Intel shows working 80-core processor

Last year, Intel announced a project to build a processor that would pack no less than 80 cores. While the idea may seem rather futuristic to some, the chip maker is reported to have already demonstrated the CPU at the Gitex Dubai trade show. Reports say that the Santa Clara based company wasn't shy at all at showcasing the processor, with the demonstration being made in the general public area outside of the trade show.

Intel shows working 80-core processor

As we all know, Intel has other multi-core projects in the pipeline, and Larrabee is one of them. However, the showcased processor was not Larrabee, but another CPU. The company is said to have started working on this CPU long before Larrabee came into play. The showcased CPU features 80 small cores, and is able to deliver 1 Teraflops of computing power. The 80-core chip is said to need only 78.35W of power, and that it features a 3.13GHz clock speed.

According to Fudzilla, Intel also detailed several other features of the CPU. The technology it comes with allows for almost all of the cores to be totally shut down when not needed. Also, it seems that the CPU can downclock all the way to 780MHz in such situations, and that the peak Teraflops performance will drop to 0.01. The CPU would only need 6.45W to compute the 4tile, 4x4 matrix mult withcomm equation.The research processor was built under the 65nm process and the company expects it to be ready for the market in the next five or seven years. It seems that Intel will come out with this eighty-core CPU as a part of the future line of sixteen, thirty two, sixty four CPUs, right before a ninety six-core version. The chip manufacturer considers the multi-core as being the near future for the CPU industry, although such an approach might sound rather idealistic.

Since the current multi-core processors are already facing problems concerning the lack of adequate software able to scale on a large number of cores, Intel should also consider conducting a research project in this area as well, so as to allow users to benefit from all the eighty featured cores.

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Intel Centrino 2 refresh said to arrive in April 2009

While the usual g33k is looking forward for the Nehalem-enriched Calpella, Intel is preparing to introduce a little update to its mobile platform before it. Planned for Q2 2009 and now expected to debut in April the Montevina (Centrino 2) refresh will see to the release of a couple of new 45nm Core 2 Duo processors, the T9900 and T8800, and will make use of the upcoming GM47 chipset, as well as the current GM45 and PM45.

The GM47 will be released in Q1 2009 and while most of its features are already found on the GM45, it will include an updated IGP dubbed 4700MHD. The GM47's graphics core is clocked at 640 MHz, as opposed to the 533 MHz of the GM45's IGP. The Montevina refresh may not be spectacular but it should keep laptop makers busy until Calpella will be ready for release.

Phenom 9950 Cracks The 4GHz Barrier On LN2

At the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, members of AwardFabrik.de managed to break 4GHz using liquid nitrogen cooling on an AMD Phenom 9950 processor. CPU-Z did not correctly validate the clockspeed however, and the AwardFabrik team are still unsure why this was the case.



Nevertheless, at a clock speed of 3952MHz, the team broke a SuperPi 1M record for AMD CPUs - 19.954 seconds - which is quite impressive for an AMD system considering SuperPi heavily favors the Core 2 architecture. Other hardware used included a Foxconn A79-S motherboard and an OCZ 1000W power supply.

Intel will soon change the overclocking scene with Core i7. Intel’s platform will finally lose its ancient Front Side Bus and adopt the QuickPath Interconnect for a high-bandwidth, point-to-point connection with the chipset which is dedicated to I/O traffic. The new interconnect will mean enthusiasts currently using Intel systems will have to break old habits and learn new methods to successfully overclock their CPU. This interconnect is reportedly quite temperamental when the reference clock is run much over its default speed of 133MHz, so this may pose problems for overclockers when using CPUs with upwards locked multipliers. Newer BIOS and motherboard revisions should improve stability of the QPI when overclocked.

SuperPi 1M may soon become obsolete with the current world record sitting at 7 seconds and quickly running out of headroom for faster times. Nehalem’s improved single-threaded performance when in Turbo Mode may push that world record further.

Nehalem for notebooks by the end of 2009

While Intel prepares itself for November's Core i7 launch, the first rumors on a mobile version of the quadcore chip have already appeared. Intel reports that the notebook version, codenamed Clarksfield, won't be taken into production until the second half of 2009

It's still unclear whether this date concerns the production of test versions, or the mass production of the final processor. This makes it impossible to say whether the CPU's will be released in the third or the fourth quarter of next year. Like the desktop version, this mobile Core i7 processor will be produced at 45nm and will feature an integrated DDR3 memory controller and advanced energy management. Whether the triple-channel DDR3 feature will make it to the notebooks isn't known yet.

