First AMD Benchmarks With DDR3 Memory Posted
Better late than never, AMD is embracing the DDR3 memory standard. Its newest desktop CPU socket, the AM3, connects the processor to dual-channel DDR3 memory. Initial specifications about AMD's processors on the new socket suggest that DDR3 1333MHz (PC3-10600) will be held as the memory standard the integrated memory controllers on AMD's processors support. The far-east team of Tom's Hardware posted the first series of benchmarks of a Phenom II AM3 processor, when paired with DDR3-1333. The benchmarks featured Gigabyte's MA790FXT-UD5P motherboard along with Corsair's dual-channel DDR3-1333 kit running at DRAM timings of 9-9-9-24. The CPU-Z window also shows that the memory modules are running unganged, meaning that the two memory controllers of the Deneb core are independent, with each controller handling a 64-bit wide memory channel. This state is somewhat comparable to that of single-channel memory, except that multi-threaded applications will still be able to independently address memory on each channel, utilizing all the bandwidth on offer.
At the center of the test-bench was the AMD Phenom II X4 910, the company's first flagship quad-core AM3 processor. The X4 910 features a default clock speed of 2.60 GHz. The same chip was tested in two settings: default clock-speeds, and overclocked to 3.12 GHz (240 x 13.0 @ default vCore). The screenshots below show the test results for WPrime. The overclocked chip scored a crunch-time of 46.613 s (1M). The overclock did not affect SuperPi at all, with insignificant differences in the scores between the two. PC Mark 05 got a decent boost, while 3DMark06 didn't. Memory bandwidth and latency tests showed something strange, with the overclocked CPU (in effect memory) turning up with lesser latency (while normally, increase in clock speeds tend to step up latencies). The tests show that there are increments in performance with the use of DDR3 memory, though they are merely proportional to the clock speeds the memory is running at.
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Seagate Techie Speaks Out, Explains Firmware Debacle
Earlier this week, reports emerged of a simple firmware update going wrong for Seagate, rendering some batches of the company's Barracuda 7200.11 hard-drives useless. The flaw in the said firmware update (version SD1A) locked the drive's microcode, preventing the system BIOS from even detecting the drive, in case the user wanted to restore a drive damaged from the update. SD1A was released to fix stuttering problems caused as a result of a bad implementation of the drives' SATA micro-controllers, the earliest diagnosis of the problem the drives were facing. An employee of Seagate working in its engineering, attempted to explain the SD1A firmware debale, from the perspective of someone who doesn't work with the company's public-relations.
The SD1A firmware, according to the employee, wasn't given out as a singular release, but rather in several revisions to individual customers on a support-customer level, rather than an all-out public download. That was to address customers quicly, when the issue first surfaced as a flaw with the firmware. The problem actually existed where errors during drive operation was written to the drive's firmware to build on a log. When that log reached 320 entries, it would cause errors during initialization of the drive, when it is powered on, when the drive's firmware micro-code is read by the system BIOS. Errors in that process would cause the drive not to be detected / improperly initialized by the system. In a Tom's Hardware report, the employee explains that normally, a customer would go through the usual process of contacting tech-support for the preventative update and "this firmware had to go through five different checks to make sure it applies to the specific conditions to qualify sending to a customer, before now. 5 chances for us to go 'your drive needs the other (or none) firmware update'." However, management, in order to quell the possibility of liability for drive failures, pushed a general public release of the firmware. "Suddenly, it's down to one check, and even that was more designed for a contingency just in case the wrong firmware was sent out." The SD1A firmware mostly affected 500 GB versions of the Barracuda 7200.11 series, after it was released last week. Seagate pulled back the SD1A firmware after the issue of the firmware damaging hard-drives became chronic. The company later released a newer firmware update that can be found here.
