AMD Plans New Laptop, Desktop Chips
Expect processors, first by AMD to support DDR2, by mid-year
Advanced Micro Devices plans to launch its first desktop and laptop processors by the middle of the year that support DDR2 (double data rate 2) memory chips."Dual and single core (desktop processors) will both be out at the same time," said Doug Hooks, AMD director of marketing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The desktop version, the Athlon 64 socket AM2, already enjoy broad motherboard support from companies showing off finished designs at CeBIT. Spec sheets from board makers say the chips are meant for use with DDR2 memory chips, a speedier generation of memory already available that run at 667MHz or faster.
"Until you hit 667MHz or 800MHz, you don't tend to end up getting a significant performance advantage with our architecture over DDR," said Hooks, explaining why the company has waited longer than rival Intel to support DDR2. He also cited cost, since DDR2 commands a premium over older DDR. With no real performance advantage and no cost advantage, it made little sense for AMD to push a chip that supported DDR2, he said.
DDR2 chips offer better performance and an advantage in power savings, which will be good for servers, desktops and laptops, Hooks said. That's why AMD will offer a host of chips in the middle of the year, including an update to its Turion laptop processors.
Already in Progress
Chip set makers and motherboard companies at CeBIT were already showing broad support for the next generation of AMD Athlon processors, in particular the big five Taiwanese motherboard makers, which account for well over half the global supply.
Taiwanese motherboard maker Elitegroup Computer Systems has two designs for the AMD processors at its CeBIT booth, one dubbed the A25G that uses a chip set designed by Via Technologies, the Via K8M890 IGP chip set, and another one, the A33G, with a Silicon Integrated Systems chip set, the SiS 761 GX+964. The spec sheets beside the two motherboards say they both support dual channel DDR2 running at 667MHz, and can carry a maximum of 2G bytes of memory on board.
Giga-byte Technology, another one of Taiwan's major motherboard makers, has two AMD motherboards on display that use chip sets from graphics designer nVidia and support dual channel DDR2. Giga-byte's GA-MXE-S4 motherboard carries an nVdia nForce 570 SLI chip set (scalable link interface), which enables users to connect two nVidia SLI-ready graphics cards together on one PC for better game playing. The other motherboard, the GA-MN-S3, has an nVidia nForce 4-4x chip set on board.
Micro-Star International displayed three motherboards that support DDR2 for the AMD microprocessor, while Hon Hai Precision Industry and Asustek Computer were also showing such motherboards.
Sony to Launch Blu-ray Vaio PCs in Midyear
Blu-Ray Disc drive to come in both Sony desktop PCs and notebooks
Blu-Ray Disc drive to come in both Sony desktop PCs and notebooks
Sony plans to launch desktop and laptop PCs with Blu-ray Disc drives in the middle of this year.
The first computers to feature Blu-ray Disc drives will be high-end models aimed at multimedia use, but over time the technology will trickle down to other models, said Tasuku Yazaki, general manager of Sony's Vaio product planning department. The machines will be launched worldwide at around the same time, he said, without revealing product details.
Players and computer drives for the Blu-ray Disc format, an optical disc format that boasts a storage capacity of 25GB on a single layer disc the size of a CD, are due out in the coming months.
The first consumer Blu-ray Disc players are due on May 23 when Samsung Electronics launches the BD-P1000. On the same day Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Lionsgate Films will launch several movies on Blu-ray Disc media.
Executives from the Blu-ray Disc Association talked up their format at CeBIT today and supporting companies announced hardware launch plans. Pioneer previewed an upcoming Blu-ray Disc drive for computers and both Matsushita Electric (Panasonic) and Koninklijke Philips Electronics said they would launch consumer players in the second half of this year.
Philips said its computer drive, the SPD700, will be available in the U.S. in the second half of the year and will be able to write to recordable BD-R and rewritable BD-RW media in addition to DVDs and CDs. No price was given for the drive.
Dual Socket F mobo snapped
Used to be called 1207
There was one naked Socket F motherboard, aka S1207, out in the open today at the messe, and it was a beauty.
This one is a dual Socket F board called the KFN4-DRE, and the spec sheet has some goodies on it. It confirms the server based DDR2-800, and then goes on to slap an HTX connector on the board. It is followed up with an integrated IPMI 2.0 for remote consoles and ASWM 2.0.
