim.

Over the years I have purchased dozens of servers in all kinds of configurations – dual core AMD, single core AMD, dual core dual proc AMD, single core Intel, dual core Intel, etc. Even though I give raw server processing ability and power to Intel, AMD still has some advantages.

AMD: better Low – Medium end servers – Best bang for the buck
If you have outgrown your shared web hosting plan or your VPS plan, it is time to upgrade to a dedicated server. The only problem is that there is a big price jump between VPS and a dedicated server. For that reason, I suggest that you start out on a Single Processor AMD server. The price for AMD based equipment tends to be lower which in turn lowers the monthly cost of the server. A comparable low end Intel machine usually costs $30-50/m more than your low end AMD server. AMD also has advantages on certain process types. For instance, AMD can run Java based applications better than the comparable Intel server.

Intel – High End Servers – Raw Power house
Out of all the high end web hosting servers that I have purchased, my dual proc dual core Xeon servers have always outperformed my high end AMD Opteron servers. When it comes to raw power and data/number crunching, Intel takes the cake. Compared to Opteron processors, Xeon processors have a much larger processor cache. This higher CPU bandwidth allows the machine to process more at a quicker rate than the comparable AMD. For this reason, Intel can run MySQL, Email, PHP, and other services faster than the AMD. Since these services are usually the center of most hosting businesses, I think Intel makes the better web hosting server. I also think that Intel servers are slightly more reliable than AMD because the other hardware in the server is usually perfected for Intel based processors. AMD is a smaller company so other hardware vendors spend more work and effort perfecting their hardware for Intel based machines.

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor E4600

2009-08-02T04:17:00.001-07:00

Difference Between Intel core 2 duo vs Intel dual core vs Intel Pentium D
Many people are confused what exactly the difference between Intel Core 2 Duo Processors and Between Intel Pentium D or Intel Dual Core processors….

I would try to explain from a END user point a view rather not going in to details architecture over view…

The Simple facts are,

All Core 2 Duo Processors are Dual Core Processors..
All Pentium D Processors are Dual Core Processors..
All Intel Dual Core Processors are Dual Core Processors…

Pentium D is nothing but 2 Prescott Processors side by side… runs very hot, not a good OverClocker…

Intel Core 2 Duo processors are next gen processors from Intel on 65 nm platform… developed from Ground up with new Architecture called Core… so they are whole new Processors just Jump like Pentium 2 to Pentium 3 or Pentium 4… Expect one Core 2 Duo Lowest End Processors like E4400/E4300 taking up and beating Intel Pentium D 3.8 GHz ones with ease … runs damn cool and super over clocker…

Intel Dual Core Processors are just launched striped down version of Core 2 Duos.. there are 2 in Market for Desktop range, E2140 runs at 1.6 GHz with 1 MB L2 and 800 MHz FSB and E2160 with 1.8 GHz with same specs of E2140…. these are not Pentium D rather they are same batch like Core 2 Duo based on the new Core Technology…. they perform same like Core 2 Duos but they were launched with a very low price to counter the market of super low cost but high performer AMD X2 range line up to AMD X2 4000

Intel Core 2 Duo Processors

2009-08-02T04:16:00.001-07:00

How to Over Clock / Basic Over Clocking Guide for Core 2 Duo

What will you need ??

1. Hardware setup
2. Softwares for the process

Hardware Setup

This guide will cover mainlly Intel Processors… Basically Intel Core based ones, such as,

Processors

E2140
E2160
E4300
E4400
E4500
E6300
E6320
E6400
E6420
E6550
E6600
E6700
E6750
E6850
Q6600
Q6700
X7900
X7800
X6800
QX6700
QX6800
QX6850

Motherboards

For any Overclocking one thing is must, ur Hardware supporting Overclocking, mean u have a C2D but one Intel 946 / 965 based board, will mean no OC… as those boards doesnt allow OC…

Good Well Ventilated Cabbinet is needed as will generate a lot of heat for sure..so, large cabbi with few FANs so, for OCing high u will need to have cabinet modifications….
Better RAM, those Value rams of 667 or 800 is good for Ligh or mid range OC but will need better RAMs for sure…

Last of all, the most important, The motherboard…. one ASUS P5B-MX motherboard with 946 chipset will not going to oc the procy better, where as P5B DLx with P965 or P5N-E SLi with Nvidia 650 chipset or XFX 650i or higher ones like P35 Chipset based ones like ASUS P5K series and nForce 680i ones like P5N32-E SLi or XFX 680i, will overclock far more efficiantly than those 946 based or VIA based ones….

Before we start, lets learn What exactly is Over Clocking ??

What Softwares One would need ???

Really dont have much idea about Linux softwares, so i would expect all running Windows will suggest few which u will need in Windows…

Lots of Software to monitor the Heat lavel !! As every one says Its easy to Overclock but easier than that to Burn the Procy

Install and Run it in every startup and then minimize it, will show one info at corner of the screen… Like my bellow Screeny,

Core Temp Run it while Stability test under load for Temps monitoring

Pi Testing to test the stability of the OC…

orthos This is for a long time load test of the OC system !!!

ASUS PC Prob… Find in in ur ASUS Mobo CD
in one dumb sentence, what we do is, we increase the FSB / BUS speed by little mean, which in place (FSB / 4 = BUS) increases the CPU Speed BUS x multiple = CPU Speed… and when u OC high u need to increase the processor vcore (my case Default 1.24) to some stable vcore by one step at a time !!! also at some point u may see ur RAM fails to keep up so, u need to increase their voltage too, chip value rams will not allow more than 2.1v at any point…In my case, default E6600 FSB is 1066 MHz where as BUS speed is (1066/4) 266.5 MHz, so with multile 9 my E6600 runs at 266.5 x 9 = 2398.5 MHz So by trial and error Method I found one Stable at this, as my mobo allow FSB increase so, FSB 1575 / Vcore 1.5v / RAM voltage 2.178v….

So, the main idea is increasing the FSB / BUS without givng more vcore till the point where u need to put some vcore… as more vcore will mean more Heat !!!

Lets Start

So to start with in ASUS Boards Disable AI Tuning and CIA2 for Giga Byte ones…

BIOS Settings

Seting the PCI Expres (PCIe) @ 100MHz / PCI to 33 MHz
Disable the Q-Fan control to allow the Processor fan to runn at full speed all the time
Disable any thing which says CPUID MAX to 2
Disable C1E if running windows XP (well thats what all ASUS mobo manual says)

RAM Settings

Well make sure processor and RAM frequency is unlinked so, i would suggest keep the RAM frequency to default value…Till the point u cant boot or dont get stable OS, u dont need to play with the RAM voltage of Timings, but b ready on higher Overclock u will need to push the RAM voltage up [Razz] i got suggestion that Voltage is fine Till 2.1v !!! nothing up for our value rams…
Processor Settings

Some motherboards will allow increase of BUS speed (BUS x multiple) some will alow increase of FSB (FSB/4=BUS Speed)…

in any case, increase step by step, dont push a lot at a time rather step by step… till u find one stable max point…

Stability Testing

Well sure, u should be able to boot in to OS… and personal Suggestion make sure its a clean installation without any Startup object or AVS, as that delayes the time of start nessecary Temp monitoring sofwtares….

If u are unable to boot, means some vcore or RAM voltage !!!

Run CPU-Z to view ur speeds…

for me 1st thing is running PC Wizerd and minimize it to Start bar as that would give a lot of info at once… !!!

Running ASUS Probe

Running Core Temp

they will give info of idle temp…. Make sure, u stay in side the temp limit (explained later on)

Now Copy the SUPER PI Process EXE on 2 places, run those together (Dont start calculation, just run those EXE)… now from Tank Manager, Go to Process, right click on each of the Superpi.exe and put one on each core…

Now Start calculaiton for 2m pi for both at once… !!!! keep eye on ur Temp limits (Explained Later)… If system passes the test fine, proceed to later on, if ur system restarts, means u will need to push some Vcore and come bacnk again to here, even then its restarts, then some RAM voltage may be (Dont cross that 2.1v) !!!

Now when u pass the test next level of Load test

Load Test

Run one Instance of orthos and Start testing ur Procy !!! run it for atleast 1 hour keep an eye on the Temps (Core Temp / PC Wizerd) all the time… if u are crossing the denger lavel Stop the test and rebott back to lower the vcore and BUS/FSB too !!!

if u pass the test means u have a stable overclock system !!!

Temparature settings

At Any point load temp should not cross 60c, see on idle condition temp may low at 42 ot 45 but onload will push the temp close to 60c…

your Dengar Level is 60c, allways stay bellow it….

Please note

No 2 Processo are the same, I mean I have one E6600 which need vcore of 1.5v to run at 3.6 GHz where as its possible that Mr. A’s E6600 can reach 3.8 GHz with just 1.48 or Mr. B’s E6600 cant go byond 3.4 ghx at 1.5v….

So no specific info on exact settings, u have to try and try to find best Overclock for ur self…

Remember Never let the Temps touch 60c, keep the RAMs at their Default Frequency, lavue ram cant take byond 2.1v voltage…

In the end I would say there are tons of better guides out there in OIverclokcing, Google will give better results, so those who already tried it, please post so tricks a tips for higher overlocks…

And last of all, Dont forget to post ur Results, with some Temp and load testing apps running at Backgroud… and with ur OC setings info and steps

For me, on stock it was 2.89 GHz, where as with ThermalRight ultra 120 extreme, FSB 1575 / vcore 1.5 / ram voltage 2.178 (667 MHz)

Intel® Core™ i7 Processor:

2009-06-07T05:40:00.002-07:00

Intel® Core™ i7 Processor The best desktop processors on the planet:

Brilliantly fast:

With faster, intelligent, multi-core technology that applies processing power where it's needed most, new Intel® Core™ i7 processors deliver an incredible breakthrough in PC performance. They are the best desktop processors on the planet.¹
You'll multitask applications faster and unleash incredible digital media creation. And you'll experience maximum performance for everything you do, thanks to the combination of Intel® Turbo Boost technology² and Intel® Hyper-Threading technology (Intel® HT technology)³, which maximizes performance to match your workload.

New $3 Billion Facility to Produce Processors with Intel 45nm Hafnium-based High-k Metal Gate Transistors CHANDLER, Ariz., Oct. 25, 2007 – Production

2009-06-07T05:40:00.001-07:00

New $3 Billion Facility to Produce Processors with Intel 45nm Hafnium-based High-k Metal Gate Transistors
CHANDLER, Ariz., Oct. 25, 2007 – Production of a new generation of microprocessors for PCs, laptops, servers and other computing devices officially began today inside of Intel Corporation's first high-volume 45 nanometer (nm) manufacturing factory in Chandler, Ariz.
Called "Fab 32," the $3 billion factory will use Intel's innovative 45nm process technology based on Intel's breakthrough in "reinventing" certain areas of the transistors inside its processors to reduce energy leakage. The 45nm transistors use a Hafnium-based high-k material for the gate dielectric and metal materials for the gate, and are so small that more than 2 million can fit on the period at the end of this sentence. Millions of these tiny transistors will make up Intel's faster, more energy efficient lead- and halogen-free processors for PCs, laptops and servers, as well as ultra low-power processors for mobile Internet and consumer electronic devices, and low-cost PCs. The first of the company's 45nm processors is scheduled to be introduced on Nov. 12.
"The opening of Fab 32 in Arizona today is a testament to Intel's continued investment in our most strategic asset -- the most advanced, environmentally friendly manufacturing network in the world," said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. "The magic of 45nm and our new transistor design allow us to deliver high-performance, energy-efficient processors to our customers across the entire spectrum of market segments, from the most powerful servers to a variety of mobile devices and everything in between."
Fab 32 is Intel's sixth 300mm wafer factory and its second factory to produce 45nm chips. Intel first produced 45nm processors in its Oregon development facility, called D1D, in January and is now moving into high-volume production with the opening of Fab 32. Two additional 45nm, 300mm manufacturing factories are scheduled to open next year in Kiryat Gat, Israel (Fab 28) and Rio Rancho, N.M. (Fab 11x). Using 300mm wafers lowers the production cost per chip while diminishing overall use of resources.
With 184,000 square feet of clean room space, the completed Fab 32 structure measures 1 million square feet, so large that more than 17 U.S. football fields could fit inside the building. More than 1,000 employees will operate the factory in such positions as process, automation and yield engineers and senior manufacturing technicians.

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology:

2009-06-07T05:39:00.004-07:00

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology is one of the many exciting new features that Intel has built into latest-generation . It automatically allows processor cores to run faster than the base operating frequency if it's operating below power, current, and temperature specification limits.
Dynamically increasing performance
As an independent and complimentary feature, (Intel® HT Technology) along with Intel Turbo Boost Technology increases performance of both multi-threaded and single threaded workloads. Intel Turbo Boost Technology is activated when the Operating System (OS) requests the highest processor performance state (P0).
The maximum frequency of Intel® Turbo Boost Technology is dependent on the number of active cores. The amount of time the processor spends in the Intel Turbo Boost Technology state depends on the workload and operating environment, providing the performance you need, when and where you need it.
Any of the following can set the upper limit of Intel Turbo Boost Technology on a given workload:
• Number of active cores
• Estimated current consumption
• Estimated power consumption
• Processor temperature
When the processor is operating below these limits and the user's workload demands additional performance, the processor frequency will dynamically increase by 133 MHz on short and regular intervals until the upper limit is met or the maximum possible upside for the number of active cores is reached. Conversely, when any of the limits are reached or exceeded, the processor frequency will automatically decrease by 133 MHz until the processor is again operating within its limits.

