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Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Intel cancels Auburndale and Havendale CPU/GPU hybrid chips

Planned chips axed

Whether it was the stimulating state of the world economy, or whether it was due to a change of strategy at Intel, for whatever the reason, it appears that they have canceled plans to release two new processors: Auburndale and Havendale.
Both of these were hybrid processors: able to handle regular CPU stuff in addition to handling graphics as well. AMD still plans to go in this direction, with their line of code-named Fusion processors, due to hit the market in approximately 2011.
Auburndale and Havendale were planned to be 45nm chips that each had two hyper-threaded processing cores, with an GPU stuck on the die. The graphics core was to be serviced by a Quick Path Interface, and all the cores were to be helped by a 4MB L3 cache. The Havendale was destined to be a desktop part; the Aburndale, for notebooks.
This is speculation, but it appears that Intel may be planning to counter AMD's Fusion CPU/GPU processors with cheap 32nm quad core CPUs and their upcoming discrete graphics processor currently in development (codenamed Larrabee.) Larrabee has been rumored to be ready for public release sometime in early 2010.

2 Duo until 2011, Core 2 Duo E8700 @ 3.5GHz soon

Intel has been telling its partners that Core 2 Duo's and Quads are here to stay until 2011 for the mainstream and value segments; and that it intends to do a refresh to some of its chipsets to support DDR3-1066 .
P45 already had DDR3 support, but G45 did not - so G45 is getting DDR3 and some more media support; however I personally think most people will stick to DDR2, as with an FSB based Core 2 system, there really is little gain with DDR3, so the lower cost DDR2 makes more sense.
In another bit of news, a 3.5GHz Core 2 Duo E8700 was apparently listed in Belgium for E259 - that is a seriously fast stock speed for a Core 2, and it has 1333MHz FSB, 6MB of L2 cache and 65W TDP.

AMD Set to Release DDR3-Capable Processors

Advanced Micro Devices will soon introduce processors that are capable of supporting DDR3 memory, earlier than the company had anticipated.
The company in the next few weeks will launch new processors targeted at desktops that will include DDR3-capable memory controllers, said John Taylor, an AMD spokesman.
Taylor declined comment on specific processors being launched, though a leaked road map suggests the launch of new Phenom II and triple-core processors.
The support for DDR3 memory comes earlier than anticipated. Late last year the company said it aimed to add DDR3-capable Phenom II processors by the middle of 2009, but could push that up depending on factors including pricing of the memory.
Compared to current DDR2-capable processors, the new DDR3-capable chips will allow information from the memory to be communicated to a CPU faster, which translates to better PC performance. To run DDR3-capable processors, the company will introduce the AM3 socket for motherboards.
"The people who want the latest and greatest will want to use DDR3 memory," Taylor said.
AMD's decision to switch to DDR3 memory is to make CPUs faster so it can effectively compete with Intel in the high-end PC and server markets, said Dean McCarron, president of Mercury Research, a market analysis firm.
"When we make changes in PC architecture, it is because it's either faster or cheaper," said McCarron. For AMD, the decision was technical rather than financial, but the enhanced competitiveness could yield a financial benefit to AMD in the long run, McCarron said.
Intel's Core i7 processor for gaming systems, launched in November, already supports DDR3 memory. Intel is also adding DDR3 support to chips for portable products like laptops.
However, given AMD's inherent price advantage compared to Intel's products, price-sensitive buyers may initially oppose the high prices of DDR3 memory modules, McCarron said. As of early January, a 1GB DDR3 memory module running at 1333MHz was priced at $35, versus $12 to $14 per unit for a 1GB DDR2 unit.
"This is completely normal for technology. As the volume ramps [DDR3 memory prices] will come down," McCarron said.
Motherboard companies like Asus have already announced AM3-compatible motherboards, setting the stage for AMD to launch its new DDR3-capable processors, which could include new Phenom II processors. The new CPUs will include a DDR2- and DDR3-capable memory controller, allowing it to work with older motherboards with DDR2 memory.
AMD earlier this year launched new quad-core Phenom II processors, which the company called its "highest-performing" CPUs to date. Aimed at high-end desktop PCs, the chips ran at speeds of up to 3GHz and included 8MB of cache.
However, the Phenom II chips are capable of even faster clock speeds under certain circumstances. For example, the processors have been overclocked to run at speeds of up to 6.5GHz on liquid-cooled systems and up to 4GHz on air-cooled systems.

