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Penryn and Nehalem revealed: more info on Intel's future CPU's

A look into Intel's future plans

Background

28/03/2007

Intel today released some more information about their future processors "Penryn" and "Nehalem" in a conference call. The first one will replace the current generation of Core 2 Duo processors and will be released before this year is out. The latter is the successor to the Penryn and will be released in 2008/2009. The Nehalem contains a lot of interesting features, as we have found out today. An intergrated memory controller as well as an integrated graphics core will both be present in this processor.

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The CPU redefined: AMD Torrenza and Intel CSI

A quick glance at AMD Torrenza and other developments

Review:
Processors

05/03/2007

AMD buys out ATI, Intel and Nvidia seem to form a strategic alliance; in short these are turbulent times in the world of chip manufacturers. If we are to believe the statements made by several manufacturers, then we are on the threshold of some major changes concerning task applications for the various chips in a PC. Though AMD has gotten a head start with Torrenza, Intel won't be far behind in implementing a similar solution.

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Intel: 45 nanometer up-and-running!

First info about the Core 2 Duo successor

Background

31/01/2007

2006 was a technological successyear for Intel, the introduction of the Core 2 Duo range of processors took over the fastest desktop processor claim from AMD, who had been holding it for quite a few years with their Athlon 64. The new Core 2 Duo architecture combined raw power with energy efficiency and at the moment can be found in desktops, laptops and servers. The new architecture is not the only reason for the strong comeback, Intel has the most modern production facilities and started producing 65nm processors two years ago. Main competitor AMD did not start on this process untill recently and only just now the first 65nm are hitting the stores. The smaller the production method, the smaller the transistors and therefore more transistors can be put an a chip. Not only more transistors is the advantage of a smaller production method, as the power consumption goes down as well which allows higher clock frequencies. Intel announced today that they are ready for the next step, and have already produced Core 2 Duo like processors on a 45 nanometer process, the Penrynn. Intel claims that Penrynn processors should be available to the public in the second half of 2007.

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8 processor cores in one chip

Sun Fire T1000 and Sun Fire T2000 with the UltraSparc T1

Background

05/12/2006

With the ever-continuing race between AMD and Intel, it sometimes seems that there is nothing else but these two in the processor field. On the contrary, there is a whole range of other manufacturers, including Sun, who are hard at work. A good example are the new servers with CoolThreads technology, made by Sun. These paint a whole different picture of the development of dual and quad core processors as done by Intel or AMD. Sun equips each processor with eight cores, which can manage up to 32 threads simultaneously.

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The history of the processor, part I

The road from the 4004 in 1971 to the Intel Core 2 Duo in 2006

Background

29/11/2006

The new Intel Core 2 Duo processor consists of no less than 290 million transisitors, all pakced on a small slice of silicon no larger than 143 mm2. As if this is not a big enough achievement in itself, the new processor has a speed of 2,93GHz, meaning that all 290 million transistors can switch 3 billion times per second! Needless to say that this processor is able of very complex calculations on a very high speed. We were curious how processors got to this unbelievable stage, and dug up some history on the microprocessors.

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Intel Itanium, how is it doing?

The current state of Intel's true 64 bit processor

Review:
Processors

27/11/2006

With all the attention currently going to 32 bit processors with 64-bit extensions, such as the Intel Xeon Woodcrest and Intel Core 2 Duo processors, it feels like the Intel Itanium has been given the cold shoulder. Time to set this right and to take a look at the past, present and future of the Intel Itanium.

