Asustek and Gigabyte - Intel P45 chipset launch

In an attempt to gain an edge in the competitive motherboard market, Asustek Computer and Gigabyte Technology have already unveiled motherboards featuring the new Intel P45 chipset for media review, as they gear up for the official June 2008 launch of the P45.Intel reportedly will officially launch its 4-series chipsets at Computex 2008, while motherboard makers will start shipping products later that month. However, Gigabyte's good sales performance in motherboard equipped with Intel 965 and P35 chipsets have brought significant competitive pressure on Asustek and both companies are circulating P45 boards for media reviews. As the P45 will have a long product life cycle of 18-24 months, the product is expected to be a crucial revenue driver for leading Taiwan-based makers of motherboards, the sources indicated.

via: DigiTimes

Endless Reboot Cycle for AMD/XP SP3 PCs

How about watching your PC continually reboot? That's what some aggravated Windows XP users have been doing Friday after installing the XP service pack 3 (SP3).

The problem appears to primarily affect AMD -based computers, though there are also some cases in which Intel -based machines will also run into trouble, Jesper Johansson, a former program manager for security policy at Microsoft who now runs a Windows-related blog, wrote in a recent post.

Mention of the reboot problem first popped up on the Microsoft forums on April 23, prompting some to speculate that the poster's problem was due to an outdated version of SP3, but users who installed the final version soon reported the same issue.

via pcmag

Sun against MS - promotes OpenOffice

Windows users who have an older version of Java SE Runtime Environment and have yet to install Update 3, which was released earlier this month, will be getting the usual "on the 26 of each month" update prompt from Sun. This month, the emphasis doesn't seem to be on Java, though. Sun has decided to promote its Microsoft Office alternative. Right below the words "A new version is ready to be installed!" is the advertisement: "To get a FREE copy of OpenOffice, the global standard in free Microsoft Office compatible productivity software, just click the More Information link below." Now, Java is a program that has been adopted as an Internet standard in its own playing field, and it is installed on the larger majority of computers that are online. Sun may not directly convert Microsoft users, but it may just get out there to all of those that are frustrated that their trial of Microsoft Office has expired. A little sly on Sun's part, but it might just prove to be a smart move.

Java.com

ASUS P5K3 Premium/WiFi AP

Intel's newest P35 Express chipset brought along support for both DDR2 and DDR3 memory modules. As DDR3 modules are still not widely interesting because of their high price, ASUS decided to celebrate its 18th birthday in a specific manner. We have in front of us an ASUS P5K3 Premium/WiFi AP motherboard which has 2 GB of DDR3 memory - integrated!!!

The Black Pearl, as this motherboard model is suffixed, is supposed to be associated with the limited number of produced models. The bundle is very rich, so, alongside necessary cables, one can also find a WiFi antenna in the package as well. Still, let's start with the board layout. What comes to attention first is the heatpipe system. The quality of this kind of cooling is unquestionable.

Full Review...

Intel's Next-Gen Chipset - Speed, Graphics and Sound

Short of a faster CPU, the most significant thing a chip manufacturer can build to speed up computers is a better, faster chipset -- the array of processors surrounding and supporting the CPU. Intel's latest chipset is just that, with a faster channel for moving data in and out of memory, an upgraded PCI interface for faster video cards, and support for better video game graphics.

Announced Monday at Taipei's Computex trade show, Intel's 3 Series chipset is a rare event in the computer industry: How often is it that 100 manufacturers are already on board when a new platform is announced?

But while Intel touts the 3 Series' support for DDR3, PCI Express 2.0 and DirectX 10, what does that actually mean? Can I get cod or haddock with my chipset?

First, a chipset has nothing to do with delicious, deep-fried potatoes. The unsung hero of computing, it comprises the supplemental processors that allow a motherboard to move information to and from major components such as the CPU, RAM and peripherals.

DDR3 isn't the latest dance mat game from Konami. Instead, "DDR" stands for "double data rate." It refers to how fast a computer can whisk information to and from its memory; it's "doubled" because the data can come or go twice for every beat of the chipset's master clock.