Embedded Systems:

2009-06-07T05:39:00.003-07:00

In February 2002, AMD acquired Alchemy Semiconductor and continued its line of processor in MIPS architecture processors, targets the hand-held and Portable media player markets. On 13 June 2006, AMD officially announced that the Alchemy processor line was transferred to Raza Microelectronics Inc.
In August 2003, AMD also purchased the Geode business which was originally the Cyrix MediaGX from National Semiconductor to augment its existing line of embedded x86 processor products. During the second quarter of 2004, it launched new low-power Geode NX processors based on the K7 Thoroughbred architecture with speeds of fanless processors 667 MHz and 1 GHz, and 1.4 GHz processor with fan, of TDP 25 W. This technology is used in a variety of embedded systems (Casino slot machines and customer kiosks for instance), several UMPC designs in Asia markets, as well as the OLPC XO-1 computer, an inexpensive laptop computer intended to be distributed to children in developing countries around the world.
For the past couple of years AMD has been introducing 64-bit processors into its embedded product line starting with the AMD Opteron processor. Leveraging the high throughput enabled through HyperTransport and the Direct Connect Architecture these server class processors have been targeted at high end telecom and storage applications. In 2006 AMD added the AMD Athlon, AMD Turion and Mobile AMD Sempron processors to its embedded product line. Leveraging the same 64-bit instruction set and Direct Connect Architecture as the AMD Opteron but at lower power levels and in smaller footprint packages, these processors were well suited to a variety of traditional embedded applications. Throughout 2007 supporting longer than standard availability.
In April 2007, AMD announced the release of the M690T integrated graphics chipset for embedded designs. This enabled AMD to offer complete processor and chipset solutions targeted at embedded applications requiring high performance 3D and video such as emerging digital signage, kiosk and Point of Sale applications. The M690T was followed by the M690E specifically for embedded applications which removed the TV output, which required Macrovision licensing for OEMs, and enabled native support for dual TMDS outputs, enabling dual independent DVI interfaces.
and into 2008 AMD has continued to add both single-core Mobile AMD Sempron and AMD Athlon processors and dual-core AMD Athlon X2 and AMD Turion processors to its embedded product line and now offers embedded 64-bit solutions starting with 8W TDP Mobile AMD Sempron and AMD Athlon processors for fan-less designs up to multi-processor systems leveraging multi-core AMD Opteron processors all

Intel® Core™2 Extreme dual-core mobile processor (X9100):

2009-06-07T05:39:00.001-07:00

Designed for gamers and power-users, the Intel Core 2 Extreme dual-core mobile processor the is world's highest performing dual-core processor². For those who want an intense, high-performance mobile computing experience, the Intel Core 2 Extreme dual-core mobile processor delivers revolutionary mobile dual-core performance with 3.06GHz frequency, 6MB of shared L2 Advanced Smart Cache, and Intel® Smart Memory Access with a blazing 1066MHz Front Side Bus (FSB).
Experience excellent mobile gaming and multimedia with the raw power, responsiveness and realism of revolutionary mobile dual-core performance. The Intel Core 2 Extreme dual-core mobile processor brings a whole new intensity to mobile gaming.
And just like its quad-core big brother, the Intel Core 2 Extreme dual-core mobile processor also offers the ultimate control to with bus ratio locks (overspeed protection) removed, so you can fine tune your notebook experience for maximum gaming performance.

Intel® Core™2 Extreme quad-core mobile processor (QX9300):

2009-06-07T05:38:00.003-07:00

Achieving clock speeds of up to 2.53GHz, along with an astounding 12 MB of shared L2 cache and a 1066 MHz Front Side Bus (FSB), the Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core mobile processor is your ultimate engine for hi-def multimedia while powering the latest generation of hardcore games.
The Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core mobile processor has four cores processing multiple threads and multiple tasks at blistering speeds for an incredible "like you're there" experience in advanced artificial intelligence (AI), particle systems, dynamic physics, and texture generation. As your ultimate engine for creating rich, HD videos with up to 50 percent faster performance when encoding³ and editingΩ video, these processors enable you to perform like a multiple armed monster.
And because you're looking for ultimate control in game, the Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core mobile processor bus ratio locks (overspeed protection) have been removed, so you can fine tune your notebook experience for maximum gaming performance.

Intel® Core™2 Extreme Mobile Processor:

2009-06-07T05:38:00.001-07:00

Designed from the ground up for extreme competitive gaming and HD multimedia on the fly, the Intel® Core™2 Extreme processors are the world's highest performing quad-core and dual-core mobile processors. Delivering all the performance of a desktop, enabled in a revolutionary, sleek, and killer notebook.
As your ultimate engine for hi-def digital content creation, HD multimedia, and a rockin' hardcore gaming experience, these notebooks provide the raw power, responsiveness, and realism you need for the most compute-intensive and multi-threaded apps-wherever you want to be.

Intel® Atom™ Processor smallest chip:

2009-06-07T05:37:00.004-07:00

Intel’s smallest and lowest power processor, the Intel® Atom™ processor will enable the industry to design new Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) and affordable Internet-focused notebooks (netbooks), and desktops (nettops). This new processor also serves as the foundation for the all new Intel® Centrino® Atom™ processor technology, a collection of chips that enables amazing Internet experiences in pocketable devices.Newly designed from the ground up, 45nm Intel Atom processors pack an astounding 47 million transistors on a single chip measuring less than 25mm², making them Intel’s smallest and lowest power processors.¹ All this, and while still delivering the power* 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 subwatt to 2.5 watts for mobile devices* Extend battery life in select devices with an incredibly low idle power as low as 30 mW allowing the device to stay powered on while also conserving energyPowering the next generation of Internet-centric devices, Intel Atom processors will power the latest in pocketable, portable devices. Based on an entirely new microarchitecture, the Intel Atom processor was developed specifically for performance and low power while maintaining full Intel® Core™ microarchitecture instruction set compatibility. Some Intel Atom processors will also feature multiple threads for better performance and increased system responsiveness.Devices powered by Intel Atom processors allow you to stay in touch on-the-go, connect to business and enjoy entertainment, remain connected affordably with a new series of netbooks and nettops, and so much more.

Intel® QuickPath Technology:

2009-06-07T05:37:00.003-07:00

Unleashing performance with interconnect system architecture
Providing point-to-point high-speed links to distributed shared memory, Intel® QuickPath technology unleashes the parallel processing performance of next-generation Intel® 45nm microarchitectures (codenamed Nehalem and Tukwila). These microarchitectures, built from the ground up, will be the first to use the Intel QuickPath interconnect system and can see significant improvements in overall performance.
With new Intel QuickPath technology built into future Nehalem and Tukwila microarchitectures, each processor core will feature an integrated memory controller and high-speed interconnect, linking processors and other components to deliver:
• Dynamically scalable interconnect bandwidth designed to set loose the full performance of Nehalem, Tukwila, and future generations of Intel® multi-core processors.
• Outstanding memory performance and flexibility to support leading memory technologies.
• Tightly integrated interconnect reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) with design-scalable configurations for optimal balance of price, performance, and energy efficiency.

Intel® Core™2 Duo Processors:

2009-06-07T05:37:00.001-07:00

Based on Intel® Core™ microarchitecture, the Intel® Core™2 Duo processor family is designed to provide powerful energy-efficient performance so you can do more at once without slowing down.
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo desktop processors
With Intel Core 2 Duo desktop processor, you'll experience revolutionary performance, unbelievable system responsiveness, and energy-efficiency second to none.
Big, big performance. More energy efficient.¹ Now available in smaller packages. The Intel Core 2 Duo processor-based desktop PC was designed from the ground up for energy efficiency, letting you enjoy higher performing, ultra-quiet, sleek, and low power desktop PC designs.
Multitask with reckless abandon. Do more at the same time, like playing your favorite music, running virus scan in the background, and all while you edit video or pictures. The powerful Intel Core 2 Duo desktop processor provides you with the speed you need to perform any and all tasks imaginable.
Love your PC again. Don’t settle for anything less than the very best. Find your perfect desktop powered by the Intel Core 2 Duo processor and get the best processing technology money can buy. Only from Intel.
• Up to 6MB L2 cache.
• Up to 1333 MHz front side bus.,

Intel® Core™2 Quad Processors:

2009-06-07T05:36:00.002-07:00

Introducing Intel® Core™2 Quad processor for notebook and desktop PCs, designed to handle massive compute and visualization workloads enabled by powerful multi-core technology. Optimized for the longest possible battery life without compromise to performance, Intel Core 2 Quad processors for notebooks allow you to stay unwired longer while running the most compute-intensive applications.
Providing all the bandwidth you need for next-generation highly-threaded applications, the latest four-core Intel Core 2 Quad processors are built on 45nm Intel® Core™ microarchitecture enabling faster, cooler, and quieter mobile and desktop PC and workstation experiences.
Plus, with optional Intel® vPro™ technology, you have the ability to remotely isolate, diagnose, and repair infected desktop and mobile workstations wirelessly and outside of the firewall, even if the PC is off, or the OS is unresponsive.
Features and Benefits:
With four processing cores, up to 12MB of shared L2 cache,and up to 1066 MHz Front Side Bus for notebooks, and up to 12MB of L2 cache² and up to 1333 MHz Front Side Bus for desktops, the Intel Core 2 Quad processor delivers amazing performance and power efficiency enabled by the all new hafnium-based circuitry of 45nm Intel Core microarchitecture.
Whether you're encoding, rendering, editing, or streaming HD multimedia in the office or on the go, power your most demanding applications with notebooks and desktops based on the Intel Core 2 Quad processor.

AMD's Turion 64X2:

2009-06-07T05:36:00.001-07:00

Turion 64 X2 is AMD's 64-bit dual-core mobile CPU, intended to compete with Intel's Core and Core 2 CPUs. The Turion 64 X2 was launched on May 17, 2006, after several delays. These processors use Socket S1, and feature DDR2 memory. They also include AMD Virtualization Technology and more power-saving features.

AMD first produced the Turion 64 X2 on IBM's 90 nm Silicon on insulator (SOI) process (cores with the Taylor codename). As of May 2007, they have switched to a 65 nm Silicon-Germanium stressed process, which was recently achieved through the combined effort of IBM and AMD, with 40% improvement over comparable 65 nm processes. The earlier 90 nm devices were codenamed Taylor and Trinidad, while the newer 65 nm cores have codename Tyler.

AMD's Triple-core processor(Phenom):

2009-06-07T05:35:00.000-07:00

AMD’s triple-core processors have been on the horizon for months now and, after all the speculation and derision, they are finally here. The launch included three Phenom X3 processors: the 8750, 8650, and 8450, all of which will come in at under $200. AMD is, as expected, positioning these processors between their dual-core and quad-core offerings and is targeting cost-conscious consumers, people who will appreciate the performance boost but would rather save a few dollars than go with a quad-core.The three 65nm models will arrive at 2.1, 2.3, and 2.4GHz frequencies, respectively priced at $145, $165, and a hefty $195 for the 8750. These models have a TDP of 95W and 1.5MB total L2 cache per processors as well as 2MB shared cache. Also included is HT 3.0, a 1.8GHz memory controller, and Dual Dynamic Power Management. And because this is a 50 series processor we know it is a B3 revision model. They are AM2+ (940 pin) compatible so consumers won’t necessarily need new hardware to run an X3.Having the basic information in front of you, it’s not immediately clear whether AMD is fulfilling a need that no one has, offering an interesting new option to consumers, or just making the best out of their situation (by releasing “broken” quad-cores as X3s). What we do know though is that outside of enthusiasts circles there won’t be the clamoring and complaints about the third core, rather it’ll probably be seen as nothing more (or less) than something between two other options.AMD is also touting a platform approach–not exactly admitting that they can’t compete with Intel on a processor-by-processor basis, but rather than their entire package is better than the competition’s. Specifically, this platform is “Cartwheel”, AMD’s current take on a main-stream computer with integrated graphics. By using the 780G chipset AMD could actually produce a better system (dollar-for-dollar) than Intel, so long as you subscribe to their platform approach, something that may actually make sense considering that most sub-$200 processors are found in pre-built computers.

Intel® Xeon Processor 5000 sequence:

2009-06-07T05:34:00.001-07:00

Quad-Core® and Dual-Core® Intel® Xeon® processors for embedded computing platforms
Breakthrough performance, energy efficiency, extended lifecycle support and common socket Intel Xeon processor-based systems make them the ideal choice for compute-intensive embedded, storage and communications applications.
Lower thermal design power (TDP) and higher Tcase temperature Intel Xeon processor options are ideal options for low power consumption and/or compliance with the AdvancedTCA* form factor and NEBS level-3 thermal specifications These processors are validated with two different chipsets, providing a choice of flexible, dual-processor-capable platforms for a wide range of applications. These include storage area networks (SANs), network attached storage (NAS), routers, IP-PBX, converged/unified communications platforms, sophisticated content firewalls, unified threat management (UTM) systems, medical imaging equipment, military signal and image processing, and telecommunications (wireless and wireline) servers.
• Intel® 5000P chipset-based platforms are ideal for full performance and memory-intense applications by providing a maximum FB-DIMM memory capacity of 64 GB, 28 lanes of PCI Express* and accelerated I/O options.

