Snooping through Haswell's graphics code

Subject: General Tech | March 22, 2012 - 01:44 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: valleyview, shark bay, PowerVR, Ivy Bridge, haswell GT3, haswell, atom

Phoronix has been investigating the open source driver code which was recently released, designed to power Intel's Haswell chips.  The news is not as good as some had hoped; there were rumours that a Gen8 Haswell GT3 IGP would appear in Haswell but according to the hardware IDs that were found in the code that is not going to be true.  Instead you are looking at refined Gen7 Haswell GT1 and GT2 IGPs and so will be an improvement over Ivy Bridge but not a completely new chip.  Check out the rest of the secrets revealed by the code here.

"While Intel's Ivy Bridge launch is imminent, and I'm still digging through information concerning today's Intel Valleyview code drop that brings Ivy Bridge graphics to their next-generation Atom as they do away with PowerVR graphics for their SoCs, more graphics driver code to enable Haswell support has landed this evening."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• What's New in Linux 3.3? @ Linux.com
• Japan's once-proud semis learn size DOES matter @ The Register
• Globalfoundries ships 250,000 32nm wafers @ The Inquirer
• First-tier motherboard makers drop 7 series motherboard prices @ DigiTimes
• Intel Valley View: Atom SoC With Ivy Bridge Graphics @ Phoronix
• Weekly Giveaway #24: Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 and Saphira Mouse @ eTeknix

Intel Ivy Bridge Processors To Launch March 23 2012

Subject: Processors | March 19, 2012 - 06:33 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: Ivy Bridge, Intel, cpu, 22nm

Jeremy posted earlier that Guru3D managed to spot a list of Ivy Bridge processors on Intel's site before getting taken down; however, they did not indicate any specific release dates. A recent article over at TechARP today did mention two dates that are allegedly going to be the launch date and release date for Intel's latest Ivy Bridge 22nm processors.

According to the article, Intel will launch their Ivy Bridge CPUs on Friday March 23, 2012, and then the actual release date (when hardware will be available) will be April 29, 2012.

Among the new processors are Intel's standard TDP parts at 77 Watts and low voltage parts with 65 Watt TDPs. Of the standard voltage parts, the "K" series Ivy Bridge CPUs will feature Intel's newest HD 4000 processor graphics and unlocked multipliers. All the nitty-gritty details including clock speeds and core counts are shown in the chart below. The HD 2500 GPU will is the chip that the remaining processors use.

Further, Intel's low voltage Ivy Bridge processors on the desktop feature clock speeds ranging from 2.7 GHz to 3.1 GHz and between 2 and four cores. Of these CPUs, only the top end Intel Core i7-3770T and i7-3770S along with the Core i5-3470T processors will include Intel's Hyper-Threading technology. Also, only the two top end low voltage parts and the Intel Core i5-3475S Ivy Bridge CPU will use Intel's new HD 4000 processor graphics. The remaining parts will use the HD 2500 GPU. The chart below lists the current desktop lineup of low voltage parts including price, core count, and clock speeds.

More Ivy Bridge information on Ivy Bridge's 22nm tri-gate transistors  and a preview of the Intel Core i7-3770K is available here and here respectively.  Jeremy also tracked down an image of the above charts here.

Three Intel architectures; one speed

Subject: Processors | March 19, 2012 - 06:05 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Ivy Bridge, sandy bridge, sandy bridge-e, i7-3770K (ES), i7-2600K, i7-3960x

VR-Zone took a processor from each of Intel's last three architectures, clocked them all to 4.7GHz and started benchmarking.  By clocking them all the same you get to see a better comparison of the performance of the various architectures, although the motherboard chipset does introduce a variable into the performance results.  As well, the Ivy Bridge Core i7-3770K is an engineering sample and so may not perfectly reflect the performance of the final retail product.  Drop by to see how these chips compare in synthetic benchmarks.

"Intel's Core i7-3770K (ES) vs i7-2600K vs i7-3960X, nuff said! We have also included a brief USB 3.0 controller shootout inside, involving the new Z77 (Panther Point) Native USB implementation and other popular solutions."

Here are some more Processor articles from around the web:

Processors

• Intel Second Generation Core i7 3820 Review @ OCC
• Intel Xeon E5-2600 Sany Bridge-EP Server Processors @ Legit Reviews
• Intel Core i7 2700K Review @ HCW
• Core i7 3820 @ Guru of 3D
• Intel Ivy Bridge: everything you need to know @ Techspot
• The Ivy Bridge Preview: Core i7 3770K Tested @ AnandTech
• Desktop CPU Comparison Guide @ TechARP
• AMD FX-8120 Bulldozer @ Rbmods

HP Unveils Three New Ivy Bridge Powered Laptops

Subject: Mobile | March 19, 2012 - 09:17 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: laptop, Ivy Bridge, Intel, hp, GT650M, GT630M, 22nm

Over the weekend, HP pulled the curtain off of three new Ivy Bridge laptops on their website. What makes the three new DV series consumer laptops interesting is the inclusion of Intel's upcoming Ivy Bridge 22nm CPUs. Let's dive into the specs as we know them now.