The "3" in "DDR3" refers to the latest version of the tech, bringing with it a 40 percent reduction in power use, a bigger buffer to hold data before it's needed and a theoretical increase in transfer rate to 1,600 MHz, though "only" 1,333 MHz will be supported in the first 3 Series motherboards. When buying RAM, you'll often see those numbers in the model name, and it's this, after capacity, that matters most. By way of comparison, today's fastest memory architecture transfers data at 1,066 MHz.

PCI Express 2.0 promises faster video performance. The previous version, PCI Express 1.1, has already been given a workout by the latest graphics boards, which can be as expensive as $850. By doubling bandwidth from 2 Gbps to 4 Gbps, PCI Express 2.0 is a future-proofing measure. No video cards are yet available to take advantage of the new bandwidth, but Advanced Micro Devices' and Nvidia's next-generation models will doubtless claim to. The new slots are backward-compatible.

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VirtualBox 1.4.0

InnoTek VirtualBox is a general-purpose full virtualizer for x86 hardware. Targeted at server, desktop and embedded use, it is now the only professional-quality virtualization solution that is also Open Source Software. Not only is VirtualBox an extremely feature rich, high performance product for enterprise customers, it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU Public License (GPL). Presently, VirtualBox runs on Windows and Linux 32-bit hosts and supports a large number of guest operating systems including but not limited to Windows (NT 4.0, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista), DOS/Windows 3.x, Linux (2.4 and 2.6), and OpenBSD.

VirtualBox Home Page

Intel, Asus Announce $199 'Eee PC'

Asus and Intel have teamed up to develop a cheap notebook PC – the "Eee PC," an inexpensive laptop designed to help spread computing to poorer regions. Two models were demonstrated: a $199 and $299 model, both representing Intel’s "World Ahead" market initiative. A shipping date was not announced for the new device. The Eee PC will apparently connect to the Internet, as it will allow users to make VOIP calls. Chairman and chief executive of Asus, Jonney Shih, said the computer weighs about 900 grams – a working model of the Eee PC booted in about fifteen seconds to what was clearly not a Microsoft OS.

PCMAG

Micron announces its 78nm-made DDR3 validated with Intel

Micron Technology announced that its 1Gbit DDR3 have been validated with Intel desktop platforms. This DDR3 is being fabricated on Micron's 78nm 6F² process, which results a smaller die size premium over DDR2 compared with 512 megabit (Mb) products. offer lower power on modules that can utilize either 512Mb or 1Gb and meet the minimum system density requirements of 1GB. Micron's DDR3 products support data rates of 800 megatransfers per second (MT/s) to 1,066 MT/s with clock frequencies of 400MHz to 533MHz, respectively, doubling the speed from DDR2. The DDR3 supply voltage has been reduced from 1.8V to 1.5V, reducing power consumption by up to 30%.

Evaluation samples of Micron's 1Gb DDR3 components are available to select customers with production expected to begin early next year. Micron's 1Gb DDR3 components will be available in various output configurations (x4, x8 and x16), and will be fully compliant with the most recent JEDEC DDR3 specifications. These components will support module densities from 512MB through 4GB and a variety of module types, including UDIMMs, SODIMMs, and RDIMMs.

DigiTimes

Intel Cuts Prices and Launches New Models

Intel is set to cut prices for its Core 2 dual and quad-core products next week, online retailers have already taken the plunge. The chip giant also launched the Core 2 Duo E6320 and E6420, now with 4MB of L2 cache. Intel prices the new E6x20 models the same as the E6x00 models. Under the new pricing structure, Intel offers its Core 2 processors starting at $113 per unit, in 1,000 unit quantities.

Intel Core 2 Model - Core Frequency - Q2'07 Pricing - Newegg - ZipZoomFly

• Q6600 - 2.40 GHz - $530 - $659 - $559.99
• E6700 - 2.66 GHz - $316 - $485 - $340.90
• E6600 - 2.40 GHz - $224 - $235 - $234
• E6420 - 2.13 GHz - $183 - N/A - $199
• E6400 - 2.13 GHz - $183 - $196 - $194
• E6320 - 1.86 GHz - $163 - N/A - $175
• E6300 - 1.86 GHz - $163 - $176 - $175
• E4400 - 2.00 GHz - $133 - N/A - $149
• E4300 - 1.80 GHz - $113 - $135 - $129

Despite the mild Q2’2007 price cuts, Intel plans to aggressively cut prices on its complete lineup in Q3’2007, with the exception of the recently launched Core 2 Extreme QX6800. Under the Q3’2007 pricing, the Core 2 Quad Q6600 falls to $266 per unit, in 1,000 unit quantities. Intel also plans to release refreshed Core 2 Duo processors with 1333 MHz front-side buses ranging from $163 to $266 per unit, in 1,000 unit quantities.