• Intel® 5100 Memory Controller Hub (MCH) chipset-based platforms are ideal for bladed and dense bladed applications requiring less than 200 watts, including AdvancedTCA and NEBS-compliance.

AMD 386

2009-06-07T05:32:00.000-07:00

The Am386 CPU was released by AMD in 1991. A 100%-compatible clone of the Intel 80386 design, it sold millions of units and positioned AMD as a legitimate competitor to Intel, rather than just a second source for x86 CPUs (then termed 8086-family).

While the CPU was essentially ready to be released prior to 1991, Intel kept it tied up in court. AMD had previously been a second-source manufacturer of Intel's designs, and AMD's interpretation of the contract was that it covered all of them. Intel, however, claimed that the contract only covered the 80286 and prior processors. After a few years in the courtrooms, AMD finally won the case and the right to sell their Am386. This paved the way for competition also in the market for 8086-compatible 32-bit processors and lowered the cost of buying a PC.

While Intel's 386 design peaked at 33 MHz, AMD released a 40 MHz version of both its 386DX and 386SX, extending the lifespan of the architecture. The AMD 386DX-40 was popular with small manufacturers of PC clones and with budget-minded computer enthusiasts because it offered near-80486 performance at a much lower price than a real 486.

The 386DX-40 could match or even slightly outperform a 486SX-25 in popular benchmarks and many real-world applications, while costing less. Integer performance at 40 MHz thus approached that of low-end 486 CPUs, but rarely exceeded it. This is because the 486 needed fewer clock cycles per instruction, thanks to its tighter pipelining (more overlapping of internal processing) in combination with a crucical on-chip CPU cache. However, because the Am386DX-40 had the same 32-bit width on its data bus as an 80486, it had good memory and I/O performance even compared to many 486s.

Floating point performance could be boosted with the addition of an inexpensive 80387 coprocessor, although performance would still not approach that of the on-chip FPU of the 486DX. This made the Am386DX a suboptimal choice for scientific applications and CAD using floating point intensive calculations. However, both were niche markets in the early 1990s and the chip sold well, first as a mid-range contender, and then as a budget chip. Although motherboards using the older 386 CPUs often had limited memory expansion possibilties and therefore struggled under Windows 95's memory requirements, boards using the Am386 was sold well into the mid-1990s; at the end as budget motherboards for those who were only interested in running MS-DOS or Windows 3.1x applications. The Am386 and its low-power successors were also popular choices for embedded systems, for a much longer period than their life span as PC processors.

Intel shows off next-gen atom processor

2009-05-31T03:39:00.000-07:00

Intel used the first day of the Spring IDF in Beijing to show off its Moorestown integrated processor, which is expected to replace the current Atom CPU and chipset later this year or early 2010. The company also introduced two new Z-series Atom processors.

It was the first time that a Moorestown chip was shown live to the public. What makes this processor special is the fact that it integrates graphics and all other chipset components on-die, which will make it substantially smaller and apparently less power hungry than today’s Atom generation.

Moorestown is promised to run at ten times less idle power than the current Atom platform. Intel declined to reveal how much power the chip will actually consume and, at least for us, it is difficult to estimate that number. Today’s Atom relies on a 45 nm processor as well as an older chipset design, based on an updated i915 version, which is called System Controller Hub (SCH) as part of the Atom platform. The SCH is manufactured in 130 nm and simply too power hungry and too large to be used in small mobile devices such as smartphones.

Moorestown is expected to become Intel’s second serious attempt to make an impact in the cellphone market – the first was the Xscale processor, a technology which was acquired by Marvell in 2006. However, this time, the CPU seems to be much more focused and could turn into an interesting competitor to ARM processors.

Intel486 SX & IntelDX2 and IntelDX4 Embedded Processor

2009-05-25T11:06:00.001-07:00

The embedded Intel486™ SX processor provides high performance to 32-bit, embedded applications that do not required a floating-point unit. The embedded Intel486 SX processor is binary compatible with the Intel386™ and earlier Intel processors. Compared with the Intel386 processor, it provides faster execution of many commonly used instructions. It also provides the benefits of an integrated 8-Kbyte, write-through cache for code and data. Its data bus can operate in burst mode, which provides up to 106Mbps transfers for cache-line fills and instructions prefetches. Two component packages are available: a 196-Lead Plastic Quad Flat Pack (PQFP), and a 168-Pin Grid Array (PGA), both available for 5-volt designs. Both products operate at CLK frequencies up to 33MHz. The IntelDX2™ and IntelDX4™ processors bring the highest level of performance in the Intel486 family, created by such combined features as speed-multiplying technology, on-chip integration of Level I unified code and data cache, memory management unit with paging, and floating-point unit. The clock-multiplier allows the processor to operate at frequencies higher than the external memory bus. The integer unit uses RISC design techniques to provide single-clock-cycle execution of common instructions and general purpose registers for manipulating 32-bit addresses and data. The 8K on-chip Write-Through unified cache on the speed-doubled IntelDX2 processor, and the 16K on-chip Write-Back Enhanced unified cache on the speed-tripled IntelDX4 processor maintains the one-clock-per-instruction execution rate. Intel 486 processors provide support for multiprocessing systems. Support for multi-level caches reduces bus utilization, allowing multiple Intel486 processors to share a single memory bus. For the highest level of performance, choose the IntelDX2 and IntelDX4 processors

Intel Delays Centrino 2 Launch Over Chipset, Antenna Issues

2009-05-25T11:05:00.003-07:00

Intel will delay the launch of its upcoming Centrino 2 platform for laptop computers to resolve issues related to the chipset and the antenna used with the wireless chipset.
Centrino 2, also called Montevina, is the next version of Intel's popular Centrino platform for laptops and was previously slated for a June launch. Computer makers are now expected to begin shipping Centrino 2 systems to retail shops in July, with production reaching high volumes during the first week of August, said Elvin Ong, an Intel spokesman in Singapore.
The Centrino 2 platform includes new Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme Mobile processors, as well as an updated chipset with integrated graphics. On the wireless side, Centrino 2 will offer support for Wi-Fi, and WiMax is being offered as an option.
"We are taking the extra days to address two issues that require us to re-screen our chipsets with integrated graphics, and attend to some terms-and-conditions mistakes while filing and testing our wireless antennas," Ong said, adding that Intel expects Centrino 2 laptops to be available in time for the crucial back-to-school selling season.
Ong declined to detail the chipset issues that require Intel to re-screen these products, but said the move was necessary to insure the quality of the product. "We are not going to ship a sub-par product into the market," he said.
There is no problem with the processors used in Centrino 2, Ong said, calling these chips "healthy."

Intel launching six-core CPUs this year

2009-05-25T11:05:00.001-07:00

While most of us are still stuck with dual-core microchips (if that), Intel is prepping to launch a six-core processor in the second half of 2008. While the company currently offers a few four-core, or quad-core, models of its chips, most currently-sold machines still come with the more affordable dual-core CPUs installed.

The six-core chip is code-named Dunnington and will be built using the same 45nm process that Intel is using for its just-released Penryn-class chips. Another key feature is the chip's large level of level 3 (or L3) cache, 16MB, which is one of the memory buffers between the processor and RAM that are used to speed the overall performance of the chip. Most current Intel chips don't use any L3 cache, instead using only L2 cache: L3 has historically been limited to server-class computer chips, though AMD's Phenom chip has 2MB of L3 onboard. (Bottom line for those who don't understand any of this stuff: This chip ought to be blazing fast, at least on paper.)

The bigger question now becomes what Joe Average might actually do with six cores of processing power available to him. Numerous performance benchmarks have shown little real-world advantage in moving from two cores to four, even in high-end applications. Users who spend most of their time browsing the web and replying to email will find even less of a performance boost. That said, other computer components tend to get faster and more capable alongside new CPUs, so a Dunnington-based computer ought to feel very fast at booting, loading applications, and running complex processes like spell-checking a large document. Running an antivirus scan in the background which bogs down most computers should be no problem on a six-core CPU, too.

Expect Dunnington to arrive first for desktop PCs later this year. Intel hasn't said whether laptops are part of the plan for the technology, but given quad-core's limited introduction on notebook computers, I'd expect this to remain hard to find in a portable format for some time. More details as they emerge.

AMD accuses Intel in vendor payoff scheme

2009-05-25T11:04:00.002-07:00

There's no love lost between rival chipmakers AMD and Intel, and this week's news isn't going to improve the relationship. According to legal filings and news reports, AMD alleges that Intel has paid major computer manufacturers not to use AMD products. The company filed a 108-page document with the court this week containing more details of the alleged scheme, but many of the points remain redacted. (According to Intel, AMD isn't alleging any new complaints in its latest filing, it's just making a few more of those complaints available to to the public.)

AMD and Intel have been fighting it out in court since 2005, when AMD first accused Intel of being a monopoly under anti-trust law. Intel has long been the market share leader in computer CPUs (actually, it's been the leader ever since PCs were invented), but AMD began to challenge that leadership in 2003-'04 as AMD innovated some then-unprecedented features into its chips, releasing the first 64-bit CPU and the first dual-core chips for consumer-level computers.

AMD's lawsuit alleges that rather than innovate a competitive response, Intel instead leveraged its vast power in the market to have AMD pushed to the sidelines by paying Dell, Gateway, Acer, HP, and others not to use AMD chips. (Of course, Intel did eventually mount a response: When the Core series of chips were released in 2006, Intel regained its place as the producer of the best chips on the market, a spot it's held ever since.)

Though I am not a lawyer, pay-for-placement schemes like this, if the allegations are true, are not immediately and universally illegal (after all, this is a big reason why Blu-ray ultimately beat HD DVD), but it will be up to the courts to decide whether legal lines were crossed. Intel has denied any wrongdoing, saying in its filing that any payments made simply amount to rebates and price cuts.

I'll also note that all of the companies mentioned, to my knowledge, have always offered products with AMD chips, even though they may not make up a large part of the product portfolio. That said, AMD accuses Intel of a whole range of wrongdoing, including predatory pricing and even tampering with benchmarks to make its products look better. Again, Intel denies all such claims in its response.

There clearly won't be a resolution to this issue until it is dealt with by the courts, and that seems some years off, unless a settlement is brokered. (The trial is already three years old: The current kerfuffle is over how many depositions each side can call for, so we're in for a long haul.)

Intel® Core™2 Quad Processors

2009-05-25T11:04:00.001-07:00

New power, new speed. Quad-core from Intel.Leaders of the pack seeking monster performance, look no further. With four execution cores, the Intel® Core™2 Quad processor blows through processor-intensive tasks in demanding multitasking environments and makes the most of highly threaded applications. Whether you're creating multimedia, annihilating your gaming enemies, or running compute-intensive applications at one time, new quad-core processing will change the way you do everything. Pioneer the new world of quad-core and unleash the power of multithreading.Features and benefits The high end just got higher. Introducing the latest additions to the Core 2 Quad family built using Intel's 45nm technology and hafnium-infused circuitry. These new processors deliver amazing performance and power efficiency. Whether it's encoding, rendering, editing, or streaming, make the most of your professional-grade multimedia applications with a PC powered by the Intel® Core™2 Quad processor. With four processing cores and up to 12MB of shared L2 cache¹ and up to 1333 MHz Front Side Bus, more intensive entertainment and more multitasking can bring a multimedia powerhouse to your house.Intel® Wide Dynamic Execution, enabling delivery of more instructions per clock cycle to improve execution time and energy efficiencyIntel® Intelligent Power Capability, designed to deliver more energy-efficient performanceIntel® Smart Memory Access, improving system performance by optimizing the use of the available data bandwidthIntel® Advanced Smart Cache, providing a higher-performance, more efficient cache subsystem. Optimized for multi-core and dual-core processorsIntel® Advanced Digital Media Boost, accelerating a broad range of applications, including video, speech and image, photo processing, encryption, financial, engineering and scientific applications. Now improved even further on 45nm versions with Intel® HD Boost utilizing new SSE4 instructions for even better multimedia performanceMake highly threaded applications happy. Get in on the increasing number of highly threaded programs with quad-core technology from Intel. With four processing cores, an Intel Core 2 Quad processor-based PC will fuel more intensive entertainment and more media multitasking than ever.

