Chips, Chipsets and Damned Chipsets

Okay, so the first thing to understand is that an Intel brand, like Core 2 or Core i7, actually refers to a whole bunch of different processors. Although they generally have the same basic microarchitecture (in other words, chip design), the brand envelopes both desktop and mobile chips, chips with radically different clock speeds, that use different motherboard sockets, etc.

Because of these differences, each particular chip is given a codename, chosen for obscure geographical locations (seriously, plug just about any codename into Google Maps). For instance, the original mobile Core 2 Duo processor was Merom, and it was replaced after about two years by Penryn, which was manufactured using a new 45-nanometer process to be more efficient. Quite different, these two, but Intel pimped both as Core 2 Duos nonetheless.

View Intel in a larger map
Although Intel doesn't market chips according to their codenames, the individual chip gets a model number that gives you an idea of how it compares, spec-wise (clock speed, cache size, etc.), to other chips in the same group. So, a Core i7-950 is gonna be faster than a Core i7-920, and a Core 2 Duo P8600 isn't going to quite stack up to a Core 2 Duo P9600. The difference between a P8400 and P8600 is obviously less than the difference between a P8600 and a P9600. To match a particular chip codename to a particular model number, though, you probably have to do some Googlin' (or Bingin').

In some cases, Intel pushes chips with a ULV designator for "ultra-low voltage," which doesn't mean anything in particular in terms of chip design, since it includes several brands of chips, from Core 2 to Celeron. The point is that these chips power notebooks that are almost as portable at netbooks, but are more expensive, so computer makers (and Intel) make more money.

While we're at it, I might as well explain what the hell Centrino is. It's not a single chip, it's a platform. That is, it's a combo meal for notebooks with a mobile processor, a chipset (essentially the silicon that lets the processor talk to the rest of the computer) and a wireless networking adapter. Typically, Intel releases a new combo meal every year, though they're all been called Centrino, with the most recent making the leap to being called Centrino 2.

The reason we decided to tell you all this stuff now is that Intel is gradually phasing out the Core 2 family, like Pentiums before that, and is moving Core i7, Core i5 and Core i3 up to take its place. This is how all the families relate to each other...

Nehalem Rising: Core i7, Core i5 and Core i3

Core i7 systems use a totally new microarchitecture called Nehalem, and it's badass.

The first set of Core i7 chips, codenamed Bloomfield, launched in November 2008 for high-end desktops. They're the most outrageously fast Core i7 chips, with triple-channel memory (meaning they're able to use memory sticks in triplets rather than pairs) and other blazing accoutrements.

The new Core i7 chips, launched last month, are for desktop and mobile. The desktop variant is codenamed Lynnfield, and it more closely resembles its mobile equivalent, codenamed Clarksfield, than it does the Bloomfield monster—dual-channel memory, not triple, for instance.

You'll be seeing a lot more Clarksfield in the next couple weeks, like in the HP Envy 15, since most computer makers were holding off for Windows 7 to drop their new laptops. All of the Core i7 processors are quad-core, even the mobile Clarksfield, so you're not gonna see it in anything like Dell's skinny Adamo.

Core i5 is going to be Intel's more mainstream Nehalem-microarchitecture chip brand, and as a broader brand, the chip differentiation gets a little more confusing. Core i5 actually includes some, but not all, of the desktop Lynnfield processors. For now, the only Core i5 chip is quad-core, but you're going to start seeing dual-core Core i5 chips, and soon enough they will make up the bulk of Intel's mainstream processors. In English: Unless you're looking for a crazyfast new computer, your next machine will probably run an Intel Core i5 CPU.

Eventually, dual-core Core i3 chips will come out, and as you can guess by the number, they won't be quite as fast—or expensive—as the Core i5 or i7 chips.

