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FTA-N-More.Net For your True FTA Needs 2010-11-16T14:04:30-05:00 http://www.fta-n-more.net/forum/feed.php?f=19 2010-11-16T14:04:30-05:00 2010-11-16T14:04:30-05:00 http://www.fta-n-more.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1404&p=1875#p1875 <![CDATA[Hardware Talk • Intel to unveil Sandy Bridge CPU line-up at CES]]> From vague to Vegas

By Tony Smith

16th November 2010 13:17 GMT

Intel took the wraps off its next-gen 32nm CPU architecture, 'Sandy Bridge', at last September's Intel Developer Forum (IDF), but it will spec up the first Sandy Bridge chips themselves in January at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

The chip giant has begun emailing hacks, inviting them to attend the company's CES keynote on 5 January 2011 at which Mooly Eden, arguablye Intel's most entertaining executive, will formally spill the beans.

Sandy Bridge parts are officially called "Second Generation Intel Core Processors", which is the phrase splashed all over the invite.

Among the parts Eden will pull out of his hat is what Intel claims will be the "world's fastest processor". Like as not that's the successor to the six-core, 12-thread 3.33GHz Core i7-980X, the new one connecting to an LGA-1155 socket.

Statistics: Posted by Prodigy — Tue Nov 16, 2010 2:04 pm

]]> 2010-08-27T11:33:37-05:00 2010-08-27T11:33:37-05:00 http://www.fta-n-more.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=992&p=1335#p1335 <![CDATA[Hardware Talk • Apple files chip block stack patent]]>
Apple has filed a patent application that supports the stacked-component design of its A4 chip used in the iPad and iPhone 4, and points to further future integration of multiple system components on the same die.

The filing, "Systems and methods for providing a system-on-a-substrate," describes methods for reducing the size of a device by combining — in the words of the application — "all of the components of the system on the same microchip."

And by "all," the application is rather inclusive: "The components of a system can include one or more of a processor, memory (e.g., RAM, SDRAM, DDR RAM, or ROM), CODEC circuitry, Input/Output ("I/O") circuitry, communication circuitry, accelerometers, capacitors, inductors, or any other suitable components."

Apple's A4 chip isn't quite as all-embracing. As the teardown junkies and part-suppliers at iFixIt showed when they partnered with Chipworks to deconstruct Apple's ARM-based part, the A4 stacks two layers of RAM above the processor die in the A4's package.

Apple's patent filing goes further, though. It foresees a time when far more components can be placed on the same die: hence the term "system-on-a-substrate."

In one "embodiment" — patentese for "example" — a substrate can combine multiple components such as any or all from those listed above. That substrate, packaged up as a single chip, can then sit on a flexible printed circuit board ("flex"), which can extend beyond the package to support other components.

The filing also envisions embodiments in which the substrate can support both a flex layer upon which, say, memory is installed, along with a series of other components combined into their own package.

The goal off all this mixing and matching and cramming and combining is component shrinkage. According to the filing, a printed circuit board may require traces that are 60 micrometers in width and spaced 60 micrometers apart, while a substrate can get away with 15/15 — that would allow, according to the filing, a four-layer, 0.2 millimeter–thick substrate to replace a six-layer, 0.5 millimeter–thick PCB.

In addition to a substrate's straightforward size advantages, the ability to stack components on top of one another — as is done in the A4 — provides another opportunity to shrink a part's footprint.

In handheld, pocketable devices, size does matter — and this patent filing describes a series of ways that Apple could pack more functions into smaller spaces. Whether such a straightforward idea as component-stacking and substrate-packing is patentable, however, remains to be seen.

Statistics: Posted by Prodigy — Fri Aug 27, 2010 11:33 am

]]> 2010-08-23T14:16:43-05:00 2010-08-23T14:16:43-05:00 http://www.fta-n-more.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=942&p=1269#p1269 <![CDATA[Hardware Talk • AMD says goodbye to 3DNow! instruction set]]>
Introduced in 1998, 3DNow! was AMD’s answer to the growing multimedia demands being placed on the K6-2 silicon of the day. Today AMD has announced that the instruction set is being deprecated.

AMD introduced the 3DNow! ™ instruction set back in the K6-2 days to do Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) instructions, otherwise known as vectorized instructions. These were mainly used for graphics intensive applications and even audio processing. Since then, we have added many SIMD instruction sets to our processors, such as the widely used Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE) instruction set and its successive versions.