Source: Tom's Hardware
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Intel Planning Low-Power Lynnfield Processors
Earlier this month, Intel released a series of its Core 2 Quad processors with low power ratings, rated TDPs at 65W. This move served two purposes: to bring down the energy footprints of the CPUs, and to propagate quad-core chips to even those platforms whose electrical components are built for CPUs in that 65W power range. An example of that would be small form-factor PCs, mini-ITX motherboards with LGA-775 sockets, and some variants that might make it to notebooks. Intel now has plans to bring in a low-power Lynnfield processor sometime in Q1 2010. Given the amount of machinery the Lynnfield processors hold: four x86 processing cores, a dual-channel IMC, internal QPI and PCI-Express root complexes, in some cases even an IGP, a low-power variant sounds like a great engineering feat. We don't exactly know as to what low-power in context of Lynnfield is, at this point, but we can tell it will bring down platform power consumptions, given that the processor could end up being the single largest power consumer on a motherboard, and its power consumption affects that of the entire platform significantly.
Source: VR-Zone
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MSI WindBOX Atom Pictured
With the state of the world economy, conditions are becoming increasingly favourable for good sales of ULPCs, with several IT giants taking netbooks and nettops seriously. The surge started post Intel's introduction of the Atom processor. MSI is preparing a slim form-factor nettop that is fan-less and light enough to be mounted on the back of an LCD monitor that supports the VESA wall-mount standard.
The WindBOX measures 180 x 255 x 19 mm and weighs a little over two pounds (1.08 kg to be precise). It is driven by an Intel Atom running at 1.60 GHz, and features 1GB of memory. It supports a SATA drive to handle storage, and provides basic connectivity that includes: 10/100 Mbps Ethernet, three USB 2.0 ports, a 3-in-1 memory card reader, audio and WiFi. The WindBOX will be available later this quarter.
Source: TechConnect Magazine
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(PR) IKONIK 'Kick Start' Competition Drawing to a Close
IKONIK initiated the 'Kick Start' competition, which started on October 1st and is ending on January 31st 2009. This means these are the final few days to enter the competition, so don't miss your chance to win super performance IKONIK top-of-the-range products. Such as IKONIK's high-end Ra X10 SIM case or upper-mainstream Zaria A20 case; also known as the 'Kick Start'. Entries can also win the Vulcan 850 Watt and Gaia 500 Watt power supply.
With many exciting products and so many chances to win, you are almost guaranteed a prize just by entering. So take a chance and join the competition by registering yourself on the website before January 31st, 2009. This competition is open to anyone.
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(PR) Scythe Partnering up With CoreTemp Development Team
The Japanese cooling specialist Scythe Co. Ltd. is partnering up with CoreTemp, a small but very useful freeware-tool for measuring temperatures of all common CPUs.
Core Temp is a compact program to monitor CPU temperature and is compatible with Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows Vista 32bit and 64bit. Unique for Core Temp is its capability to measure the temperatures of every single core when using multicore-CPUs. The temperature readings are very accurate because the data is read out from a Digital Thermal Sensor of the CPU which is located in each individual core, near the hottest part of this unit. Because of this, the Software is completely mainboard independent.
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(PR) Palit Launches GeForce GTX 260 SONIC 216SP
Palit Microsystems, leading graphics card manufacturer, introduces the 55nm graphics processor: Palit GeForce GTX260 Sonic 216SP. The overclocked edition Palit GTX260 Sonic 216SP is the first custom designed graphics card that combines the innovative DUAL FAN cooling system with the high performance ad power efficiency of 55nm GPU to deliver the perfect solution for the gaming enthusiast.
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(PR) Qimonda petitions for the opening of insolvency proceedings
Qimonda AG (NYSE: QI) and Qimonda Dresden OHG have filed an application with the local court in Munich today to open insolvency proceedings. Their goal is to reorganize the companies as part of the ongoing restructuring program. The court will now appoint a preliminary insolvency administrator.
The Qimonda Management Board intends to restructure key business units within the context of the insolvency regime. "German insolvency law offers the opportunity to accelerate the restructuring process that has already been started in order to reposition the company back onto a solid base," said Kin Wah Loh, President and Chief Executive Officer of Qimonda AG. Qimonda possesses established products and, with its Buried Wordline technology, is currently bringing a promising future technology to the market.
