Intel Launches Cheaper Intel Quad-core While AMD Still Looks Dumbfounded
Intel launches six-core Xeon 7400, your bank account shudders
Intel reveals some More Nehalem information at recent presentation
Yep, you guessed it. Another Nehalem article to satisfy your undying needs.
*the new info is in the second half of the overview*
Intel reveals some more Nehalem information at recent Core i7 presentation
Source: http://www.overclock3d.net/news.php?/cpu_mainboard/intel_core_i7_presentation/1
Something new that Intel is bringing to us with this modular design, shown on the slide to the right, is the "uncore". In short, everything other than the cores and their own cache is in the "uncore", such as the integrated memory controller, QPI links and the shared L3 cache. All of the components in the "uncore" are completely modular and so can be scaled according to the section of the market each chip is being aimed at. Intel can add or remove cores, QPI links, integrated graphics (which Intel say will come in late 2009) and they could even add another integrated memory controller if they so wish.
the L2 cache is a totally new design compared to what we see in the Core 2 CPU's of today...Each core within a Nehalem CPU with have its L1 & L2 cache integrated within the core itself.
The L3 cache that is coming with Nehalem is totally new to Intel, and is also very similar in design to AMD's Phenom CPU's. It is an inclusive cache, which means that ALL of the data residing in the L1 or L2 caches within each core will also reside within the L3 cache.
> achieves better performance
> achieves lower power consumption
The Japanese cooling specialist Scythe Co., Ltd. offers Socket LGA1366 mounting clips for all Scythe CPU coolers.
"Since we want to provide our customers with optimal support and guarantee a long life for our CPU coolers, we decided to offer special mounting clips, which make all Scythe CPU coolers available on the market compatible for the new Intel Socket LGA1366", said Stefan Watzinger, Marketing Manager of the Scythe EU GmbH.
For Scythe CPU coolers with the VTMS system (Mugen, Andy Samurai Master, Shuriken, Samurai Z Rev. B and Mine Rev. B) mounting clips will be available in the next few days. For users of Scythe CPU coolers using conventional Clips (Ninja Series, Kama Angle, Zipang, Kama Cross and Katana 2) mounting clips will be provided during the same period. The MSRP for both mounting clips is 2.50 EUR (excl. VAT) / US$ 2.95 (excl. VAT).
Model-Name:
Mounting Clips for Socket LGA1366
Model-Number:
SCCL4-1366
Compatibility:
- Ninja 2 (SCNJ-2000)
- Kama Angle (SCANG-1000)
- Zipang (SCZP-1000)
- Ninja Mini (SCMNJ-1000)
- Kama Cross (SCKC-1000)
- Katana 2 (SCKTN-2000)
Upgrading the SSD in an EEE PC 900 running XP
A while back, JKKMobile reported on some new upgrades from MyDigitalDiscount: replacement SSDs (solid state drives) for a number of netbooks, including the ASUS EEE PC 900. As you can see in the comments on that post, a number of EEE PC 900 users had compatibility problems with this upgrade; the first couple of versions shipped by MyDigitalDiscount simply didn't work with the Celeron EEE PCs (including mine). A couple RMAs later, I was in possession of the latest and greatest SATA variant of the drive, and I'm happy to report that it's not only working, but it's really fast!
Initially, I decided to keep my configuration as-is, so I wanted to clone my original drive onto the new SSD. This was pretty simple because the upgrade replaces the slower 16GB secondary (D:) drive in my EEE PC. So all I had to do was copy the files to the new drive, swap the drives, and reboot. At least that's what I had to do in theory. I had made my life a little harder by not only installing some apps on the D: drive, but by moving my shell folders to D: as well.
So, if you're like me, and you have some important junk on that D: drive before you upgrade, try these steps:
- Boot into Safe Mode (hold F8 as Windows XP starts up).
- Log in as an admin user.
- Plug your new SSD drive into your EEE PC using the supplied USB cable; wait for Windows to detect and install the drive. Format it as NTFS.
- Open a Command Prompt and copy the files from the internal drive to the new SSD. For example:
xcopy /s D: E:(replaceD:with the drive letter of your 16GB SSD andE:with the drive letter of the new runcore SSD). This could take a while. - Shut down when it's done.