3DNow! instructions are being deprecated and will not be supported in certain upcoming AMD processors. In those processors, the 3DNow! Instructions feature flag bit will not be set. This is indicated by EDX bit 31 of CPUID function 8000_0001h. This is a good time to remind developers just how important it is to check for features supported at runtime before using them. We have always recommended this feature check at runtime as a best practice, but it becomes very important now to help prevent your program from failing if it tries to execute this instruction without first checking if the feature is supported. Around the same time as 3DNow! instructions were developed, programmers were accustomed to using a model of ‘try and catch’ to check if a processor supported an instruction or instruction set. This is when the application ‘tries’ to execute an instruction to see if it’s available. If the application receives an Undefined Exception (#UD) from the processor, it believes the instruction set isn’t available. These types of applications may not do well under newer virtual machines. That’s subject for another blog though.

There are, as always, exceptions. In this case, AMD will continue to support two instructions - PREFETCH and PREFETCHW - which will continue to be supported.

Despite being revolutionary for its time, 3DNow! wasn’t very popular and has since been superseded by countless iterations of the SSE instruction set. However, this news is important to any developers making use of it, as well as those managing virtualized environments that make use of it.

Statistics: Posted by Prodigy — Mon Aug 23, 2010 2:16 pm

]]> 2010-08-23T11:28:33-05:00 2010-08-23T11:28:33-05:00 http://www.fta-n-more.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=933&p=1259#p1259 <![CDATA[Hardware Talk • Intel: dual-core Atom netbooks on sale now]]> N550 hits the shelves
By Tony Smith

Intel today lauded the arrival of netbooks based on its new dual-core Atom processor, the N550.

It named Acer, Asus, Fujitsu, Lenovo, LG, Samsung, MSI and Toshiba as netbook manufacturers who are shipping N550-based machines "now and through the end of the year" - which essentially means you shouldn't expect to go out and buy one of these boxes tomorrow.

Intel claimed the DDR 3-supporting CPU delivers a battery drain that's "similar" to that of the single-core 1.66GHz N450, which consumes up to 5.5W of power.

In part, that's because Intel has lowered the N550's clock speed to 1.5GHz, Intel figuring the extra core more than makes up for the slower clock speed. Reports from Taiwanese show Computex a couple of months back had the N550's TDP down as 8.3W.

Intel has reportedly said it doesn't mind N550 netbooks having displays of up to 12in, which would put the N550 up as an alternative to the Celeron, Pentium Dual-Core and Core Solo processors we've seen in 11.6in and 12in notebooks of late.

Statistics: Posted by Prodigy — Mon Aug 23, 2010 11:28 am

]]> 2010-08-19T18:16:58-05:00 2010-08-19T18:16:58-05:00 http://www.fta-n-more.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=846&p=1170#p1170 <![CDATA[Hardware Talk • Re: Sandisk Debuts World's Smallest 64GB SSD]]> Statistics: Posted by Prodigy — Thu Aug 19, 2010 6:16 pm

]]> 2010-08-19T13:38:15-05:00 2010-08-19T13:38:15-05:00 http://www.fta-n-more.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=846&p=1163#p1163 <![CDATA[Hardware Talk • Re: Sandisk Debuts World's Smallest 64GB SSD]]> Statistics: Posted by The_Hatta — Thu Aug 19, 2010 1:38 pm

]]> 2010-08-19T12:55:46-05:00 2010-08-19T12:55:46-05:00 http://www.fta-n-more.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=846&p=1161#p1161 <![CDATA[Hardware Talk • Re: Sandisk Debuts World's Smallest 64GB SSD]]> Statistics: Posted by Prodigy — Thu Aug 19, 2010 12:55 pm

]]> 2010-08-19T12:28:23-05:00 2010-08-19T12:28:23-05:00 http://www.fta-n-more.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=846&p=1158#p1158 <![CDATA[Hardware Talk • Re: Sandisk Debuts World's Smallest 64GB SSD]]>
here's a photo, happy now ?

Statistics: Posted by The_Hatta — Thu Aug 19, 2010 12:28 pm

]]> 2010-08-19T11:56:28-05:00 2010-08-19T11:56:28-05:00 http://www.fta-n-more.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=846&p=1157#p1157 <![CDATA[Hardware Talk • Re: Sandisk Debuts World's Smallest 64GB SSD]]> Statistics: Posted by ces — Thu Aug 19, 2010 11:56 am

]]> 2010-08-19T11:27:00-05:00 2010-08-19T11:27:00-05:00 http://www.fta-n-more.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=846&p=1154#p1154 <![CDATA[Hardware Talk • Re: Sandisk Debuts World's Smallest 64GB SSD]]> Statistics: Posted by Prodigy — Thu Aug 19, 2010 11:27 am

]]> 2010-08-19T10:18:58-05:00 2010-08-19T10:18:58-05:00 http://www.fta-n-more.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=846&p=1150#p1150 <![CDATA[Hardware Talk • Sandisk Debuts World's Smallest 64GB SSD]]>
The storage company said that the iSSD range will target the "fast-growing" mobile computing platforms
such as tablet PCs and ultra-thin notebooks (and netbooks we presume); as expected, they won't be available to consumers directly but as an integral part of devices.