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EVGA Prepares Software-Control For GPU Voltages
Overclocking video cards has become a child's play these days, thanks to helpful software utilities that feature simple sliders to adjust clock speeds, test and apply overclocked parameters. Those serious about overclocking take to high-end cooling, and volt-modding. EVGA picked on a gray-area, where users should be given a level of control over the GPU's voltage. The company is known for taking initiatives in making performance control accessible to most users by providing easy to use utilities such as the EVGA Precision.
Now, the company is coming up with a nifty utility called the EVGA Voltage Tuner. Exclusive for registered users of EVGA GeForce GTX 200 series graphics cards, the utility allows a decent level of control over the GPU's voltage settings, within a range permissible by the GPU's BIOS. While this utility isn't an all out substitute to volt-modding, it allows for all the voltage tuning the default state of the graphics card's electrical components allow. A simple slider allows for adjusting the GPU core voltage with a resolution of milli-Volts. The results of using this utility are impressive, with a small voltage adjustment sending the maximum core overclock up by 100 MHz, a significant amount when it comes to GPUs. The first version of this utility is said to support GeForce GTX 260 (65nm), GeForce GTX 280 and GeForce GTX 295. Suceeding versions may expand the compatibility list to include some important graphics cards, namely GeForce GTX 285 and GTX 260 (55nm). The second and third screenshots below show a before&after scene of adjusting voltages using this utility.
Source: EVGA Forums
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Further Details of DFI CPU Cooler Turn Up - Prolimatech Megahalems
Some of you may have read the news post about the DFI CPU cooler, spotted on one of their boards. Not a lot of information has been made available, but we got the specifications right here for you. The cooler is made by Prolimatech, a firm established in 2008. This means that the cooler is not from Thermalright, as previously believed. It could also be possible, that the image of the DFI board with the cooler used means nothing and that DFI will not be entering the CPU cooler business after all. The "Megahalems" cooler comes with the following features:
- Minimal air resistance between fins allowing best balance between noise and performance in range of 800-1200RPM
- Heatpipes are lined up in a straight line to prevent air back draft allowing air to easily pass through the heatsink body
- Wide fins with mathematically calculated thickness to maximize best air-to-surface cooling rate
- Uniquely designed, easy-to-install socket 775 and 1366 retention mechanism to increase cooling ability.
- Easy to apply, high grade thermal compound, a perfect sidekick to all Prolimatech heatsinks
The unit is already listed at various shops for just under 60€ and should be available at the beginnging of March. Read on for the coolers full specifications.
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(PR) Thermaltake Introduces Element S Chassis
Thermaltake is a well-known brand for producing high performance, premium quality and superior design product and widely recognizable by media around the world. In the beginning of a new 2009, Thermaltake presenting a whole new line of chassis “Element S” as the year featured chassis. The profound appearance and structure design, “Element S” will the most stylist and unique of the year. Element S will first release exclusively in North America, and absolutely fulfills PC professionals demands.
Element S is entirely different from the chassis Thermaltake made especially for gamers and enthusiasts in the past. It is masterpiece focus on upper level of consumers' satisfaction by satisfy the creative professionals like 3D modeler, music composer, graphic designer, video editor and gamer themselves. The “S” for Element S represents Silence, Sophisticated, Spacious, Stream, Speedy and Substantial. With the six core design concepts, every surface, curve, line and crease has a function, expressing its potency and performance. With a seductive flow that incorporates profound detailing and powerful stance, the Element S delivers breathtaking beauty with performance.