HP DV4-5000

First up is the smallest of the bunch, the DV4-5000 series with 14" display at 1366 x 768 resolution and Windows 7 Home Premium x64. Internal hardware includes an Intel Ivy Bridge Core i7-3610QM running at 2.3 GHz, an NVIDIA GT630M graphics card, 4 GB of RAM, and a 1TB 5400rpm SATA hard drive. This model also comes with 802.11 b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth functionality, and a DVD burner. Connectivity options include two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port, one HDMI, one VGA, and one RJ45 Ethernet port, along with headphone and microphone jacks.

HP DV6-7000

The HP DV6-7000 follows the same specifications as the previous DV4-5000 except it ups the display to 15.6." The Ivy Bridge i7-3610QM, NVIDIA GT630M, and 4 GB of RAM, DVD burner, and 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi (plus Bluetooth) all stay the same. The DV6-7000 further provides a bit more external connectivity options with an additional USB 3.0 port, and an extra headphone jack. It is also possible to configure it with a total of 8 GB of RAM.

HP DV7-7000

The last new Ivy Bridge powered laptop release from HP is the DV7-7000 (they really need more catch names for these things). It packs an Intel Ivy Bridge Core i7-3720QM running at 2.6 GHz, 8 GB of DDR3 1600 MHz RAM, a total of 2 TB (2 x 1 TB) of 5400rpm mechanical hard drive storage, a NVIDIA GeForce GT650M, and a Blu-ray writer and DVD reader/writer combo drive. On the outside is a 17.3" display at 1920 x 1080 resolution and four Beats Audio speakers. Connectivity options include three USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0, one HDMI, one VGA, one RJ45 Ethernet jack, two headphone jacks, and a single microphone input along with 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Although the HP website currently lists the laptops as "Ready To Buy," the links are not click-able and word on the web is that the actual launch date will be around April 8th. Further, HP will not begin shipping their Ivy Bridge laptops until April 29th according to Laptop Reviews. More information on the HP laptops can be found here.

Podcast #193 - Kepler Mobile preview, GTX 680 Rumors, Zenbook talk and more!

Subject: General Tech | March 15, 2012 - 01:28 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: podcast, nvidia, kepler, Ivy Bridge, Intel, amd

PC Perspective Podcast #193 - 03/15/2012

Join us this week as we talk about our Kepler Mobile preview, GTX 680 Rumors, Zenbook talk and more!

You can subscribe to us through iTunes and you can still access it directly through the RSS page HERE.

The URL for the podcast is: http://pcper.com/podcast - Share with your friends!

• iTunes - Subscribe to the podcast directly through the iTunes Store
• RSS - Subscribe through your regular RSS reader
• MP3 - Direct download link to the MP3 file

Hosts: Ryan Shrout, Jeremy Hellstrom, Josh Walrath, and Allyn Malvantano

This Podcast is brought to you by MSI Computer, and their all new Sandy Bridge Motherboards!

Program length: 59:29

Program Schedule: 

1. Introduction
2. 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
3. http://pcper.com/podcast
4. http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
5. NCAA 2012: PC Perspective Bracket Competition!!
6. HP dm4t Beats Edition Notebook Review: Branding Gone Wild
7. Nvidia GeForce GT 640M Review: Kepler Arrives For Mobile
8. Unreal Engine Samaritan Demo Running On Single NVIDIA Kepler GPU
9. Alleged NVIDIA GK104 Kepler GTX 670 Ti Photo Leaked
10. GTX 680, Turbo Cores, and Cuda Cores!
11. A possible GTX 680 specs leak?
12. Asus Updating Zenbook Line With UX31A and UX21A Ultrabooks
    1. caveat emptor
13. Lian Li Releases Official Photos of PC-QO5 Case
14. The new MAINGEAR Solo all-in-one PC series
15. ARM Cortex-MO+ Lowest Power Processor Yet At 9µA/MHz
16. Give me a Marauder MAD-5M with original armour and I am good to go
17. Hardware / Software Pick of the Week
    1. Ryan: NCAA March Madness app - $3.99 for ALL THE GAMES ALL THE TIME
    2. Jeremy: Brewtarget
    3. Josh: I couldn't stand it... I bought it.
    4. Allyn: Windows Server 8 Beta - Try it with Tim's Instructions.
18. 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
19. http://pcper.com/podcast   
20. http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
21. Closing

More solid information on Ivy Bridge's launch dates

Subject: General Tech | March 15, 2012 - 01:05 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Ivy Bridge, Intel, haswell, lynx point

This morning DigiTimes suggests a more concrete launch schedule for Ivy Bridge, which slates the processor to begin hitting the streets by the end of next month.  The initial launch in April should see all of the announced Core i7 models become available as well as the middle member of the Core i5 line.  By June we should see more of the Core i5 models become available but those looking for a low cost Core i3 will be waiting until the end of summer before they can purchase a new processor.  It will be this time next year before Haswell and Lynx Point become available if you are planning to hold off on upgrading until that generation of processor becomes available.