It is also pretty pretty, but since my photography stinks, you will have to make do with this picture.
Rev F Opterons shown off
You will notice that the F part has no pins, just flat LGA pads like the LGA775 P4s. In addition, the pads are much more closely spaced than the pins on the 940. Overall size and shape is about the same, but the newer chip has two indents on the top and bottom of the PCB. That PCB is also and organic substrate rather than the ceramic of the older Opterons.
Moving to the top, there are two things to look at, the size and shape of the heatspreader. On 940 parts, the heatspreader goes right to the edge of the package, there is almost no lip, and the walls are flat sided. The Socket F chips have a much smaller spreader with a visible lip of green around the edge, and while very hard to see, it has a stepped effect at the edge of the heatspreader.
Geil shows off art deco memory
Overclockers art project
Overclockers art project
GEIL IS ONE of those companies that do not make the headlines much, but, at CeBIT, it had two very headline grabbing parts.
These DIMMs were called Evo One Prototype A and Prototype B. Of the two, A will be the one coming to market in the near future as soon as a few details are finalized, think a month or three, and B is just for show.
Getting right down to it, the Prototype A does not have LEDs, twirling pinwheels, or dancing bears. What it has is a massive copper grill in the middle of a chunky aluminum heatspreader, and a heatpipe running through it. When you see this one in person, you will understand why it turns heads, to me at least, it is beautiful.
The thing is, this one has a bunch of very functional twists, it is not a pretty chunk of anodized bling bling. The copper blades and heatsink are necessary because of the on board VRMs, things not normally found on DIMMs. Yes, you plug a floppy power cable into the top right corner, and it powers the beast directly.
You can adjust this power with a screwdriver, included, up to a max of 3.0V. In case you didn't get the picture, this is hardcore overclockers memory, or possibly just hardcore art deco collector memory. Hi Jeff. The direct powering is said to reduce noise on the power lines leading to more stable memory, which leads to higher numbers. Even if it doesn't work, I think the sheer looks of it alone will be worth the slight price premium, and this will end up in a lot of concept PCs and gamer boxes.
From the looks of it, Geil just fired a shot across the bow of all the memory makers. They have a unique product that looks really good and will be out soon. If they follow through with the plans to make an Evo 2 and Evo 3, they could have quite a lineup on their hands.
China disk format to tackle Blu-ray, HD-DVD
Enhanced Versatile disc
Enhanced Versatile disc
With all the fuss going on between the Blu-ray and HD-DVD camps, here in Hangover, news of the third way, EVD, is starting to emerge.
London-based firm, New Medium Enterprises, got together with Beijing-based E-World Technology, to define a standard which now has a support from around 10 other companies, mostly located in mainland China.
The Enhanced Versatile Disc is a new High Density standard with a far more reasonable price expectation for both media and players. EVD media has less capacity than either Blu-ray or HD DVD - but it's cheaper and has already become the optical disc standard in China. It is expected to become a major player across developing markets.
Although the standard is currently read-only, E-World expects to release a recordable version by CeBIT 2007.
The makers said they were looking to switching the red laser for a blue one, once the blue-laser technology matures and comes down in price.
Standalone EVD Players are expected to retail at around $150.
What the Q in i965 means
Chipset labels revved
When we told you about the Intel Q prefixed chipsets, we said that we thought that they were VIIV targeted parts. Well, we were wrong, it seems that the Q is not for Quetzalcoatl like we thought, it turns out to be the new branding for corporate stable parts.
For those of you that don't know, Intel picks a part or a line and guarantees that it will not change for a set amount of time, usually a year or so. If you buy one, you can do so knowing that your company will get 10K of the same part, not 2K of rev A, 2K of rev B and so on. It is a good idea, and up until now, toiled away in the obscure basement of Intel branding.
With the new consciousness raising nomenclature of the i965 update to the Q965, it immediately lets the user know what they are getting. For once, I think Intel did a good thing with this brand, no lords-a-leaping, no confusing numbers, just a simple and clear letter. If only they could do the same for chip names, I would be a happy camper.
RIM Adds Instant Messaging to BlackBerry Server
Shows a Bluetooth-enabled smart card reader that can be used to secure devices
The latest version of Research In Motion's BlackBerry Enterprise Server, introduced at CeBIT on Friday, supports enterprise instant messaging and supports the development of applications that mobilize corporate applications, RIM says.