AMD Phenom X3 8750 Triple-Core Processor Review

2009-05-25T10:57:00.003-07:00

AMD announced the availability of three new AMD Phenom X3 triple-core processors that feature the latest B3 stepping. AMD first announced triple-core processors back in September 2007, but only just recently launched the AMD Phenom X3 8000 series last month. As the world's only triple-core x86 desktop processor, the Phenom X3 processors make for a very interesting product, but enthusiasts and consumers that follow processor launches had some concerns about the new triple-core processors. AMD states that the triple-core processors integrate three computational cores on a single die of silicon, but in reality it is a quad-core processor with one of the cores disabled. The initial batch of triple-core processors also suffered from the same TLB erratum that was found on the quad-cores since they made from the same B2 die steppings. When AMD announced the 50-series of quad-core processors they brought hope to AMD fans around the world as the TLB erratum was fixed thanks to a new and improved B3 stepping. AMD has finally brought the 'B3' stepping to the triple-cores and has announced three new AMD Phenom X3 triple-core processors that make up the new '50-series'. Without further ado here are the new AMD Phenom X3 processors and their price points.
• AMD Phenom X3 8750 triple-core processor - (2.4GHz) - $195
• AMD Phenom X3 8650 triple-core processor - (2.3GHz) - $165
• AMD Phenom X3 8450 triple-core processor - (2.1GHz) - $145
As you can see triple-core pricing starts at $145 for the 2.1GHz Phenom X3 8450 to $195 for the top end 2.4GHz Phenom X3 8750 triple-core processor. While these prices are very competitive, they are really close to that of the AMD Phenom X4 series. For example the AMD Phenom X4 9750 Quad-Core Processor is currently $214.99 shipped on our shopping service. Is it worth the extra $20 to get a quad-core or should one save the cash and go triple-core? You also have the2.2GHz Phenom X4 9550 for the same exact price of $195 plus shipping. If that question isn't tough keep in mind that Intel just cut prices this week, so now you have the 3GHz Intel E6850 for $183 and the 2.4GHz Intel Q6600 for $224.

The processor we will be looking at today is the AMD Phenom X3 8750 triple-core processor. The AMD Phenom X3 8750 is a 2.4GHz processor manufactured using AMD's 65nm Silicon on Insulator process technology. The chip has a Max TDP of 95W and has official support for a 1.8GHz memory controller and HT 3.0 frequency with Dual Dynamic Power Management technology. AMD informed Legit Reviews that they do have higher clock frequencies on the road map later this year as well as 65W Phenom X3 triple-core processors. The 65W triple-core processors will be aimed at HTPC users and those looking to build energy efficient computers. AMD will continue to expand and introduce new Phenom X3 processors in the months ahead, so expect to see and hear more about them!

AMD Phenom X4 9850 Processor Review - B3 Stepping

2009-05-25T10:57:00.001-07:00

When the AMD Phenom series of processors launched back on November 19th, 2007 no one could have expected just how rough things were about to get for AMD. First, they sent out Phenom 9900 processors to the press that were was unable to keep up with the Intel Core 2 series of processors. Second, the Phenom 9700/9800/9900 processors that AMD sent out to the media were pulled at the last second and replaced with the lower clocked Phenom 9600 (2.3GHz) and Phenom 9500 (2.2GHz). Then after the Phenom series was lauched it got caught up in the TLB erratum 298 controversy and found itself plauged by benchmark problems. On top of all this AMD kept telling the media, who in turn told consumers, that everything was fine and AMD was on track to deliver the Phenom 9700 and 9800 later in Q1 with a new 3GHz model in Q2 of 2008.
AMD is committed to bring quad-core to the desktop market in Q4, and we are meeting that commitment with the launch of AMD Phenom quad-core processors 9500 and 9600 (2.2GHz and 2.3GHz) on Nov. 19th. AMD is going to initially introduce these two mainstream AMD Phenom quad-core processor models in order to satisfy customer demand in 2007. Since the October meeting, AMD has decided to launch our AMD Phenom 9700 (2.4GHz) quad core product in Q1 2008, along with our AMD Phenom 9900 (2.6 GHz) quad core processor. The launch of these two higher performance processors models will coincide with the introduction of related, significant performance enhancements in the platform; namely CrossFireX and our new enthusiast graphics product. Higher performance AMD Phenom processors will follow the introduction of the AMD Phenom 9700 and 9900 models, with a 3.0 GHz model in Q2 2008. AMD has a great history of delivering faster parts through a product’s lifecycle, and we are confident that this will remain true. - AMD PR 11/14/2007
The past four months could not have gone by fast enough for Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), but there does seem to be a new hope for Phenom as the latest revision of the core (stepping B3) fixes the TLB erratum along with many other erratums that were on the list. The TLB fix is now done at the silicon level, so the performance hit users were seeing with the BIOS workaround should be gone. AMD has now stopped production on the older core steppings as a result of this change. If you see a Phenom 9500 or Phenom 9600 in a system or for sale at a retailer you know that the procesor is a B1 or B2 stepping that has the TLB issue. All of the new Phenom B3 steppings will be named with the nomenclature of what AMD is calling the '50 series' of processors. The four new AMD Phenom X4 processors that AMD is announcing today are the 9550 (2.2GHz), 9650 (2.3GHz), 9750 (2.4GHz) and 9850 Black Edition (2.5GHz). AMD has told us to expect the new 50-series processors to perform the same, clock-for-clock as older revision (B2) processors operating in a platform that is not implementing the TLB erratum fix. For example, the 2.2GHz Phenom 9550 processor will replace the Phenom 9500 (B2) processor. AMD is basically 'fixing' Phenom and is making the model numbers clear to make sure consumers know what processors they are getting without having to open the retail box.
Our Phenom 9600 Black Edition on the left has been the fastest Phenom X4 processor that money could buy for a number of months now, but it is being replaced by the Phenom X4 9850 Black Edition processor that is seen above on the right. What is shocking is the fact that our Phenom X4 9850 Black Edition has a production date code of the tenth week of 2008. It is obvious that AMD was in a hurry to get these in our hand just days after these rolled off the production line.
The AMD Phenom X4 9850 that we will be benchmarking today is a 2.5GHz processor manufactured using AMD's 65nm Silicon on Insulator process technology. The chip has a Max TDP of 125W and it is a 'Black Edition', which means its multiplier is unlocked for better overclocking. Since the bus speed can't be raised that high on Phenom processors the best way to overclock is by increasing the multipler and the Black Edition was designed just for that. The one feature that is new and exclusive to just the AMD Phenom X4 9850 processor is a 2.0GHz memory controller.

AMD Phenom 9600 Black Edition

2009-05-25T10:56:00.002-07:00

Enthusiast products probably come under more scrutiny than most other products, and for good reason. When something is advertised to run faster, clock higher, or pretty much be the best of any product that is marketed, you expect it to be so. Even if the product is only that for a short time, you just expect great results.
There was a lot of hype surrounding the AMD Phenom processors long before they actually launched. There was also a great hope that AMD would be on the comeback trail and once again be competitive against Intel. Well, by now everyone knows that not only did the Phenom let us down as far being a competitive product when up against a similar Intel CPU, but the release of the first generation of Phenom CPU's had issues that caused grief among consumers.
Not long after the initial release of the Phenom CPUs, AMD introduced a Black Edition for overclockers. At least, that is what was assumed by many in the enthusiast crowd. To their credit, AMD was not charging any more for these (even if retailers were).
So what did the release of the Black Edition mean? It meant that you were getting a CPU that had unlocked multipliers which can be a true dream to those that like to just absolutely push their systems to the max. A low multiplier and a high front side bus or HTT is what overclockers dream of. But we want to make one thing clear from the beginning of this article. Phenom is not built for high HTT settings. Our overclocking endeavors were actually very frustrating because of this. With that in mind, it is obvious why AMD wanted to release this part with unlocked multipliers and why they are not charging any extra. If you want to overclock Phenom at all, your best bet is to be able to raise the multiplier. I know I am giving away the rest of the article here, but I think it is important to say this right up front. It is what it is!

It is really hard to figure out what to say to end this article. Most people will probably buy this CPU thinking that it will be an overclocking beast, and that they are guaranteed to get 3.0GHz out of it. If that is what you are thinking, you will be sorely displeased. Think about it, if 3.0GHz was automatic, why have we not seen any speed bumps for the Phenom actually released yet? Truth be told, AMD is having a hard time with these parts. The TLB problems have not helped, and being so sensitive to the higher bus speeds is certainly a hindrance to any serious overclocker. When it comes down to it, you should consider yourself lucky any time you get anything extra out of a CPU, and you can take that statement to the 10th degree for Phenom.

AMD64 3200+ Venice S939

2009-05-25T10:56:00.001-07:00

As said in the intro, AMD recently released their Venice and San Diego core processors. The primary differences between the two, is that the Venice uses 512Kb L2 Cache, and the San Diego uses 1024Kb L2 Cache. Venice is for the casual mainstream computer user, while San Diego will be, or hopes to be, the hardcore gamers core of choice.

Both Cores, use a 90nanometer process, as all the current AMD chips being produced will. AMD recently got rid of the 130nm cores, and because of this, the potential of the chip is better.. lower temperatures and higher overlocks. Even the Winchester core at 90nm, couldn't handle higher frequencies, which held some overclockers back, and this is where Venice could make it's mark.

So what does the Venice bring to the table, to make it better than the Winnie? AMD added the SSE3 Instruction set to both the Venice and San Diego, which should help out in some areas, primarily media and development, but not gaming. It should be mentioned that this is not a simple copy/paste, so to speak, of the SSE3 instructions from the Prescott Intel chips. Prescott has a few more instructions in the set, that are used towards their Hyper-Threading technology. So if you were considering an Intel due to the Hyper-Threading factor, then the addition of SSE3 to the Venice/Sandy shouldn't sway you.

Another feature added, is a better memory controller. An issue with the controller on the Winchester chips, was that if you used 4 Single-Sided sticks of memory, it would force you to use 2T timings, which held back performance. This has been fixed on the new cores.

Lastly, another thing that makes the Venice so great, is that it runs using a relatively low 66W of power, meaning lower temps, and higher overclocks. In the review, I am going to benchmark the stock chip, and then see how far I can push the overclock. The Venice comes in four flavours, the 3000+, 3200+, 3500+ and finally the 3800+. I'll be taking a look at the 3200+, which comes in at a stock speed of 2.0GHz.

Processor

AMD 64 3200+ S939 "Venice" Core (512k L2 Cache)
Motherboard

DFI LanParty NF4 UT Ultra-D
Power Supply

Ultra X-Finity 600W
Memory

512 * 2 Samsung DDR400 (3-3-3-8)
Hard Disks

200GB * 2 Western Digital 8MB Cache160GB Western Digital 8MB Cache
Sound Card

Phillips PSC724 Ultimate Edge 5.1
Video Card

BFG 6800 GT OC 256MB
Etcetera

Running Windows XP Professional with SP2.Video drivers are Omega Drivers 1.6693 versions.Using 5/10 BIOS flash.

AMD64 3700+ San Diego S939 2.2GHz

2009-05-25T10:55:00.004-07:00

Here at the Techgage labs, on the border of sanity, we have a brand new Athlon 3700+ San Diego in for review. If you have found your way to our little corner of the 'net, I am certain that AMD needs no introduction. But, for all of you techies out there that have been living under a rock or in Siberia, AMD is the premiere gaming CPU of choice for anyone "in the know".

This is a debatable statement at best so through out the review, we will see what this chip has to offer. I have owned a 3500+ Winchester core before this. so I am excited to see what the difference an extra 512 of L2 will help out. It's been a while since we have taken a look at a CPU so let's get into the meat of this review.

About Advanced Micro Devices

Founded in 1969 and based in Sunnyvale, California, AMD provides microprocessors, Flash memory devices, and silicon-based solutions for our customers in the communications and computer industries worldwide.

However, our focus goes beyond integrated circuits and transistors. AMD is committed to helping our customers — and their customers — take advantage of the phenomenal capacity of silicon to add value and help differentiate their offerings. To that end, AMD products are developed with customer needs always in mind and not for the sake of innovation alone. Stated more plainly, it means that AMD exists to provide real solutions for real customer problems that exist in the real world today.

Earlier this year, AMD released their Venice and San Diego core processors. The primary differences between the two, is that the Venice uses 512Kb L2 Cache, and the San Diego uses 1024Kb L2 Cache. Venice is for the casual mainstream computer user, while San Diego could be the hardcore gamers core of choice.

Both Cores, use a 90nanometer process, as all the current AMD chips being produced will. AMD recently got rid of the 130nm cores, and because of this, the potential of the chip is better.. lower temperatures and higher overclocks. Even the Winchester core at 90nm, couldn't handle higher frequencies, which held some overclockers back, and this is where Venice could make it's mark.

So what does the Venice bring to the table, to make it better than the Winnie? AMD added the SSE3 Instruction set to both the Venice and San Diego, which should help out in some areas, primarily media and development, but not gaming. It should be mentioned that this is not a simple copy/paste, so to speak, of the SSE3 instructions from the Prescott Intel chips. Prescott has a few more instructions in the set, that are used towards their Hyper-Threading technology. So if you were considering an Intel due to the Hyper-Threading factor, then the addition of SSE3 to the Venice/Sandy shouldn't sway you.

Intel Launches Quad-core Products for Servers

2009-05-25T10:55:00.003-07:00

To provide energy efficient performance, coupled with enhanced virtualization capabilities, Intel India has unveiled quad-core processors, which are specifically designed for Multi-Processor (MP) servers.
The 6 Quad-core Xeon 7300 series processors can deliver more performance per watt over the company's previous generation dual-core products. Commenting on the new launch, R. Ravindran, director (sales) of Intel South Asia said, "With the Xeon 7300 series, Intel is delivering new levels of performance and performance per watt, and driving the Intel Core microarchitecture into such innovative systems as 4 socket, 16 core blades that use less energy than our older models." For channel customers looking for complete platforms based on these new processors, Intel offers the Intel S7000FC4UR server platform. Many software vendors are also supporting Xeon 7300, which include BEA, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, and VMware. The 7300 series and Intel 7300 chipset offer up to four times the memory capacity of Intel's previous MP platforms. With the introduction of the Xeon 7300, users can pool their Intel Core microarchitecture based server resources, whether they are single-, dual- , or multi-processor based, into a server infrastructure that can improve usage models like failover, load balancing, disaster recovery, or server maintenance. More than 50 system manufacturers, including HCL, Wipro, Dell, Egenera, Fujitsu, Fujitsu-Siemens, Hitachi, HP, IBM, NEC, Sun, Supermicro, and Unisys, will announce the Xeon 7300 series processors. Depending on the speeds, features, and amount ordered the pricing of these new quad-core processors ranges from USD 856 to USD 2,301 in quantities of 1,000.

