AMD Delays Bulldozer Processors to 2011.

Advanced Micro Devices on Thursday said that the company had reset plans for the launch if its new micro-architecture code-named Bulldozer and the first truly next-generation processors will only emerge in 2011. This slightly contradicts the optimism caused by comments of the company’s chief executive officer, who promised to “ramp up” the first chips produced at 32nm node in mid-2010.
“Our guidance for the Bulldozer CPU core was reset to expect test silicon in late 2010 and product in 2011,” said Damon Muzny, a spokesperson for AMD, in a brief conversation with X-bit labs.
Dirk Meyer, chief executive officer and president of AMD, said in a recent interview that the company expected to ramp up the manufacturing of central processing units (CPUs) using 32nm process technology sometime in mid-2010. Since Mr. Meyer said back in early 2008 that the first samples of processors featuring code-named Bulldozer micro-architecture will be made using 45nm fabrication process would be out in 2009, the claim regarding the ramp up of chips at 32nm node caused expectations that Bulldozer processors will be out earlier than expected. However, this is not correct.
The first processor in the Bulldozer family is code-named Orochi and it has more than four cores, more than 8MB of cache and supports DDR3 memory. The Orochi chip will be made using 32nm process technology and is currently due in 2011. Another interesting chip due in 2011 is code-named Ontario, which has two general-purpose x86 cores, built-in graphics processing engine, 1MB of cache and DDR3 memory support. The chip will be based on the code-named Bobcat micro-architecture, which is projected to be very power efficient, and will also be among the first "Fusion" processors that combine x86 and graphics processing on the same chip.
"In case you're wondering, Ontario is Bobcat," Mr. Muzny said to emphasize the micro-architecture of the Ontario chip.
Bulldozer is the next-generation micro-architecture and processor design developed from the ground up by AMD. It is expected that the next-generation micro-processors will offer considerably higher performance than current-generation chips. AMD Bulldozer CPUs will also feature SSE5 instruction set.
The Sunnyvale, California-based microprocessor developer badly needs principally new CPU micro-architecture to recapture performance crown from Intel Corp. and win back market share. It remains to be seen whether AMD manages to be competitive on the market with existing Phenom II/Deneb microprocessors for nearly two years from now. Considering that the end-user demands are rising rapidly, it may be logical for AMD to refresh existing offerings with faster chips sometimes in 2010. However, the company naturally remains tight-lipped regarding such granularity of its plans.

Intel LGA1156 motherboards at CeBIT 2009`

The dual-channel version of Nehalem sports a new chipset: the P55
The lower-end Nehalem chips will be available soon. The new socket 1156 motherboards have invaded CeBIt show. This is great news for those who the price on Nehalem systems retained them to make the switch; these will likely cost less than the X58 tri-channel motherboards.
What you see here is an MSI G9P55-DC P55 board and a Biostar I55 P55 board, each with only four DIMM slots. The socket is also different than its bigger brother in that it has only three retaining screws. And as you probably already knew, the number of pins also went down from 1366 to 1156; since the memory controller is now integrated into the processor for Nehalem architecture, the decreased number of pins is allowed because there are two less DIMM slots.
So how will this chipset perform? If I recall the P35 and P45 chipsets, these were excellent overclockers. Will their successor be all the same? This is what we will know soon, when the reviews start to pop up on the Internet.

Intel Takes nVidia To Court But May Play Nice

I'd never have picked Intel as a company not to hold grudges, but it seems the CPU giant can be quite reasonable towards those it takes to court...
Yesterday that company was nVidia as Intel "seeks to have the court declare that NVIDIA is not licensed to produce chipsets that are compatible with any Intel processor that has integrated memory controller functionality, such as Intel's Nehalem [Core i7] microprocessors and that NVIDIA has breached the agreement with Intel by falsely claiming that it is licensed."
Should Intel get its way however then comes this:
"I wouldn't rule out a renegotiation if we win the suit," admitted Intel spokesperson Chuck Mulloy to our former sister site Bit-tech. "There are options available to us and re-negotiating the license is one of them." He added "The other options we have are confidential at this time and we're not willing to discuss them."
So, if we are to get this right: Intel is angry at nVidia for what it sees as the GPU monolith overstepping the mark and messing with its intellectual property BUT should it prove this to be the case in a court of law then it may well allow nVidia to proceed anyway. Kind of a we're-trying-to-make-a-point-lawsuit then?
So nVidia, time to start shaking. After all, if you win the libel then you win and if you lose the libel you may well still win. Gotta love those odds...

