Chips - Gizmodo

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New iMacs Get Core i7 Chips, But What Does That Mean?
AMD Athlon II X4 620: Four Cores for $99
9 Affordable Wines That Go Great With Chips
Roadmap for Intel's First Nehalem-Based Mobile Chips Leaked
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Cortex A9: ARM's Multi-Core Mobile CPUs
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Intel T9900 Core 2 Duo Notebook Processor Breaks the 3GHz Barrier
Athlon II CPU Echoes the Glory Days as AMD's First Cheap 45nm Chip
Renesas Cellphone Processor Handles HD Video at 1080p With Surround Sound

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Identity (reclamation)
10/20/09

In reply to New iMacs Get Core i7 Chips, But What Does That Mean?
Thanks for the previous article, Giz. I read through it when it came out, but I was just looking for it.

i7 sounds good. Anyone have any idea of the difficulty level to transfer an Adobe CS3 license to a new computer?

Thanks #newimacs
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J2M3
10/20/09

In reply to New iMacs Get Core i7 Chips, But What Does That Mean?
Will this help the hackintosh movement at all? #newimacs
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anexanhume promoted this comment J2M3 was starred J2M3 was unstarred

anexanhume
10/20/09

@J2M3: Neutral. Nehalem was already used in the Pros, so the support was there. I'm not big on hackintoshing, but there may be some particulars to the P55 motherboards that it helps because of the new i5/i7's being used. #newimacs
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TJ
10/20/09

In reply to New iMacs Get Core i7 Chips, But What Does That Mean?
So I'm guessing the i7s in the iMac are going to be the Clarksfield variant? #newimacs
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anexanhume promoted this comment TJ was starred TJ was unstarred

anexanhume
10/20/09

@TJ: Actually no, they look to be desktop Lynnfield cores. The 95W TDP is helped by the 27 inch enclosure, presumably. #newimacs
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TJ
10/20/09

@anexanhume: Thanks! #newimacs
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anexanhume
10/20/09

In reply to New iMacs Get Core i7 Chips, But What Does That Mean?
One should also note that the high end 27" has the 2.8 Ghz core i7 option. What you gain from this is a virtual 8 cores, due to hyper-threading being enabled. The core i5 does not feature hyper-threading, but is still a quad-core processor. #newimacs
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Lite: hates Illinois Nazis
10/20/09

@anexanhume: More like pseudo 8 cores. Have people really been writing apps that take advantage of hyper-threading lately?

I mean, Intel hasn't had a ht capable CPU for over 4 years between it's Core Duo and Core 2 Duo cpus... #newimacs
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anexanhume
10/20/09

@Lite: hates Illinois Nazis: If it takes advantage of multiple cores, it takes advantage of hyper-threading. People were coding programs with independent threads even before we had dual cores. The advantage of having hyper-threading is the Turbo Boost. If you use 2 threads in one core as opposed to 1 thread in 2 cores, that 1st core can be OC'ed more than those two, yielding higher performance. #newimacs
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dave005
10/20/09

@Lite: hates Illinois Nazis: All you need to take advantage of it is more threads running concurrently. Even if NONE of your apps take advantage of HyperThreading directly, you will benefit from it.

Hyperthreading wasn't absent from Intel's newer chips because it was inherently bad -- it was absent because it was first baked into the Pentium 4 architecture, which as you may recall, was a steaming pile. They have in recent years ported HT to the Atom and i7 architectures.

HT was a MUST-HAVE for the P4 because it's obscenely-long pipeline made cache misses too expensive. In a CPU with an architecture as short as a Core2Duo it's not nearly as beneficial.
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Unsolicited Advice
10/20/09

In reply to New iMacs Get Core i7 Chips, But What Does That Mean?
God damn it, where are the i7-based MacBook Pros? That's the only thing preventing me from throwing more dollars at Steve Jobs. #newimacs
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Wilson Rothman promoted this comment Unsolicited Advice was starred

Wilson Rothman
10/20/09

@Unsolicited Advice: My guess is that they'll be i5 when they come, not i7. #newimacs
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anexanhume
10/20/09

@Wilson Rothman: Arrandale was her name-o. #newimacs
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Unsolicited Advice
10/20/09

@Wilson Rothman:

So help me understand, because obviously 7 is moar better then 5, but it's not clear from your prior article what I'm missing out on:

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.