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(PR) Thermaltake Unveils the New Generation of PSU آ– Toughpower XT
Thermaltake Technology, the leading brand of computer components, today announced the next generation of its high-performance Toughpower family آ– Toughpower XT. Toughpower XT features a number of cutting-edge innovations that set it above the competition. New features such as FanDelayCool for thorough cooling, S.P.T. Indicator for real-time monitoring, and 12Vin1 for the best compatibility have never been offered in most of the current PSUs. Toughpower XT is currently available in three models: 850W, 750W, 650W.
Since its successful launch in 2006, Thermaltake's top of the line PSU-Toughpower Series- has gained a great reputation for its high-performance and excellent quality in the past years. To maintain and even surpass its own leading position in the industry, Thermaltake's R&D engineers have redesigned the inner structure to upgrade the current Toughpower PSU.
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Intel to Call on AMD, to Discuss Possible License Violations
Silicon giant Intel flexed its IPR muscle by reportedly calling rival AMD to discussions on possible violations of past license agreements. AMD and Intel share license agreements dating back to 1976, which eventually transformed into the agreement of letting AMD use Intel's x86 micro-architecture in making its own products. Later in 2001, the two companies met again to share x86-related technologies. Such agreements bind licensees of the x86 architecture to confining their technologies to themselves as the license is non-transferable.
The two companies are expected to meet to discuss on how the past two major events in the recent history of AMD: the acquisition of ATI Technologies, and the spin-off of the manufacturing division to The Foundry Company respect the terms of the agreements. Earlier, AMD stated that the ATI acquisition does not violate any of its cross-agreements with Intel, while the company sounds optimistic about getting The Foundry Company to existence smoothly through one of its big hurdles: a clean-chit from Intel, after having crossed bigger hurdles such as government approvals and support from the various countries it holds its facilities in.
Source: TechConnect Magazine
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New Wireless 60 GHz Standard Promises Ultra-Fast Short Distance Transfer
The Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC) at the Georgia Institute of Technology has produced a CMOS chip capable of transmitting 60 GHz digital RF signals. This short-range new technology, if finalized, could offer many benefits, such as extremely fast wireless peer-to-peer connectivity in short ranges between virtually any device. That chip can even make the cables used nowadays for connection obsolete. Among the many potential 60 GHz applications are virtually wireless desktop-computer setups and data centers, wireless home DVD systems, in-store kiosks that transfer movies to handheld devices in seconds, and the potential to move gigabytes of photos or video from a camera to a PC almost instantly without cables. The single-chip CMOS component integrates a low-power radio with an embedded antenna, that draws only 100 milliwatts of power when operating, making it not only very small but extremely efficient too. GEDC researchers have already achieved very high data transfer rates that promise unprecedented short-range wireless speeds - 15 Gbps at a distance of 1 meter, 10 Gbps at 2 meters and 5 Gbps at 5 meters, enough for transmitting uncompressed 720p or 1080i video.
"We believe this new standard represents a major step forward," said Joy Laskar, a member of the Ecma 60 GHz standards committee and director of the Georgia Electronic Design Center ( GEDC ) at Georgia Tech. "Consumers could see products capable of ultra-fast short-range data transfer within two or three years." The specifications for this technology, which involves chips capable of sending RF signals in the 60 GHz range, are expected to be published as an ISO standard in 2009.
Source: Georgia Tech
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(PR) Seagate Technology Reports $496 Million Net Loss
Seagate Technology today reported preliminary results for the quarter ended January 2, 2009 of 37 million disk drive unit shipments, revenue of $2.3 billion, a net loss of $496 million, and net loss per share of $1.02 for the quarter ended January 2, 2009. Net loss and net loss per share for the quarter include $18 million of purchased intangibles amortization and other charges associated with acquisitions, restructuring and related accelerated depreciation charges of $94 million, and a charge of $271 million that reflects an unfavorable adjustment to the valuation allowance related to the company's deferred tax assets. The aggregate impact of these items is a $383 million loss or approximately $0.79 per share loss. Of the $94 million restructuring and related charges, $16 million was for accelerated depreciation charges recorded in cost of revenue ($2 million) and product development expense ($14 million) with the majority of the balance related to the recently disclosed global headcount reduction.