Netbook's Best Friend: Atom N and Z

Atom is probably the Intel chip you hear about second only to Core 2 Duo: It's essentially the CPU that goes inside of netbooks. There are a couple of different variations out now, the N series (codename Diamondville) and the Z series (codename Silverthorne). The Diamondville chips are for nettops and netbooks (though as pointed out, nettop don't use the N prefix, just the chip number), and can handle full versions of Windows Vista and 7. Silverthrone is used in netbooks but was designed for smaller connected devices like UMPCs and MIDs. (This is why Sony shoving an underpowered Atom Z in the Vaio P, and trying to run Windows Vista on top of it, was retarded.)

The next generation of Atom is more interesting, and more confusing, in a way. The CPU is codenamed Pineview, and it's actually got the graphics processor integrated right onto the same chip, precluding the need for a separate GPU tucked into the netbook's overall chipset. The benefit is longer battery life, since it'll take less energy to crunch the same visuals. We'll start seeing Pineview netbooks sometime early next year, most likely.

Oldies But Goodies: Core 2 Duo, Quad and Extreme

Intel's Core 2 chips have been out three years now, an eternity in computer years. Because of this, and because they're the main ones used in most personal desktop and laptop systems, there is a metric shitton of different Core 2 chips.

It's also more confusing because there are way more codenames to wade through. Let's start from the top: Core 2 Solo has one core, Core 2 Duo two, and Quad has four (as does Extreme). From there, you have two distinct generations of chips within the Core 2 family.

In the first generation of Core 2 Duos, the main desktop chip was Conroe (with a cheaper variant called Allendale), while the main mobile one was called Merom. There was also a branch of Core 2 Quads called Kentsfield.

The next generation (that is, the current generation, unless you're already on the Core i7 bandwagon) arrived with a new process for making chips with even smaller transistors. Among other more technical differences, they were more energy efficient than their predecessors. With this generation of Core 2s, the mainstream desktop chips are Wolfdale, the desktop quad-cores are called Yorkfield, and the mobile chips are Penryn—if you've bought a decent notebook in the last two years, it's probably got a Penryn Core 2 inside of it.

Ancient History: Pentium and Celeron

Pentium is dead, except it's not, living on as a zombie brand for chips that aren't as good as Core chips, but aren't as crappy as Intel's low-end Celeron processors. If you see a machine with a sticker for Pentium or Celeron, run.

Okay, I hope that helps, at least a little—you should probably thank me for staying away from clock speeds and other small variations, like individual permutations of Core i7 Bloomfield processors, to hopefully give you a broader overview of what all's going on. Intel told me it'll all make more sense once their entire road map for the year is out on the market, but I have a feeling it's not gonna help my mom understand this crap one bit better.

Top image via soleiletoile/Flickr

Thanks to Intel for helping us sort all this out!

Still something you wanna know? Send questions about sweet potato chips, pumpkin pie or turduckens to tips@gizmodo.com, with "Giz Explains" in the subject line.

Aside from a few from MSI, all of these ultraportables are from ODMs, meaning they're waiting for a larger company to snap them up and rebrand them (they're ready to go to market now, so you could start seeing them very soon). But they're all working prototypes and all very svelte and usable, with a focus on affordability. Sure, my 2009 MacBook Pro is very nearly as thin as a lot of these laptops, but it also cost twice as much. My favorite has to be the little white 10-incher with the blue flower design.

It's easy, really: Black is for high-end (except, uh, the weak Atom also uses a black background, oops); blue is for mainstream, white is for cheaper chips like Celeron and Pentium (expect when it's Centrino and Centrino 2). Okay, not so great on the colors. Let's move on!

Just like your favorite restaurant, now they have star ratings. Five stars is for high end like Core i7, one star is for not-so-great like Celeron. The issue for regular people is that the star rating appears on a computer's sales card (not the chip logo itself) and only describes the chip, not the whole computer. "Hey this computer's got four stars? That's pretty good!" Anyone else feel a Microsoft ad coming on? [PC Mag]

