AMD gets OpenGL ES 2.0 certification

The Kuma confused AMD has now proudly announced that it has become the first graphics technology provider to obtain OpenGL ES 2.0 conformance certification. OpenGL ES 2.0 is the latest version of Khronos Group's royalty-free, cross-platform API aimed for embedded systems, including consoles, phones, appliances and vehicles.

"We are pleased to be the first technology provider to achieve OpenGL ES 2.0 certification from the Khronos™ Group," said Mikko Saari, senior director of design engineering for AMD’s Handheld division. "This underscores our commitment to building and nurturing the mobile gaming ecosystem to thrill consumers while providing our OEM customers and the mobile gaming community with a competitive advantage."

OpenGL ES 2.0 combines a version of the OpenGL Shading Language for programming vertex and fragment shaders that has been adapted for embedded platforms, together with a streamlined API from OpenGL ES 1.1 that has removed any fixed functionality that can be easily replaced by shader programs, to minimize the cost and power consumption of advanced programmable graphics subsystems.

The OpenGL ES 2.0 conformance test suite review was based on the AMD Z430 developer's kit.
source: www.tcmagazine.com

Intel and WiMAX 4G Open Patent Alliance

Hoping to get WiMAX widely embraced as soon as possible Intel, together with Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Clearwire, Samsung Electronics and Sprint have teamed up in order to form the Open Patent Alliance (OPA).

This new entity promotes an open intellectual property rights model which is hoped to eventually bring lower equipment and service prices for the 4G broadband wireless technology we know simply as WiMAX.

OPA, which is planning to get on board an additional six to nine investor companies will form a WiMAX patent pool which will see the six companies get access to patent licenses at 'predictable costs' plus it will act as a central hub for WiMAX intellectual property rights topics.

For more info please visit openpatentalliance.com.

AMD ups the ante with four new Opteron processors

It certainly took a while but AMD has now finally introduced some higher-end Opteron CPUs, the SE series. The new releases include four quad-cores aimed made specially for 4-socket and 8-socket x86 servers and clocked at 2.4 and 2.5 GHz.

The Opteron is AMD's x86 server processor line, and was the first processor to implement the AMD64 instruction set architecture (known generically as x86-64). It was released on April 22, 2003 with the SledgeHammer core (K8) and was intended to compete in the server market, particularly in the same segment as the Intel Xeon processor. Processors based on the AMD K10 microarchitecture (codenamed Barcelona) were announced on September 10, 2007 featuring a new quad-core configuration.

"Today, the performance benefits of the new Quad-Core AMD Opteron SE processor built on AMD’s Direct Connect Architecture and HyperTransport technology can help IT managers improve application performance and scalability of memory and data intensive workloads at a fraction of the cost," said Patrick Patla, director, Server and Workstation Business, AMD. "This is a significant benefit for customers looking to consolidate their datacenter or those interested in moving from proprietary hardware to x86 servers for mission critical software, such as database applications."

Set to soon be included in servers made by Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, Dell and IBM, the new CPUs are the Opteron 2358 SE (2.4 GHz), 2360 SE (2.5 GHz), 8358 SE (2.4 GHz) and 8360 SE (2.5 GHz). The price tags (in 1000-unit tray quantities) set for the SE Opterons are $1,165 (2360), $873 (2358), $2,149 (8360) and $1,865 (8358).

AMD increase the performance of Phenom

Taipei (Taiwan) - AMD has pulled a rabbit out of its hat to increase the performance of its existing Phenom triple-core (8000-series) and quad-core (9000-series) processors. Six “hidden pins” on the processors and chipsets are the secret, which, our sources told us, will enable simple overclocking through the southbridge – and accelerate the current processors on demand.

The name of the game is called “unlocking the multiplier”, which will be played with the SB700 and SB750 southbridge chips. If you are running an upcoming 2.8 GHz Black Edition CPU, a motherboard with the old SB600 model (RD690) will keep the processor cores operating at 2.8 GHz. However, if you have a motherboard with the SB700 chipset, you will receive a free upgrade to 3.0 GHz. And if you get a motherboard with a SB750 chip, your processor will run at 3.2 GHz, which matches the clock speed of the Athlon X2 6400+ - the highest clocked processor AMD ever offerred.

We have seen motherboards with 780G, 790FX and 790GX chipsets in ATX and mATX form factors, which all support this feature. Now it is up to AMD to execute and deliver a compelling user processor.

The actual overclocking is done either through the BIOS, a utility, or simply by pressing a physical button on certain motherboards. The release date of this technology is unknown, but we know that it will be available in time for the 790GX launch.

There you have it: An overclocking feature for AMD CPUs. It just does not get any more better than this. Now we just need to know how this overclocking feature will compare to Intel’s processors, how power consumption and heat dissipation will be affected and what that all means for AMD’s balanced platform marketing pitch.