Intel G35 Express Chipset Processors

2009-05-25T10:55:00.001-07:00

The Intel® G35 Express Chipset continues the Intel® chipset legacy and extends it to new levels with purpose-built capabilities designed specifically to address the key needs of the enthusiast home user.The Intel G35 Express Chipset continues the Intel chipset legacy and extends it to new levels with purpose-built capabilities designed specifically to address the key needs of the home user. With advancements in graphics, video, and system responsiveness, the Intel G35 Express Chipset allows your PC to be the center of home computing, communication, and entertainment.Desktop PC platforms based on the Intel G35 Express Chipset, combined with either the Intel Core 2 Duo or Intel Core 2 Quad processor, and with support for next-generation 45nm Intel® Core™2 processor family, deliver innovative capabilities and usages for digital home consumers and new levels of 3D and media performance while enabling lower power and quieter systems.

Intel 5000P Chipset Processors

2009-05-25T10:54:00.004-07:00

Intel's new server chipsets for the Dual-Core Intel® Xeon® processor 5000 series enable Intel® dual-processor (DP) balanced server platforms that are efficient, dependable, and responsive.
Intel® dual-core processor-based platforms help businesses better utilize assets with effective virtualization and increase density in their data centers through optimized power and thermal features.
With the Intel 5000P or Intel 5000V chipset and Dual-Core Intel Xeon processor 5000 series, system designers can offer new platforms that help IT services move ahead with increased productivity, higher throughput, and faster time-to-solution.
The Intel® 5000P chipset, the next generation Intel® dual-processor (DP) server chipset technology, offers increased graphics performance, reduced power consumption, and improved platform reliability and system manageability

Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core processor

2009-05-25T10:54:00.003-07:00

Intel Intros 45nm Core 2 Duo Processor

2009-05-25T10:54:00.001-07:00

Intel Corporation recently announced the 45-nanometer (nm) Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E8400 with 7-year lifecycle support for embedded applications. To enhance security in embedded solutions, the processor also supports Intel Trusted Execution Technology. Based on Intel's high-k metal gate transistor formula and manufactured on the company's 45nm process, the E8400 processor offers increased performance by doubling transistor density and increasing cache size up to 6 MB, which is a threefold enhancement over the previous-generation Intel Core 2 Duo E6400. The E8400 processor is available to customers today and costs US $183 in quantities of 1,000. A hardware extension to the E8400 processor, Intel Trusted Execution Technology brings hardware data security to the embedded market, making the dual-core processor ideal for military and government, mid-range network security appliances, and retail applications. This security technology is designed to guard data within tamper-resistant virtualized computing environments and to protect against software attacks, viruses and other threats. The 45nm processor includes a Super Shuffle Engine that enhances Intel Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE) algorithms optimized for graphics and multimedia processing. The Super Shuffle Engine reduces latency and improves the speed of existing SSE instructions while enabling significant gains on the latest Intel Streaming SIMD Extensions 4 (SSE4) instruction set.

Intel Tips Its 3G Processor Strategy

2009-05-25T10:53:00.002-07:00

CANNES, France - Intel Corp. disclosed details of its next-generation communications processor strategy, code-named Hermon, which is targeted at single- and dual-mode wideband CDMA phones.

Intel executives said Wednesday (Feb. 25) at the 3GSM World Congress here that the single-chip device incorporates an XScale MSA architecture processor, on-chip StrataFlash memory, W-CDMA and GPRS baseband logic on a 0.13-micron process.

Intel plans to announce full details of the product in the next six months, and expects both mass-market cellphones and smartphones to appear by 2005. Reference designs based on Hermon are expected by the end of the year.

"The fully scalable system-on-chip device incorporates a number of key mobile technologies, such as our Quick Capture and Clear Connect solutions, which will allow handsets to track multiple basestations, thus leading to fewer dropped calls, yet draws on our existing XScale communications processor," said Gadi Singer, vice president and co-general manager of Intel's cellular and hand held group.

The 3G platform will use TTPCom's protocol and applications software, extending the relationship between the companies on GSM/GPRS designs. The first customer for the new communications processor is expected to be Taiwanese group Asustek, which is developing a range of smartphones based on Hermon and Intel's Bulverde applications processor.

Singer said Bulverde has been sampled by numerous phone designers, some who will be introducing devices by the end of 2004. He would not say whether any are top mobile phone manufacturers.

Paul Otellini, Intel's president and COO, hinted at Hermon development during a keynote address here. He did unveil a three-radio reference design for cellphones offering 802.11b, Bluetooth and GSM/GPRS capabilities. It will run on the latest version of the Bulverde applications processor, wireless MMX and an XScale communications processor. The phone will support leading operating systems, including Microsoft, Symbian, Linux, Java and PalmOS.

It will also play MP3 music files with PC-quality sound, and incorporates a 1.3-megapixel digital camera.

Otellini reiterated Intel's commitment to the wireless broadband, particularly emerging WiMax technology, and said the company will have silicon for the expanded wireless network by the end of the year. Basestations and customer premises equipment are expected to be available by the middle of 2005.

He also forecast in a glitzy demononstation here that WiMax capability would be built into notebook computers by 2006, followed by handsets by 2007. The huge bandwidth increase provided by WiMax, compared to Wi-Fi, over much greater distances could set up a battle with operators of 3G networks.

Intel's mantra remains that "the wireless industry is evolving from a web of independent networks into a single, integrated wireless network with multiple standards, where no single standard will be sufficient."

Intel Buys Mobile Linux Developer OpenedHand

2009-05-25T10:53:00.001-07:00

OpenedHand developers will join Intel's Open Source Technology Center, where they will focus on optimizing the Moblin software stack for Atom. Moblin, which stands for mobile Linux, is an open source project established by Intel. The initiative seeks to produce tools and software for MIDs, TV set-top boxes, personal navigation devices, personal media players, and ultra-light laptops.

"Intel will continue supporting open source projects currently led by OpenedHand staff, such as Clutter and Matchbox projects, and, in most cases, will accelerate these projects as they become an integral part of Moblin," OpenedHand said Tuesday in announcing the acquisition. Clutter is a graphics library for creating hardware-accelerated user interfaces, and Matchbox is a window manager used in Internet devices, such as Nokia's Internet Tablet and FIC's Neo smartphone.

Intel is not alone in targeting MIDs, smartphones, and other emerging devices for accessing the Web. Graphics chipmaker Nvidia is competing with Tegra, an all-in-one integrated graphics systems on a chip. Nvidia is particularly interested in the smartphone market, which is also being targeted by Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, Broadcom, and Samsung Electronics.

Intel's major competitor for manufacturers building mini-notebooks, ultra-light devices with screens less than 10 inches, is VIA Technologies, which makes the Nano CPU. Nvidia is working with Via to combine Nano with Tegra into a smartphone hardware platform.

Intel has said that demand for its Atom processor is "better than anticipated." Demand, in fact, is so good that media reports have said that the chipmaker is falling behind in meeting orders. Intel, however, has not acknowledged any problems. "Demand is very good, better than expected, and we're working with our customers to meet that demand," a spokesman told InformationWeek.

Intel Details Larrabee Processor Architecture

2009-05-25T10:52:00.004-07:00

Intel describes aspects of its Larrabee microarchitecture, including the design of an x86 processing core developed specifically for the chip. The chip maker explains why its engineers believe the Larrabee processor will usher in a new era of parallel software programming.

Intel is offering the first in-depth look at its "Larrabee" processor and the chip maker plans to offer the microprocessor to address a range of graphics and visual applications using x86 processing cores instead of more traditional GPUs.

In a paper, "Larrabee: A Many-Core x86 Architecture for Visual Computing," Intel engineers offered several new details about the forthcoming Larrabee graphics processing unit, including the fact that Intel derived the instructional pipeline for the individual x86 cores from the company's Pentium chip.

In addition, Larrabee will support Microsoft's DirectX and OpenGL APIs, which Intel hopes will motivate a legion of software developers to create new visual- and graphics-intensive applications while taking advantage of the traditional Intel Architecture found in Larrabee's x86 cores.

The first of the Larrabee chips, which are destined for the high-end PCs that use discrete graphics cards, will not arrive until 2009 or 2010, although Intel is expected to release samples starting in late 2008. Larrabee is described as a "many-core" processor, which means that it's likely to contain 10 or more individual x86 CPU cores within the silicon package. (Intel's upcoming Nehalem processors are likely to have up to eight cores.)

While Intel engineers have spoken about Larrabee and its place within high-performance computing, the paper makes clear that the first of the Larrabee processors are designed for the gaming market, where the chip will compete against high-end GPU offerings from ATI—owned by Advanced Micro Devices—and Nvidia. The fact that Intel is supporting the industry-standard DirectX and OpenGL APIs shows that the chip maker is looking to encourage developers to create new gaming applications on its architecture.

Intel is also betting that Larrabee will usher in a new era of parallel computing by offering developers a way to create highly specialized applications, such as games that require visual computing or scientific software applications that require intensive graphics capabilities, using the familiar x86 instructional set along with the C and C++ programming languages.

Nvidia, with its Tesla 10 series GPGPU (general processing GPU), is requiring developers to learn a new programming language called CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture), which allows the GPU to be programmed like a CPU.

For its part, AMD and its ATI graphics division are embracing CL, an open-source programming language. AMD is also moving toward combining the CPU and GPU on the same piece of silicon as part of its Accelerated Computing program.

In short, Intel is looking to combine the throughput capabilities of a CPU with the parallel programming abilities found in graphics processors.

"What the graphics and general data parallel application market needs is an architecture that provides the full programming abilities of a CPU, the full capabilities of a CPU together with the parallelism that is inherent in graphics processors," said Larry Seiler, a senior principal engineer with Intel. "Larrabee provides [that] and it's a practical solution to the limitations of current graphics processors."

This development could lead to a new way of looking at the capabilities of CPUs and GPUs in the commercial market.

"What stands out is that Intel views the CPU as the best GPU," said John Spooner, an analyst with Technology Business Research.

"Intel is able to apply x86 to rendering graphics rather than adopting a new or different architecture, which is clearly directly opposite of Nvidia's view of the world," Spooner added. "These companies are sure to engage in a public jousting match over whose architecture is better. The one that comes out on top, though, will be determined by performance and how well accepted the architecture is by developers."

At the heart of Larrabee is a series of simple x86 cores that are built with short instructional pipelines derived from the Pentium chip. The chip will also include what Intel describes as a vector processing units, which enhance the performance of graphics and video applications.

The Larrabee architecture will support four execution threads with each core and each thread supporting a register set, which helps with memory. In this setup, Larrabee offers a simple, efficient in-order instructional pipeline but maintains some of the benefits of an out-of-order pipeline, which helps when running applications designed to run in parallel. The short pipelines on Larrabee will allow for faster access to the Level 1 cache with each core.

All the Larrabee x86 cores—at this point Intel gave no guidance as to how many cores Larrabee will use—will share part of a large L2 cache, which will be partitioned among the different cores and allow for high bandwidth and data sharing.

The entire Larrabee chip architecture will be built on what Intel called a "bidirectional ring network," which should also allow faster communication between each of the individual x86 cores.

Intel Details Atom Processor For MIDs

2009-05-25T10:52:00.003-07:00

It seems we can't go a week right now without Intel stumping up details of yet another even less power-hungry processor. We already saw leaks of Diamondville details, but now Intel has made them official, under the name of Atom.

Confusing matters slightly, there's actually two processor ranges, previously codenamed Diamondville and Silverthorne, that will come under the Atom banner. These are intended for sub-notebooks and Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), respectively, so will have fairly different applications.
Atom chips will, as we know, be manufactured on the 45nm hi-k metal gate technology introduced with Penryn. Those destined for MIDs will have clock speeds ranging up to 1.8GHz and TDPs from an incredible 0.6W to 2.5W with idle power consumption is touted at as low as 30mW, a far cry from the 35W power draw of similarly clocked notebook Core 2 chips.

Previously codenamed Menlow, the Centrino Atom platform, in which these CPUs will be embedded, is set to offer support for WiMAX, WiFi and 3G/HSDPA, fitting in with the moniker of being an Internet device. Hopefully this should lead to devices like the Sony Vaio VGN-UX1XN but without the limitations, such as abysmal battery life.

It will still be a while after the announcement of the processors before we see MIDs using them, which is a shame because, now we have the details, the desire to get my grubby mitts on a system has increased tenfold.

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600

2009-05-25T10:52:00.001-07:00

Intel Pentium 820 D 2.8GHz 90nm Dual Core

2009-05-25T10:51:00.003-07:00

It wasn't too long ago that we were all asking the question, "Should I go dual core?" Times have proven that dual core is the future and has clear benefits, which turned that question into, "Which dual core should I get?" Even if you are buying the lowest dual core on the scale, you are essentially getting twice the computing power than from a single chip. As more and more applications take advantage of dual cores, it makes the buying decision easier. Of course, the ability to multi-task without slowing your OS down is another huge benefit.