1. Trying to saw a two-by-four alone looks awfully stressful: our moustachioed French hero has grown three heads in his panic. But recruiting a team of builders gets that barn made like they were Amish (though we all know the lazy French are incapable of such efficiency).
2. If you link arms, you can make kick-ass birdhouses. But watch out for the ghostly silhouettes inching ever closer.
3. Tools required to make birdhouses/barns/Core 2 Duo processors include: a chainsaw, a syringe, multiple dustpans, and a pastel scarf rakishly knotted around the neck. Optional but strongly recommended: party hats.
4. Doing basic arithmetic makes French barnbuilders very content.
5. OH GOD they've grown multiple heads again! At least people seem to be buying their barns, which apparently have shrunk into shoebox-sized models somewhere between here and the first panel.
6. Something awful has happened. Our heroic Frenchmen are now plugged directly into electrical outlets, with internal temperature monitoring. Is this some kind of Shyamalanianian twist and they were robots the entire time? This narrative ends on such a disturbing note. [Sony, thanks Christopher!]

Lenovo's X301 and HP's 2530p already use the new chips. The SL9400 and SL9300 running at 1.8Ghz and 1.6GHz, respectively, both have a 1066MHz FSB and appear to be the Core 2 Duo Low Voltage (LV) chips with a TDP of 17W, while the SU9400 and SU9300 are the ULV variants, clocked at 1.4GHz and 1.2GHz with a 10W TDP.

While the clock speeds of the LV chips are the same as the MBA's, the switch to the 45nm process and faster front-side bus should yield both performance gains and power savings. More importantly, their ready availability for all-comers could make the ultra-thin market a lot more interesting, though we're kind of afraid at this point of what Asus will do with them. [Ars Technica]

Indeed, the Core 2 Duo E8500 was comparable in performance to lower clocked quad-core chips, proving the viability of the Wolfdale architecture. The chip is likely to retail at the +$300 mark and that seems to be the only drawback—it is a little on the steep side. Regardless, the Hot Hardware fellows were still willing to give the Core 2 Duo E8500 the highly coveted "Recommended" badge, and if their test results ring true, we would not disagree. Hit the link to check out the extensive testing [Hot Hardware]

A chain partner revealed to us that a new model of MacBook is coming out as soon as next week, which is pretty ridiculous if we do say so ourselves. However, since PC makers are making the transition to Santa Rosa very soon, it's not out of the question that Apple will as well—maybe as soon as WWDC. After all, it's been more than a year since the switch to Intel, and they should be pretty good with this stuff by now. What do you think? – Jason Chen

• MacBook 1.83GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - White for $1099 - $150 instant savings = $949 shipped. 13.3-inch Widescreen Glossy LCD, 512MB RAM, 60GB hard drive, Combo Drive, iSight Camera, iLife software.
• MacBook 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - White for $1299 - $200 instant savings = $1099 shipped. 13.3-inch Widescreen Glossy LCD, 1GB RAM, 80GB hard drive, Super Drive, iSight Camera, iLife software.
• MacBook 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - Black for $1499 - $200 instant savings = $1299 shipped. 13.3-inch Widescreen Glossy LCD, 1GB RAM, 120GB hard drive, Super Drive, iSight Camera, iLife software.

As always, the Apple Special Deals store has Dual Core systems of all types, but we need SPEED baby! The discounts are available while supplies last. –Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via Dealhack]

Yes, it's a new-but-not-really Sony notebook, the upgraded VAIO C series with chic and totally superfluous new colors like "espresso black, shell white, coral pink, summer sky blue, urban grey and fresh green," probably chosen by Hello Kitty and the Teen Girl Squad while on tour in Japan, where they will be available in April.

Thankfully, there's more than colors in the air and they have refreshed processors too, starting with the Celeron M 430 at 1.73 GHz and reaching up to the 2.16 GHz Core 2 Duo T7400. Sadly, the new versions have the same 1.280 x 800 pixels 13.3-inch display, although this time the top of the line is powered by the NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 card instead of the previous (and lame) Intel GMA 950 chipset. And of course, they all come with yet another license of Windows Vista Home Premium, so Steve can get his cake and eat it too. – Jesus Diaz

Press release (Japanese) [Sony via Akihabara News]

I chose my favorite up top made by team BICOM. It has a laser-cut touch-sensitive front panel that provides force-feedback when your fingers come close to the buttons (hit the jump for a vid on how it was made). The others, to me, are looking a little fugly. What do you guys think?