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EVGA to Offer Optional Backplate for GeForce GTX 295
Trying to offer the best service for the customer, EVGA is now offering an optional backplate (model number: 401-EV-1234-01) for its GeForce GTX 295 dual-GPU cards. Although not yet priced, this backplate is said to help EVGA GeForce GTX 295 owners to lower their overall card temperature by a few degrees.
Source: TechConnect Magazine
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(PR) AMD Reports Fourth Quarter and Annual Results
AMD today reported fourth quarter 2008 revenue from continuing operations1 of $1.162 billion. Fourth quarter 2008 revenue decreased 35 percent compared to the third quarter of 2008 and 33 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2007. Fourth quarter 2008 revenue was down 28 percent sequentially, excluding third quarter 2008 process technology license revenue of $191 million.
In the fourth quarter of 2008, AMD reported a net loss of $1.424 billion, or $2.34 per share. For continuing operations, fourth quarter 2008 loss was $1.414 billion, or $2.32 per share, and the operating loss was $1.274 billion. The results for continuing operations include an unfavorable impact of $996 million, or $1.64 per share as described in the table below. Loss from discontinued operations was $10 million, or $0.02 a share.
For the year ended December 27, 2008, AMD achieved revenue of $5.808 billion. Fiscal 2008 net loss was $3.098 billion. AMD reported revenue of $5.858 billion and a net loss of $3.379 billion for fiscal 2007.
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(PR) Spire Introduces Spectrum II Portable and Handy Backup Device
Spire, manufacturer of pc components and world famous for its quality and affordable thermal products today officially announced the Spectrum II. This upgraded version is a great little back-up tool to transfer and back up your valuable data from any IDE/SATA Hard Drive at speeds of up to 480 Mbps. At home, in the office or on the go, simply plug and play and secure your data by utilizing the one touch backup (OTB:optional) on the Spire Spectrum II.
The Spectrum II supports any 2.5" / 3.5" and 5.25" IDE/SATA Hard drive or other applicable device with the support for both PC and MAC Desktops or notebooks. If you want the most versatile back-up device on the market, choose Spectrum II. Don't settle for 1-year warranty as offered by others. Trust the brand with the industry experience and 3-year warranty, Spire آ– Powered by Innovation.
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(PR) Microsoft Reports Second-Quarter Results
Microsoft Corp. today announced revenue of $16.63 billion for the second quarter ended Dec. 31, 2008, a 2% increase over the same period of the prior year. Operating income, net income and diluted earnings per share for the quarter were $5.94 billion, $4.17 billion and $0.47, declines of 8%, 11% and 6%, respectively, compared with the prior year.
Client revenue declined 8% as a result of PC market weakness and a continued shift to lower priced netbooks. However, strong annuity licensing drove Server & Tools revenue growth of 15%. Entertainment and Devices revenue grew 3% driven by strong holiday demand for Xbox 360 consoles with a record 6 million units sold in the quarter.
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NVIDIA Releases Forceware 181.22 WHQL GeForce Driver Suite
NVIDIA made its latest GeForce driver suite official, version 181.22 WHQL. The driver comes nearly a week after its introduction as a beta. It reportedly brings in PhysX optimizations specific to Mirror's Edge. Attempting not to be merely a vehicle for PhysX system software version 9.09.0010, the driver promises certain fixes specific to Windows XP that include an SLI profile for STALKER: Clear Sky and Windows Vista-specific fixes that include an SLI profile for STALKER: Clear Sky benchmark, along with some stability issues being addressed for Fallout 3 and the GeForce GTX 295 accelerator, where only one of the two GPUs on the card was being recognized as CUDA/PhysX-supportive in some cases. Head over to NVIDIA's driver page for the downloads.