Intel and AMD both have a great selection of dual core chips, for all wallet sizes. Intel dual cores almost always cost less than AMD's, which makes them look more attractive. Generally speaking though, tests have proven AMD dual cores better for gaming on high-end systems. But, if you are looking for a cheap solution to get yourself a dual core rig built, then Intels offerings are worth looking at.

Today's processor in question is the 820 D. It was the bottom of the barrel when it came to Intel DC's, until the lower clocked 805 D came out. But before we get into specifics and feature comparisons, let's delve a bit deeper into why dual cores are beneficial to you.

Features

PCs that have two CPU cores are not necessarily new, although it is for the consumer market. A few years ago, you would need two separate CPU's in the same machine. You can now have the same benefit but with only one CPU. There was a lot of speculation when dual cores came to be, but there's no denying just how beneficial they can be. Because you essentially have two CPU cores under the same IHS, multitasking proves less groggy with larger applications. As you open new instances of applications, the CPU will decide which core to use. The goal is to allow you to do more on your PC than with a single core, without having a sluggish experience.

Even though you have a dual core, things can still slow down your PC, but that primarily only happens with multiple intensive applications that are stressing the same components at once, such as ram or your hard drive. As a great example though, you could play a game and convert a video file at the same time and feel virtually no lag or slowdown. Try doing that on a single core and it will not be a fun experience. Because of these possibilities, it's no wonder why dual cores are growing in popularity.

AMD AM2 4600+ EE 2.40GHz

2009-05-25T10:51:00.001-07:00

In an age where computers and hardware are getting bigger and faster, there's a recurring problem: The new part is hotter than the last. This is not always the case, but I have to laugh at my Intel 820 D, a 110W chip, that hits 70°C at 4.0GHz with water cooling. Needless to say, Intels are known for being hot to begin with, but that's ridiculous! AMD on the other hand though, have never been as bad as that, but that doesn't mean what's there is perfect either. Dual core CPU's in general will get far hotter than a single core, sometimes near twice as hot.

Heat is not the only reason Energy Efficient processors are beneficial though. Power consumption is on the rise, and anything to help ease the pain on the power bill is welcomed. Simply looking around any e-tailer today, you will see 1000W power supplies by numerous companies. This is the direction we are going, and anyway you look at it, 1000W is a lot of freaking power.

Both Intel and AMD have been doing incredible jobs at weaning the overall power requirements for their CPU's down. Intel has even had 1.0GHz chips that only used 5W of power at 100% load. If that's the future... then it's going to make things much easier for the consumer... both for the wallet and the room temperature ;-)

Shortly after AM2 was launched in May, AMD released three different versions of the entry-level X2, the 3800+. The standard chip, like the other non-EEs, runs with 89W. Even that is not so bad when considering the 4600+ 939 version is rated for 110W. However, it gets even better due to the fact that there is also a 65W and 35W version of the 3800+. If only we could get the rest of the line down to 35W!

Recently, I wanted to purchase an AM2 machine primarily for memory benchmarking. The on-die memory controller is by far the best out there today; it can really push memory bandwidth records to the next level. When the time came to purchase, I decided on the EE for one reason, and one reason only. I had figured with a lower power/voltage requirement, the chip would likely have better chance of success during overclocking. I am not quite sure if this is true, but I will touch up more on this in the overclocking section.

AMD AM2 4600+ EE Features
* 2.40GHz Dual Core CPU w/ DDR2 support up to PC2-6400 speeds
* 512KB * 2 Level 2 Cache
* 1000MHz * 2 HyperTransport
* 6x - 12x Multis
* 0.09 micron SOI
* Integrated Memory Controller
* 65W Power Rating
* 1.20v/1.25v CPU Voltage

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Preview

2009-05-25T10:50:00.002-07:00

t hasn't been a full year since we saw Intel launch their Core 2 Duo processors, but we will soon be seeing a line-up refresh. This is one product that really needs no introduction, but seeing as this is a refresh, refreshing everyones minds seems appropriate. Intel launched the Core 2 Duo to much fanfare last July. Months prior to this, enthusiasts were drooling over leaks of performance reports, which fortunately, turned out to be right on the money.

The entire Conroe line-up is built on a 65nm process, with the mainstream products offering 4MB of L2 cache. Improved over the previous Pentium 4/Pentium D line-up was better power efficiency resulting in a lower TDP and better overall temperatures. This is appreciated, as two cores under the same IHS can potentially create an unwanted room heater.

All but the lowest end Core 2 Duos take advantage of a 1066FSB. This is where this refreshed line-up comes into play, as it ushers in 1333FSB computing. This noticeable speed bump is all done while retaining the same TDP.

All Conroe 1333FSB processors are identified by by a 50 at the end of the product name, hence E6750, which is effectively taking over the spot of the E6700. Nothing has changed except for the FSB and speeds, except the ratio of course, which had to be altered in order to compliment the upgraded frequency.

One thing that should be cleared up is that most overclocking enthusiasts have already accomplished the same speeds we are seeing today, with most being exceeded. In fact, there is nothing stopping anyone from popping in an E6600 and overclocking using a 333FSB and 8 multiplier. That would effectively give you the exact same speed as the E6750 we are taking a look at today.

You might be wondering where the benefit is, with this official speed bump. Primarily it will benefit those non-overclockers most. There is no comparison to equal processor speed at 1066FSB and 1333FSB. That added FSB frequency should make a much more noticeable performance difference than the CPU frequency boost itself.

Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850 Quad-Core

2009-05-25T10:50:00.001-07:00

When Intel launched their P35 chipset two months ago, it ushered in not only DDR3 support, but also native 1333FSB support. This wasn't much of a surprise, since DDR3-1333 is a standard, and it's common to want to run 1:1 ratios with the FSB and memory frequency. We saw this with 800FSB CPUs and DDR2-800 memory and also 1066FSB CPUs with DDR2-1066 memory. The next big thing from Intel will be 1333FSB Penryn, which we have taken a look at in depth in previous months. To tide us over until then, Intel is launching refreshing parts of their Core 2 line-up to include native 1333FSB processors.

We took a look at their second-to-top offering a few weeks ago, in the form of a 2.66GHz E6750. Although it's an incredible CPU for the money, we already knew what to expect since it was a 'mere' speed bump and retained identical TDPs. You could take any Core 2 Duo and clock it to 1333FSB and have the same performance, in reality.

As I mentioned in that review, though, the biggest reason you should look forward to these new launches is because of their price points. The 2.66GHz E6750 will retail for around $200, which is an incredible thought considering what prices were set at last year. $200 will now get you a very powerful processor that will not be the bottleneck in gaming or other activities. In years past, you almost had to hand over $1,000 for a new CPU if you wanted ultimate performance. The Core 2 series has well proved itself since launch however, with even the budget offerings giving any enthusiast the performance they crave.

Those who don't enjoy overclocking, or are skeptical of the activity, are in luck because of the fact that they can still have a great CPU and not skip a car payment. But, despite the fact that there are powerful CPUs out there for reasonable prices, the Extreme line exists for two types of people. Those who want a top of the line processor without overclocking, and those who want to get every last ounce out of their overclocking. Because Extreme CPUs are binned higher, it's not unusual to see the top overclocks performed with them.

The only downside, of course, is the price. One has to wonder if the premium nowadays is truly worth it, considering the performance of the budget offerings can still be considered extreme by todays standards. Nothing stops overclockers from achieving the same frequencies with ease, either. Still, those who refuse to overclock for the sake of stability or what-have-you, but still want the best performance available, can't go wrong.

That's where the QX6850 comes into play, a 3.0GHz Core 2 Extreme that offers four cores to computing enthusiasts. This is the fastest Core 2 processor ever released, and in turn the fastest processor the market has to offer. Price as expected, is $999 in quantities of 1,000. You should expect to see it retail for closer to ~$1,250 at your favorite e-tailer, or even higher though. It's like buying a Ferrari, where paying $50,000 over SRP is not uncommon. This is just on a far smaller scale.

Although we are taking a look at the top offering for the 1333FSB processors, there will be a total of five being released immediately, with availability in the coming weeks. Below you will find the completely up-to-date line-up.
CPU Model

Clock Speed

FSB

L2 Cache

TDP

Cores
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850 3.0GHz 1333MHz 4MB x 2 130w 4
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6800 2.93GHz 1066MHz 4MB x 2 130w 4
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 2.66GHz 1066MHz 4MB x 2 130w 4
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40GHz 1066MHz 4MB x 2 105W 4
Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 3.0GHz 1333MHz 4MB 65W 2
Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 2.93GHz 1066MHz 4MB 65W 2
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz 1333MHz 4MB 65W 2
Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 2.60GHz 1066MHz 4MB 65W 2
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.40GHz 1066MHz 4MB 65W 2
Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 2.33GHz 1333MHz 2MB 65W 2
Intel Core 2 Duo E6540 2.33GHz 1333MHz 2MB 65W 2
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 2.13GHz 1066MHz 2MB 65W 2
Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 1.86GHz 1066MHz 2MB 65W 2
Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 2.2GHz 800MHz 2MB 65W 2
Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 2.0GHz 800MHz 2MB 65W 2
Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 1.80GHz 800MHz 2MB 65W 2

Compared to the previous top-end processor, the QX6850 has a 70MHz advantage. Though a non-impressive frequency boost, it should prove much faster than the QX6800 overall, thanks to the much-improved FSB frequency.

The first Extreme Quad-Core released late last year was the QX6700, clocking in at 2.66GHz. Because of this new launch, it is being re-released as the Q6700, meaning no unlocked multiplier. Its price will also be dropped, alongside the rest of the line-up.

Below is a table of just the new processors, with their prices in quantities of 1,000.
CPU Model

Clock Speed

FSB

L2 Cache

TDP

Cores

$/1,000
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850 3.0GHz 1333MHz 4MB x 2 130w 4 $999
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 2.66GHz 1066MHz 4MB x 2 130w 4 $530
Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 3.0GHz 1333MHz 4MB 65W 2 $266
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz 1333MHz 4MB 65W 2 $183
Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 2.33GHz 1333MHz 2MB 65W 2 $163

Also announced today is Intels first extreme mobile part, the X7800. Like the desktop counter-parts, this Extreme processor features an unlocked multiplier, so it's overclocking friendly. This dual-core CPU is clocked at 2.6GHz and features an 800MHz FSB and 4MB of L2 Cache. Like all other extreme offerings though, it doesn't come cheap, costing $851 to OEMs.

The 6x50 series will be available to consumers in two weeks time, through your favorite retailer or e-tailer. The X7800 mobile CPU is being sold to OEMs now, and should be available in various notebooks in the coming weeks.

With that, let's cover our testing methodology and then jump right into benchmarking.

Intel Adds Processors, Cuts Core 2 Quad, Xeon Prices

2009-05-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

With the Intel Nehalem chip on its way, Intel is cutting the prices of some of its high-end desktop processors and adding some chips into its lineup. The new Intel chips include the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 processor for high-end and gaming desktop PCs.

Intel is slashing the prices on some of its high-end desktop PC and server processors and adding some new chips to its portfolio following the release of the chip maker’s naming scheme for Nehalem.

The changes to Intel’s chip pricing were officially released Aug. 10, and those changes include cutting the price of the high-end Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 (2.83GHz) by 40 percent from $530 to $316. Intel also added a new Core 2 Quad chip into the mix called the Q9650 (3.0GHz) at a price of $530.

Other additions to the high-end lineup include the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 (2.66GHz) at a price of $266. All three of these desktop chips are built on the company’s 45-nanometer manufacturing process.

Intel also announced chip price cuts July 20.

The changes to Intel's processor listing come a day after the company released the new branding and naming scheme for the processors that will be built on Intel’s forthcoming Nehalem microarchitecture. Since Intel has said that the first of the Nehalem chips – the Core i7 – is destined for high-end PCs and gaming desktops, the changes allow Intel to drop the prices of some its older chips, while freeing up room in its pricing chart for its latest processors.

The Intel Developer Forum will kick off Aug. 19, and much of the discussion there will focus on Nehalem, which will allow Intel to build chips that scale for two to eight cores and have new features such as an integrated memory controller. By bringing the first of the Nehalem chips into the high-end PC space, it allows Intel to showcase the chips in a small, but influential part of the market before entering the mainstream.

The other part of the market that Nehalem processors are likely to show up first is in the single-socket server space, and Intel also made changes to its Xeon lineup. The chip maker added three new models, the Xeon X3370 (3.0GHz), the X3330 (2.66GHz) and the E3120 (3.16GHz). The prices for these chips are $530, $266, and $188 respectively.

Intel also cut the price of its Xeon X3360 (2.83) by 40 percent from $530 to $316. The X3370 now replaces this chip as the high-end of the single-socket server chip lineup.

Finally, Intel added two additional Core 2 Duo desktop chips into the lineup. These additions include the Core 2 Duo E8600 (3.33GHz) for $266 and the E7300 (2.66GHz) for $133.

All the new prices are calculated in 1,000-unit shipments.