– Louis Ramirez
Voting Page [via Reg Hardware]

It's actually pretty cool, that is unless you're this guy. Just kidding we're not particularly good dancers here at Gizmodo, that's why you didn't see us dancing.– Ben Longo and video by Richard Blakeley

P.S. Any green screeners out there want to take a crack at this? Let us know Ben@gizmodo.com

All this durability comes at a price, though: depending on configuration, you'll spend around $4000 for the 10.4" screen Toughbook-19, and around $4500 for a fully-equipped Toughbook-30 (pictured above) with its 13.3" screen. Still, it's probably worth it if you're taking your laptop along when you go bungee jumping. – Charlie White

More luminous TOUGHBOOKs! [Akihabara News]

AMD [Press Release]

The Pursuit goes for $999, and has a 15.4-inch screen, 80GB hard disk, 1GB of RAM, DVDRW, Intel Extreme Graphics 2, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, and a 1.66GHz Core 2 Duo T5500. Good for your home office or for your kids as Christmas presents, seeing as they're tired of bumming laptops off their dorm-mates because you were too cheap to buy one for back-to-school. – Jason Chen

Update: Not the first Core 2 Duo under a grand. Thanks Xavier.

Product Site [Systemax via Mobile Mag]

If you're in the mood for a 12-inch PowerBook, they still have refurbished models of those going for $1199 down from their old original price of $1699. – Jason Chen

Refurb Store [Apple]

The other upgrades: Larger allotments of RAM in the standard configs, up to 200 GB of HD, and a dual layer DVD-burning Superdrive. That's it.

I will declare it: The golden age of mind blowing Apple computer hardware announcements are dead...until the next keynote. –Brian Lam

Macbooks get Core 2 Duo [Apple]

Scoring times in photoshop a full 24 seconds faster in Photoshop, and 45 seconds faster in Compressor, the Core 2 Duo models quite speedy, but not 39% faster. In fact, in some tests they were only marginally faster (a time of 1:06 down to 1:01, time of 0:58 to 0:54, and frame rate of 59 to 63.9). In tasks that were more processor oriented, the Core 2 Duo's speed improvements were "substantial". In disk or graphics intensive tasks, were quite a bit smaller. Just be aware what kind of performance gains you're getting when you upgrade to a Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro. – Jason Chen

Benchmarks: MacBook Pro gets its Core 2 Duo boost [MacWorld]

The refurbs offer the same warranty as new models, so you get the same protection if this ever dies. If you're not impressed with the marginal speed increases of Core 2 Duos, or if you're looking to save a few bucks, go with these. – Jason Chen

Apple Store [via TUAW]

The diminutive PCs are aimed at home theater users, and if they can just keep that fan noise down, these might be the worthy addition to that shelf of components. However, topping off at a hard disk capacity of 320GB, apparently these home theater PCs (HTPC) aren't aimed at HDTV users.

Although Trigem's a Korean company, we're hoping US designers will follow the lead of Trigem and take notice of this pleasing form factor. Some already have. Case in point: WinBook, whose $1200 Jiv Mini HTPC is undoubtedly on the right track. Gentlemen, start your copiers, and while you're at it, keep them quiet, and make them HDTV CableCard-ready DVRs. – Charlie White

More pics of the lovely ladies and close-ups of the PCs, after the jump.

The new Little Lluon+ with a Core 2 Duo! [Akhihabara News]

In fact, we asked Apple why there was such a lengthy delay, and their response: "Our last updates were less than six months ago." Six months? Apple, thinking different [sic], is the cow's tail. – Charlie White

Just like that, and without fanfare, Apple dropped MacBook Pros with Core 2 Duo processors today. A lot of people have been waiting for these lovelies to come out, and they don't disappoint, offering a 39 percent speed boost double memory and a FireWire 800 port in the same one-inch shell.