Now the drive should be cloned, and you can install the new SSD:
- Install the new SSD (make sure you unplug your EEE PC and remove the battery)
- Boot into BIOS by pressing F2 as the system boots. Go into Advanced: IDE/SATA Configuration and set SATA Master to [Auto]. Go into Boot: Hard Disk Drives, and set the RunCore drive as the 2nd Drive. Save the BIOS changes and reboot.
- Boot Windows into safe mode again.
- Go into Administrative Tools, Computer Management, Storage, Disk Management and change the drive letter from E: (or whatever it is) to D: (or whatever the old drive was)
- Reboot and all should work as it did originally, just a lot faster!
So how much faster was it? I ran PassMark Performance Test on the D: drive before and after, and came up with these results:
| Benchmark | Original 16GB SSD | New 32GB SSD |
|---|---|---|
| Sequential Read | 19.3 MBytes/s | 64.1 MBytes/s |
| Sequential Write | 5.8 MBytes/s | 42.1 MBytes/s |
| Sequential Random Seek + RW | 0.1 MBytes/s | 12.0 MBytes/s |
| Disk Mark | 18.3 | 427.6 |
Intel to Integrate DRAM into The CPU for Terascale Computing
Computing and mobiles: The piranhas of processing await
Graphics processors - the 'piranhas' of computing - are being harnessed to do other tasks, which could have a big impact on PCs and mobile phones, says Chris Edwards
What if someone told you there were 100 extra processors in your PC? The sticker on the front might tell you that you have just one or two. But if you have a computer with a graphics card made by ATI or nVidia, the chances are that you have more than 100 microprocessor cores in the back. The extra processors are easy to miss because, sitting inside the graphics card, they normally only do one thing: draw 3D scenes on the screen. Now software is crashing into the market that will unlock that extra power and make it possible to dispatch in seconds long-winded jobs that normally would not only give you time to make a cup of coffee, but also nip down to the shops to buy another jar.
Using a graphics processor for regular computing has only become possible in the past few years. The first graphics processors (GPUs) for PCs could only do limited tasks. They took shortcuts that meant people looked as though they were moulded out of plastic. Games developers demanded more realism, which meant more flexibility. The response from ATI and nVidia came in GPUs for which developers could create their own rendering programs. To get the performance needed, they had to take one simple processor core and replicate it many times across the silicon chip.
Those GPU cores are the piranhas of processing. Because there are so many of them, they can chomp through tens of gigabytes of data in a second. But it has to be the right kind of data - something that can be parcelled up and delivered in bite-sized chunks to each core. In many cases, almost as soon as they have started working, the GPU piranhas will be waiting for the next chunk of meat. Managing that is hard and often it is just easier for a developer to have all the software run on a regular CPU.
Here is the faster weather
But some types of software fit the GPU very well. Scientists have already discovered its hidden power: the US National Center for Atmospheric Research is using GPUs rather than moving to supercomputers to get faster weather predictions. Others are using the processors to design a new generation of supercolliders and to work out how radiation damages DNA.
Andy Keane, general manager of GPU computing at nVidia, reckons there are plenty of jobs outside science that users will find for a GPU-equipped desktop computer. "Very often you are waiting for the processor to finish doing something. Every time you are waiting, you probably have something that will fit the GPU very well."
The wait for video converters to crunch video down for replay on a portable media player is one of the problems that Oregon-based startup Elemental Technologies has chosen. But, because each brand of GPU has its own programming language, the first version of the Badaboom software will only run on nVidia's GPUs. A version that runs on the GPUs made by ATI - now owned by Intel rival AMD - will have to wait. Sam Blackman, Elemental's CEO, has no objection to having a version that runs on ATI. "But right now we are focusing on the other guys," he says. So, users will have to pay attention to which graphic card they have before buying GPU-accelerated software.
Tim Lewis, director of marketing at 3DLabs, says the advantage for each vendor having its own GPU language is that it ties in developers. But having a GPU programming language that every manufacturer can support would let the market grow faster, he claims. That is why just about every manufacturer of GPUs has thrown its weight behind a proposal by Apple to base a standard on its concept, OpenCL. Apple donated the OpenCL specification - some 200 pages of documentation - to the Khronos Group, which is responsible for many of the leading standards for 3D-graphics software used on personal computers (bit.ly/1HaaZI).