Acer launches 10-inch Aspire One

Acer is showing off its new Aspire One at CeBIT 2009 - the 10-inch model. It is equipped with a 10-inch WSVGA LED backlit screen with a native resolution of 1024x600.

The specs are the same as the majority of netbooks: that is an Intel Atom coupled with the 945GSE Express chipset. The big difference though is that it supports a max of 2GB of memory, whereas the 8.9-inch version was limited to 1.5GB. A memory card slot has also been removed -- most likely the 'memory extension' one since it sports a 160GB hard drive. This new notebook comes preloaded with Windows XP, and there is no mention of Linux. With a 6-cell Li-ion battery, it's said the Aspire One can reach up to 6.5 hours of battery life, for a reasonable weight of 2.9lbs.
For people interested, it can already be found on many e-tailers.

Meet Socket AM3: AMD Phenom II X4 810 CPU

AMD announced the first CPUs in Socket AM3 form-factor. Let’s see how Phenom II processors can benefit from the use of DDR3 memory and meet another quad-core CPU from the company that stands for maximizing price-to-performance ratio

AMD continues launching new processors on their 45nm Deneb core. And today they are announcing several new models for the mainstream price segment. It means that the Phenom II X4 940 and 920 models we have already reviewed before remain the top offerings in the new AMD product lineup. Now, however, the company’s positions will be strengthened with a few additional processors manufactured using more advanced production process. To be more exact, today AMD announces three 45nm quad-core Phenom II X4 processors - 910, 810 and 805 models, and two similar triple-core CPUs – Phenom II X3 720 and 710. However, the major intrigue of the today’s launch is not the availability of a few new solutions with very attractive price-to-performance ratio. The much more interesting thing about these models is that all of them are designed in new Socket AM3 form-factor.
I would like tore mind you that the main reason for the transition of AMD processors to new Socket AM3 platform is the support of more up-to-date higher-speed DDR3 SDRAM. However, these Socket AM3 processors remain compatible with the existing Socket AM2+ infrastructure. So, it turns out that the new Phenom II models have a universal memory controller that can work with DDR2 as well as DDR3 SDRAM depending on the mainboard it is installed in. In fact, it is not surprising at all: we all remember very well how easy it was for the mainboard makers to roll out solutions supporting DDR2 SDRAM but based on X-series LGA775 chipsets designed for DDR3 SDRAM. Continuity of standards explains why DDR2 and DDR3 protocols are so similar on the logical level. As a result, engineers have the ability to implement support of both standards at a minimal cost.
AMD, however, does everything possible to convince us that we shouldn’t expect too much from the new processor socket and DDR3 SDRAM. Yes, DDR3 SDRAM does work at higher frequencies; however, it also has increased latencies, which are known to have serious effect on AMD platforms performance. I believe that is why AMD decided not to transfer top Phenom II processors to the new Socket AM3 platform just yet: they are still available exclusively for Socket AM2+. So, at this time only mainstream models can boast being compatible with the new Socket AM3 form-factor. And frankly speaking, the ability to work with faster and more expensive memory is not that crucial for them.
Besides the absence of any significant performance improvement, there must be some very good reasons for the Phenom II X4 940 and 920 processors launched only a month ago to be incompatible with the new Socket AM3 platform. And the reasons actually become evident once you take a closer look at the specifications of the new processor models announced today. The thing is that when AMD started moving over to a new processor socket form-factor, they also decided to give their solutions more competitive TDP. All new processors launching today have 95W TDP instead of 125W TDP as the top Phenom II models. All quad-core Intel processors from the Core 2 Quad family have the same TDP. However, it looks like this TDP parity between LGA775 and Socket AM3 will not last long. Within the next two-three months AMD is going to launch several new processor models that will be faster though less economical than Phenom II X4 810 and 910.

Are integrated graphics processors headed for extinction?

The trend is not expected to affect the add-in market for graphics cards that boost graphics processing in higher-end PCs, analysts with Jon Peddie Research suggest.

