AMD Releases X4 9950 BE - Intel laughs uncontrollably
July 1, 2008
AMD just released it’s X4 9950 Black Edition quad-core 2.6GHz processor. This is AMD’s top of the line desktop processor. It’s meant for enthusiasts that want to tweak and overclock. The 9950 is a mere 5% fast than AMD’s previous flagship (9850). In turn, this processor now matches Intel’s Q6600, making Intel laugh while pointing their green little fingers.
C’mon AMD! What happened to leading the pack in terms of new and innovative processors? If you keep lagging behind Intel we’ll be calling you Cyrix in a few months.
Intel’s Dunnington - Previewed
February 25, 2008
What is Dunnington?
Dunnington is Intel’s not yet released 45nm 6-core Xenon Processor. Slated to succeed Intel’s Tigerton 65nm Xenon Processor.
What’s with the Hype?
The specs and details were not supposed to be made public for some time. However, “somehow” SUN mismanaged their resources and spilled the beans earlier this week.
These sexy beasts include 16MB of L3 cache that will be shared by all six cores. Seperated into pairs, the “core-pairs” will also have 3MB of L2 cache available for use. Each chip will contain updated instruction sets such as — SSE4. Intel will also be abandoning the dated Front-side bus model for a system similar to AMD’s Hypertransport.
When can you expect to see these running your servers?
Speculation has led us all to believe that we will be able to pickup Dunnington sometime during Q4 2008.
AMD secures $622 million
November 18, 2007
hasn’t exactly been on-top of their financial game since Intel decided to throw in the towel for them. Intel’s Core series took all of us by storm and AMD saw a drastic fall in market share.
Once AMD purchased ATI, their money problems looked like they were going to overtake the company and cause some chapter 11 filings.
However, it seems that an investment company based in the United Arab Emirates believes their is still potential with AMD. Mubadala has purchased a 8.1% share in AMD for $622-million. Good news or Bad news for AMD — Only time will tell.
The Good news in our opinion is that AMD will stay kicking for some time. Consumers need competition between Intel and another company or we will be at the mercy of Intel’s share holders.
When is enough (CPU power) enough?
May 8, 2007
When is enough (power) enough?
The most common computer misconception is that you have to have the latest and greatest computer technology to get your work done. For the average computer user, we read email, visit websites and maybe run a few office applications. For those that work in corporations, maybe it is ok to use MSN. There isn’t much going on with your pc that requires all that power.
If you are administering databases, or running SQL queries, then sure you need processing power and lots of memory. If you think about it though, who actually told you that you needed more power, and that you had to have the best? Can’t remember exactly? Maybe the salesman at the computer store, or was it a friend? – a non-computer-expert- type friend, or the I-fixed-a-computer-problem-so-I-know-about-computers friend?
Chances are that you got some poor advice. The computer manufacturers will disagree, and are probably cringing right now. The bottom line is the computer industry is built on self perpetuation. Industry and consumers are led to believe that a new computer is more or less outdated within 18 months. In a world where we purchase cars and expect them to last 15+ years – and scream to the high hills to the consumer group watchdogs when they don’t – we have this computer industry nonchalantly releasing marginally updated technologies every few months. We are to blame. No one else. Why else did Intel release the 286 CPU – when they had already designed the 386 first? They claim it was because technology wasn’t available, however I believe it was because they knew full well they could sell the 286, then the 386 to the same buyers 2 years later. Perfect marketing sense, and the only logical way to do business – when you’re in business for profit.
So then, why all the power? Unless you’re running the latest and greatest games, editing digital audio and video, or crunching databases, you don’t need the power.
Sure, your computer may require some optimization, or maybe even a memory upgrade, but unless it’s a 286, there are many free or inexpensive ways to improve its performance. Don’t fall for the salesman’s advice and don’t buy a new PC because someone told you to do so. If you can afford it, and haven’t purchased a new pc in a few years, then you may want to consider it. - At least if you are running Windows 98 or older versions of Windows, you should.
Review: Systemax $999 Laptops
May 2, 2007
Systemax Pursuit 4155
If you’re shopping for a laptop that has power, style, features and affordability, then you should look at the Systemax brand of laptops. These are entry level laptops boasting an Intel Core Duo T2250 (1.73Ghz) processor and Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate for under $999. The Systemax Pursuit 4155 is sleek, stylish and loaded with features. Whether you are business traveler, home user, student, or multimedia enthusiast, you’ll find this laptop can handle multiple roles and multiple tasks with ease.
On first look, it resembles Dell’s Inspiron laptop line with the same type of color, case profile and dimensions. However, under the hood, there is quite a difference. This multimedia media powerhouse is loaded with features including 1GB of (PC4200) memory, 15.4” WXGA widescreen lcd, 60GB 5400 rpm SATA hard drive, DVD/CDR Combo Drive, Integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2, an integrated 1.3 Megapixel camera, Intel 3945 ABG wireless, and a variety of port/plug-in options; (3 USB, 1 Firewire, RJ45, RJ11, VGA, and SVideo Out) and a 6 cell battery. It also has a 1year warranty.
Out of the box, Vista has to be configured and registered, but that’s quickly completed. A Windows Vista cd is included, although you should use the built in recovery options first. Failing that, you can use the included Vista cd. The widescreen display is a nice feature and this screen was bright and crisp. What really impressed me were the additional memory card slots for your SD and flash memory cards. I find this lacking in many brand name laptops and only seems to be catching on in certain brands. The audio is high definition which was a nice surprise, not only in sound clarity, but also in power. The Pursuit 4155 has the power to pass as a general purpose audio player for the bedroom or living room. Not many laptops have the power to do this. Battery life seems to run about 3.5 hours with average web surfing. Of course expect less if you are playing games, or accessing the dvd drive.
If you’re looking for benchmarking, here is how it stacked up;
- Windows Vista Experience rating was 3.0
- Bapco Mobile Mark (2005, v 1.0) performance rating was 240
Product Name: Systemax Pursuit 4155
Price: $999 US
Manufacturer: Systemax
More Info: http://www.systemax.com/
A “better than most in entry level” laptop, and a great all purpose laptop. Unbeatable price for a Core Duo processor with Vista Ultimate!
aizen Design