...

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.

Is i5 not as "crazyfast" as i7? Am I being crazy to hold out? I run an i7 on my desktop and the system screams - but I crave the design sensibility/form factor/software suite of the MB Pro. Help me understand more clearly the i5/i7 tradeoffs, wise one. #newimacs
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Unsolicited Advice was starred

anexanhume
10/20/09

@Unsolicited Advice: The core i7 features hyper-threading (allow a second thread to be run on each core for a total of 8), and Intel has also hamstringed the motherboards for i5 by limiting the number of PCI express channels (as well as three down to two memory channels). Turns out, game benchmarks don't give a shit. So, gamers are starting to migrate to the i5 cores now. #newimacs
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Unsolicited Advice
10/20/09

@anexanhume:

So there's a requirement for software support that's likely to be some time coming. Hyperthreading has been in and out of Intel's product lines IIRC because utilization has been low. An i5 will still scream, but processing-intensive tasks like encoding and the like have untapped potential in an i7 that might be incorporated by developers into apps like ProTools, etc. - processors where you're encoding or crunching a lot of data. Sounds safe enough to me.

So then, Steve, my business proposition is clear - shove an i5 or better into the MacBook Pro and you will receive $2K-$3K. But I'm not buying a C2D in late 2009. #newimacs
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Unsolicited Advice was starred

Wilson Rothman
10/20/09

@Unsolicited Advice: Yeah, you got it right, now. I am sure that dual-core i5s will show up in MacBook Pros soon. And thanks Anexanhume—you must be related to Matt Buchanan! #newimacs
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anexanhume
10/20/09

@Unsolicited Advice: Expect MBP updates in Early 2010 (perhaps February to April) with core i5 branded parts. They will be 32 nm dual core parts with IGP and hyper-threading. #newimacs
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tehsquish - Still plays Ultima Online
09/16/09

In reply to AMD Athlon II X4 620: Four Cores for $99
Wish I didn't just buy this cheap Pentium mobo sans RAID. I nead to learn how to read.
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UnderLoK promoted this comment

UnderLoK
09/16/09

@tehsquish - Still plays Ultima Online: No RAID? Holy crap man, did you have to pay extra to get one w/o it?! ;)
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tok3ninja
09/16/09

In reply to AMD Athlon II X4 620: Four Cores for $99
Looks like AMDs answer to the i5 to me. Things might get interesting.
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UnderLoK
09/16/09

@tok3ninja: i5 is the first step to integrated GPU on the socket.
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Bizdady
09/16/09

In reply to AMD Athlon II X4 620: Four Cores for $99
But wait! Act now and you also get the amazing incredible thingamabob!!!!
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Gilliam
09/16/09

@Bizdady: BILLY MAYES HERE WITH PROCESSOR PUTTY. ITS SO STRONG, IT CAN HOLD NOT TWO ATHLON64x2s , BUT 4 ATHLON64 CPUs TOGETHER FOR FASTER PROCESSING POWER ACT NOW AND I'LL THROW IN NOT ONE, NOT TWO, NOT EVEN FOUR STICKS OF DDR3 RAM, I'LL THROW IN 8 STICKS OF DDR3 RAM! THAT VINCE GUY PEDDLING INTELS HAS NOTHING ON THIS! ACT NOW!
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HurtsSoGood promoted this comment Edited by Gilliam at 09/16/09 3:09 AM Gilliam was starred Gilliam was unstarred

Angry Star
09/16/09

In reply to AMD Athlon II X4 620: Four Cores for $99
Also: Comes in green, red, blue, yellow, and purple!
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Stndsh0
09/16/09

@Angry Star: Why do my posts not appear?
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SEDAGIVE?!
09/16/09

@Stndsh0: Like myself, you are a unapproved commenter. Don't worry, people will see the comments that are deemed worthy of approval by those with stars.