"Intel is set to announce its next-generation 22nm-based Ivy Bridge processors by the end of April with 11 models including Core i7-3770K, Core i7-3770, Core i7-3770S, Core i7-3770T and Core i5-3550, expected to appear in the initial launch, while several models including Core i5-3470, Core i5-3470S, Core i5-3475S, Core i5-3570 and Core i5-3570S will be released in early June, according to sources from upstream component players.

As for Ivy Bridge-based entry-level Core i3 and Pentium series processors, Intel is expected to release the CPUs in August with 7 series chipsets to appear in early April."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Microsoft shows off Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 8 Metro @ The Inquirer
• Why Windows 8 server is a game-changer @ The Register
• Boffins render fibre obsolete @ The Register
• Final CeBIT Roundup @ XSReviews

Nobody likes NVIDIA, even Apple won't play with them

Subject: General Tech | March 13, 2012 - 12:15 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: TSMC, nvidia, macbook, kelper, Ivy Bridge, fermi, apple

NVIDIA has been having a rough life lately with problems besetting them on all sides.  Their IGP business has been disembowelled by AMD's Llano and even Intel is now offering usable graphics with the HD3000 on higher end Sandy Bridge chips.   The console makers seem to have decided on AMD as the provider of choice for the next generation of products which locks NVIDIA out of that market for years to come, as console generations tend to last significantly longer than PC components.  The delays at TSMC have enabled AMD to launch three families of next generation GPU without NVIDIA being able to respond, which not only hurts NVIDIA's bottom line but lets AMD set their own pricing until NVIDIA can finally release Kepler, at a price that will not be wholly of their choosing. 

Now according to SemiAccurate they are losing a goodly portion of Apple's MacBook business as well.  The supply issues which will be the result of the fabrication problems were likely a big factor in Apple's decision to trim back GPU orders but there is also the fact that the low to mid range GPU could well be going extinct.  With the power of the forthcoming Intel HD4000 and AMD's Trinity line of APUs it will become hard for laptop and system makers to justify putting in a discrete GPU since they will have to choose relatively expensive parts to have the discrete GPU contribute to performance. That leaves NVIDIA only providing GPUs for high end MacBooks, a much less lucrative market than the mid range.  Don't even mention the previous issue of overheating GPUs.

"That is exactly what SemiAccurate moles are telling us is going on. Nvidia can’t supply, so Apple threw them out on their proverbial magical experience. This doesn’t mean that Nvidia is completely out at Apple, the Intel GPUs are too awful to satisfy the higher end laptops, so there will need to be something in those. What that something is, we don’t definitively know yet, but the possibilities are vanishingly small."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Microsoft demos 1ms response touchscreen @ The Inquirer
• Asus: We are NOT killing off Transformer Prime @ The Register
• Diamond helps graphene carry more current @ Nanotechweb
• ASUS RT-N66U Wireless-N900 Gigabit Router @ Benchmark Reviews
• More CeBit Coverage @ XSReviews

Asus Updating Zenbook Line With UX31A and UX21A Ultrabooks

Subject: Mobile | March 12, 2012 - 09:10 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: widi, ultrabook, ssd, Ivy Bridge, asus zenbook, asus

The Asus UX31 and UX21 have been two popular examples of ultrabooks.  Interestingly, they have been available for purchase for less than 6 months and we are already hearing that the company is planning a refresh with upgraded hardware! The two new ultrabooks will be dubbed the UX21A and UX31A and will replace the UX21 and UX31 respectfully while maintaining the same weight and dimensions.

The original UX21 ultrabook

Among the new internal hardware updates, Asus will be moving to Ivy Bridge processors, up to 4 GB of low voltage DDR3 1600 memory, and an alleged 512 GB SATA 3 (6Gbps) SSD (solid state drive) option. The Ivy Bridge processors in question will be pulled from Intel's low voltage mobile CPU range and will sport a 17 watt TDP (thermal design power). The Core i3 3217U, Core i5 3317U, and Core i7 3517U will all be configurable options and carry the following specs.

The new Zenbook ultrabooks will include two USB 3.0 ports, a micro HDMI port, and an SDXC card reader. Wireless connections will further include 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, and Intel's WIDI wireless display streaming technology. The new UX31A will have the option of a 1920 x 1080 resolution IPS display with a brightness rating at 350 nits or a non IPS (possibly TN) LCD with 300 nits brightness that maxes out at a 1600 x 900 resolution. The smaller UX21A also has the option for a 1920 x 1080 resolution IPS display; however, the non IPS LCD option's resolution will max out at 1366 x 768, coincidentally just enough to do the 1/3, 2/3 side by side Metro application split in Windows 8.

Lastly, they estimate the battery life of the 13" UX31A and 11" UX21A ultrabooks to be around "six to seven hours" and five hours respectively. Once Ivy Bridge processors have launched and other notebook vendors start shipping their Ivy Bridge powered machines, Asus will reportedly start selling the updated Zenbooks for prices starting at $1,050 and $1,100 for the UX21A and UX31A respectively.

A nice hardware update without jacking up the price too much and likely making the older models cheaper? Sign me up! Are you looking forward to more ultrabooks this year?