DailyTech

Intel says new chips will be about 45% faster

Intel Corporation said a new line of computer processors due out later this year will greatly speed up running computer games, videos and other heavy workloads. The world’s biggest microchip maker, which powers about 75% of computers, said the new Penryn processors will have the same basic design as current ones, but the circuitry will be 30% thinner — just 45 millionths of a millimetre wide. The Penryn would be the world’s first 45 nanometer processor, said Patrick Gelsinger, the general manager for Intel’s digital enterprise group. The new processors will hit the market later this year, but Gelsinger did not provide a timeline.

“In high-performance computing and bandwidth intensive applications ... there will be up to a whopping 45 percent performance increase,” which in a prototype Penryn chip with four processing cores translated into 40% faster performance in computer games and video processing, while more mundane tasks such as image processing ran about 15% faster, Gelsinger said. The successor to Penryn, a family of chips known as Nehalem, will make their debut in 2008 with an overhauled design and featuring up to eight processing cores. Intel also reiterated plans to build graphics capabilities into Nehalem processors, a sign that it is mounting a challenge to Advanced Micro Devices Incorporated’s Fusion project, scheduled to come out in early 2009.

source: MSNBC

Intel's MID Platform as Alternative to UMPCs

Just over a year ago, Microsoft and Intel announced the Origami platform which would lay the foundation for Ultra-Mobile PCs (UMPCs). UMPCs were supposed to retail for between $599 to $999 and were based around the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. "We believe that (ultra-mobile PCs) will eventually become as indispensable and ubiquitous as the mobile phone today," said Microsoft VP Bill Mitchell in March of 2006.

The prices never did quite dip into the $599 USD range and UMPCs never did quite live up to initial sales forecasts (Samsung has sold fewer than 100,000 units of its Q1), but the market is still pushing forward. As manufacturers like Samsung, Asus and HTC are working on second generation UMPC designs which run on Windows Vista; it looks as though Intel is looking to take the "bigger than a Smartphone, smaller than a laptop" sector in a different direction. Intel posted two slides on its website ahead of IDF Beijing which detail the new Mobile Internet Device (MID) platform.

source : DailyTech

Intel Launches Core 2 Extreme QX6800

Intel has announced the quad-core Core 2 Extreme QX6800, a CPU which clocks in at 2.93 GHz, matching last summer’s dual-core flagship X6800. The chip features 8MB of L2 cache and an unlocked upper multiplier for overclocking goodness. As with the previous Core 2 Extreme QX6700 and Core 2 Quad Q6600, the new QX6800 shares the 65nm Kentsfieldcore. Unsurprisingly, the world’s largest CPU manufacturer prices the new top of the line quad-core processor fairly high: at $1199, however, aggressive Q3’07 price cuts will drop the cost down to $999. The new Core 2 Extreme QX6800 is Intel’s fourth consumer quad-core processor, whereas AMD isn’t set to introduce its upcoming Barcelona quad-core architecture until later this year. Intel expects to introduce 45nm Penryn-based processors in the second half of 2007.

source: DailyTech

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHz Processor Review

When choosing an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, do your homework because cache size varies between models. For example mainstream oriented Core 2 Duo's come with 2MB of L2 cache, where as high end models have 4MB L2 cache. Tests have shown many times over that cache size makes a significant impact on overall performance.

All things considered equalled, enthusiasts like you are no doubt most attracted to the Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 because it offers the best mix of cache size and clock speed. The dual-core processor runs on a 1066 MHz FSB, comes clocked at 2.4 GHz and most importantly has a massive 4MB of L2 cache! The E6600 processor is built on Intel's 65 nanometer manufacturing process and comes in the Socket 775 form factor.

The Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 has a retail price of $354 CDN ($313 US, £164 GBP). The chip contains technologies like SSE3, Virtualization Technology (VT) and Enhanced Intel Speed Step Technology (EIST).

Full Review @ PCSTATS