Asus Boasts 9.5-Hour Battery Life In Latest Netbook

Asustek on Monday introduced an Eee PC netbook that the company claims offers a faster Intel Atom processor with the ability to run 9.5 hours on a single battery charge.
Asustek is taking preorders for the 1000HE through its Facebook site, which requires a membership to the social network to access. People who order through Asustek's group get $25 off the system's manufacturer suggested retail price of $400. The computer maker didn't say when the system would ship.
According to Asustek's promo site, the 1000HE is powered by an Intel Atom N280, which has slightly better performance than the previous N270 chip. In addition, the chip consumes a maximum of 2.5 watts, which contributes to the longer battery along with an LED backlit LCD screen.
The system has a keyboard that's 92% the size of a standard keyboard and sports a 10-inch display. The machine weighs 3.2 pounds and ships with Bluetooth and 802.11n Wi-Fi support. The 1000HE also comes with a 160-GB hard disk drive and 10 GB of online storage at no additional charge.
The new mini-laptop includes Asus' Super Hybrid Engine, which allows people to control the CPU to lower performance to conserve power. To achieve 9.5 hours of battery life, the user would likely have to lower CPU performance, dim the screen, and turn off the system's Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and camera, according to the gadget blog Gizmodo.
Asustek launched the netbook category with the release of its first Eee PC in the fall of 2007. Since then, every major computer maker, including Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), Dell (Dell), and Lenovo, has begun offering competing products. Netbooks are the fastest-selling segment of the PC market. Shipments of the lightweight, ultraportables are expected to quadruple to 139 million units in 2013 from 35 million this year, according to ABI Research. The mini-laptops typically have screens of 10 inches or smaller, run either Windows or Linux, and cost less than $500. Many machines cost as little as $300.

Asus Boasts 9.5-Hour Battery Life In Latest Netbook

Asustek on Monday introduced an Eee PC netbook that the company claims offers a faster Intel Atom processor with the ability to run 9.5 hours on a single battery charge.
Asustek is taking preorders for the 1000HE through its Facebook site, which requires a membership to the social network to access. People who order through Asustek's group get $25 off the system's manufacturer suggested retail price of $400. The computer maker didn't say when the system would ship.
According to Asustek's promo site, the 1000HE is powered by an Intel Atom N280, which has slightly better performance than the previous N270 chip. In addition, the chip consumes a maximum of 2.5 watts, which contributes to the longer battery along with an LED backlit LCD screen.
The system has a keyboard that's 92% the size of a standard keyboard and sports a 10-inch display. The machine weighs 3.2 pounds and ships with Bluetooth and 802.11n Wi-Fi support. The 1000HE also comes with a 160-GB hard disk drive and 10 GB of online storage at no additional charge.
The new mini-laptop includes Asus' Super Hybrid Engine, which allows people to control the CPU to lower performance to conserve power. To achieve 9.5 hours of battery life, the user would likely have to lower CPU performance, dim the screen, and turn off the system's Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and camera, according to the gadget blog Gizmodo.
Asustek launched the netbook category with the release of its first Eee PC in the fall of 2007. Since then, every major computer maker, including Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), Dell (Dell), and Lenovo, has begun offering competing products.
Netbooks are the fastest-selling segment of the PC market. Shipments of the lightweight, ultraportables are expected to quadruple to 139 million units in 2013 from 35 million this year, according to ABI Research. The mini-laptops typically have screens of 10 inches or smaller, run either Windows or Linux, and cost less than $500. Many machines cost as little as $300.