There are two 15-inch models that are available today weighing-in at 5.6 lbs. One is a 2.16 GHz and sells for $1,999, then there is a 2.33 GHz for $2,499. The 17-inch MacBook Pro (6.8 lbs) is available starting next week for $2,799.

The highlights:
* Clock Speed up to 2.33 GHz
* 7x faster than the PowerMac G4 notebooks released one year ago
* Hard drive starts at 120GB — this is where the current MacBooks top out — and is configurable for up to 200GB

Battery life is the same on the 17-inch model, but the 15-incher takes a slight hit (shaving 30 minutes off of your wireless productivity versus the current models).

What took them so long? Just interviewed the VP of Product Marketing who responded: "Our last updates were less than six months ago." Dude, that's centuries in laptop time.

Complete specs after the jump: – Noah Robischon

The 2.16 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:

— 15.4-inch widescreen 1440 x 900 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness;
— 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor;
— 1GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 3GB;
— 120GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion
Sensor;
— a slot-load 6x SuperDrive(TM) with double-layer support (DVD+R
DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
— PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory;
— DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included,
Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
— built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
— built-in iSight video camera;
— Gigabit Ethernet port;
— built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
— ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
— two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, and one FireWire 400 port;
— one audio line in and one headphone out port, each supporting optical
digital audio;
— Scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard;
— the infrared Apple Remote; and
— 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.33 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US), includes:

— 15.4-inch widescreen 1440 x 900 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness;
— 2.33 GHz Intel Core 2Duo processor;
— 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 3GB;
— 120GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion
Sensor;
— a slot-load 6x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD+/-RW/
CD-RW) optical drive;
— PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
— DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included,
Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
— built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
— built-in iSight video camera;
— Gigabit Ethernet port;
— built-in Airport Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
— ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
— two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, and one FireWire 400 port;
— one audio line in and one headphone out port, each supporting optical
digital audio;
— Scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard;
— the infrared Apple Remote; and
— 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.33 GHz, 17-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,799 (US), includes:
— 17-inch widescreen 1680 x 1050 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness;
— 2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor;
— 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 3GB;
— 160GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion
Sensor;
— a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD+/-RW/
CD-RW) optical drive;
— PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
— DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included,
Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
— built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
— built-in iSight video camera;
— Gigabit Ethernet port;
— built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
— ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
— three USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, and one FireWire 400 port;
— one audio line in and one headphone out port, each supporting optical
digital audio;
— Scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor;
— the infrared Apple Remote; and
— 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.

This makes me all happy in my underoos—I've been waiting for the Core 2 Duo MacBooks to be released so I can upgrade my ancient Dell laptop that is just waiting to explode on me. – Travis Hudson

Core 2 Duo MacBook and MacBook Pro due this November? [Engadget]

The A3110 ($1,399) has an AMD Turion 64 x2 dual core processor, and is a bit lighter at 6 pounds. The A6010 is quite similar to the A3110 but with your choice of an Intel Core Duo or Core 2 Duo processor. It's $1149. They're all pretty, and all are available now.

These notebooks look a lot like Dell's offerings inside and out (well, except for that AMD one), with similar pricing, too. Pretty soon you'll be shopping price on notebooks just like you do any other commodity. See more appealing pics of all these luscious laptops, after the jump. – Charlie White

Product Page [Fujitsu]

LifeBook A3110

LifeBook A6010

LifeBook A6010

LifeBook A6420

On Apple's online store, stock MacBook Pros are still shipping immediately, but distributors and reseller partners are getting wait times of 2 to 3 weeks for custom orders. That may just mean they're stocking up in time for the holidays, or it could mean they're ramping down the Core Duos in favor of the Core 2 Duos. We'll have to wait and see.