Are today's popular graphics processor chipsets integrated into PC motherboards headed for extinction? Chipmakers are now embedding the technology into the same silicon as the microprocessor, giving credence to the claim, a market researcher said Wednesday.
The integrated graphics processor, or IGP, has been used for years in desktops, laptops, and a variety of embedded systems, such as point-of-sale and signage systems and set-top boxes. In 2008, 67% of the graphics chips shipped were IGPs, which have seen 15 years of stellar growth, Jon Peddie Research said in a report titled "The Future Of Integrated Graphics."
By 2011, however, the percentage of IGPs will fall to 20%, and by 2013, it will be less than 1%, Peddie says. But contrary to popular belief, the trend will not affect the add-in market for graphics cards that boost graphics processing in higher-end PCs. In fact, hybrid configurations will arise where embedded graphics enhance sales of add-in GPUs.
Between 2010 and 2012, there will be three choices for graphics: GPUs mounted on add-in cards for motherboards, IGP chipsets, and microprocessors sharing silicon with embedded graphics, Peddie says. One or more of the devices will be in PCs.
Eventually, market share of the options will shift as IGP suppliers, such as Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD), Intel (NSDQ: INTC), Nvidia, Silicon Integrated Systems, and VIA, find demand for the chipsets diminishing, Peddie says.
Market maneuverings are already under way by the vendors. Nvidia is strengthening its high-end graphics card with its CUDA development tools for building applications that can tap the GPU's processing power. On the mobile side, Nvidia has introduced the Tegra platform, which relies on an ARM processor and Nvidia graphics.
Tegra moves Nvidia into competition with Intel, which is also moving graphics processors next to the CPU. Intel plans to start producing microprocessors with graphics chips on the same piece of silicon in the fourth quarter.
AMD, on the other hand, is planning to release its first integrated CPU/GPU on a single die in the second quarter of 2011, Peddie says. AMD has competed with Nvidia for a while through the former company's ATI graphics unit.
VIA has yet to disclose its plans, but the chipmaker and its S3 graphics subsidiary are trying to challenge Intel on price in key emerging markets such as mini-laptops, also called netbooks.
The first IGP was Sun Microsystems (NSDQ: JAVA)' LEGOS, which was released in 1989 for the company's Sparc processor. The first IGP for the PC was introduced by Silicon Integrated Systems for Intel processors in 1997.

Intel Gets Help Putting Atom Into More Gadgets

While expanding Intel's potential, the TSMC deal is an attack on companies making competing processors for smartphones and other handheld computers.


Intel (NSDQ: INTC) on Monday said it's collaborating with semiconductor manufacturer TSMC to deliver technology that would drive Intel's low-cost, low-power Atom processor into a broader set of gadgets ranging from smartphones and mobile Internet devices to mini-laptops.
The collaboration, called a "memorandum of understanding," has TSMC using its hardware designs, manufacturing processes, and intellectual property in combination with Atom and Intel chipsets, executives from both companies said Monday in a teleconference with reporters and analysts. The result would be new products that Intel would sell to consumer electronics and computer manufacturers.

"We will be picking the [market] segments," said Sean Maloney, chief sales and marketing officer for Intel. Maloney declined to say when the Intel-TSMC hardware would be available. The deal does not have Intel providing TSMC with any of its manufacturing processes, which are primarily geared toward making processors for desktops, laptops, and servers.
In general, Intel is hoping TSMC can take Atom into consumer electronics, smartphones, and mobile Internet devices, which fit somewhere between an advanced cellular phone and a mini-laptop, also called netbooks. Because Atom consumes too much power for use in smaller devices, it's mostly used today in netbooks.
Intel, however, is working on a new Atom-based platform, code-named Moorestown, that's designed for smartphones and MIDs. The platform comprises a system-on-chip code-named Lincroft, which integrates an Atom processor, a graphics processor, memory controller, and video encoder/decoder. The product is scheduled for release in late 2009 or in 2010.
Intel needs TSMC, which stands for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., because Intel does not have manufacturing capabilities for customizing a full-set of technologies to fit the many different device designs for non-PCs. "TSMC has the ability to manufacture a much wider range of chips than Intel does," John Spooner, analyst for Technology Business Research, told InformationWeek "Working with TSMC gives them access to a much broader set of device categories."
While expanding Intel's potential market for Atom, the TSMC deal is also a "direct attack" on companies making competing processors for smartphones and other handheld computers, such as ARM, Jack Gold, analyst for J.Gold Associates, said in an e-mail. ARM, which makes chips for the popular Apple iPhone, is trying to take its processors into larger devices from handsets and other gadgets, while Intel is moving in the opposite direction.
"The battleground in the middle will be aggressive and potentially bloody, with huge potential returns," Gold said.
Intel could also use TSMC for building Atom-based platforms that support WiMax, a next-generation wireless broadband technology for handheld devices and PCs, Gold said.
Intel, which uses TSMC today for other wireless chips, is investing billions of dollars in the promotion and development of WiMax globally. Financial details of the latest Intel-TSMC deal were not disclosed.
The latest announcement followed last month's announcement by Intel that it would spend $7 billion over the next year on manufacturing facilities in the United States to produce its next-generation 32-nanometer processors, which will be the company's first to incorporate graphics technology and a memory controller on the same piece of silicon as the main processor.