DOWNLOAD NVIDIA Forceware 181.22 WHQL for Windows XP 32-bit | Windows Vista 32-bit | Windows XP 64-bit | Windows Vista 64-bit
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(PR) Gigabyte Introduces Next Generation AMD AM3 Dragon Motherboard
GIGABYTE, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is pleased to announce the GA-MA790FXT-UD5P, their first AMD "Dragon Platform" qualified motherboard with next generation AMD AM3 Phenom II processors support, enabling the very latest in definitive high performance platforms for work, home and play.
Sportting the new AMD AM3 socket, the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P allows users to elevate their rig beyond the standard limits with support for support the highest performing ever 45nm AMD Phenom II processors featuring HyperTransport 3.0 and integrated DDR3 memory controller. The first motherboard to provide DDR3 memory support for the AMD platform, the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P is able to reach memory speeds up to 1666+MHz (OC) for blazing fast memory access for today's latest applications and games with greater energy efficiency. Build with top-notch high performance engineering, the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P features the highest quality 8+2 CPU VRM power phase design, able to handle the power demands from 140W CPUs with ease.
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(PR) A-DATA XPG DDR3 Memory Breaks A New World Record
A-DATA Technology Co. Ltd., a worldwide leading manufacturer in high performance memory products, announced today that its XPG DDR3 memory modules have broken a new world record on SuperPi 32m. The record was set by utilizing the DFI Lanparty UT X58 motherboard and XPG X Series v2.0 memory, the DDR3-2133X v2.0 2GBx3 triple-channel kit.
The SuperPi 32m record of 6min 40sec 360ms was achieved at a speed of 2237 MHz and latency settings of 8-7-7-21 using DDR3-2133X v2.0 2GBx3 triple-channel kit.
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(PR) MSI Unveils New AM3 Socket 790FX and 790GX Motherboards
MSI, the world’s leading motherboard manufacturer, today unveils its AMD AM3 motherboard 790FX-GD70 and 790GX-G65. MSI AM3 motherboard fully supports AMD latest 45nm Phenom II processor and DDR3 memory. In addition, it comes with the AM3 processor which is optimized for the “second-generation DrMOS technology” and “APS (Active Phase Switching) technology”, both in high and low loading, MSI AM3 series motherboard offers the highest power conversion efficiency and effectively reduces the heat. Not only that, Gaming series motherboard even comes with OC Dial and MAX FSB advanced overclocking technologies, as well as M-Flash BIOS update mechanism protection. OC Dial and MAX FSB overclocking enable users to overclock easily and become an expert in a short period of time; M-Flash enables user to load the BIOS files from USB drive to boot up. In addition, the full range products feature full support for multimedia applications, Blu-ray high-definition hardware audio, eSATA/USB combo port, and complete display output interface to provide Full HD and high-performance 3D display capabilities. This motherboard is simply one of the best solutions for gamers and multimedia users.
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(PR) Lian Li Launches the All New PC-A05N Mid-Tower Chassis
Lian Li Industrial Co. Ltd has launched the PC-A05N Mini-Tower chassis. The all aluminum design features an innovative front mounted power supply (PSU) bay that enables the unique shorter and smaller profile. This is the ideal chassis for those seeking a conveniently sized unit that can comfortably contain leading edge hardware. The beautifully crafted chassis has the traditional Lian Li brushed aluminum finish while the dimensions stand at 210mm x 381mm x 490mm (W,H,D), featuring all the functional and user friendly design aspects users have come to expect in a Lian Li case.
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Intel to Issue 5,000 Pink Slips, Close Manufacturing Plants
Intel seems to have finally taken its economic future seriously in wake of the company anticipating a red quarter, which is the first in 22 years. This announcement comes following CEO Paul Otellini's statements pointing towards the company seeing red in Q1 2009, this merely a month into the quarter. In the latest statement issued, the company pointed out that around 5,000 of its employees (around 6,000 when combined with associated support functions) will be affected as part of the company's workforce reduction plans. The employees are from across various positions and divisions of the company.