Weighing less than a paper clip and smaller than a postage stamp, the iSSD comes in a tiny Ball Grid Array and boost support for the SATA standard, which means that it can be soldered directly on motherboards.

Sandisk also says that it is "fast enough" to use with the latest operating systems with 160MB/sec sequential read and 100MB/sec sequential write speeds being quoted.

The advantages of having such an integrated technology are obvious and could pave the way for cheaper, more reliable and faster solid state storage as manufacturers start to integrate SSD straight on their products.

Some motherboard makers for example could choose to use an iSSD storage on their boards to provide with improved performance while adding only a small premium to the price.

Statistics: Posted by The_Hatta — Thu Aug 19, 2010 10:18 am

]]> 2010-08-18T19:54:43-05:00 2010-08-18T19:54:43-05:00 http://www.fta-n-more.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=842&p=1146#p1146 <![CDATA[Hardware Talk • Toshiba claims hard-drive breakthrough]]>
The breakthrough has been made in the research of bit-patterned media, a magnetic storage technology that is being developed for future hard disk drives. In today's drives, magnetic material is spread across the surface of the disk and bits of data are stored across several hundred magnetic grains, but the technology is reaching its limit.

Bit-patterned media breaks up the recording surface into numerous magnetic bits, each consisting of a few magnetic grains. Under a microscope, the magnetic bits look like thousands of tiny spheres crammed next to each another.

Data is stored on these magnetic bits: One magnetic bit can hold one bit of data.

Prototypes of the media have been made before but Toshiba says its engineers have, for the first time, succeeded in producing a media sample in which the magnetic bits are organized into a pattern of rows. The rows and gaps between them are important because they act as markers to where data is stored. If the disk surface consisted of an unorganized mass of magnetic bits it could be impossible to find data but the organization allows for the quick location of information.

Toshiba also said it managed to gain usable signals from a recording head that flew over the data and stopped at a data track on the media.

Details of the development will be disclosed on Wednesday at The Magnetic Recording Conference, which began on Monday in San Diego.

Toshiba's sample media is still in the prototype stage, but is built at a density equivalent to 2.5 terabits per square inch. Contrast that with Toshiba's current highest capacity drive today, which is based on existing technology and has a density of 541 gigabits per square inch or about one fifth that of the new technology.

Toshiba expects the first drives based on bit-patterned media to hit the market around 2013.

Statistics: Posted by The_Hatta — Wed Aug 18, 2010 7:54 pm

]]> 2010-08-17T07:50:52-05:00 2010-08-17T07:50:52-05:00 http://www.fta-n-more.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=803&p=1100#p1100 <![CDATA[Hardware Talk • Intel Atom D425, D525 Processors Boost Processing Speed]]>
Intel's Atom D425 and D525 chipsets support double-data-rate three small outline dual in-line memory modules, also known as DDR3 SODIMM.

Chipmaker Intel Corp. announced two additional Intel Atom processors, the 1.8GHz D425 single-core and D525 dual-core, that boost processor speed and supports a new memory technology and are aimed at home or small to medium-size business (SMB) storage appliances. With higher CPU frequencies for faster storage processing, the chips will support memory technology such as double-data-rate three small outline dual in-line memory modules, also known as DDR3 SODIMM.

The Atom processors are paired with the Intel 82801 IR input/output (I/O) Controller, and both additions to the storage platform offer the ability to support Microsoft Windows Home Server and open source Linux operating systems. Intel boasted storage vendors Acer, Cisco, LaCie, LG Electronics, Netgear, QNAP, Synology and others have adopted the Intel Atom processor-based platform into products that are currently available.

An intelligent I/O processor offloads I/O processing functions, such as I/O interrupt processing and parity calculations, from the CPU. This allows the CPU to streamline application processing and to use other system resources, such as the system bus and memory, more effectively. Intel said I/O processors allow servers, workstations and storage subsystems to transfer data faster, reduce communication bottlenecks, and improve overall system performance.

“Networked storage appliances based on the Intel Atom processor platform enable consumers and businesses to organize, manage, protect and share documents, photos, videos and music throughout the home or office,” said Dinesh Rao, product line manager for Intel Storage Group. “The versatile Atom processor, which is at the heart of a growing variety of small, innovative, Internet-connected devices, makes it possible for storage vendors to develop low-power appliances that can innocuously sit on a desk or shelf while keeping digital content safe and available anytime, anywhere.”