Enterprises that upgrade to the BlackBerry Enterprise Server v4.1 can allow mobile Blackberry users to exchange instant messages with users of Microsoft Windows Messenger, Live Communications Server 2005, and IBM Lotus Sametime systems, the RIM says.
Another new feature allows administrators to wirelessly push data to a new BlackBerry handset for users who have lost their old one, without them having to return to base.
RIM also showed a Bluetooth-enabled smart card reader that can be used to further secure BlackBerry handsets. Customers place the reader near their BlackBerry. Once the BlackBerry identifies the reader, it will display a dual-sign on screen. The user must input a BlackBerry password as well as a password tied to the smart card. If the card is removed from the reader, the BlackBerry shuts down.
MSI Shows Solar-Powered Laptop, MP3 Player
Experimental devices use solar panels to recharge and extend battery life.
Micro-Star International (MSI) is showing off a notebook computer and an MP3 player at CeBIT that use on-board solar panels to recharge and extend battery life.
They're an attempt to dabble in ways to provide power to portable devices in remote areas and recharge batteries, areas the company's research and development team has been focusing on, says Marc Chen, product manager for the notebook computer division.
The lid of the laptop is covered with solar panels so that even when it's closed, it's still gathering the sun's energy. The system needs a voltage converter to adapt the output of the solar cells to the laptop's battery charging circuitry, says MSI.
The "Solar Cell MP3 player", a version of its MSI Mega Player 540 that has 4GB of storage capacity, is also too expensive to consider for mass production, says Jack Tsai, marketing manager for MSI's consumer electronics unit. But it extends battery life by 3 hours and can recharge the battery, he adds.
"This is only a concept--to create a vision for the future," Chen says.
NEC Burns HD-DVDs
Company is showing a recently developed optical disc drive that can write to HD-DVDs
Company is showing a recently developed optical disc drive that can write to HD-DVDs
NEC is demonstrating at the CeBIT trade show here this week a recently developed optical disc drive that can write to HD-DVD media.
NEC is demonstrating its HD-DVD drive with media from Mitsubishi Kagaku Media, which is best known by its Verbatim brand name. The company is shooting high-definition video each morning at the show and burning it onto a disc for playback during the day, said Ryoichi Hayatsu, an NEC storage product division manager, in an interview.
The blank media, which became available only days before CeBIT began, is single-sided. NEC's drive, the HD-1100, is also compatible with dual-layer discs, which can store 30GB. In addition, the drive can write to DVD and CD media.
Also on Display
Toshiba is also showing off its first HD-DVD products at CeBIT. For example, the Qosmio G30 laptop, was launched at the show and is the first laptop to include an HD-DVD drive.
Qosmio is Toshiba's multimedia line, and the G30 includes a TV tuner and Dolby Home Theater support. Users can watch HD-DVD content on the laptop's screen or output it to a compatible high-definition monitor or television. The G30 will be available in April in major markets and will cost around $2410.
Seagate, Secude Show Encrypted Laptop
Fortified computer features hard drive and software encryption
Fortified computer features hard drive and software encryption
Seagate Technology and Secude IT Security are displaying a fortified laptop at CeBIT that features both full encryption of the hard drive and software for easier password management and deployment of machines, the companies said.
The laptop has Seagate's Momentus 5400 FDE (full-disk encryption) hard drive, which encrypts data with minimal effect on performance, Seagate said. The drive automatically encrypts all of the data on its hard disk, adding an additional security layer, the company said.
The drive can also be instantly erased, and the disk initialization process has been streamlined, Seagate said.
Secude has introduced other software at CeBIT. The company has released Secude Secure Notebook 7.1.1, a product that encrypts the entire hard drive. The software also can encrypt data on external mass storage devices, Secude said.
Secude, based in Zurich, was formed 10 years ago as a partnership between SAP and the Fraunhofer Institute in Darmstadt, Germany.
Rock has 19-inch SLI notebook
British company Rock just announced its nineteen-inch notebook that features two Geforce 7800 GTX cards. It uses dual core Intel CPU, the latest one of course.
The machine starts at 1999 pounds and the company claims an hour and forty-five minutes of battery life. Of course, the number is based on the office work not on gaming as gaming would kill the battery rather quick.