Neil Trevett, president of Khronos, says: "There have been discussions for quite a while about how we were going to deal with industry issues such as general-purpose computing on GPUs. Apple had been working on OpenCL and they came with a proposal to Khronos to establish the Heterogeneous Computing Working Group. It was an idea whose time had come."
Toshiba announced the new Toshiba Satellite A215 notebook computer, featuring AMD's latest mobile dual-core processors including the Turion 64 X2 Gold Edition and Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core processor. The Satellite A215 is equipped with ATI Radeon X1200 graphics. One of the higher end models in the A215 series, the Satellite A215-S7472, boasts an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2400 graphics card with 128 megs of memory for better aming and graphics.
The series also includes a serial-ATA hard drive (with capacities up to 250GB), a DVD SuperMulti drive and 15.4 inch diagonal widscreen TruBrite display. Certain configurations in the Satellite A215 series also come with 1.3 megapixel webcam, Labelflash technology and Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5 for Toshiba.
The Toshiba Satellite A215 configurations are now available.
The Computer Processor Coffee Heater!
We had all of these old computer parts sitting around with no use, just wasting a bunch of space. We believe that these trusty old 75 MHz classic Pentium processors may still have a purpose in life. So instead of leaving it all to collect dust we decided to put it to good use.
What you need:
Procedure
We ended up using an old Pentium 1 processor clocked at 75 mhz and 2 sticks of 16 mb edo dram, reminds us of the good old days. Keep in mind that if you can find a newer processor it will generate much more heat making your coffee that much better!
Results
The heat being produced by the processor was more than enough to keep the coffee warm. Using a turkey thermometer we saw that the temperature did not drop at all from the time it was brewed. The guinea pig coffee drinking tester that we used insisted on saying that this coffee heater actually made the coffee taste better the longer he left it on.Caution, the processor and coffee will get hot, so don't burn yourself.
Bonus mouse hand cooling!
Now that you have this power supply next to you, why not plug in your old cooling fans to keep your hand cool while you complete your quests in your mmorpg!
Cooling Fans  GATEWAY M series (M505) cpu fan with heatsink, .18a, 3-wires, fan number UDQFWZH06CAR  GATEWAY M series (M210) cooling fan with heatsink, .27a, 3-wires  GATEWAY 4000 series (.4000, 4026GZ, 4520GZ, 4535GZ, 4540GZ), M series (M320CS, M320S) cooling fan with heatsink, 3-wires, fan number BFB0505HHA |
CPU Desk
How to Choose a Computer Processor
Choose a computer processor that will run your programs easily.
Instructions
Step1
Know what you will be using the computer for. Do you play a lot of games? Do you edit video or audio? Will your PC be used mostly for office applications and browsing the Internet? Certain tasks like video Step2
Determine the minimum processor requirements for the most resource intensive programs you plan to use. For example, a computer that has a 1.6 GHZ processor would not be powerful enough to run a program or game that requires a 2.2 GHZ processor. Step3
Determine your video requirements. Computers that are equipped with better graphics cards run programs faster and more efficiently. If possible, choose a graphics Step4
Determine your memory requirements. Along with a fast processor, a computer should have enough memory or RAM to run your most resource intensive programs. For basic applications, it should have at least 512MB of RAM. Step5
Determine your storage space needs. Most newer computers come equipped with fairly large hard drives. If you edit video or music, or download a lot of movies and software, you may need an even larger hard drive. Crowded or almost full hard drives drain system resources. Step6
Set a price range. A more expensive computer doesn't necessarily mean it's a better machine. Once you know what you want, shop around for the best deals. Stick to your budget, and don't spend more than is necessary to meet your basic computing needs. Motorola Sparrow Concept
The Transformers Movie in Widescreen, Special Edition
From director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg comes a thrilling battle between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons. When their epic struggle comes to Earth, all that stands between the Decepticons and ultimate power is a clue held by young Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf). …continue reading The Transformers Movie in Widescreen, Special Edition » »
How Does a Computer's Processor Work?