Erwan Girard, LaCie Solutions business unit manager, said their recently introduced two storage servers, which leverage Intel’s Atom processor technology to deliver enterprise-level storage capabilities to small and medium businesses, were previously only experienced in large, corporate environments. “The new servers include the perfect mix of corporate-grade features and intuitive management software, enclosed in an award-winning 5big design for your desktop, allowing these products to fit seamlessly into any business environment,” Girard said.

Statistics: Posted by Prodigy — Tue Aug 17, 2010 7:50 am

]]> 2010-08-16T18:25:34-05:00 2010-08-16T18:25:34-05:00 http://www.fta-n-more.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=801&p=1097#p1097 <![CDATA[Hardware Talk • Intel plans big SSD changes]]>
For many years the mechanical hard drive has been the last great bottleneck in PCs. Despite faster implementations of the Serial ATA standard the vast majority of desktop hard drives still use the same 7,200rpm spin speed that they did a decade ago. Even the premium market, consisting of Western Digital's Velociraptor series has sat at 10,000rpm since launch.

Solid State Drives have been trying to fill the mechanical hard drive niche for some time now. The problem is that while flash memory is faster than a spinning platter, it is also much more expensive per gigabyte. This year we have finally seen 100GB SSDs drop below the $400 price barrier, but they are still luxury items used mainly for fast boot drives.

Back in May Intel and Micron announced that they had started production of NAND flash memory using a 25nm process. This has allowed for 8GB of memory to be placed on a NAND chip - previous fabrication technology meant only 4GB was possible per chip. This doubling led to Intel/Micron announcing that these new chips would halve the price of SSDs, something which we are yet to see happen in the market.

That doesn't mean the promise was false - over the weekend details leaked about Intel's SSD roadmap, and what is most interesting about the new roadmap is that the capacities of Intel's SSDs are going to increase.

First off is a refresh to the high performance X25-M range of SSDs. Currently available in 80GB and 160GB models, these will be replaced by a new design, codenamed Postville, which will come in 160GB, 300GB and 600GB variants. According to the roadmap these drives will use a 25nm MLC NAND flash, which is most likely to be the process announced earlier this year.

At the same time Intel is set to double the capacity of its value X25-V drive. This old design uses 34nm flash and comes in a 40GB capacity. It will be replaced by an 80GB model that uses the same 25nm MLC flash as the X25-M update.

Next year will see the top of the range Enterprise drives move from 50nm SLC flash to 25nm 'Enterprise Grade' MLC flash. This move away from SLC is surprising, considering that it is traditionally the fastest kind of flash, but the move to MLC does mean a massive leap in capacity. The existing 32GB and 64GB Enterprise drives are set to be replaced with 100GB, 200GB and 400GB size drives.

It remains to be seen just what effect this massive reshuffle of products will have on the rest of the SSD market. We have seen prices slowly drop, but there has been no massive change in a long time. Considering that Intel's changes are based upon advances in its own Flash memory chips, it will be fascinating to see whether other manufacturers can keep pace with the huge leaps in capacity shown in the leaked Intel roadmap.

Statistics: Posted by The_Hatta — Mon Aug 16, 2010 6:25 pm

]]> 2010-08-16T15:23:45-05:00 2010-08-16T15:23:45-05:00 http://www.fta-n-more.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=797&p=1092#p1092 <![CDATA[Hardware Talk • Intel to buy Texas Instruments' cable modem unit]]>
Intel said Monday it agreed to acquire Texas Instruments' cable modem unit as it tries to expand markets for its Atom processor line.

The acquisition is a good fit with Intel's CE line of system-on-a-chip (SOC) Atom processors, the company said. "The purchase enhances Intel's focus on the cable industry...where the company's expertise in building advanced system-on-chip products, based on Intel Atom processors, will be applied," Intel said in a statement.

Intel plans to combine TI's Puma product lines with Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS)-based technology (for defining compatibility between cable modems) and Intel SoCs to deliver advanced set-top box, residential gateway, and modem products for the cable industry.

"Intel is focused on delivering SOCs that provide the foundation for consumer electronics devices such as set-top boxes, digital TVs, Blu-ray disc players, companion boxes and related devices," said Bob Ferreira, general manager, Cable Segment, Intel's Digital Home Group, in a statement.

All employees of Texas Instruments' cable modem team received offers to join Intel at sites in their home countries, primarily Israel, and will become part of Intel's Digital Home Group, Intel said.

Additional terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The agreement is subject to regulatory review and customary closing conditions and the deal is expected to be closed in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Statistics: Posted by Prodigy — Mon Aug 16, 2010 3:23 pm

]]>