Additionally, terming it as corporate restructuring, Intel will cease operations in as many as four facilities at: Santa Clara in California, Hillsboro in Oregon, Penang in Malaysia and Cavite in Philippines. The company attributes this to severe drops in profits. For example, Intel's least week's earnings saw a 90 percent drop in profits from the same point in 2008. Craig Berger of FBR Capital Markets was among several analysts Wednesday who said he wouldn't be surprised if Intel falls in red this quarter. "We have seen pretty significant deterioration in demand" for computer chips, he said, though he added that no one , including probably Intel's top executives, can predict where the company is heading in the coming months, due to a great deal of uncertainty with the world economy. If Intel does suffer a loss this quarter, it's still in a lot better shape than most other chip makers and should have no trouble surviving the recession, said Nathan Brookwood, a research fellow at the Saratoga market consulting firm Insight 64. "If Intel can't do OK in the longer term," he said, "then the United States economy and the world economy are in one heck of a lot of trouble."
Source: The Mercury News
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CES 2009: CoolIT Systems
CoolIT is showing off a few very interesting concepts and implementation of their cooling technology. The first is a PC which is completely cooled by such a system. The prototype is hand made but features high-end components in a unique formfactor. To control all aspects of the system there is a special PCB, to which you may connect multiple fans among other things. Then there is the notebook cooling prototype. It actually pushes cooled air into the notebooks air vents, to be exausted by the internal cooling fan.
One device, which I forgot to take a picture off, is their Domino ALC CPU cooler. It is a pre-filled and ready to go liquid cooling solution. But fear not, we will have a review of the system shortly.
Source: CoolIT System
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IBM Faces Monopoly and Anti-Competition Charges
IBM has been accused of monopoly and anti-competition practices with the mainframe market. A complaint of the same has been filed with the European Commission on Tuesday. T3, a small American supplier of mainframes who, in the past, dealt in IBM products, alleges the company the company to have abused its market-position and monopoly power in the industry.
IBM is accused of engaging in several anti-competitive offenses, that include the prevention of the sales of competing mainframe hardware products by making its operating system exclusive to its mainframe hardware. IBM is further accused of withholding patent licenses and certain intellectual property to the detriment of mainframe customers, according to a statement by T3. In the same statement, T3 says that it dealt with IBM mainframes in the past, but it took to selling its own products developed by Amdahl (now part of Fujitsu). An IBM spokesperson responded saying that the company is yet to see a complaint, and that it was inappropriate to comment on specifics relating thereto.
Source: ZDNet
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Spire Takes the Retention Clip Route with LGA-1366 Cooler Support
Spire today released its two new retention module kits that provide support for Intel's Core i7 LGA-1366 socket, using existing Spire coolers. The two kits: Core i7 Clip (model: SB-03MK092) and Core i7 Clip II (model: SB-03MK091) consist of metal clip(s) with screws. The Core i7 Clip II, with its two split clips support Spire's SP604,SP605,SP607,SP608 CPU coolers, while the Core i7 clip is built exclusively for the SP602B3 cooler. Both kits are made of nickel-plated metal are are backed by Spire's 2 year warranty. As for its pricing, they are expected to be nominal as with similar retention module kits from several other companies.
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More Details Trickle in on Intel's New Atom Platform, the Pine Trail-D Based Nettop
Following the story which we covered just a few days ago, Expreview has got more information on the new Intel Atom platform, codenamed Pine Trail-D. From the new information, we see that the CPU, IGP and MCH will in fact all be integrated into one chip, as opposed to just being moved onto the same die. The CPU has also been listed as at least 1.6Ghz, double that of the current entry level Atom processor. Despite the platform having no need for a northbridge, with it all moved into the CPU, Intel have managed to keep the die size at 484 sq. mm. On that note however, it seems that the IGP is still DirectX 9 based, though further details on the graphical capabilities are still not yet known. We also see, that the new Tigerpoint southbridge, will support 8 USB devices, 4 PCI-E x1 lanes, 2 PCI ports, 2 SATA ports and HD audio.
Source: Expreview
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