If they don't approve it, thank them, it's probably better no one saw it anyway...
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Reil: Ignore this promoted this comment SEDAGIVE?! was starred SEDAGIVE?! was unstarred

Reil: Save Stars, Save Peach
09/16/09

@SEDAGIVE?!: Indeed! You, sir, are commendable!
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Wesley Singer
08/28/09

In reply to 9 Affordable Wines That Go Great With Chips
Tour de Franzia with some Buffalo Bleu Chips anyone?
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Log1c promoted this comment Wesley Singer was starred Wesley Singer was unstarred

Log1c
08/28/09

@Wesley Singer: I'll grab a partner and some Kettle Chips.
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Lizard_King
08/28/09

In reply to 9 Affordable Wines That Go Great With Chips
2 Buck Chuck not available in Fascist Pennsylvania. Uhhhg.
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Geisrud promoted this comment Lizard_King was starred Lizard_King was unstarred

Geisrud
08/28/09

@Lizard_King: Don't feel too bad, 2 Buck Chuck isn't 2 bucks anymore.
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lilyHaze
08/28/09

@Geisrud: I believe it's still $2 in CA. It's $3.xx in the VA area.
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Ruthless, If you let me promoted this comment lilyHaze was starred lilyHaze was unstarred

SigmundTheSeaMonster
08/28/09

@Lizard_King: Ah, but if you know someone in "noith joisey"...and it's $3buck Chuck now :( * Charles Schwab...
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Ruthless, If you let me
08/28/09

@lilyHaze: Yep. Still $2 here in CA.
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Lizard_King
08/28/09

@SigmundTheSeaMonster: Yeah, I actually work twice a week in South Jersey, about 3 miles from the TJ on 73. However, I am about 3 miles from one here in PA and when the BYOB dinner invite comes, I am often visiting the Spirits Shoppe. I should just have some on hand, but it seems odd to store $3-a-bottle wine, you know?

When I was 20, and my friend was 21, he drove over the Tacony Palmyra bridge, pulled a U turn at one Roger Wilco and hit the other, crappier one on the westbound side of 73. He purchased a few bottles of booze and hopped in the car and headed back to the bridge. We got pulled over in between the toll booths and the bridge, the cop asked him to see the alcohol he purchased and informed him it was illegal to take it accross the bridge. At this point my buddy looks at the cop and says 'I thought this was the UNITED States'. Fun night, true story.
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mathemology
08/28/09

In reply to 9 Affordable Wines That Go Great With Chips
Oak Leaf or Two-Buck Chuck. Goes great with sex.
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TerryinSt.Paul
08/28/09

@mathemology: They just built a Trader Joes close to me in the Twin Cities. Apparently, the shipping charge for 1 bottle of wine is 1 dollar because the Charles Shaw here is $2.99. It may be 3 buck chuck but it is still worth it.
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Geisrud promoted this comment TerryinSt.Paul was starred TerryinSt.Paul was unstarred

Geisrud
08/28/09

@TerryinSt.Paul: Yeah, but parking in that lot is nigh impossible. Something just not right about having to wait in a line to park at a grocery store.
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dufus
08/28/09

In reply to 9 Affordable Wines That Go Great With Chips
Ahhh Franzia.... made by the finest Franzian Monk winemakers in all of Franzi.
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Geisrud promoted this comment dufus was starred dufus was unstarred

Geisrud
08/28/09

@dufus: I thought it was made in Franzistan
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SPni
08/28/09

In reply to 9 Affordable Wines That Go Great With Chips
That picture gives me horrible flashbacks to me singing "red red wine" by UB40 whilst guzzling a box of wine at T in the Park. D:
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resource
07/15/09

In reply to Roadmap for Intel's First Nehalem-Based Mobile Chips Leaked
This sounds great but my understanding is that most apps can't use quad cores.

I have a 2.0 GHz c2d.

If I get a 2.0 GHz with four quads will my CD's and DVDs rip faster?

What will be the immediate effect?
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dagamer34
07/15/09

@resource: No immediate affect, as hardware needs to be coded to support multiple cores. There is a diminishing effect for adding more cores to a CPU, as the jump from 2 to 4 won't be as big as 1 to 2, etc...

CPU intensive tasks that can be performed in a parallel fashion are what scale the easiest. Usually this involves programs that work with large sets of data like video encodes or photo processing. It should also take off more burden when multi-tasking. However, it will NOT make single-core programs like Office any faster.
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