On Sunday in San Francisco Intel has shown experimental processor, which ha
s 80 cores. Cores are common, the main plot is many cores. At the beginning Intel has shown processor working at 0.95 volts. Frequency was 3.16 Ghz and power consumption approximately 62 watts. The performance was amazing - 1.01 TFlops for one processor! Increasing the voltage processor frequency has been increased to 5.1 Ghz. Power consumption also has increased to 175 watt. Increased to 5.7 Ghz processor has shown a record of 1.8 TFlops for single processor. Power consumption was at the level of 275 watts. For example the highest performance computer has 65536 processors and can provide performance approximately 370 TFlops. So just two hundred Intel’s processor can beat the mightiest computer on the planet Earth.
Intel won’t make 80-cored processor public ever. It’s a prototype for future models. Serial model will have maximum of 16 cores, but even with them it is highly performed processor. Maybe Intel will even use technologies tested on this processor to make processor with integrated graphics. One or several cores will help to make it.
Written by mente on February 12th, 2007 with no comments.
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Do you remember XG-Station? Asus will have to share its profits with others. XG-Station still isn’t launched (in Q2 2007), but other companies decided to unify external video card. They’ll do it with the help of PCI-Express bus. They have just approved PCI-E 2.0 specifications and soon PCI-E will become external technology. PCI SIG has specifications, but don’t want to share with anyone. This standard will be popular between graphics companies, such as ATI or Nvidia. External technology will be used to create a cable connecting computer with some device. Imagine external graphics card. No limits for developers. Size, thermal care, power source don’t matter. Now you have one box and soon there will be 2: computer and graphics card 
. Thanks to Molex and the Inquirer we have some pics of cables. I share one with you.
Cables are shown from PCIe x1 (left) to PCIe x16 (right). Interesting that specifications still not available, but we have already working cables. And when external graphics cards will be released? Nobody knows. Don’t think that external PCI-E will be used just for graphics cards. Also it has a potential to be used in bridge between media devices and computers. HDDs, DVDs (HD-DVDs and Blu-rays in future) and I even don’t consider server segment, where is huge number of RAID massives.
Written by mente on February 9th, 2007 with 1 comment.
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I like slashdot.org. Awesome portal. Tonns of information, many visitors, discussions. Browsing hardware.slashdot.org today I’ve found that Nvidia ignores users’ asks for working drivers for Windows Vista. Nvidia says their hardware don’t work on Vista. And I recommended Michael Hainsworth. After reading a post on inquirer I’ve apologized. I hope Nvidia will apologize for their customers too. Or they can lose big number of them in next years, when users upgrade to Vista (but I don’t think so)
Written by mente on February 6th, 2007 with no comments.
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Do you remember Ruby’s comparison? Well, according to this post AMD has working model of “new” Ruby. But it’s not the main spot. AMD has working R600 video cards. It’s just working prototypes for manufacturers. If manufacturers are happy, customers will be happy too (I hope). AMD still needs time to make sellable video card. Also card is needed to be reduced in size. But I hope they’ll do it quick enough.
Thinking about R600? You must start saving money, if you want to be in the first flight. Because it launches at the beginning of March
Written by mente on February 3rd, 2007 with 2 comments.
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According to this article China has already manufactured own processor called Godson II. It has frequency 500 MHz and its performance is on Intel Pentium III level. Several days ago Chinese scientists introduced new processor called Loongson 2E. You can call it “improved version of Godson II”. It has 800 MHz frequency and improved architecture. Processor isn’t well spread because there are just several motherboards for them. But I hope Intel and AMD will get new competitors soon. Maybe in next 10 years.
In February 200 laptops with Loongson 2E will be presented. Half of them will be taken by engineers at Chinese Academy of Science. Other half will go to people related to this academy. Its like “test release”. Company, invented Godson II and Loongson 2E is called Sinomanic. If you’ll find official site of this company please comment it
Written by mente on January 28th, 2007 with no comments.
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No, I won’t speak about video consoles. I’m going to speak about ATI’s Ruby. Do you know her? The girl who loves red color and skin-tight clothes will be rebuilt in 2007. No, don’t worry; Ruby’s style will be saved. According to HEXUS Ruby will get more polygons and new technologies, such like shaders 4.0. On the picture you can compare Ruby’s lips 2006 and the same in 2007.
On the left you can see Ruby 2007. Compare it with Ruby 2006 on the left. When I first saw this picture I thought that on the left is a real woman, from who Ruby was designed. I was wrong.
ATI don’t have working model yet. Waiting for renew Ruby!
