Posted 07/03/09 at 09:12:10 AM by Pulkit Chandna

Doug Freedman, an analyst for Broadpoint AmTech, has revealed to Cnet that early production units of ultra-thin laptops, which are being made out of plastic, are fissuring due to design flaws. He gleaned this information from his discussions with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original design manufacturers (ODMs).

Freedman believes manufacturers will have to ultimately “go with a metal case” to achieve that ultra-thin form factor they are after. However, the use of metal cases will make ultra-thin notebooks costlier.

A reference to Intel’s CULV (Consumer Ultra Low Voltage) technology – meant for ultra-thin notebooks - in Freedman’s report elucidating the design issues prompted Intel to clarify that the “case design issues reported to be found by an ODM, not consumers, in early production units for ultra-thin laptops have nothing to do with Intel processors whatsoever.”

Freedman had said that some manufacturers are more interested in manufacturing 11-inch and 12-inch netbooks with the Atom processor rather than ultra-thin notebooks with Intel’s CULV technology.

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intel, design, hardware, OEM, report, ultra-thin, CULV, odm, plastic case

Posted 06/30/09 at 05:29:53 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Jonathan Heiliger, vp of technical operations at Facebook, came down heavily on chip manufacturers Intel, AMD for making tall claims about server chips that eventually don’t live up to the hype. He was speaking at the Structure 09 conference in San Francisco.

 "The performance gains they are touting in the press, we are not seeing in our applications. We are literally in real-time trying to figure out why that is and if there are optimizations that we can do. Otherwise, we are kind of left with current-generation technology and current-generation scale," he said during a Q&A session involving GigaOM’s founder Om Malik.

He said companies like Facebook and Amazon require their servers to be both power-efficient and affordable. Heiliger also commended Google for its server-designing prowess.

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amd, intel, server, cpu, Google, facebook, performance

Posted 06/30/09 at 10:34:51 AM by Paul Lilly

Intel made a splash in the SSD market with its MLC-based  X-25M SSD, which promplty put the beat down on existing SSDs at the time, as well as Western Digital's high octane VelociRaptor, the fastest performing consumer hard drive on the planet. But that was almost a year ago, and since then, other manufacturers have leveled the playing field with high performance SSDs of their own, taking some of the luster out of the X-25M.

Word on the web, however, is that Intel will be launching a new line of SSDs based on the company's 32nm NAND flash memory. Originally planned for Q4 of this year, it looks as though the launch will come much sooner, perhaps in just a few weeks, with Intel confirming it is ahead of schedule.

So far, there aren't any details regarding the new drives, though news and rumor site The Inquirer says to expect at least 80GB, 160GB, and 320GB capacities, and possibly higher, all of which will sport a better bang-for-buck than the pricey X-25M.

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intel, storage, hardware, ssd, solid state drive, build a pc

Posted 06/29/09 at 07:52:33 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Lenovo’s IdeaPad S12 is the soul of a netbook trapped in the anatomy of a notebook. It has now become clear that Lenovo plans to release three variants of this 12-inch netbook, which it had announced as the world’s first Ion-based netbook last month – the Ion-based SKU will be available later in the summer. Lenovo has begun accepting pre-orders for a Nano-based variant of this netbook. Of course, an Atom-powered SKU is also available.
    
The Via Nano powered IdeaPad S12 features a VIA Nano ULV 2250 processor and VIA Chrome9 HC3 graphics. The combination is expected to outperform the Atom-based S12 variant, featuring the Atom N270 processor along with Intel 945GSE chipset. The Nano-powered S12 can be ordered for $449, whereas its Atom-toting counterpart is priced $499.

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intel, nvidia, lenovo, VIA, atom, netbook, price, nano, pre-order, ideapad s12, ion platform, shipping

Posted 06/29/09 at 10:30:04 AM by Paul Lilly

Intel appears to have hit a groove with its 32nm Clarkdale processors. Earlier this month, motherboard makers with the inside scoop reported that Intel had decided to axe its 45nm Havendale chips in favor of pushing 32nm Clarkdale chips in the first quarter of 2010. Those same sources are now saying Intel will begin mass-producing its 32nm chips in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Getting off to a big start, the company's 32nm Clarkdale processors are expected to account for 10 percent of Intel's total OEM desktop CPU shipments in Q4. By 2010, Intel expects that number to double to 20 percent.

Meanwhile, AMD is still looking to ramp up production in the middle of 2010 with mass production not expected until Q4 of next year, potentially putting Intel a year ahead of the No.2 chip maker.

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intel, cpu, processor, hardware, build a pc, 32nm, clarkdale

Posted 06/26/09 at 01:25:04 PM by The Maximum PC Staff

How much are you willing to pay to upgrade to Windows 7? Microsoft thinks they know the answer. This week, the gang discusses the Windows 7 pricing announcement, comparing it to previous Windows launches and even the pricing of the other computing OS. Gordon clarifies Intel's new Core i3/i5/i7 branding structure, and Will gives his thoughts on the surprise acquisition of id Software by Zenimax. We also answer a few listener questions, and share the results of our Bing experiment. On top of that, Gordon delivers his weekly rant. 

Do you have a tech question? A comment? A tale of technological triumph? Just need to get something off your chest? A secret to share? Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337--operators are standing by.

Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/maximumpc/1337

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intel, No BS Podcast, windows 7, core i7, rant of the week, core i3, core i5

Posted 06/25/09 at 08:53:13 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Rumors of Nokia’s entry into the netbook market have persisted since last year. The whole idea of Nokia entering the netbook market seems even more tenable now that Nokia and Intel have announced a new partnership. But Acer chairman JT Wang isn’t too bothered by the prospect of Nokia entering the netbook market. He further told Digitimes that PC vendors would gain more business from telecom providers. He believes PC vendors would become better poised – as compared to handset vendors - to do business with telecom providers within one year as the use of netbooks for accessing 3G services is becoming increasingly popular.

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intel, Acer, Nokia, netbook, 3G

Posted 06/24/09 at 04:44:18 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Nokia and Intel have forged an alliance to develop a new breed of Intel Architecture-based mobile devices. Their collaboration, according to the press release announcing the partnership, will go beyond just smartphones and generic mobile devices; the two companies want their partnership to run the entire gamut of Mobile Internet Devices and embedded systems.

This partnership is a huge shot in the arm for Intel - which has been waiting for its chance to gain real traction in the mobile phone market - as it has found a huge customer for its mobile chipsets in the form of Nokia. Intel has also agreed to acquire a Nokia HSPA/3G modem IP license from Nokia. On the software front, they have resolved to give a push to open-source mobile Linux software projects.

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intel, Software, Internet, Smartphone, linux, hardware, Nokia, mid, mobile phone, alliance