New round of Intel CPU price cuts

Intel's latest round of price cuts:
Core 2 Quad changes: (all 1333FSB, 45nm)
$316 Q9650 (3.0GHz, 12M L2) was $530
$266 Q9550 (2.83GHz, 12M L2) was $316
$213 Q9400 (2.66GHz, 6M L2) was $266
$183 Q8300 (2.5GHz, 4M L2) was $224
$163 Q8200 (2.33GHz, 4M L2) was $193
NEW $369 Q9550s (2.83GHz, 12M L2)
NEW $320 Q9400s (2.66GHz, 6M L2)
NEW $245 Q8200s (2.33GHz, 4M L2)
Core 2 Duo changes: (all 1066FSB)
$113 E7400 (2.8GHz, 3M cache) was $133
NEW $133 E7500 (2.93GHz, 3M cache)
Pentium Dual Core changes: (all 800FSB)
$74 E5300 (2.8GHz, 2M L2) was $86
$64 E5200 (2.5GHz, 2M L2) was $84
$64 E2220 (2.4GHz, 1M L2) was $74
NEW $84 E5400 (2.8GHz, 2M L2)
Celeron Dual Core: (800MHz FSB)
$43 E1400 (2GHz, 512K L2) was $53
Mobile Core 2: (1066MHz FSB)
$209 P8600 (2.4GHz, 3M L2) was $241
Xeon quad core changes: (1333FSB)
$316 X3370 (3GHz 12M L2) was $530
$266 X3360 (2.83GHz 12M L2) was $316
$266 X3350 (2.66GHz, 12M L2) was $316
$224 X3330 (2.66GHz, 6M L2) was $266
There were also some Mobile Celeron (single core price cuts) ranging from 19%-48%

New Xeon Chips From Intel Surface on Retail Sites

Online retailers are taking orders for Intel's new Xeon server chips, providing early details of the new Nehalem-based processors ahead of the company's official launch.
On Monday, retailers were listing on their Web sites new quad-core chips from the Xeon 5500 series with speeds between 2.0GHz and 3.2GHz. These chips belong to the Nehalem EP series of server chips for dual-socket servers and workstations, which Intel described in a product road map.
The new Xeon chips are based on the Nehalem architecture, which incorporates QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) technology to speed up server performance. QPI integrates a memory controller and provides a faster pipe for the CPU to communicate with system components such as graphics cards. The new chips cut out some bottlenecks of Intel's earlier chip microarchitectures to improve system speed and performance per watt.
Each of the four cores will be able to execute two software threads simultaneously, running eight threads at the same time for quicker application performance.
The chips being offered by retailers include the quad-core Xeon W5580 processor, which runs at 3.2GHz, and quad-core Xeon X5500-series processors running between 2.66GHz and 2.93GHz. The Web sites lists the chips with 8MB of shared L3 cache.
The Xeon W5580 is priced at US$1,785 on retailer Keenzo Electronics' Web site and for $1,679 by Tech Micro. The Xeon X5500 series of processors is priced between $1,000 and $1,650.
Retail sites also listed Xeon E5500 series chips running between 2.0GHz and 2.53GHz. The Xeon E5504 and E5506 chips include 4MB of shared L3 cache and are priced between $250 and $320 from online retailers. The Xeon E5520, E5530 and E5540 chips include 8MB of L3 cache and are priced between $400 and $800.
Intel plans to launch the chips later this quarter, a company spokesman said, declining further comment.
Provantage is listing a ThinkStation D10 workstation based on the Xeon E5540 processor for $4,184.
Intel earlier released its first Nehalem-based processors with the Core i7 chips for high-end gaming desktops in November. The chip maker intends to scale down the Nehalem architecture for other chips that will go into mainstream desktops and laptops later this year. Intel will also integrate graphics capabilities in the CPU down the line, which should bring more power efficiency to laptops.
The new Xeon chips will compete in the server space against AMD's quad-core Opteron chips, code-named Shanghai. AMD launched Shanghai chips last year and added more chips to the lineup last week. AMD's Shanghai chips run at speeds varying from 2.1GHz to 2.8GHz.

AMD "Neo" = K8 rebranded

Sometimes, something new is actually something old
AMD needed a new mobile product to compete in netbooks - and it looks like it reached into the past, and pulled forward the old K8 design. The AMD Neo appears to be a single core K8 device running at 1.6GHz with 512KB of L2 cache - nothing to write home about, performance wise, however the TDP is only 15W - still about 7x the TDP of a single core Atom.

3.16GHz Xeon (Penryn) soon


that Intel will be launching a new, higher speed, 45nm Core 2 Quad Xeon, the X3380 before March.
The current top dog, the X3370, runs at 3.0GHz, and its price was recently (Jan.18) dropped from $525 to $317 in OEM quantities - making room on the top for the X3380, presumably at $525
It is quite possible that the X3380 will be the last Core 2 Quad Xeon, as the Nehalem based Xeons are supposedly on the way.