Apple Updates Mac Pro With Quad-Core Xeon

Mac Pros make up a small portion of Apple's overall Mac sales, and people who buy them seldom switch to workstations running Microsoft Windows.

Apple on Tuesday introduced a refresh of the Mac Pro that features Intel (NSDQ: INTC)'s latest quad-core Xeon processors and a $300 price cut.
The processor upgrade, along with a new internal system architecture, delivers up to twice the performance of the previous-generation Mac Pro, according to Apple. To make the high-end professional system more attractive in the current hard economic times, Apple lowered the starting price to $2,499.
"The new Mac Pro is a significant upgrade and starts at $300 less than before," Philip Schiller, Apple's senior VP of worldwide product marketing, said in a statement.
While the price cut is likely to be welcomed by customers, it's unlikely to have much of an impact on sales, since the Mac Pro is not a price-sensitive product, Ezra Gottheil, analyst for Technology Business Research, told InformationWeek. Professionals who need a new system and have the budget will buy one. Those who can't afford it will wait until economic times get better.
Mac Pros make up a small portion of Apple's overall Mac sales, and people who buy them seldom switch to workstations running Microsoft Windows.
"I don't think there's a competitive issue here," Gottheil said. "Apple is bringing the price closer in line with PC workstations, but they're not looking for a straight-up comparison."
On the technical side, Apple has given a big boost to the graphics capabilities in the Mac Pro, as well as in its latest refresh of the consumer-oriented iMac and Mac Mini, also introduced Tuesday.

AMD SPINS OFF GLOBALFOUNDRIES CHIP MAKING UNIT

GlobalFoundries is expected to start manufacturing next-generation 32-nanometer processors by the middle of next year.
GlobalFoundries, the chip-manufacturing spin-off of Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD), officially opened for business Wednesday and laid out its preparations for moving to next-generation 32-nanometer products.
The joint venture of AMD and Advanced Technology Investment Co. said it will expand its Dresden, Germany, manufacturing capacity by bringing a second facility online in late 2009. Called Fab 1, the Dresden complex will dedicate one of its two facilities to making 45-nm chips, which AMD is in the process of transitioning its products to, and the other to 32-nm processors.
The numbers refer to the size of the microprocessor circuitry. The smaller the size, the more transistors can be placed on a piece of silicon, which translates into much higher performance without increasing power consumption. The move to 32-nm is seen as the next big jump in processor performance. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter.
GlobalFoundries, which will be AMD's main manufacturer, also plans to begin construction this year on a 32-nm manufacturing facility at the Luther Forest Technology Campus in Saratoga County, N.Y. Called Fab 2, the facility is expected to employ 1,400 people. GlobalFoundries, headquartered in Silicon Valley, Calif., currently employs 3,000 people worldwide.
AMD's larger rival Intel also is preparing its fabrication plants, or fabs, for the move to 32-nm chips. The company last month said it would invest $7 billion in the United States over the next two years to upgrade existing fabs for production of the next-generation technology. Intel (NSDQ: INTC) plans to start making 32-nm products in the fourth quarter of this year, while AMD expects GlobalFoundries to do the same by the middle of next year. The manufacturer, however, hasn't disclosed a production timetable.