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Intel quad-core Xeon 5300 review

A total of eight cores offering unmatched server performance

Review:
Processors

14/11/2006

Just two weeks ago we saw the introduction of Intel’s first quad-core x86 processor. The Core 2 Extreme QX6700, better known by its codename Kentsfield, combines two Core 2 Duo CPU’s into one processor and thus offers four processor cores with no less than 8 MB of L2-cache. Whilst running various benchmarks it became clear that the Kentsfield offered unparalleled performance: the Kentsfield attained the highest scores in every single benchmark that had been optimised for multi-core processors. Today we’re going to be looking at Intel’s quad-core foray in another market segment, namely the server/workstation market. Intel has developed a quad-core version of its Xeon DP 53XX workstation/server-processor codenamed Clovertown. Today will see the release of several different iterations of Intel’s Kentsfield quad-core processor. If Intel’s claimed performance figures hold up to our scrutiny then this processor could make quite an impact: a 70% increase in performance over current servers using existing dual-core Xeon processors and a substantial increase in performance in relation to power usage (performance per watt). To verify Intel’s claims we’ve gone to work with a server with two Clovertown processors and compared the performance to that of the dual-core Woodcrest (Xeon DP 51XX) processor.

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Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 'Kentsfield' Test

First Quad core processor enhances Intel's lead

Review:
Processors

02/11/2006

Thing are going very well for Intel, not even a year ago hardware enthusiasts always bought an AMD processor for a new machine, however since the arrival of the Core 2 Duo this group is favouring Intel again. AMD has not managed to come up with an answer to the Core 2 Duo processors, but this does not mean that Intel is sitting back and enjoying the ride. The proof has arrived, not even 6 months after the introduction of the Core 2 Duo Intel is releasing the first quad core processor for desktop computers, the "Kentsfield" or Core 2 Extreme quad core.

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The future of the all new AMD

What the merger between AMD and ATI will lead to

Review:
Processors

26/10/2006

When AMD took over ATI it caused quite an upset in the computer world. By merging with a manufacturer of graphic chips AMD not only obtained access to all the important infrastructural parts of a computer, they have also gained the technique to redesign multicore processors and make these multifunctional.

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Conroe on a budget: Core 2 Duo E6400 test

What performance can we expect from the Core 2 Duo with 2 MB L2 cache?

Review:
Processors

07/09/2006

De introductie van de Intel Core 2 Duo heeft de processormarkt helemaal op z'n kop gezet. Zeker in de high-end markt heeft de nieuwe reeks processors voor een ommezwaai gezorgd: waar gamers en overklokkers tot nu toe zweerden bij CPU's uit de AMD Athlon 64 reeks, zijn het nu de Core 2 Duo's die als warme broodjes over de toonbank gaan. Een tijdje geleden besteedden we al ruim aandacht aan de architectuur van de Core 2 Duo en publiceerden we een test van de topmodellen X6800, E6700 en E6600. Naast deze reeks Core 2 Duo's met 4 MB L2-cache aan boord, heeft Intel ook een drietal goedkopere exemplaren met slechts 2 MB cache uitgebracht. Tot nu toe was het voor ons slechts gis werk wat de prestaties van deze budget-Conroe's zou zijn, maar inmiddels hebben we onze handen kunnen leggen op een Core 2 Duo E6400, werkend op 2.13 GHz met 2 MB cache. Deze processor staat op het moment van schrijven van voor nog geen 225 euro in ons prijzenoverzicht, en kan op die manier een ideale basis zijn voor een krachtige, maar betaalbare PC. Met een dergelijke prijspunt is de Core 2 Duo E6400 slechts een fractie duurder dan de Athlon 64 X2 4200+ uit het kamp van AMD en vergelijkbaar met de Pentium D 950, eveneens van Intel. Voor ons reden om de prestaties van deze drie processors eens goed te vergelijken.

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Intel Core 2 Duo / Core 2 Extreme Test

Intel strikes back

Review:
Processors

07/08/2006

Before its official introduction on the 27th of July the new architecture by Intel, the Conroe, has developed a real hype with hardware enthusiasts all over the internet. More and more benchmarks got leaked onto the web, and it became imminent that the new Intel processor would regain the performance crown.

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Intel Core micro architecture

The new architecture used for Intels Core 2 Duo explained

Background

14/07/2006

It's no secret anymore that Intels new Core 2 Duo processor crushes its predecessors and competitors. How did Intel manage to design a processor that is so much faster than their current chips and is also much more power efficient? The answer can be found in a new brand new micro architecture, which forms the base for Intels newest processors for desktops, laptops and servers. In this article we explain how the new core micro architecture differs from previous CPU architectures.

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