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus coming spring in 2009

New installment adds extra content over original Accent Core
Publisher Aksys Games has announced a new Guilty Gear title, slated to arrive this spring on PSP, PlayStation 2, and Nintendo Wii.
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus will have new content on top of the original found in Guilty Gear XX Accent Core, including veteran fighters Kliff Undersn and Justice. More balances and bugs have been rectified, and all characters will now be unlocked upon start-up with individual stories that pick up where Guilty Gear XX left off.
"Never has there been a fighting game where so much attention to character balance exists," said Michael Manzanares, Aksys Games producer. "Guilty Gear veterans will definitely find themselves immersed once again with the new story and survival modes."
Manzanares isn't joking. There's a ton of new stuff in Accent Core Plus. Guilty Gear fans can expect new modes of play on top of the story continuation.
• 2 COMBATANTS RETURN TO THE BATTLE!Accent Core Plus marks the return of fan favorites Kliff Undersn and Justice, rounding out the cast of 25 playable characters.• ALL NEW STORY MODE CREATED SPECIFICALLY FOR GGXXACP!Discover the back story to all of your favorite characters in the Guilty Gear mythos, with fully-voiced dialogue.• FIGHT TO SURVIVE!Level up your character's abilities and traits in the re-tuned Survival Mode.• TEAM BATTLE ROYALE!Create a three-man team in Versus Mode to find out which characters are the ultimate Guilty Gear team-up.

Gigabyte EX58-UD5 Motherboard Review & Overclocking


we look at Gigabyte's X58 based motherboard: the GA-EX58-UD5.
Gigabyte is promptly featuring their "2 oz" copper printed circuit board, and they also want you to know that they use Japanese solid state capacitors and low RDS Mosfets.
In the past, high end Gigabyte motherboards have tended to be very good overclockers - will the GA-EX58-UD5 continue this trend?

The back of the white (and shiny) packaging gives more information about the motherboard - but it is basically a nice high end X58 based motherboard for Core i7 processors; it certainly is not short of features.

Here are the specifications, straight from Gigabyte's own web site:
CPU
1. Support for an Intel® Core™ i7 series processor in the LGA 1366 package(Go to CPU Support List for the latest CPU support )
2. L3 cache varies with CPU
QPI
1. 4.8GT/s / 6.4GT/s
Chipset
1. North Bridge: Intel® X58 Express Chipset
2. South Bridge: Intel® ICH10R
Memory
1. 6 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 24 GB of system memory (Note 1)
2. Dual/3 channel memory architecture
3. Support for DDR3 2100+/1333/1066/800 MHz memory modules
(Go to Memory Support List for the latest memory support list.)
Audio
1. Realtek ALC889A codec
2. High Definition Audio
3. 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
4. Support for Dolby® Home Theater (Note 2)
5. Support for S/PDIF In/Out
6. Support for CD In
LAN
1. 2 x Realtek 8111D chips (10/100/1000 Mbit)
2. Support for Teaming
Expansion Slots
1. 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16 (PCIEX16_1/PCIEX16_2) (Note 3)
2. 1 x PCI Express x8 slot, running at x8 (PCIEX8_1) (Note 4)(The PCIEX16_1, PCIE16_2 and PCIEX8_1 slots support 2-Way/3-Way NVIDIA SLI/ATI CrossFireXTM technology and conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard.)
3. 1 x PCI Express x4 slot
4. 1 x PCI Express x1 slot
5. 2 x PCI slots
Storage Interface
South Bridge:
1. 6 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors (SATA2_0, SATA2_1, SATA2_2, SATA2_3, SATA2_4, SATA2_5) supporting up to 6 SATA 3Gb/s devices
2. Support for SATA RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10
GIGABYTE SATA2 chip:
1. 1 x IDE connector supporting ATA-133/100/66/33 and up to 2 IDE devices
2. 2 x JMB322 chips (Smart Backup):
o 4 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors (GSATA2_0, GSATA2_1, GSATA2_2, GSATA2_3) supporting up to 4 SATA 3Gb/s devices (Note 5)
o Support for SATA RAID 0, RAID 1 and JBOD
iTE IT8720 chip:
1. 1 x floppy disk drive connector supporting up to 1 floppy disk drive
IEEE 1394
1. T.I. TSB43AB23 chip
2. Up to 3 IEEE 1394a ports (1 on the back panel, 2 via the IEEE 1394a brackets connected to the internal IEEE 1394a headers)
USB
1. Integrated in the South Bridge
2. Up to 12 USB 2.0/1.1 ports (8 on the back panel, 4 via the USB brackets connected to the internal USB headers)
Internal I/O Connectors
1. 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
2. 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
3. 1 x floppy disk drive connector
4. 1 x IDE connector
5. 10 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors
6. 1 x CPU fan header
7. 3 x system fan headers
8. 1 x power fan header
9. 1 x North Bridge fan header
10. 1 x front panel header
11. 1 x front panel audio header
12. 1 x CD In connector
13. 1 x S/PDIF In header
14. 1 x S/PDIF Out header
15. 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers
16. 2 x IEEE 1394a headers
17. 1 x power LED header
18. 1 x chassis intrusion header
19. 1 x power switch
20. 1 x reset switch
Back Panel Connectors
1. 1 x PS/2 keyboard port
2. 1 x PS/2 mouse port
3. 1 x coaxial S/PDIF Out connector
4. 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector
5. 1 x IEEE 1394a port
6. 1 x clearing CMOS switch
7. 8 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
8. 2 x RJ-45 ports
9. 6 x audio jacks (Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out/Rear Speaker Out/Side Speaker Out/Line In/Line Out/Microphone)
I/O Controller
1. iTE IT8720 chip
H/W Monitoring
1. System voltage detection
2. CPU/System/North Bridge temperature detection
3. CPU/System/Power fan speed detection
4. CPU overheating warning
5. CPU/System/Power fan fail warning
6. CPU/System fan speed control (Note 6)
BIOS
1. 2 x 8 Mbit flash
2. Use of licensed AWARD BIOS
3. Support for DualBIOS™
4. PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.0, SM BIOS 2.4, ACPI 1.0b
Unique Features
1. Support for @BIOS
2. Support for Q-Flash
3. Support for Dual BIOS
4. Support for Download Center
5. Support for Xpress Install
6. Support for Xpress Recovery2
7. Support for EasyTune (Note 7)
8. Support for Dynamic Energy Saver Advanced
9. Support for Time Repair
10. Support for Q-Share
Bundle Software
1. Norton Internet Security (OEM version)
Operating System
1. Support for Microsoft® Windows® Vista/XP
Form Factor
1. ATX Form Factor; 30.5cm x 24.4cm