Nvidia Retorts Intel's Ion Claims

Proving that it too can work PowerPoint, Nvidia has churned out a counter to Intel's anti-Ion campaign - with thanks again to bit-tech for the head's up - explaining why Nvidia reckons Intel is barking up the wrong tree.

Nvidia's document follows similar tactics to Intel, criticising the "4-year old 3-chip design" employed in Intel's platform. Nvidia's "modern 2-chip design," on the other hand, uses 55 per cent less area while also offering 10 times the performance. The gaming and CUDA-computing power of Ion's GPU cited as particular benefits.
As you might recall, Intel has already countered Nvidia's arguments in favour of Ion's superior performance, saying "neither gaming nor video transcoding are relevant to netbook and nettop users." Nvidia's challenge, it seems, will be to convince OEMs and consumers that is important.
Nvidia also points out that while Intel's next generation Atom offerings will offer improved performance, it still won't allow the, to compete with Ion and will 'force' customers to adopt an all-Intel solution. No doubt a major reason that Ion 2 will support VIA Nano CPUs as well as Atom - should Intel allow the latter's use.
Intel's power-use claims are also disputed, Nvidia calling the maximum theoretical draw (i.e. each platform's TDP) a "very poor measurement" - which it is to an extent. Nvidia's testing of a 945GSE-based system offering two hours, 40 minutes of batter life, versus two hours, 31 minutes for one using Ion in MobileMark 2007. Or, to put it another way, a negligible difference in real-world power consumption.
Let's make this simple folks; both Intel's own Atom platforms and Ion have their places. OEM's should use whichever suits the target audience for the products in which they are to be used best. Is that so hard?

Nvidia Boasts $99 HD-Capable MIDs

Not to call Nvidia's plans ambitious, but it latest promise of $99 MIDs capable of playing Full HD video while also lasting days between charges seems just a tad far fetched. Nonetheless, such capability is what the Tegra 600 Series system on a chip (SOC) is designed to provide.

The chips - as there are two flavours offering slightly different abilities - were announced at Computex last year, but Nvidia has now partnered with ST-Ericsson to add 3G to the mix.
Nvidia also reckons to have limited a possible downside of the Tegra platform; is its inability to run full versions of Windows, as the ARM11 CPU embedded within Tegra chips can't execute x86 code. To overcome that Nvidia has a "complete software solution including Microsoft Windows Embedded CE OS, application viewers, full Internet browser, UI framework, board support package (BSP), software development kit (SDK), Web mail client, and more" on offer for any manufacturers adopting Tegra.

Nvidia Reveals x86 CPU Plans

Rumours have circulated for ages that Nvidia might make an x86 CPU to compete with offerings from the likes of AMD and Intel and it looks like they might prove true. Speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology Conference, Nvidia's senior vice president of investor relations and communications, Michael Hara, divulged that the company will likely look to enter the x86 CPU business in the next couple of years.
Asked whether Nvidia would look to compete in the general microprocessor market, Hara replied: "the question is not so much, I think, if; I think the question is when." Hara clarified that Nvidia would be unlikely to take on ts rivals' mainstream products, commenting: "If you look at the high-end of the PC market I think it's going to stay fairly discrete, because that seems to be the best of all worlds." Instead, Nvidia would focus on system-on-chip (SoC) solutions as "a highly integrated system-on-chip is going to make sense."
There isn't a firm timescale on such a development, though Hara suggested that "two or three years down the road I think it's going to make sense" but adding: "we won't talk much more about what we think about that timeframe, but there's no question it's on our minds."
Such speculation is all well and good; Nvidia already has SoC solutions using ARM CPUs, and it seems likely that tweaking those designs to accommodate an x86 processor wouldn't be particularly complicated. However it does gloss over the slight issue that Nvidia doesn't own an x86 license, which it needs if it wants to sell a CPU.
Whether Intel would let Nvidia built an x86 processor or not remains to be seen. Still, it's an interesting proposal, if nothing else.