Nehalem will be available for notebooks by the end of 2009

The new quadcore Clarksfield will be the base of the new Centrino platform, which is labeled on the roadmap as Calpella. This new processor will also require another chipset, the most likely being a mobile version of the still to be introduced P55 chipset.
When the Centrino platform was last updated, Intel introduced two 45nm quadcores for notebooks, so it's likely these will last until the mobile Core i7 is ready to follow them up.

Source: PC World

Intel cuts desktop CPU pricesIntel cuts desktop CPU prices

Preparing for i7

Intel has made the first in what may be a round cuts to the prices of its incumbent desktop range in anticipation of the arrival of Core i7 next month.

Its entry level 45nm quad core CPU - the Q8200 - has seen its price cut by 14 percent from $224 to $193. The Q6600, which was priced at $193, has had a tenner knocked off it to make room. Here's a table showing these and all the other price reductions, which we published by Intel last Sunday. Note it also includes a new Core 2 Duo CPU - the E7400:

Model	Previous price	New price	Change
Q8200	$224	$193	-14%
Q6600	$193	$183	-5%
E7400 (2.8GHz)	-	$133
E7300	$133	$113	-15%
E2220	$84	$74	-12%
E2200	$74	$64	-14%
X3220	$198	$188	-5%
X3210	$198	$188	-5%

Phenom 9950 BE 125W review

AMD's Phenom processor has been power hungry since it's release but that was stepped up even more when the Phenom 9950 was released with a 140W TDP, higher than other desktop CPUs on the market. This sent something of a stir into the enthusiast crowd whether justified or not for a processor with such a high power rating. Recently, however, AMD released a 125W version of the Phenom 9950 after improving the manufacturing process to replace the previous 140W version. Both are still on the market now and we thought we'd take a look at this new Phenom 9950 125W and compare it to the original 140W processor.

Model	Phenom 9950 BE 125W	Phenom 9950 BE 140W
Processor	AMD Phenom™ X4 Quad-Core
OPN Tray	HD995ZXAJ4BGH	HD995ZFAJ4BGH
OPN Pib	HD995ZXAGHBOX	HD995ZFAGHBOX
Operating Mode 32 Bit	Yes
Operating Mode 64 Bit	Yes
Revision	B3
Core Speed (MHz)	2600
System Bus Speed (MHz)	4000
Voltages	1.05-1.30	1.05-1.30
Max Temps (C)	61'C	64'C
Wattage	125 W	140 W
L1 Cache Size (KB)	128
L1 Cache Count	4
L2 Cache Size (KB)	512
L2 Cache Count	4
L3 Cache Size (KB)	2048
CMOS	65nm SOI

• Mother Board Foxconn 790GX
• CPU Various
• Video Card Radeon HD 4670
• Memory Corsair XMS Dominator 2GB
• Hard Drive Western Digital 750GB
• Case Tsunami Thermaltake
• Display Samsung 20" LCD Westinghouse W4207

Phenom 9950 BE 125W review

Phenom 9950 BE 125W review

Phenom 9950 BE 125W Conclusion:

We came in expecting perhaps a slight difference in power consumption between the 9950 BE 140W and the 9950 BE 125W of maybe 8-10W but ultimately we saw basically no difference between the two and only a slight a few degrees in temperature. Overclocking showed no variables between the two processors either. Though as mentioned this could be a unique case and given which processor to buy we'd still prefer the 125W Phenom 9950 BE over the 140W. That said if you see the 140W for much cheaper I wouldn't be afraid of it as long as your motherboard is rated for 125W processors. Hopefully we can see a larger dive in power consumption with the 45nm Phenoms do in the future but that is a little further down the line.

Phenom 9950 BE 125W Pricing:

The 125W Phenom 9950 BE can be had for $184. This is the cheapest price that we can find for both a 140W Phenom and 125W Phenom so it seems that the 125W Phenoms are quickly replacing the 140W

full review

Intel Core i7 920 940 965 Retail Boxes

Intel Core i7 920 940 965 Retail Boxes
Intel Core i7 920 940 965 Retail Boxes

Intel Core i7 920 940 965 Retail Boxes
Intel Core i7 920 940 965 Retail Boxes
Intel Core i7 920 940 965 Retail Boxes
Intel Core i7 920 940 965 Retail Boxes

source

AMD 45nm CPU Lineup Details to be revealed

At long last, power users have a plethora of performance numbers to ponder now that Intel has lifted its NDA on Core i7 benchmarks. But even though the first batch of benches show the new architecture living up to the hype, AMD isn't packing its bags and going home. On the contrary, the rival chip maker has a slew of 45nm chips coming out, starting this month.