AMD Phenom II X4 (Deneb) 940 Launch


Introducing the Phenom II 940
Deneb is finally here.
The original 65nm Phenom took its sweet time to market, and frankly, underwhelmed us compared to Intel's Penryn.
The TLB bug did not help.
AMD must have pulled out all the stops in bringing the "K10.5" aka Deneb as quickly as possible, but it was still later than everyone (except Intel) would have liked.
The Phenom II 940 - and the Phenom II 920 - are the first two 45nm Deneb processors that are being released by AMD - and AMD is finally hitting the clock speeds it was originally intending for the 65nm parts, with the Phenom II 920 coming in at 2.8GHz and the Phenom II 940 running at 3.0GHz.
Ok, so what's different between the Phenom X4 and the Phenom II?
Geometry shrink to 45nm (from 65nm)
L3 shared cache increased to 6MB (from 2MB)
L3 cache 2 cycles faster than on previous Phenom
increased DRAM bandwidth
cores flush L1+L2 caches to L3 on halt to save power
path based indirect branch prediction
double the bandwidth for in-core probing
larger load/store and floating point buffering
reduced missed buffer lifetime
improved LOCK pipelining
floating point register-to-register MOV improvements
What does all of the above boil down to?
faster, larger L3 cache
more memory bandwidth
slightly faster core
Now for the technical specifications:
AMD Phenom II X4 920: 2.8GHz (14x200) multiplier-locked
AMD Phenom II X4 940 BE: 3.0GHz (15x200) multiplier-unlocked
45nm DSL SOI (silicon on insulator) technology
approx. 758M transistors
approx. 258mm2 die size
max case temp of 62'C
L1 cache: 64KB code + 64KB data per core (512KB total)
L2 cache: 512KB unified code/data per core (2MB total)
L3 cache: 6MB shared unified code/data cache
dual 64-bit memory channels can be ganged to 128 bits
Memory Controller: Supports up to DDR2-1066 and DDR3-1800 up to 17.1GB/sec
one HT3.0 link, 1.8GHz 16 bit in / 16 bit out, up to 14.4GB/sec
940 pin grid array
Vcore between 0.875-1.5V
Max 125W TDP
made in Fab 36, Dresden, Germany