Intel Pushes Atom Chip Beyond Pcs

The latest models include industrial temperature options, as well as different package size choices better suited for embedded industries

Intel (NSDQ: INTC) has introduced Atom processors that take the low-power chips into new markets, including in-car infotainment systems, Internet-based telephones, and other non-PC devices.
The Z500 series makes the Atom useful for applications other than mini-laptops, also called netbooks. The ultraportable systems with screen sizes of 10 inches or less have accounted for most Atom sales to date.
Intel (NSDQ: INTC) has introduced Atom processors that take the low-power chips into new markets, including in-car infotainment systems, Internet-based telephones, and other non-PC devices.
The Z500 series makes the Atom useful for applications other than mini-laptops, also called netbooks. The ultraportable systems with screen sizes of 10 inches or less have accounted for most Atom sales to date.

Microsoft experiments with Atom-based low-power servers

One of the biggest issues of running servers is of course the tremendous electricity consumption, which can be a lot more expensive than the server itself.
Hence, Microsoft is now experimenting with Atom-powered servers as a possible solution for a more efficient energy use. The Atom N270 - used in most netbooks - has a thermal design power (TDP) of only 2.5W. This means keep a server cool becomes less of a concern. Jim Larus, Microsoft Research Director of Software Architecture, further explains:
Of course, the Atom is a lot less powerful than a Xeon, but a bunch of these Atom processors could achieve the same processing power for a lower power consumption. In terms of performance, a single-core Atom is comparable to a Pentium 4 clock-for-clock, but the power consumption is night and day. For a quick comparison, the average Pentium 4 has a thermal design power of 84W. Since Atom is designed for netbooks, it can quickly switch between sleep and active state, unlike desktop processors.
Different variations of the Atom processor have interesting features for servers as well. For example, the Atom 230 and 330 are EM64T enabled. The dual-core Atom also benefits of Hyper-Threading Technology like all others so it has four threads, which can still offer a nice performance. The Atom Z520, Z530 and Z540 are virtualization enabled.
Another advantage to Atom-based systems is lower cost. To give you a quick idea, the average netbook costs around $400 to the end-user. Now, remove the screen, keyboard, touchpad and all other non-essential hardware in a server and the cost will decrease considerably.
However, Intel is not too enthusiatic with the Atom-core and prefer to continue selling the Xeon due to its higher cost.

Intel briefing: 32nm, Westmere and more

Unfortunately we were not able to attend Intel's San Francisco briefing in person yesterday, but we were able to "virtually" attend thanks to the teleconference and press materials.Intel will invest an additional seven billion dollars on top of the billion it already invested for 32nm manufacturing technology in the US. The new investment will be used to upgrade Intel fabs:
Fab 11x in New Mexico
Fab D1C, D1D and AF) in Oregon
Fab 22-32 in Arizona
The Tick-Tock Development model was then highlighted, showing how Merom (tock), Penryn (tick) and Nehalem (tock) are now leading to Westmere (tick) to be later followed by Sandy Bridge (tock)

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 Review & Overclocking

Today we are looking at an Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 - a 'value' quad core CPU.
The Q8300 is a 45nm Penryn derived part, and consists of two dual core die's in an MCM (multi-chip module) module like all other current Core 2 Quad processors. By contrast, the Core i7 has all four cores on a single die.
There are basically three variants of the 45nm Core 2 Quad:
6MB of L2 cache per die (12MB per MCM)
3MB of L2 cache per die (6MB per MCM)
2MB of L2 cache per die (4MB per MCM)
In a nutshell, the more L2 cache a chip has, the faster it will run software - so Intel prices the processors by a combination of L2 cache size and frequency; however there is a potential price advantage to parts with a smaller L2 cache, as it allows Intel to use a smaller die, thus getting more dies per wafer, instead of disabling part of a larger cache.
Theoretically, with a smaller die, the 45nm Core 2 Quad Q8300 ought to be a great overclocker - unfortunately the rather low multiplier of 7.5 will drastically limit the overclocking potential of the chip due to its normal 1333MHz FSB.
We will be comparing the Q8300 to the following processors:
Core i7 920
Core 2 Quad QX9770
Q8200
Phenom II X4 940
Phenom II X4 810
Phenom X4 9950
My main focus for this look at the chip is to see how it would performs in terms of value for the dollar.
Specifications:
Product Family: Intel® Core™2 Quad Processor Code Name: Products formerly YorkfieldLaunch Date: Q4'08 Mfg Availability: 2+ YearsLithography: 45 nm Number of Cores: 4L1 Cache: 4 x 32KB I cache, 4 x 32KB D cache L2 Cache: 2 x 2 MB FSB: 1333MHz Clock Speed: 2.5GHz (7.5x333) Intel® Virtualization Technology: No Intel® 64 Architecture: Yes Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology: YesExecute Disable Bit: YesIntel® Trusted Execution Technology: NoPackage Size: 37.5mm x 37.5mm Tcase: 71.4°C Max TDP: 95 Watts Core Voltage: 0.962V-1.225V 1k Estimated Price: $183.00

