VIA today launched two 90-nanometer Eden processors based on the Esther core used in the C7. According to the company, the standard one clocks between 400 MHz and 1.2 GHz, with power consumption varying from 2.5 W to 7 W. Ranges for the ultra low voltage piece (ULV) are 1-1.5 GHz and 3.5-7.5 W. Both chips, packaged in nanoBGA2, use 400 MHz V4 frontside bus and contain 128 KB of L1 cache as well as 128 KB of L2. Also included are MMX, SSE2 and SSE3 support; PadLock security engine; and PowerSaver power management.
Apple finally unveiled, at Macworld, its first computers based on Intel processors. Both the new iMac and the MacBook Pro, which replaces the PowerBook, use the recently launched Core Duo dual-core chips, formerly known as Yonah. The new iMac is available immediately with 1.83 GHz or 2 GHz processor and 17 or 20-inch TFT display. It features 512 MB of DDR2-667 memory, Radeon X1600 card with 128 MB (upgradable to 256 MB) and 160 GB or 250 GB HD. Prices go from USD 1,300 to USD 1,700. The MacBook Pro uses 1.66 GHz or 1.83 GHz Core Duo. Other specs include 15.4-inch display, 512 MB or 1 GB of DDR2-667, Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128 MB or 256 MB and 80 GB or 100 GB HD. Products will start shipping in February for USD 2,000 and USD 2,500.
AMD has finally launched the Athlon 64 FX-60, the first in the series to sport two cores. The 90-nm processor is clocked at 2.6 GHz (lower than the 2.8 GHz FX-57) and features 1 MB of L2 cache per core. With the impending arrival of the new socket M2, the FX-60 should be the last 939-pin model in the FX line. The chip is priced at USD 1,031 in 1,000-unit quantities.
Intel has officially included its new 65-nanometer chips in its price list. The dual-core Presler Pentium Ds 920, 930, 940 and 950, with 4 MB of L2 cache, 800 MHz FSB and clocks ranging from 2.8 GHz to 3.4 GHz, cost from USD 241 to USD 637 in 1,000-unit quantities. The single-core Cedar Mill Pentium 4 series now includes the 631, 641, 651 and 661, clocked at 3 GHz to 3.6 GHz, with prices varying from USD 178 to USD 401. In the mobile segment, Intel launched four Yonah dual-core parts (T2300, T2400, T2500 and T2600), clocked at 1.66 GHz to 2.16 GHz and featuring 2 MB of L2 cache and 667 MHz FSB. Prices go from USD 241 to USD 637. Two low-voltage (L2400 and L2300) and a single-core (T1300) models were also added.
Several news outlets have confirmed that Intel will change its tagline and logo in 2006. The “Intel Inside” phrase, originally introduced in 1991, will be replaced by the expression “Leap Ahead”. Additionally, the 37-year-old logo with the dropped “e” will give place to a new image featuring an oval swirl around the name. The changes, said to represent the company’s shift from a chip manufacturer to a broader player in the consumer market, are expected to be officially unveiled next week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), in Las Vegas.
As expected, Intel this week announced the Pentium Extreme Edition 955, based on the 65-nanometer Presler design. The Hyper-Threading-enabled dual-core processor runs at 3.46 GHz, uses a 1,066 MHz FSB and brings 4 MB of L2 cache (2 MB per core). The Pentium EE 955, which will only hit stores in mid-January, is paired with the i975X chipset. Intel is set to launch its 900 series, also based on the Presler core, next week.
Japanese NEC announced that it has succeeded in the development of multicore processor technology capable of performing automatic multithreading without the need to adapt software. According to the company, it is based on an automatic compiler, which uses profile information of applications to exploit parallelization patterns. With NEC’s method, a program would run 2.83 times faster on four processors, compared to a single one, while a recompiled software would perform only 1.95 times faster.
Intel and Qinetiq are introducing this week, at the International Electron Devices Meeting, in Washington, a prototype transistor capable of revolutionizing the industry. The main difference in relation to traditional designs it the use of indium antimonide instead of silicon in the transistor’s channel. This, according to the companies, guarantees a tenfold reduction in power consumption and a 50% gain in performance. Chips based on the new transistors, however, will not be available before 2015.
Intel has partnered with more than 40 companies to integrate their products to its upcoming Viiv entertainment PC platform. The group includes Adobe, British Sky, Canal+, Capcom, CyberLink Movielink, Napster, Pinnacle, SK Telecom, Telecom Italia, T-Online, VirginMega, Ubisoft and TiVo. Viiv aims to help users manage and share digital entertainment at home through a platform based on Intel processors and designs. Intel is expected do demonstrate the technology during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), set to take place from January 5 to 8, at Las Vegas.
AMD this week confirmed plans to introduce a quad-core server processor by 2007. The design will gradually be extended to desktops and notebooks. During Tuesday’s analyst conference, AMD CTO Phil Hester explained that the cores will be linked by a revised type of HyperTransport bus and will use the M2 and F sockets expected to arrive early next year. Rival Intel plans to introduce a quad-core Xeon in the first half of 2007.
Sun Microsystems this week announced the UltraSPARC T1, formerly known as Niagara, a processor containing up to eight cores, with each core capable of running four threads. The company is promoting it as an “eco-responsible” product, since it has a maximum power consumption of only 70 watts. The 90-nm 1.2 GHz UltraSPARC T1 will be available before the end of 2005 in Sun Fire servers mainly aimed at Web serving and e-commerce applications.
As expected, Intel has started shipping the Pentium 4 662 (3.6 GHz) and 672 (3.8 GHz), featuring its Virtualization Technology (VT), which creates virtual machines capable of running different operating systems on the same processor. The single-core chips specs are identical to those of the current 660 and 670: 2 MB of L2 cache, 800 MHz FSB, HyperThreading, EM64T and Execute Disable. The 662 costs USD 401, while the 672 sells for USD 605, both in 1,000-unit quantities.
IBM, Sony and Toshiba have released a software developer kit for the Cell processor containing more than 1,000 pages of documentation and extensions for optimizing Linux applications and other features. The Cell, set to appear in Sony’s upcoming PlayStation 3, is based on a 64-bit Power processor and has eight additional synergistic cores capable of massive floating point processing.
A month after releasing its first dual-core Xeon processor, Intel announced that it has started shipping MP varieties, all based on the Paxville core. The 7000 series includes chips running at up to 3 GHz and using a 667 MHz FSB. Early next year, the company will unveil new chipsets and processors supporting 800 MHz FSB. Prices of the new chips range from USD 1,177 and USD 3,157 in 1,000-unit quantities.