Intel postpones P55 chipset & Lynnfield CPU

If you were hoping to get a P55 board with a shiny new mainstream Lynnfield (Nehalem derived) CPU in July, you can forget it.
If you are lucky, you may see it end of August, if not, September - or later.
In this poor economy, with motherboard manufacturers sitting on piles pf P4x chipset motherboards, Intel has done the smart thing and postponed the launch of some of their planned new products - however much it may displease us from a "shiny new toy" perspective, we can understand it.
Intel has had a 90% drop in profits, and a 25% drop in revenues (which means it took a BIG hit on its profit margins) last quarter, and it has to regroup a bit.
Fortunately motherboard markers are still scheduled to get Lynnfield and P55 samples in February, so we should still see a bunch of different boards once the chips are released.

intel on Track with Processors Featuring Graphics Core in 2009.

Intel to Roll Out Processors with Graphics Cores This Year

Despite some over-conservative expectations and reports, Intel Corp. is on track to release its central processing units (CPUs) with integrated graphics cores this year, the company said during its most recent conference call with financial analysts.
Answering the question from Hans Mosesmann – an analyst from Raymond James, a financial services holding company – Stacy Smith, chief financial officer of Intel, said that the code-named Havendale processor with integrated graphics core for desktop and mobile computers will be available “in the second half” of this year.
Intel’s Havendale processor is a multi-chip module (MCM) in LGA1160 form-factor containing Nehalem micro-architecture-based dual-core CPU in addition to graphics and memory controller hub (GMCH) that features dual-channel DDR3 memory controller, PCI Express 2.0 x16 interface to connect add-on graphics cards as well as integrated graphics core. It is projected that both chips on the MCM are made using 45nm process technology.
Since Havendale CPU line has memory controller as well as PCI Express interconnection inside, there will be no need for GMCH (or North Bridge) on the mainboard. Instead, the new processors will connect directly to code-named Ibexpeak platform controller hub (PCH) that will carry hard drive controller, wired and wireless network controllers, monitor physical interfaces, PCI controller and other input/output as well as platform-related capabilities.
Earlier some web-sites reported that Intel’s processors featuring integrated graphics cores will only be out in 2010. Still, even despite the fact that Mr. Smith said that the chips will ship for revenue in 2009, it remains to be seen, whether products on their base will emerge this year.
“You can expect volume production of Nehalem into mainstream price points for desktops and notebooks in the second half of this year,” said Paul Otellini, chief executive of Intel.

Atom N280 netbooks coming

Intel is preparing to start shipping Atom N280 + GN40 chipsets to netbook manufacturers.
Asustek, Acer and Gigabyte are expected to introduce netbooks based on the new chips sometime between the second and third quarter of this year. While performance gains are not expected to be spectacular, there should be some improvement due to the faster FSB (667MHz vs. 533MHz) and presumably the GN40 chipset will be less power hungry than the 945GSE Intel has been trying to get rid of. There is no change in CPU frequency (1.66GHz).
The price for the cpu + chipset combination is expected to be $14-$19 higher, with the new set costing $60-$65 (compared to the old 945GSE+Atom270 at $46)

Multi-Core Processors Outpacing Key Business Software

The relentless doubling of cores per microprocessor chip will drive total processor counts in upcoming generations of servers well beyond levels for which key business software has been engineered, a market research firm said Wednesday.
Technologies that will be affected by this evolution include operating systems, middleware, virtualization tools, and other applications, Gartner said. As a result, companies and other organizations will be faced with "difficult decisions, hurried migrations to new versions and performance challenges."
Looking at the specifications for these software products, it is clear that many will be challenged to support the hardware configurations possible today and those that will be accelerating in the future," Gartner analyst Carl Claunch said in a statement. "The impact is akin to putting a Ferrari engine in a go-cart; the power may be there, but design mismatches severely limit the ability to exploit it."
On average, organizations get double the number of processors in each chip generation about every two years, Gartner said. The increase is accomplished through some combination of more cores and more threads per core.
For example, this year's 32-socket, high-end server with eight-core chips in each socket would deliver 256 processors. In two years, with 16 processors per socket expected in the market, the machine swells to 512 processors total. Four years from now, the server would host 1,024 processors.
Gartner said organizations need to pay attention to this evolution because there are limits on the ability of software to make use of all this horsepower.
"Most virtualization software today cannot use all 64 processors, much less the 1,024 of the high-end box, and database software, middleware, and applications all have their own limits on scalability," Claunch said. "There is a real risk that organizations will not be able to use all the processors that are thrust on them in only a few years time."
Gartner points out that software programs have both hard and soft limits on the number of processors they can effectively handle. The hard limit is within the product documentation. The soft limit, however, can only be uncovered through word of mouth or real-world cases. Due to characteristics of the software design, application performance could decline as more processors are added.
"Most virtualization software today cannot use all 64 processors, much less the 1,024 of the high-end box, and database software, middleware, and applications all have their own limits on scalability," Claunch said. "There is a real risk that organizations will not be able to use all the processors that are thrust on them in only a few years time."