Intel will launch new Atom N280 early

I'd bet that the netbook makers have been pressuring Intel to bring out a chipset for the Atom that can do HD playback.
Digitimes reports that Intel will be launching the Atom N280 and the GN40 chipset earlier than previously thought - in the middle of this month.
The Atom N280 is a minor tweak of the N270 - it runs at 1.66GHz (instead of 1.6GHz) and has a 667MHz FSB (instead of 533).
The GN40 chipset has a better GPU than the 945GC and can reportedly play 720p video with an Atom.

Processor news... bye bye QX9770 & QX9650, hello Lynnfield & 45nm X2

In a move that will surprise no one, Intel is rumoured to be taking the axe to the Core 2 Quad Extreme QX9770 and QX9650. Given that much faster Core i7 systems can be built for less money - especially for the overclocking crowd - this decision is entirely logical and appropriate.
Intel is also rumoured to be introducing a 65W TDP Lynnfield in Q1 2010, targeting the HTPC and small form factor market. No doubt it will also show up in larger laptops. The qustion is - what will the clock speeds and price be?
Meanwhile, AMD is apparently playing it smart, and not sitting on its laurels. AMD is rumoured to be introducing a 45nm 6MB L3 cache Athlon X2 processor based on the Phenom II design, code named "Callisto". There is no clock speed or price information yet, however it is expected to launch in Q2 of this year. This chip is a followup to the 65nm Phenom based AMD Athlon X2 7750, which it may replace.

Demand for triple-core AMD CPUs surge on reports that fourth core can be unlocked

According to Digitimes, motherboard makers have reported that sales of triple-core AMD Phenom II X3's have received a big boost in the last few days, following news that all four cores can be unlocked.
In what might have a been a very crafty marketing maneuver on AMD's part (or merely an opportunistic invention by motherboard makers), it turns out that certain new motherboards allow for the unlocking of 4 cores, on 3 core Phenom II's chips, with some simple changes in the BIOS.
Whether you'll be able to unlock a fourth core depends a bit on your luck of the draw. While this has been reported to work with many X3 chips, including ones from the Phenom II X3 710 and 720 Black Edition series, not all chips will be able to unlock, and even if you can unlock a fourth core, it may not be stable.
The fourth core can be unlocked by using the advanced clock calibration tool found in the BIOS of some AMD 790GX + SB 700 motherboards.

AMD unveils plans for 32nm processors

Number two processor maker AMD officially announced plans for their next generation 32 nanometer manufacturing process. The newly fashioned CPUs are said to be ready for wide availability in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Just like their recent shift to 45nm, the new technology will allow for faster, more energy efficient chips and will most likely introduce a brand new architecture. Quite possibly, these new processors will be what AMD has codenamed "Fusion" and will integrate a graphics processing unit onto the same package. This should help them in their attempt to keep the pace with main competitor Intel, who has been enjoying making their life hard for the last two years.
Even though AMD is losing massive amounts of money every quarter, this move is made possible by the split of the design division, which will remain AMD, and the manufacturing division which will officially become the Foundry Company next week; ATI remains untouched in this deal.
AMD's largest foe, Intel, is on track to ship 32nm processors by the end of this year.

Coolermaster to show 53 GHz computer

Coolermaster is known for their cases, power supplies and various cooling solutions, but there are so many companies in that market that if they want to stand out they need to come up with great and sometimes silly ideas.
This story is more about the latter - why not take a full tower chassis like the ATCS 840, apply a custom paint job and stuff five motherboards in it.
The motherboards used are Intel's DQ45EK which comes in mini-ITX form factor and processors are 2.66 GHz quad cores. Now where does the 53 GHz figure come from? The math is rather simple, five systems, each with four cores clocking in at 2.66 GHz and you end up with a mind numbling 53 GHz.
The system will be shown at Coolermaster's booth next week at CeBIT in Hannover