The new models are reported to be 2.33GHz Core 2 Duos, which should be out in time to make sure Apple has a "Core 2 Duo" notebook presence this holiday. Our recommendation is to wait a few weeks to see what they're up to, just to be on the safe side. – Jason Chen

Apple prepares for Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro ramp [Apple Insider]

Sony's built in 802.11a/b/g wireless connectivity and a DVD burner, and the laptop is nice and light, too: at five pounds, and available in five colors. That makes five reasons why you might want one. Or not. The black and urban grey models will be available next month for $1350, those purdy colors will wait until November to make their debut. – Charlie White

Press Release [Sony Style]

What isn't any clearer, of course, is exactly what kinds of technologies are being worked on. Is it MacBook-related, or is it something so different, so secret, that we can't even comprehend it? Hopefully, the blabbermouth Intel exec just wasn't referring to Core 2 Duo-based MacBook Pro that we expect to hit stores before the holiday rush. – Nicholas Deleon

Intel and Apple in cahoots on several new technologies [AppleInsider]

Nobody knows if the MacBook and MacBook Pro will be updated simultaneously, but guys who professionally guess things don't expect much of an update to either laptop save for the processor. Apparently, Intel shipped Apple a bunch of Core 2 Duos at the end of August, but Apple chose to use them for its iMac. Let's give a round of applause to hearsay! – Nicholas Deleon

Apple to update MacBook lines in time for holidays [AppleInsider]

The machine with the most acclaim? The Dell XPS M1710 Core2Duo gaming laptop. This big boy gets a 2.33Ghz CPU, an Nvidia GeForce Go 7900GTX gaming card, Wireless-N. PC Magazine's all hot and bothered by it, digging deep to come up with the "Awesome" verdict. But our review, patched together from the undead limbs of other reviews, will be better. How does the Dell compare to an HP, and a slightly less endowed Dell Inspiron? See the chart, and jump for choice quotes on each machine.

Frankenreview MEGA XTREME TIMES THREE


Dell XPS M1710 (high end)
"Continues to shine as the best gaming laptop on the market."
"When it comes to 3D games, though, the XPS M1710's new processor alone couldn't provide a performance bump"
- Low gaming resolutions will see performance bump. Higher resolutions will not.
"...quickly dispensed with processor-intensive tasks such as encoding MP3 files and multitasking"
"The biggest improvement comes in my video encoding tests. Thanks to the Intel Core 2 Duo mobile processor, video professionals should see more than a 20 percent differential."
- Edit that furry documentary you've been hanging on to.
-"The M1710's performance scores even surpassed those of the Area-51 m5550, made by Dell's recent acquisition, Alienware, even though both machines have the same processor."
-Doom 3 scores benefited the most from the processor upgrade, leaping 28 percent. Splinter Cell scores also improved by 15 percent.
-Battery life just over 2.5 hours.

Dell XPS M1710 Core 2 Duo Laptop Stat Smather:
Type: Gaming, Media
Operating System: MS Windows XP Media Center
Processor Name: Intel Core Duo T2600
Processor Speed: 2.16-2.33 GHz
RAM: 2048 MB
Weight: 8.8 lb
Screen Size: 17 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce Go 7900GTX
Storage Capacity: 100 GB
Wireless: 802.11a/g
Primary Optical Drive: DVD+R D

HP Pavilion dv6000t (Midrange)
"...we love HP's QuickPlay feature for launching and controlling multimedia files"
"...deliver[ed] the best MobileMark 2005 score we've ever seen from a mainstream portable"
"The biggest differences (over 20 percent) can be found on running tasks such as video and audio encoding."
- We love our video.
"Battery life is mediocre, if not disappointing, at a mere 2 hours 27 minutes."
"Battery life was a respectable 3 hours and 39 minutes."
- FIGHT!

HP Pavilion dv6000t Stat Smather
Type: General Purpose, Media
Operating System: MS Windows XP Professional
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo T7400
Processor Speed: 2.16 GHz
RAM: 512 MB
Weight: 6.1 lb
Screen Size: 15.4 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce Go 7400
Storage Capacity: 120 GB
Wireless: 802.11a/g
Primary Optical Drive: DVD+R DL

Dell Inspiron E1405 (cheap)
"...the performance gains I had expected from the processor upgrade really didn't come to fruition"
"It appears to be about 10% faster than the proceeding Core Duo"
"...media related tasks will benefit more than office applications will from an upgrade to a system with the T5500 chip"
- Considering the E1405's price, there might be another bottleneck going on here.
"At the end of the day...who can argue with paying the same but getting more?"
- Even if it's just a tiny bit more. – Mark Wilson