Intel Denies Trying To Derail AMD Spin Off

Intel (NSDQ: INTC) on Friday denied claims from rival Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) that the larger rival is trying to derail AMD's plans to spin off its manufacturing operations.
The two companies started trading barbs Thursday when AMD sent an e-mail pointing news organizations to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that disclosed AMD had received a formal letter from Intel requesting a meeting on the current cross-licensing agreement between the rivals.
Intel contends that the separate manufacturing company AMD plans to form with the Advanced Technology Investment Co., formed by the Abu Dhabi government, would not be covered under the agreement, and the two companies need to enter negotiations to come up with a separate deal. AMD, on the other hand, believes the spin-off qualifies as a subsidiary, which would be covered under the agreement.
"We believe that the letter is another attempt by our competitor to cause uncertainty as we approach our Asset Smart deal closing next month," AMD spokesman Drew Prairie said in the e-mail. Asset Smart is the marketing term AMD uses for its spin-off strategy.
Intel on Friday denied it was trying to stop AMD's plans with ATI. The letter was meant as a formal request for a meeting, since AMD has ignored Intel's other requests, an Intel spokesman told InformationWeek.
"Intel has not and does not intend to block or any other way hinder the formation of the Foundry Co.," the Intel spokesman said. "What we're concerned about is the licensing rights."
He insisted that Intel is looking to settle the disagreement. "We certainly would be open to discussion and finding a way to resolve this," he said.
The Foundry Co. is the temporary name of the business AMD plans to open with ATI next month. The manufacturing company would handle AMD's processor production, as well as that of other chip-design firms. AMD would have a 34.2% stake in the company with ATI controlling the rest. AMD would receive $700 million from ATI in the deal.
AMD sent the e-mail the same day it reported a $1.4 billion loss in the fourth quarter and a 33% drop in revenue, which the chipmaker blamed on the slump in the PC market brought on by the global economic downturn. While AMD's loss was large, it was narrower than the same quarter a year ago.
Intel last week reported that fourth-quarter profits plunged 90% and revenue fell 23% as a result of the economic slowdown.

AMD Rounds Out 45-Nm Opteron Line

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) on Monday launched low-power and high-end 45-nanometer Opteron server processors, rounding out the product line that previously offered only mainstream chips.
The latest chips, all quad-core, cover two-, four-, and eight-socket servers and can plug into the same motherboards running AMD's older 65-nm Opterons, which means customers can get a speed boost without replacing hardware, Brent Kerby, senior product marketing manager for AMD, told InformationWeek. A BIOS upgrade is needed for the new chips.
AMD's new products are in the 2000 and 8000 series, which are for two-socket servers and four- and eight-socket servers, respectively. They also carry the designations SE and HE, which indicate high performance and low power, respectively.
The models and prices per chip in batches of 1,000 include the 2386 SE, $1,165; the 8386 SE, $2,649; the 2376 HE, $575; the 2374 HE, $450; the 2372 HE, $316; the 8376 HE, $1,514; and the 8374 HE, $1,165. The high-performing chips consume a maximum of 105 watts and the low-power models consume 55 watts. AMD's mainstream Opterons run at a maximum of 75 watts.
The HE processors have a maximum clock speed of 2.3 GHz, and the high-end products a maximum of 2.8 GHz. Faster models of the latter chips are scheduled to ship in the second quarter. AMD also plans to ship 45-nm Opteron processors tailored for cloud computing environments this year, but has yet to release details. In late 2009, AMD is scheduled to ship a six-core server chip.
The latest products deliver 44% better performance than previous generation Opterons of the same type, according to AMD. The chipmaker is hoping that customers with tight budgets in the economic slowdown will choose to swap the new chips with older models in the same hardware to take advantage of the higher performance while keeping the capital expenditure to a minimum.
"We believe IT managers are going to be a lot more conservative this year," Kerby said.
The latest models introduce new power-saving capabilities that will be part of all future 45-nm Opterons. The features include so-called CoolCore technology that shuts down portions of the processors' L3 cache that aren't being used. In addition, there's a PowerCap manager that allows IT pros to go into a server and select a lower power level for the chips, trading lower energy consumption for less performance. The new feature is accessible through the BIOS setup, Kerby said.
AMD launches its new products in a tough economic environment that has hammered all segments of the PC market. The slump contributed to a 33% drop in revenue for AMD in the fourth quarter of last year. AMD rival Intel also has been hit hard, reporting that revenue fell 23%. Global PC sales fell in the fourth quarter for the first time in six years, according to IDC. Shipments dropped 0.4% from a year ago and 2.5% from the third quarter. The decline followed a half-dozen years of rising shipments, with the last five averaging increases of 15%.

