Intel to Launch New Budget Quad-Core Later this Month

According to the folks over at DigiTimes, Intel is currently preparing to launch a few new processors before the end of the month, including a new 45nm-based budget Quad-Core. The Q8200 will carry a frequency of 2.33GHz and a price of $224 per 1,000, so you can expect them to retail for around ~$245 - $250. This will be a Yorkfield-4M chip, representing the 4MB of L2 Cache (2x2MB).

The same CPU will carry similar specs to its higher-end brothers though, with a 1333MHz FSB and 95W TDP. The chip seems like a solid offering overall, but with the Q9300 (6MB Cache, 2.5GHz) only ~$20 more, it makes it a tough decision. But hey, at least there's choice. It's hard to discredit that.

Other new processors include the Dual-Core E5200, at 2.5GHz and 2MB L2 Cache and release price of ~$84. Lastly, the Single-Core Celeron 450 will launch at 2.2GHz and ~$53. Unlike the rest of the current Core lineup, this is a 65nm part.

Intel is planning to launch a 45nm quad-core CPU - Core 2 Quad Q8200 with a core frequency of 2.33GHz and price of US$224 in thousand-unit tray quantities by the end of August along with a new dual-core Pentium E5200 CPU at 2.5GHz and US$84. The company will also launch a 65nm Conroe-L-based Celeron 450 CPU at 2.2GHz and US$53, according to sources at motherboard makers.

Source: DigiTimes

Intel's Developer Forum Next Week, Time to Look Back on Last Year

It's almost that time of the year again, when we'll be heading down to San Francisco for Intel's Developer Forum, a conference for all things directly related to the company and its partners. Out of all the trade shows I visit in a given year, IDF has proven to be my definite favorite, and I believe it's impossible to leave the Moscone Center not feeling a heck of a lot smarter than when you went in.

Before we begin reporting on the upcoming event, let's take a brief look back on last year. The big news then was of course Intel's 45nm architecture, which is hard to believe, since the market is completely saturated with the processors now, seven of which we've already taken a hard look at. Those include the Dual-Core E7200 and E8400, and the Quad-Core E5410, Q9450, QX9650, QX9770, and of course, Skulltrail's QX9775's.

Speaking of Skulltrail, that was another highlight of our trip, simply because the rig in place was so drool-worthy. How could it not be, with two Quad-Core processors operating at 3.2GHz? We of course took a look at this offering earlier this year and followed-up with our guide on building a budget version, because in all honesty, not everyone has thousands of dollars to spend on the motherboard and CPUs alone, right?

(I had to use this image just one last time.)

Rather significant news last year was with regards to the PCI-Express and USB 3.0 specs, which are still a ways off from implementation. PCI-E 3.0 promises to be twice as fast as PCI-E 2.0 and offer new support, while USB 3.0 aims to be 10x faster than 2.0, which is truly incredible. Imagine the possibilities there, especially with external storage. We are sure to learn more about these technologies, and many others, at next week's event.

For a thorough refresh, why not run through last years coverage, to better prepare yourself for the excitement this year? This year also proves a little more interesting, since NVIDIA is hosting their own conference immediately afterward, called NVISION. I'll talk more about that next week though, but for now you can visit the official site. If you live anywhere near San Jose, you should definitely consider going.

Source: Intel Developer Forum Coverage

IntelBurnTest Puts the Burn to Your Intel Rig

Not sure if it's just me who's noticed or not, but SP2004, Prime95 and others seem to be wearing a bit thin. They are still effective in getting the job done, but we need a new face to look at, and something that promises to be even more effective than the applications before it. Thanks to our friend Kougar, we now know of a new stress-tester that looks to become our favorite new tool in our lab.

'IntelBurnTest' promises to be much more accurate than Prime95's Small FFTs/Blend test, takes less time to tell you if your overclocks are unstable (nice benefit) and also that it uses the exact same stress-testing engine that Intel themselves use to test their products.

Once opened, the app will ask you a few basic questions, such as how strenuous you want the test to be, and also how many times you want to run it. As you can see below, it's a command-line-based application (I have it emulated in Linux there), but that idea shouldn't scare you. It looks to be incredibly powerful and well worth your time if you want a reliable stress-tester.

Linpack by Intel(R) is an extremely stressful program that will put even the most powerful X86/X64 CPU in the world at its knees. Load temp under Linpack will be up to 22*C higher than the competing software Prime95. This program will make usage of Linpack easier and more practical.

Source: IntelBurnTest Download Page

AMD's Split Rumors Heating Up

It looks as though AMD is preparing to split in half, and it might happen a lot sooner than we would have expected. TG Daily has the details on the upcoming Asset Light and Asset Smart strategies, which are being lead by current Chairman of the Board, Hector Ruiz (pictured below). You might immediately associate 'split' with a bad thing, but it's not that kind of split, but rather a move AMD feels is imperative to the future success of the company.

The supposed goal is to split AMD into two sections. One will be lead by the newly-crowned CEO, Dirk Meyer, which will focus on the R&D of chip technologies, with the other half to deal with manufacturing. According to TG Daily, critical decisions are currently being made, and AMD has no plans to make this a slow process. As soon as the decisions are cleared, the move will be made.

How will this improve AMD, you ask? Well, we'll have to wait and see. Ruiz is entirely confident in the shift, however, and states that it's an important move and one that will help AMD turn a profit much, much sooner.

Officially, there is virtually no clear information on the announcement and the direction of Asset Light/Smart provided by AMD. In the company’s Q2 earnings call, chief financial officer Bob Rivet stated the announcement will not be a 2009 event and that the company will announce it "as soon as [AMD] can get it down which is what Hector [Ruiz] is focused on."

Source: TG Daily

August 13th Tech Roundup

• Intel E7300 - MadBoxpc
• Biostar A740G M2+ - InsideHW

• Palit Radeon HD 4870 X2 - Hardware Canucks
• Palit Radeon HD 4870 X2 - Neoseeker
• Palit Radeon HD 4870 X2 - Legit Reviews
• AMD Radeon HD 4870 X2 - HotHardware
• AMD Radeon HD 4870 X2 - The Tech Report
• AMD Radeon HD 4870 X2 - Elite Bastards
• ASUS EAH4870 X2 - ComputerShopper
• Sapphire HD 4870 X2 - techPowerUp
• Sapphire HD 4870 X2 - Overclockers Club
• Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 4870 X2 - PC Perspective

• Eagle Consus N-Series HDD Enclosure - DragonSteelMods

• Razer Salmosa Mouse - Technic3D
• Steelseries Siberia Headset - Metku

• Moneual Lab Moncaso 972 - Tweaknews
• PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad 750W - PCSTATS