Stat Smather for the Dell Inspirion E1405
Type: General Purpose, Value
Operating System: MS Windows XP Media Center
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo T5500
Processor Speed: 1.6 GHz
RAM: 1024 MB
Weight: 5.8 lb
Screen Size: 14.1 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
Graphics Card: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
Storage Capacity: 80 GB
Wireless: 802.11a/g
Primary Optical Drive: DVD+R DL

PC Mag [Dell XPS]
PC Mag [HP Pav]
PC Mag [Dell Insp]
CNET
Computer Shopper
Notebook Review
Laptop Mag

Thanks to the increased screen real estate, the iMac's resolution has been upped to 1,920x1,200 and is powered by a 2.16GHz Core 2 Duo. The rest of the system's specs appear to be similar to the 20-inch version, that is, 1GB of RAM, an 8x DL DVD burner and 4MB of L2 cache.

Right now, it looks like it's taking Apple a little while to update all of its online stores to reflect the new addition to the iMac line, but, as the saying goes, the cat's out of the bag now. Converting from Euroland money, the 24-inch iMac will cost around $2,621. – Nicholas Deleon

Product Page [Apple Finland]

This laptop also comes with the essentials: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ExpressCard, SATA, Acer SignalUp and is all housed in a pretty case. No worries for those planning ahead, this laptop is very Vista-friendly. No word on pricing or availability, but we'll keep you posted. Our guess? Probably well over $2,000 and available in the next month or two. – Travis Hudson

Product Page [Acer]

A Gizmodo reader just sent this screen shot in of task manager running on a server he built for work. It runs 4 processors, that have 2 cores each, with each of those cores hyperthreaded. So...That shows up in Windows as 16 procs. I'll stand back and let the man speak for himself:

Dell PE6800, Quad Processor Dual Core w/Hyperthreading running Win2003-R2 Enterprise. Windows sees all that processor goodness as 16 separate processors. The onboard 26GB of RAM and 3TB of local storage round out this sweet server. Price ? $25k-ish. It's going to be a kickass SQL server machine.

We asked him to send us a picture of it loaded. Since it was a preproduction server, he had to run some apps. Namely, "defrag, scandisk /f, virus scan on all fixed disks, and finally a five minute CPU stress/reliability test" Click to the jump to see how the monster fared.

Swimmingly, I'd say!

I have ordered a Mac mini Core solo with 1GB of RAM last Saturday to use it as a server, and what a surprise when I received the box!

My Mac mini has been upgraded:
- Core Duo 1.66GHz instead of Core Solo 1.5GHz
- HD 100GB instead of 60GB
- and a SuperDrive instead of a Combo!

Thanks Apple !

On the box, the specifications are those of a Mac mini Core Solo...

Who knows if this is just a mistake, or the start of another beautiful revision. As of now, there aren't any changes to the Apple store. Anyone else have a similar experience?–Brian Lam

[Hardmac via Mac Daily News]

Looky what they did with the more-expensive ($580) E6700 Core 2 Duo chip, cranking it up an extra 1GHz from 2.66GHz to a lofty 3.66GHz. Sure, some overclockers are able to exceed 4GHz with that same E6700 Core 2 Duo, but that's only possible when using exotic, expensive and impractical water cooling systems. Without using much more than a 120mm fan and an aftermarket heat sink to cool the over-revving chip, these guys were able to achieve a 33% speedup, calling its performance "astonishing." The tweakage involved is not for the faint of heart, though. See how they did it after the jump. – Charlie White

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 and E6700 Overclocking [TechSpot]

Keep in mind this is just a rumor, and nobody knows whether Apple will do this or not. But if you can wait on your laptop purchase until the 16th of September, it's probably a good idea to. – Jason Chen

Is Next-Gen Apple Laptop Coming Soon? [Mac News World via Crunchgear]