Citing sources at un-named motherboard makers, DigiTimes reports AMD will launch a pair of 45nm quad-core desktop CPUs (Deneb) designed for AM2+ systems this month. The Phenom X4 20550 will come clocked at 3GHz and the 20350 at 2.8GHz. A series of 45nm triple-core chips are also on the way, though these won't start shipping until Q1 2009. These chips include the 14x00, 12x00, and 1xx00e series. On the high end, AMD plans to launch six 45nm quad-core Deneb chips and four entry-level Propus chips in the same time frame.All the new releases could potentially have AMD competing with its upcoming dual-core Athlon X2 processors. To prevent this scenario from playing out, AMD will delay shipping its 45nm AM3-based dual-core parts (Regor) until Q3 2009.

The new processors will also lead to price cuts within AMD's existing product line as the chip maker looks to clear its inventory. If you're an AMD-loyal, keep your eyes peeled for some tantalizing deals on Phenom processors this holiday shopping season and beyond

Intel phases out first 45 nm processors

Intel announced the immediate phasing out of the first 45nm processors, along with several 65nm models. These include Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Duo Mobile and one Core 2 Quad CPU. In addition, due to migration to the Santa Rosa platform and NAND flash technology, Intel has also discounted its 1GB Turbo Memory used in ReadyBoost.


Three 45nm products discontinued

According to Intel, "Market demand ... has shifted to higher performance Intel processors." When discontinuing a product, Intel typically gives its vendors several months to determine future needs and to place orders. Intel will be taking orders for CPUs this round until January 9, 2009, and will continue manufacturing and shipping products as late as May 7, 2010. Turbo memory orders will be taken until March 27, 2009 and shipped until June 26, 2009.

Intel first released 45nm products earlier this year in January. Already they are phasing out both PGA and BGA versions of three 45nm products including:

Q9450 (2.66 GHz 1333 MT/s, quad-core, 95 watt, LGA775, Yorkfield 45nm)
E8200 (2.66 GHz 1333 MT/s, dual-core, 65 watt, LGA775, Wolfdale 45nm)
E8190 (2.66 GHz 1333 MT/s, dual-core, 65 watt, LGA775, Wolfdale 45nm)


Mobile and desktop 65nm products being discontinued include:

E6850 (3.00 GHz 1333 MT/s, dual-core, 65 watt, LGA775, Conroe 65nm)
E6750 (2.66 GHz 1333 MT/s, dual-core, 65 watt, LGA775, Conroe 65nm)
E6550 (2.33 GHz 1333 MT/s, dual-core, 65 watt, LGA775, Conroe 65nm)
E6540 (2.33 GHz 1333 MT/s, dual-core, 65 watt, LGA775, Conroe 65nm)
E4600 (2.40 GHz 800 MT/s, dual-core, 65 watt, LGA775, Allendale 65nm)

T7400 (2.16 GHz 667 MT/s, mobile dual-core, 34 watt, Socket-M, Merom 65nm)
Celeron-M 530 (1.73 GHz mobile, 533 MT/s, single-core, 30 watt, Socket-M, Merom-1024 65nm)


1GB Turbo Memory and solid state drives

Intel first introduced Turbo Memory as a way to help PCs boot faster. During a demonstrating at Fall IDF 2005, a notebook was shown to be nearly instant-on with the technology. It was also rolled into OS technologies like Microsoft's ReadyDrive and ReadyBoost for Vista.Products first arrived in May, 2007. Intel later extended this technology with version 2.0 in July, 2008. Yesterday, Intel announced it will discontinue all 1GB modules. Intel originally introduced 512MB and 1GB modules.
via tgdaily

Core i7 dated for November 17th

Intel will launch its Core i7 processors at a press event in San Francisco on the 17th of this month and already we have pricing estimates sliding off whispering lips. Distributors buying in bulk will pay a modest $284 for the 2.66GHz Core i7-920, $562 for the 2.93GHz 940, and $999 for the 3.2GHz Extreme 965 -- consumers will pay more of course, but we don't know exactly how much. Even the 920 squarely defeated the Core 2 Quad Q9650 in benchmarks, and we'll admit we had fun playing with the 965 over the weekend. As for those of you who haven't been so lucky, your chance to run up that credit card debt is fast approaching.
source:TG Daily