Written by mente on January 24th, 2007 with 2 comments.
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Preamble. Several months ago AMD announced Fusion processor. It’s a multicore processor with integrated graphics core. It doesn’t mean that processor will be just dual-core or quad-core. It will be many-core. Every core will be specialized in its own task. Seems to me they want to integrate chipset and simple video in processor. Nice decision I tell you. The cost of the entire system will be lowered and the speed rises dramatically. Everything in one box, nothing outside. Of course if you want to have powerful videocard you always can buy it. It will be better than integrated.But all of this was just lyrics. The main plot why this post has been written - Intel’s answer. It’s called Visual Computing Group (VCG). But Intel’s aim differs from AMD’s. AMD tries to improve performance. Intel’s main aim is:
We are focused on developing discrete graphics products based on a many-core architecture targeting high-end client platforms.
It means Intel wants to integrate graphics. No special core for specialized tasks. No integrated chipset. Just integrated graphics. But further they will expand it for CPU specializations. That’s why they’re looking for good specialists. I think their VCG will be developed faster than AMD’s Fusion processor. Fusion is perspective future and VCG is realistic technology. But I believe in AMD. Don’t say I’m AMD fan. Intel can surprise us too.
Written by mente on January 23rd, 2007 with 1 comment.
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I have found interesting video while I was browsing internet today. It’s an open source phone, called FIC Neo1973. It is based on Linux OS, has 2.8 inch TFT display with resolution 640×480, touchscreen. Phone has Samsung processor, built-in GPS system. Gadget has 128 mb SDRAm and 64 mb NAND flash memory. Interesting - will you lose all your data, when phone is low battery? Half-phone-PC is powered by 1200 mAh battery? Suppose it’s enough for this baby. I’m wondered why FIC doesn’t have Wi-Fi or at least Bluetooth. These standards are very popular now. But as you can see, it’s more similar with Pocket PCs than with phones. But developers decide to call it “smart phone”.
Now, OpenMoco is seeking for software developers for their gadget. I hope I have a free time, but I don’t think so. So - if anyone is interested to develop open source phone - welcome
Written by mente on January 20th, 2007 with 1 comment.
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On this week PCI-Sig has released PCI-Express 2.0 specifications. General improvements
are:
- Dynamic link speed management allows developers to control the speed at which the link is operating
- Link bandwidth notification alerts platform software (operating system, device drivers, etc) of changes in link speed and width
- Capability structure expansion increases control registers to better manage devices, slots and the interconnect
- Access control services allows for optional controls to manage peer-to-peer transactions
- Completion timeout control allows developers to define a required disable mechanism for transaction timeouts
- Function-level reset provides an optional mechanism to reset functions within a multi-function device
- Power limit redefinition enables slot power limit values to accommodate devices that consume higher power
But the main improvements are:
- The interconnect bit rate is doubled from 2.5GT/s to 5GT/s to support high-bandwidth applications
- Power source is doubled from 75W to 150W. Also 8-pin power-connector can provide additional 150W
- The higher bandwidth will allow product designers to implement narrower interconnect links to achieve high performance while reducing cost
- Reverse support of PCI-Express 1.x video cards and motherboards
I want to discuss the main improvements. The interconnect bit rate is doubled. But do you know that video cards don’t use all bandwidth of PCIe? They always enlarge bit rate for future purpose, but this future never comes. New PCIe specifications come faster. Improvement for power source has 2 sides. First side - video card can be more powerful and use more power (good side). Second side - we have new 8-pin power connector (bad side). You’ll have to buy it before video card (of course if video card uses more than 150W). And of course, reverse support. It’s great that you can connect your old PCIe 1.x video card to new motherboard with PCIe 2.0 support and reverse. Upgrade step-by-step, as I call it.
Summarize this new standard. All improvements are extensive. PCI Express is developed. And it has big future
Written by mente on January 17th, 2007 with 2 comments.
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Users of mobile systems with weak mobile card now can breathe free. Asus presents XG Station. As for me - very interesting gadget. With his help you can play on notebook with the help of stationary video card and monitor. How you will ask? Just look at the picture above.
Taken from Vr-zone.com
As you can see this station connects with notebook and monitor. It has built-in video card 7900GS, but you can replace it with more powerful. As for me very interesting now gadget. Now I don’t have to keep desktop. Just monitor. The incredible benefit is that there is no competition. What do you think about this gadget? Will you buy it? It will be available since Q2 2007. I’m waiting!
Written by mente on January 3rd, 2007 with 2 comments.
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