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz - Wolfdale Arrives

2009-05-25T10:48:00.002-07:00

Intel's New Core 2 Duo Processors Run Blazingly Fast

2009-05-25T10:48:00.001-07:00

In our WorldBench 5 test suite, Intel's Core 2 Duo reference system outscored a matching system equipped with AMD's high-end Athlon 64 FX-62 chip by 17 percent. We also tested shipping PCs based on several chips in the Core 2 Duo family, including a water-cooled, overclocked ABS machine that posted a mark of 181 on our WorldBench 5 test--the highest WorldBench score we've ever seen. (See PC World's detailed test results and chart. For full reviews of five new Core 2 Duo-based systems, click the product names in the results chart.)
All of our Core 2 Duo configurations performed impressively, and the higher-end models in particular should allow power users to handle demanding multimedia work on their PCs more quickly and to perform multiple computing tasks at once more efficiently. Gaming, too, will receive an impressive boost from systems equipped with the new chips.
Though its new products are good news for users, things are different for some Intel employees, as the company announced the layoff of 1000 management employees.
The Core 2 Duo processor line ranges from the 1.86-GHz E6300 chip ($183) with 2MB of cache to the 2.93-GHz Core 2 Extreme X6800 chip ($999) with 4MB of cache; all have a 1066-MHz system bus. (Intel leaves the "Duo" designation off of its X6800 CPU.)
Though Core 2 Duo chips use the same Socket 775 interface as current Pentium 4 and Pentium D chips, they require new chip sets, so you'll have to get a new motherboard--you can't just pop a Core 2 Duo chip into your existing Intel-based PC and reap the tremendous performance gains. The Core 2 Duo reference systems we tested used a motherboard with Intel's 975X Express chip set (boards using the P965 Express chip set will also be available); nVidia and ATI have their own Core 2 Duo boards as well.
The new processors and systems will be on sale from various vendors beginning July 27, with some configurations of Core 2 Duo machines checking in at surprisingly reasonable prices.
Our motherboard Core 2 Duo test setup consisted of an Intel 975X Express board, 2GB of DDR2-667 memory, a pair of SATA hard drives configured in a striped array, and an nVidia GeForce 7800GT-based graphics card. We swapped first a 2.93-GHz Core 2 Extreme X6800 chip and then a 2.67-GHz Core 2 E6700 chip into that setup to generate scores we could compare directly to an otherwise identically configured system featuring AMD's new DDR2-capable AM2 platform and its top-of-the-line FX-62 processor.
Both of the Intel setups bested the AMD-based system on every test in our WorldBench 5 suite as well as on every one of our gaming tests (see chart below). The improvement on WorldBench 5's multitasking tests, which involve running a Web browsing session in Mozilla while encoding a file with Windows Media Encoder, was particularly dramatic. You'll also see notable gains in Photoshop and similar graphics applications.
In addition to our lab-built systems, we tested several vendor-supplied PCs. For example, Dell's $3985 XPS 700, a high-end system based on the 2.67-GHz Duo E6700 processor, came with 2GB of RAM, an nVidia GeForce 7950 GX2 Dual-GPU graphics board with 1GB of SDRAM, and two 320GB SATA hard drives in a Raid 0 array. That system (whose price includes a 24-inch wide-screen monitor) also earned a score of 153 on WorldBench 5, well ahead of the 142 posted by the previous top scorer, a 2.6-GHz AMD Athlon 64 FX-60-based Xi system.
Dell's $2350 XPS 410--a relatively mainstream system based on the midrange 2.4-GHz E6600 CPU--shipped with 2GB of RAM, an nVidia GeForce 7900GS graphics board, and two 320GB SATA drives configured in a Raid 0 array. That machine (whose price includes a 20-inch wide-screen LCD) earned a score of 138 on WorldBench 5, matching the score posted by AMD's high-end FX-62 chip on our motherboard test bed.
But even those notable scores paled in comparison to the performance of the overclocked system that ABS sent us. The $4199 water-cooled ABS Ultimate X9--which shipped with 2GB of RAM, a pair of Radeon X1900 Crossfire graphics boards, two superfast Western Digital 150GB SATA drives configured in a striped RAID array, and a Core 2 Extreme X6800 chip overclocked from 2.93 GHz to run at 3.5 GHz--turned in a WorldBench 5 score of 181. Obviously, this system is not a likely choice for typical buyers, but its score is by far the highest we've seen from a shipping system. And it may indicate how much headroom Intel's Core microarchitecture possesses.

Intel Conroe Core 2 Duo/Extreme Processors

2009-05-25T10:47:00.002-07:00

Intel's new Core 2 architecture builds on the foundations laid down by the Core micro-architecture which debuted on Intel's current range of dual-core mobile CPUs. Again, those unfamiliar to the new terminology may know them as Yonah.

Let's be clear about this. Intel, by moving away from NetBurst and the ultra-high clockspeeds required for the Pentium 4 series to be competitive against AMD's Athlon 64 series, has decided that a new micro-architecture was required that would provide both excellent performance and be energy-efficient, too. That, then, spelt an end to the Pentium 4 as Intel's consumer CPU of choice. It's still around, of course, but Core 2 Duo/Extreme is now positioned as Intel's performance CPU.

The following table details the range of Core 2-based CPUs Intel will be offering right off the bat, along with a Pentium Extreme Edition 965 and Athlon 64 FX-62 for reference. We'll then discuss the reasons behind why Core 2 is destined to give AMD a very hard time.

Models

Intel is initially launching Core 2 Duo at a starting speed-grade of 1.83GHz. This model, designated E6300, will be equipped with 2MiB of L2 cache and falls under the codename of Allendale. We expect Intel to release a lower-clocked version in the near future. Other than a lower clock speed and 2MiB L2 cache, the E6300 is, for all intents and purposes, architecturally identical to the rest of the Duo range; it's no Celeron model. That's especially gratifying with respect to its relatively low price.

The range is headlined by the Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800, which operates at 2.93GHz and, like Extreme Editions before, is multiplier-unlocked. Deep-walleted enthusiasts will have some fun with this one.

Let's digest the information above, particularly the architectural elements, with some insightful commentary.
Architecture analysis
Here's what makes the Core 2 Duo tick, folks.

Dual-core support

Intel Core 2 Duo-based CPUs will harness two execution cores based on a single piece of silicon. The cores communicate with the rest of the system via a single bus, which will be clocked in at 1066MHz and offer around 8.5GB/s CPU-to-MCH bandwidth. Initial Core 2 Duo CPUs will be manufactured on Intel's proven 65nm process. Projections state that 45nm production will begin in Q2 2007. Core 2 Duo supports a 14-stage execution pipeline, down (read better) from the 31 present on the Prescott-based Pentium 4.

Wide Dynamic Execution

Current x86 processors can deliver 3 instructions per clock cycle. Core 2 Duo, however, has been architected to fetch, dispatch, execute and retire up to four full instructions simultaneously, offering a 33% boost over, say, a Pentium 4 CPU. Allied to this, Core 2 Duo also supports what Intel terms Macro-Fusion, which can combine certain common x86 instructions (pairs, say, compare and conditional jump) into a single instruction (micro-op) for execution, thereby reducing overall processing time. Processing efficiency is the name of the game here.

Intel Smart Memory Access and Advanced Smart Cache

Higher-end Core 2 Duo CPUs will be equipped with 4MiB of on-chip L2 cache, minimising the need to run back to system memory for frequently used data. Unlike the present Pentium 4 micro-architecture, Core 2 Duo's two cores will share the cache amongst each other. Intel's engineering team has found that forcing the cores to individually allocate and use cache is more efficient than allotting a fixed, per-core amount. By varying the amount of cache split over the two cores Intel hopes that cache misses, the bane of modern CPUs in terms of execution efficiency, will be further reduced.

Core 2 Duo also supports what Intel terms Smart Memory Access. Put simply, and falling under the banner of memory disambiguation, it's a form of out-of-order, built-in intelligence that predicts and loads the upcoming instruction data before current store instructions have been processed. Intel has designed algorithms that can accurately predict whether a load can be processed before the store, thereby, again, potentially saving overall execution time.

Coupled with a heavily optimised cache, and thinking about it how it all fits together, the Core 2 Duo's memory access latency will be better than the present Pentium 4's, for the reasons discussed above. Intel has toyed with the idea of integrating a memory controller right on the CPU die itself, a la AMD, but reckons that Core 2 Duo's intelligent architecture masks latency well enough for it to do without. We'll put this assertion to the test in our ScienceMark 2.0 memory latency analysis.

Advanced Media Boost

Increasing efficiency with Streaming SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data) Extentions, Core 2 Duo CPUs are able to process a 128-bit instruction in a single clock cycle, rather than requiring the incumbent two clocks that current generations employ.

Intelligent Power Capability

Intel has designed Core 2 Duo not only to perform well on a clock-for-clock basis but also to be energy-efficient whilst doing so. This is precisely where its mobile heritage shines through. Intelligent, which seems to be the watchword for Core 2 Duo, management monitors core usage and application requirements such that it can power-gate parts of the CPU when not in use; there's little need for two cores running at full power in single-threaded applications, for example. Intel reckons that it has improved the physical requirements of power-gating enough for it to offer better power consumption than previous generations'.

Intel indicates that all Core 2 Duo models (barring Extreme) will harness a 65W TDP; half that of the Pentium Extreme Edition 965 CPU. The Core 2 Duo Extreme, however, ships with a slightly higher 75W TDP.

Further, Conroe will ship with an integrated digital thermal sensor. The sensor is embedded on the die itself and will give more-accurate readings. Incidentally, the 965 Express chipset family supports Intel Quiet System Technology, which intelligently manages processor and system fan-speeds in relation to core temperature, ensuring the fan(s) are spun just fast enough to keep the processor from throttling.

Virtualisation Technology, 64-bit processing

Virtualisation Technology offers hardware-isolated virtual partitions that allow the user to run multiple operating systems on one PC, and 64-bit processing (EMT64), along with Execute Disable Bit, is carried over from the Pentium 4 line of CPUs.

Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.40 GHz E6600

2009-05-25T10:47:00.001-07:00

Intel's launch of the Core 2 Duo has come and gone, and now, for the most part, the entire range of speedsÂ are available in stores (the 4 big ones of course - Newegg, mWave, ZZF, and TigerDirect). Availability still seems a bit scarce at this moment, and prices will range so shop around. Of course, Intel will likely come up with product in no time, as they are known to do after launching new processorsÂ (just don't ask them to do the same with chipsets! But that's for another story).
If you're wondering why this review isÂ late - well there are a few reasons really. First of all, Intel actually pulled back Core 2 Duo from its original release date of July 27th, I guess to get the jump on AMD's planned price drops. So really we're not that far off the original release date ;)
We also had to put together an AMD test system ourselves, because AMDÂ often has problems producing enough CPU's to meet the demands of OEM, retail, and media. I set out to put together the fastest AM2 system I could buy today (ridiculously expensive FX chips notwithstanding). That ended up being an Athlon64 X2 4600+. That's right - the 5000+Â and 4800+ parts wereÂ nowhere to be seen, even thoughÂ they launched last May. The retail channel is just starting to get 4800+'s in stock, so the 5000+'s can't be far behind. To round out our AMD system, we went with an Asus motherboard based on NVIDIA's 570 Ultra chipset. Unfortunately I ended up buying my X2 just before the price drops occured... So I paid about $550 USD, while they are now going for around $255-260. Ugh.
Finally, I had major issues with the beta BIOS on the Intel test motherboard. For some reason,Â the board would no longer POST either of the Core 2 processors after having a Pentium-D installed in it. No matter what I tried,Â it wouldn't do it. I only had one option - wait for Core 2 to officially launch, and use a production BIOS. Finally, all testing is complete, and I'm ready to report about Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme.

The codenames for the new desktop partsÂ are "Conroe" "Conroe XE" and the lesser-known "Allendale". For the retail market, they are called "Core 2 Duo" and "Core 2 Extreme", even though this is actually their first CPU based on Core, desktop or otherwise.
Conroe and Allendale are identical, except Allendale comes with half the amount of L2 cache - 2MB instead of 4MB. Conroe XE is identical to Conroe, except that it has an unlocked multiplier.
The two Allendale basedÂ processors are the E6300, which runs at 1.86 GHz, and the E6400, which runs at 2.13 GHz. The Conroe parts are the E6600 and E6700 which run at 2.40 GHz and 2.67 GHz respectively. Finally, there is the Conroe XE based Core 2 Extreme, which is identical to all other Conroe processors in every way - it's just clocked higher and has an unlocked multiplier. The top Core 2 Extreme (and Intel's top processor of all) is the X6800, which runs at 2.93 GHz.
All of the aforementioned processors run on a quad-pumped 1066 MHz FSB.
The mobile part is codenamed "Merom" and was quietly launched alongside Conroe. It too is called "Core 2 Duo" and "Core 2 Solo" in retail; frontside bus is limited to 667 MHz on these low power-using parts, rather than 1066 MHz. Confused? No kidding.

Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 (Kentsfield Quad Core)

2009-05-25T10:46:00.003-07:00

Core 2 Duo has been one of the most important launches for Intel in quite some time, really taking back the Desktop market by storm. Yet, even when I was in Germany at a pre-launch briefing of Conroe/Core 2 Duo, Intel suggested that quad core wasn't far off either. In fact, the computer being used for the PowerPoint presentation, was in fact Kentsfield – Intel's code name for its quad core processor. Not particuarly good use of resources, but an excellent demonstration of the state of play.
November has come around, and true to Intel's word, quad-core is here. It seems like only yesterday we were marvelling at the first dual-core solutions, so to have a “quad-core” processor in front of me, seems almost surreal. However, in actuality, this isn't as much of a technological feat as you might think. Eighty cores, as demonstrated at IDF
Intel has basically taken two Core 2 Duo dies and just put them in to one package. I think Intel realises that this is cheating a little and that's why the product name is Core 2 Extreme QX6700, which apart from the subtle “Q”, doesn't mention quad anywhere in the name. This is an Extreme Edition processor, so is naturally expensive, initially priced at $999. This isn't far off the current price of an Core 2 Extreme X6800 (£643), so in comparison, it's pretty good value.
Technically speaking, the fact the cores are in the same package is irrelevant. In order for data to be communicated between the two dies, the data needs to go through the North Bridge, via the Front Side Bus. Essentially, it means the performance will be identical to having two separate processors in two separate sockets.
Intel's approach does have its benefits though. For one, by having all four cores in the same package, there is only one heatsink. Any boards that currently support Core 2 Duo, will support Kentsfield as well. In saying that, we had to update the BIOS on our Gigabyte 965P motherboard, in order to get it to boot. It also makes designing a decent motherboard a lot easier and means we can expect to see quad-core hitting the MicroATX platform

Intel Core 2 Duo ‘Merom’ Notebooks

2009-05-25T10:46:00.001-07:00

Every few months computer technology moves forward. Usually it’s only a small jump, such as a latest iteration of a graphics architecture, but sometimes it’s a significant one, such as the recent introduction of Intel’s Core 2 Duo desktop processor, known internally by Intel as Conroe.
Conroe’s arrival was very important as it represented the first time that Intel had brought the fruits of its new ‘Performance per Watt’ architecture direction to the desktop. Intel has been moving in this direction for some time, ever since it realised that even as its ‘NetBurst’ Pentium 4 architecture was running out of steam, its Pentium M ‘Banias’ mobile chip was going great guns.
As such it turned to the Banias design team, based in Haifa, Israel, to create an architecture that was efficient and able to scale, qualities that Pentium 4 did not possess. Last year, I was lucky enough to be taken on a press tour of Intel in Israel, and met some of the team responsible for Banias, Dothan and Yonah. It was clear then that all of these were leading up to the processor released today, known then only as Merom. Though it was the last to appear on the market, Merom is actually the processor on which its desktop and workstation counterparts, Conroe (Core 2 Duo) and Woodcrest (Xeon) are based.
This design architecture, which Spode talked about here is known as the Core architecture. Rather confusingly though, Core Duo, which is Yonah, is not actually Core architecture – it’s was essentially a dual-core version of Pentium M.
Core architecture, with its various improvements and enhancements, actually begins with the Core 2 Duo, which in Conroe guise, has already appeared on the desktop.
The reason for this is that Intel previous mobile chip, Yonah or Core Duo was so good that it didn’t need to rush it to market. However, Intel definitely needed to bring Conroe to the market as for a long time been lagging behind AMD.
So how does the mobile version of Core 2 Duo (Merom) actually differ from the desktop version (Conroe)? Actually, the differences are relatively minor – though as it’s essentially the same chip that’s not really surprising. This means that it sports all the excellent features that made Conroe so powerful. This includes the Wide Dynamic Execution consisting of an increase in pipelines from three to four and the use of the Macro-Fusion technique that combines common pairs of instructions into a single instruction. Perhaps most crucially Merom employs all of the power management saving tricks that the Core architecture is designed for, such as putting many parts of the CPU to sleep when they’re not required. This enables it to have a lower Thermal Design Power (TDP) figure of 34W, compared to 65W for Conroe, which is the essential figure for a mobile CPU. Other differences are that Merom runs at a lower Front Side Bus of 667MHz, (versus 1,066MHz).

Intel Core 2 (Conroe) Performance Review

2009-05-25T10:44:00.000-07:00

It has finally happened, Intel will be putting to rest the long standing Pentium branding for their next generation of desktop microprocessors in favor of a totally new line-up simply called Core. However, this isn't just a re-branding exercise for Intel. The Core processors mark Intel's first true major revamp of microprocessor technology since their launch of the NetBurst microarchitecture with the Willamette core Pentium 4 back in the year 2000 and before you know it, we're already at Core 2. Now we're getting ahead of ourselves. Considering the major gear shift at Intel to bring about this day, let's take a brief recap on the chain of events that have lead to the development of the new Core processors.

AMD's sharp rise in market share from their hugely successful Athlon XP, Athlon 64 and dual-core Athlon 64 X2 processors in the past two years has been a rude awakening for Intel. AMD was even making inroads into the server market with their Opteron products and went as bold as to openly challenge Intel's dual-core Xeon on both performance and power consumption fronts in 2005 - a challenge which Intel chose to ignore resulting in defacto bragging rights for AMD for a period of time.

Intel of course has not been sitting idle all this while and we've seen a huge effort in promoting their next generation microarchitecture over the past year, which was basically Intel telling the world 'Wait and see, we'll be back and then we will rock!'. Intel officially unveiled the revolutionary Core microarchitecture early this year at IDF Spring 2006 in San Francisco and wet our lips with a preview of the enhanced power saving features (if not the performance) with the launch of the Core Duo (codenamed Yonah) dual-core mobile processor.
+ Intel Launches Quad-core Products for Servers
+ Managing Data Storage by Support Services

Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 - Quad-Core Power for Desktops
Intel's Core 2 Duo processor family bearing the new Core microarchitecture broke new grounds when it was launched a scant four months ago, catapulting Intel back into the driver's seat of the microprocessor industry, a 'show hand' that arch-rival AMD has yet to deliver a response till date. Despite the rave journalistic buzz however, the Core 2 Duo is still a dual-core processor and dual-core processors themselves aren't anything new (Intel's Pentium D and AMD's Athlon 64 X2 have been around since early 2005), not to mention that three and a half months is hardly enough time for the Core 2 Duo to really penetrate the retail channels.

The news that have been most anticipated within tech circles however, has been the talk of Intel's upcoming quad-core part, codenamed Kentsfield. During the recent IDF Fall 2006, Intel confirmed the launch and we were even given the opportunity for a hands-on performance preview, which you can check out here . Today, Kentsfield becomes official. Quad-core processing has indeed arrived in the consumer space as Intel increases its leadership position even more.

The official name of the Kentsfield series will be Core 2 Quad in the mainstream segment and the Core 2 Extreme in the enthusiast segment. The first Kentsfield processor to be available at launch will start with the top-end 2.66GHz Core 2 Extreme QX6700 priced at US$999, which is the same as the 2.93GHz Core 2 Extreme X6800 during its launch. The QX6700 will be followed by the mainstream 2.4GHz Core 2 Quad Q6600, tentatively set to be released first quarter of 2007 and rumored to be priced around US$851. Whether the corresponding Core 2 Duo processors will receive price cuts remain to be seen as nothing has been announced yet.

This naming convention is based on the fact that the Kentsfield processors are in the same generation as the dual-core Conroe and Allendale - hence, 'Core 2' designates the processor series and the 'Duo' or 'Quad' suffix designating the number of cores. What may be initially confusing however is that both Conroe and Kentsfield enthusiast parts will be named Core 2 Extreme. For these processors, the CPU model numbers give away its pedigree. Those with a 'Q' prefix are quad-core models, eg. Core 2 Extreme QX6700
Intel Core 2 Duo 'Conroe' E6400, E6600, E6700, X6800
Without a doubt, Core 2 Duo or "Conroe" as it is code-named has been one of the most anticipated product launches in the hardware community for quite some time. Everybody has been waiting to see if Intel can claim back the performance crown and push under the rug the disappointment that was the NetBurst architecture. The string of Pentium 4/NetBurst products that Intel released had so many faults that I won't embarrass Intel by listing them. Put simply, NetBurst never reached the potential Intel believed it was capable of. However, financially it did very well as Intel is incredibly good at marketing, while AMD seems happy to sit by as the underdog expecting PC enthusiasts to do all its advertising for it.
On a number of occasions I've had the opportunity to play with Pentium M on desktop motherboards and it has been the closest experience yet to re-creating my Mendocino Celeron A overclocking days. So naturally, I have been looking to Conroe with anticipation.
Conroe is nothing like any previous Pentium 4 products. In fact, it's based on the mobile Core Duo design which is in itself based on Pentium M, which is based on Pentium 3 architecture. So Intel has actually done a bit of a U-turn.
Compared to Pentium 4, Core Duo (not to be confused with Core 2 Duo) offers low power consumption, low waste heat and high performance per clock. This is almost an exact opposite to the Pentium 4 which used so much power that the ATX specification had to be modified to add more 12V rails, and produced so much heat that they often throttled and made reaching 4GHz almost impossible. Not only this, but clock for clock performance wasn't stellar – hence the need for higher clock speeds in the first place. The resultant disparity between AMDs and Intel's clock speed was one of the primary reasons for AMD introducing PR ratings (eg. 5000+) so that consumers didn't feel like they were getting a raw deal.
AMD's biggest selling point has been its on die memory controller. This has had a lot of knock on effects (such as almost identical performance from motherboard to motherboard), but the main effect is a huge reduction in memory latency as communication is no longer passed through the north bridge. This, in combination with HyperTransport reduced the bottleneck of the front side bus. Memory performance affects system performance significantly, so Intel processors were suffering in this area a lot.
Intel's solution to this is several minor improvements to the Core architecture in order to reduce this memory latency and increase overall system performance. Most of these optimisations are quite minor, but put together add up to more than the sum of their parts. Quite frankly, how Intel has improved their architecture so much is largely irrelevant - performance figures tell us all we need to know.
Possibly the biggest improvement is an added pipeline. Where as Core Duo can complete three instructions per cycle, Core 2 Duo can now complete four which an obvious increase in processing power and efficiency.
To help reduce bottlenecks, the front side bus has been increased to 1,066MHz from the 800Mhz that all but a few of the Extreme Edition processors used. This is at a base frequency of 266MHz, quad pumped.
If it wasn't completely obvious, the "Duo" portion of the name indicates that these are dual-core processors. Unlike previous Pentium D processors, these use a shared Level 2 cache (2MB or 4MB depending on the processor). This can be dynamically allocated depending on the task being run. For instance, if running an application that isn't multi-threaded (i.e. can't take advantage of a second core), then the primary core would get the full 4MB of Level 2 cache. Having more Level 2 cache means that fewer requests need to be made to the system memory – one of the biggest causes of latency.

Intel Core 2 Extreme: 1333MHz PSB

2009-05-25T10:43:00.000-07:00

In our Intel Core 2 (Conroe) Performance Review article, we briefly mentioned about the initial rumors of the Core 2 Extreme clocks. There was talk about it debuting at 3.33GHz on a 1333MHz PSB, but of course that didn't happen. While we're in no position to pout about the Core 2 Extreme X6800, especially after seeing its performance, we couldn't get rid of that nagging feeling that the X6800 just wasn't extreme enough since it was just a multiplier increment over the regular Core 2 Duo E6700.

We wanted to satisfy our curiosity as to how the Core 2 Extreme would perform if it did meet the speculated specifications on release. Our overclocking platform of choice - Gigabyte's GA-965P-DQ6. At the present moment, we find that many initial Core 2 motherboards' BIOS do not properly detect Core 2 processor capabilities, sometimes restricting multiplier selection and others lack the necessary voltage and tweaking selections. The GA-965P-DQ6 happens to be one of the better boards to support the unlocked X6800 and possess great voltage granularity, a perfect combination for our overclocking efforts.

To do this, we overclocked the Core 2 Extreme X6800 to the ideal 3.33GHz with a 1333MHz PSB using a 333x10 FSB to CPU multiplier ratio and then topped it off with DDR2-1066 memory.

Maximum Overclocking

Next, we did some real overclocking to see just how scalable the Core microarchitecture can be. Intel's Netburst has produced scalable processors with good overclockability, but are bogged down by high power consumption and operating temperatures. The Core 2 is almost a total opposite, starting at modest sub-2GHz speeds. The Core microarchitecture's short pipelines would have reduced the processors scalability in terms of frequency, but its ultra efficient power consumption and low thermals should give it plenty of room.

In our overclocking tests, we took the same Core 2 Extreme X6800 and went all out to see just how far we could push the processor on stock Intel air-cooling. That's right, we didn't use fancy third-party coolers for this nor did we rely on exotic cooling techniques. The standard Intel boxed processor cooler was used to realistically set a stage for overclocking bandwidth right out of the box.

Our result? A final clock of 3.60GHz at 360x10. Not exactly the best overclock on the Conroe core, but it nearly puts the Core 2 Extreme at the same speed of the Intel's Pentium Extreme Edition 965, which runs at 3.73GHz. In the end though, our overclocking effort was possibly limited by the older B1 stepping of our X6800. The newer B2 stepping on the retail processors seems to have better overclocking performance from what we've been able to gather. On the other hand, the GA-965P-DQ6 showed a great overclocking bandwidth, with the retail boards clocking up to 480MHz with ease. However, since we were testing the processor and not the motherboard, the 360x10 setting was more ideal than say 450x8 after taking into consideration memory limitations and keeping chipset voltage on the low.