Intel Set to Detail Octa-Core Xeon Processor at Forthcoming Conference.

Intel Corp. will disclose details regarding its Intel Xeon processor with eight cores at the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) that will be held in San Francisco, California, from the 8th to the 12th of February, 2009. This will be the first time that Intel will discuss its eight-core chips in detail and it is also likely that the company will unveil its approximate time of availability.
According to the official description of the session where Intel plans to announce details regarding the new processor, the 8-core 16-thread enterprise Intel Xeon processor based on code-named Nehalem micro-architecture has 2.3 billion transistors and is made using 45nm process technology. The chip that is known under Beckton code-name will have four point-to-point quick path interconnect links to connect to other processors as well as system I/O operating at up to 6.4GT/s. Like all Nehalem-class chips, this processor for expandable systems will feature built-in memory controller, which will have four channels. The processor will require a new platform with LGA-1567 sockets.
It is interesting to note that currently available code-named Bloomfield (Intel Core i7) processor features 731 million transistors, yet it has four cores, 1MB of L2 cache (256KB per core) as well as unified 8MB L3 cache. Considering the fact that the enterprise-class eight-core Intel Xeon chips have three times more transistors, it is highly likely that their cache sizes will be dramatically larger - some sources point to 24MB - and certain additional performance enhancements may be implemented.
When Intel showcased its code-named Nehalem microprocessor at Intel Developer Forum Fall 2007, the company indicated plans to ship its eight-core Xeon microprocessors in 2008.
“At the largest configuration that we'll ship in 2008, they'll be an eight-core product. Eight core on one die, and each core will have two threads. So, each eight-core die will be supporting 16 threads,” said Paul Otellini, chief executive officer and president of Intel Corp., at that time.
Recent confidential documents by Intel seen by X-bit labs did not contain any mentions of the octa-core chips designed for expandable enterprise-class systems due in 2009. Moreover, Intel also did not have plans to update the existing Intel Xeon 7400-series family of processors with four or six processing engines this year.

Intel Prepares Assault with 35W Quad-Core, Dual-Core Processors for Desktops

Intel Readies Broad Lineup of Ultra Low Power Processors for Desktop Computers
In addition to low-power quad-core processors for desktop computers, Intel Corp. also intends to release a broad family of chips with 35W thermal envelope designed for small form-factor, yet high-performance, desktop systems. The processors will be the same as the company’s mobile offerings in terms of specs, but will be compatible with desktop infrastructure.
As reported earlier, the first breed of 35W chips for high-performance desktops made using 45nm process technology will be released already this month, whereas additional chips will be added into family on the 28th of December, according to certain documents. The family of ultra low-power chips for desktop computers will include both dual-core and quad-core central processing units, which are projected to be compatible with rather rarely available FCPGA6 infrastructure.
Last year Advanced Micro Devices released a broad lineup of desktop processors with 35W or 45W thermal envelopes, but the company has not updated that family for some time now and many chips have become outdated.
Even though the line of Intel’s 35W chips consists of microprocessors developed for mobile computers and it was not hard for Intel to start offering the very same chips in FCPGA6 form-factor for desktops, the new products may face demand from numerous system builders and end-users, who are looking forward truly high-performance PCs in very small form-factors. Since AMD is unable to supply up-to-date offerings with 35W power consumption, Intel’s line will have no rivals on the market and the CPUs will not be very affordable.
Diversification of the product mix will also help Intel to boost its revenues and profits amid global economic downturn.