(Source: Theo Valich - TGDaily.com)

Thermalright HSC-101 PC Case: Huge heatblock for the CPU

That's a photo of one side of Thermalright's prototype HSC-101 case, with a heatblock for the CPU. The other side looks identical, but it's for the GPU, and both sides can dissipate "150 Watts of heat".Thermalright also showed off another case with six huge fans in the front and back. [TG Daily]

AMD's R700 to embrace both GDDR3 & GDDR5

If everything goes smooth, AMD will unleash its dual-GPU R700 boards before this cruel summer ends. Hot on the heels of the Radeon HD 4850 and 4870 cards, R700 will feature two RV770 GPUs on one board and it seems that, unlike what happened with earlier this year, both the HD 4850 X2 and HD 4870 X2 come pretty much simultaneously.

The HD 4850 X2 and HD 4870 X2 will naturally come with similar features like PCI-Express 2.0, DirectX 10.1 support, 960 Stream Processors and 2x256-bit memory interfaces but will differ through working frequencies and the memory used. The Radeon HD 4870 X2 will go for GDDR5 with clocks likely to be lower than those of the single-GPU-ed HD 4870 while the HD 4850 X2 will utilize GDDR3 memory. No word on actual clocks though. We'll live.

Intel said to be unwilling to share USB 3.0 toys

Intel's apparently not too keen on other chipset makers building USB 3.0 - aka SuperSpeed USB - into their products. To that end, one website claims, the chip giant's not sharing its toys.

According to a story over at Fudzilla, it's being whispered around Taipei among the vendors gathered for Computex, that "at this time you cannot expect any USB 3.0 designs based on Intel's reference spec design from anyone but Intel".

The article's implication is clear: Intel is keeping all this stuff to itself for competitive advantage.

We'd say it's really too soon to say. For starters, the USB 3.0 specification isn't done and dusted yet - though it's due "mid-2008", according to past Intel prognostications.

The SuperSpeed USB roadmap

The timetable for the technology then calls for product development - chips that support the interconnect, and devices that'll use them to control ports - to run through well into 2009, with the first products going on sale round about that time.

USB 3.0 at the socket...

Widespread adoption of the technology isn't expected until 2010.

...and the connector

© The Register

AMD launches external graphics card box

AMD used the Computex show in Taipei this week to propose XGP - eXternal Graphics Platform, a slimline box you connect your GPU-lite laptop to when you need more graphics horsepower.

Fujitsu Siemens (FSC) was on hand to demo the concept with its Amilo GraphicBooster, an AppleTV-like unit with an AMD ATI Radeon HD 3870 GPU built in and hooked up to 512GB of GDDR 3 memory. The box can drive four displays simultaneously, the company claimed.

AMD's pitch is that users will be able to connect their slim'n'light laptops to an XGP, which will supply the level of graphical grunt that they don't need when they're on the move and, more importantly, running on battery power.

XGPs are designed to be hot-pluggable, the driver knowing about and enabling the use of the discrete GPU as soon as it's connected to the host.

With that multi-monitor support, XGP will undoubtedly also be pitched at businesses who want to give their laptop-equipped workers multi-display desktops.

Of course, this is the same notion companies like DisplayLink are peddling, but they're delivering multi-screen support over USB using the host system's GPU. AMD's approach - since it's in the business of selling more graphics chips - is to add a second GPU to the system.

That said, Fujistu Siemens has its eye on the consumer market - we understand it's pitching the technology to Dixons and other big retailers - as a way to allow ordinary punters to effectively upgrade their older laptops' graphics capabilities. The technology doesn't require an external monitor - the XGP can render images on the host laptop's own screen.

Yet another video connector for your laptop

Much will depend on the extent to which AMD pushes XGP as part of its 'Puma' notebook platform, and engages with bodies like the PCI SIG to turn XGP into a true standard. At that point, we might see all those Intel-based laptops taking on the technology.

© The Register

Intel fined $25m

Intel has been fined $25m (26bn Won) by the South Korean Fair Trade commission for breaching fair trade rules.

The chipmaker was found guilty of offering unfair subsidies to Samsung and Trigem Computer Inc if they promised to only buy Intel chips and froze out rival AMD.

But Intel dismissed the charges. Bruce Sewell, Intel general counsel, said the company was disappointed and "completely disagreed" with the verdict. The company is considering appealing the decision. Sewell said he did not feel regulators took full account of the evidence the chip giant offered.

Intel faces similar accusations in Europe where the European Commission is investigating the company's relationship with retailers. Back in February Competition Commission officials raided Intel and Dixons Store Group offices in Germany and the UK looking for evidence of unfair practises.

New York's Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is also investigating Intel, as well as AMD, over how they price their chips and how their chip exclusivity agreements with partners work.
© The Register

Intel SSD squeezes into sub-notebook sizes

Intel's new Z-P230 solid state drive (SSD) is positioned as a smaller and lighter replacement for 1.8in hard disk drives in Small, Cheap Computers.

It comes in 4 and 8GB capacity points with a 16GB version arriving in Q4 this year.

The device has a standard 40-pin ZIF parallel ATA (IDE) system interface and measures 54 x 38 x 4mm, which is a quarter of the volume of a standard 1.8in hard disk drive. It weighs 10g. The power draw is 1.65mW when idle and 314mW when operating.

The 1.8in hard drive market is being attacked by Intel, TDK and SanDisk. It's going to be a fiercely competitive market, and system OEMs should face energetic SSD sales people.

© The Register