Definition
The original definition of a computer processor was any machine that could perform arithmetic and logic functions. Today a computer processor is usually defined as a microprocessor chip, or CPU, that executes commands and runs computer programs. One of the biggest manufacturers of microprocessors is the Intel Corporation. Typical computer programs that must be processed by CPUs include Internet browsers, word processors, and image manipulation software. Computer processors perform four basic functions to process data and run computer programs.
Fetch
Every instruction that a CPU processes is represented by a series of numbers. Once initiated, the numbers representing the requested action are stored in memory. The CPU then fetches or retrieves the instruction from program memory. A program counter, or PC, keeps track of the computer processor's location in the active program. If the memory is slow, the CPU may stall while waiting for the instruction to be returned.
Decode
The CPU then analyzes the instruction it fetched and decides how it should be processed. Typically a particular group of numbers in the instruction indicate which operation to perform, and in what sequence. In more advanced CPUs, a microprogram may also be used to help decode instructions for the computer processor. CPU microprograms can sometimes be modified (from the factory default) to change the way the processor translates instructions.
Execute
Depending on the action required, the CPU then sends segments of the original instruction to the most appropriate section of the processor. For example, if additional actions are requested, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) is attached to a group of inputs and outputs. The inputs provide the numbers to be processed, and the outputs contain the final sum or response to the request.
Writeback
After executing the instruction, the processor writes the results back into memory. Sometimes the results are written to an internal register for quick access, while in other cases the results are written directly to the main memory. After the instruction has been executed and written to memory, the process repeats by fetching the next instruction value in the program counter. In more advanced computer processors, it is possible for multiple commands to be fetched, decoded, and executed simultaneously.
Mini-PC packs PCI slot, targets specialized apps
Stealth Computer Corp. has introduced a mini-PC roughly the size of a hard cover novel, measuring 10 x 5.87 x 2.75 inches. Despite its compactness, the LPC-350PCI includes a PCI slot for "specialized I/O, video, data acquisition, and communications cards," the company said.The LPC-350PCI comes with either a 1.5 GHz Celeron M370 processor or a 1.73 GHz Pentium M740, supported by Intel's 915GM chipset and a 4 MB Award flash BIOS. Thanks in part to use of the mobile-class processors, the computer is said to require only a small processor-mounted fan.
The Stealth LPC-350PCI
(Click to enlarge)
There is room internally for a 2.5-inch hard drive; an 80 GB unit is standard, but the company also offers 120 and 160 GB configurations. Flash drives are also available, and external storage can be added via one of the LPC-350PCI's three USB 2.0 ports or its Firewire port.
Also included is a CD-RW/DVD combo drive, with a DVD writer optionally available. Like most other modern computers, the LPC-350PCI does not include a floppy drive.
As for the LPC-350PCI's defining feature, the PCI slot is said to be PCI 2.1-compliant, and accepting of cards up to 9.44 inches long. Both 3.3V and 5V cards are supported. As can be seen in the photo below, the PCI card lies across the top of the computer and is externally accessible; the PCI slot appears to be located on a riser that plugs into a mini-ITX motherboard.
An installed PCI card is externally accessible
(Click to enlarge)
Specifications include:
- Processor -- 1.5 GHz Celeron M370 or 1.73 GHz Pentium M
- Memory -- 1 x DDR2 SODIMM; accepts 512 MB (standard), 1 GB, 2 GB
- Storage -- 80 GB hard drive standard, 120 GB or 160 GB also available
- Video -- Intel GMA 950 integrated graphics (resolutions not specified)
- Audio -- Realtek AC '97 audio controller
- Networking -- Intel 82562ET LAN controller
- Other I/O ports:
- 2 x RS-232
- 1 x DVI video output
- 2 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse ports
- 3 x USB 2.0 ports (1 front-mounted, two rear)
- 1 x IEEE-1394 Firewire
- 2 x RS-232
- Expansion -- 1 x PCI slot, accepting cards up to 9.44 inches long
- Power -- 12 VDC, via 100-240 VAC AC adapter
- Dimensions -- 10 x 5.87 x 2.75 inches (14.8 x 25.4 x 7 cm)
- Weight -- less than 8 pounds (3.6 kg), depending on configuration
- Operating temperature -- 0-40 degrees C
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