We don't have any references next to the notebook but, beleive me, it is really big. There is a space for 20-inch display as well and it was very nice to play a racing game on it. Of course it is heavy but rather thin and it does look nice.
Sapphire watercools Crossfire
Pumps and radiators
Pumps and radiators
We liked Sapphire's latest invention. The company fitted a water pump and a radiator onto a Radeon X1900 XTX. It is the first real watercooler Radeon X1900 XTX that we seen so far.
With just a two water pipes you connect the first card to the second one and you are ready for a silent Sapphire rock and roll product.
The card with a radiator has a switch that can make the fan on the radiator spin faster for overclocking or silently, for the normal people.
Mio's Smart Phones, PDAs Call on GPS
Company shows off new cell phones, MP3 players, and GPS devices
Company shows off new cell phones, MP3 players, and GPS devices
Taiwan's Mio Technology this week unveiled several new products at the CeBIT technology show in Germany, including a smart phone with a Global Positioning System function.
The Mio A701 combines the functions of a PDA and a mobile phone. The handset runs Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0 and boasts a 520-MHz Intel XScale processor.
Other features include a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and a slot for MultiMediaCard and Secure Digital flash memory cards.
For those in search of a simple PDA with GPS capabilities, Mio is offering the P550 and P350. Both PDAs run Window Mobile and have a 400-MHz XScale processor. The P550 adds Bluetooth support and Wi-Fi wireless LAN connectivity.
Other Mio devices on display at the show included the C710, C210, and C510E GPS systems. These devices include road maps provided by Tele Star and a built-in speed camera detector. The C710 and C510E also offer Bluetooth support.
Samsung Shows Flash-Disk-Based Laptop
Company continues to develop more stable solid-state disks
Company continues to develop more stable solid-state disks
Samsung Electronics has developed a higher-capacity version of its solid-state disk, a flash-memory-based replacement for hard disks, and is showing it here at the CeBIT technology show.
The drive packs 32GB of flash memory into a case the same size as a 1.8-inch hard drive. That capacity is double the 16GB of a prototype device announced by Samsung last year and was made possible by the continuing miniaturization of flash-memory chip technology.
At CeBIT, the solid-state disk is being demonstrated inside a Samsung laptop computer. Because the SSD is the same size and shape as the computer's hard drive it was relatively easy to replace the hard-disk drive with the SSD, said Yun Mini, a spokesperson for Samsung.
The SSD technology has three major benefits over hard disks, said Yun. The first is that data access is faster. The second advantage comes in durability. The third major advantage is that it works silently.
But for all these advantages, there is a major hurdle that needs to be overcome before SSD can reach mass market: price. Flash memory costs around $30 per gigabyte; the memory needed for the 32GB SSD drive works out to about $960, before any other costs are taken into account.
SiS announces availability of SiS662 northbridge for Intel platform
Silicon Integrated Systems (SiS) today announced the availability of its SiS662 chipset, which is being spotlighted at CeBIT 2006. The company claims, without specifying any names, that the chipset has already entered mass-production with a number of customers. The SiS662 chipset has been included in SiS presentations as part of its PCI Express line up since mid-2004.
The northbridge supports Intel's dual-core processors, 64-bit operating systems, DDR2-667 memory, as well as a PCI Express x16 interface that provides up to 4GB/s of bandwidth for single-channel transmission.
The SiS966L, SiS' latest southbridge chip that can be paired with the SiS662 northbridge, has two Serial ATA ports providing storage devices with up to 150MB/s of transmission speed. The southbridge also supports up to eight USB2.0 ports, high-definition 7.1 (8-channel) audio and Gigabit Ethernet.
Chaintech and MSI launch SLI-ready GeForce 7600GT graphics cards
Walton Chaintech and Micro-Star International (MSI) yesterday launched their respective graphics cards based on the Nvidia GeForce 7600GT graphics processing unit (GPU) with Scalable Link Interface (SLI) multi-GPU technology.
Based on the GeForce 7600GT GPU, Chaintech’s GSE76GT and MSI’s NX7600GT feature advanced gaming technologies including Shader Model 3.0 and 64-bit floating point texture filtering for high dynamic-range (HDR) lighting effects. With the PureVideo technology, both graphics cards support HDTV resolutions of up to 2560×1600.
A manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) for Chaintech’s GSE76GT is US$199, whereas the price for MSI’s NX7600GT is currently is unavailable.
