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Mac Pro Server quietly introduced as Xserve heads for the grave, starts at $3,000
Sneaky Apple... real sneaky. Just as the company announced that it would be axing its rack-mountable Xserve come January 31st, in flies an all-new Mac Pro to effectively take its place. The Mac Pro Server -- which is slated to ship in "two to four weeks" -- has joined the fray this morning on Apple's website, with the workstation equipped with a single 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Xeon 'Nehalem' processor, 8GB (4 x 2GB) of DDR3 ECC SDRAM, a pair of 1TB (7200RPM) hard drives, one 18x SuperDrive, ATI's Radeon HD 5770 with 1GB of GDDR5 video memory, and a fresh copy of Mac OS X Server (the unlimited-client license version, for those wondering). Curiously enough, this marks the second time Apple has thrown a "server edition" into the mix, with the Mac mini Server popping up in June. As you'd expect, the $2,999 base price can be pushed far north by slapping in a pair of 2.93GHz six-core 'Westmere' chips (a modest $3,475 increase), 32GB of RAM (only an extra $3,400), a Mac Pro RAID card (pocket change at $700) and a quad-channel 4Gb fibre channel PCIe card (just an extra grand). But hey, financing is available! [Thanks, Adrian]
12-core Apple Mac Pro orders are go
After a brief outage the Apple Store is back with the previously announced 12-core Mac Pro (and revamped quad- and 6-core models) ready to order. Prices start at $4,999 for a pair of 6-core Xeon Westmere processors humming along at 2.66GHz, 6GB of memory, a 1TB hard drive, SuperDrive, and ATI Radeon HD 5770 graphics. We configured ours with a pair of 2.93GHz CPUs, 2x HD 5770 graphics cards, 32GB of memory, 4x 512GB SSDs, and pair of optical drives for $16,249 just 'cause we could. Ships in 7 to 10 business days... bankruptcy in 365. [Thanks, Nathan]
Tokyo Institute of Technology announces SSD-packing, 2.39 petaflop supercomputer
IBM has announced plans to start using SandForce SSDs in its enterprise machines, and now it looks like the Tokyo Institute of Technology is doing one better, working with NEC and HP to produce Tsubame 2.0. This next-gen supercomputer will reportedly operate at 2.39 petaflops (that's a lot of flops!) and uses a new multilevel storage architecture consisting of DRAM as well as SSDs. Not only will this bad boy have thirty times the computing capacity of Tsubame 1.0 (due in part to its some 2,816 Intel Westmere microprocessors and 4,224 NVIDIA Tesla M2050 GPUs), its power draw should be some 1/25th of its predecessor's. If all goes according to plan, it should be in operation this fall, at a cost of ¥3.2 billion (approx $35.5 million). [Thanks, Dylan]
Intel plans to stuff more than 8 cores, extra speed into 2011 server chips
Yeah yeah, "more cores and faster speeds," you've heard it all before right? That'd be our reaction too if we weren't talking about the successor to the Nehalem-Ex, Intel's most gruesomely overpowered chip to date. Launched under the Xeon 7500 branding in March, it represents Intel's single biggest generational leap so far, and with its eight cores, sixteen threads, and 24MB of shared onboard cache, you could probably see why. Time waits for no CPU though, and Intel's planned 32nm Westmere-Ex successor will move things forward with an unspecified increase in both core count (speculated to be jumping up to 12) and operating frequencies, while keeping within the same power envelope. Given the current 2.26GHz default speed and 2.66GHz Turbo Boost option of the 7500, that means we're probably looking at a 2.4GHz to 2.5GHz 12-core, hyper-threaded processor, scheduled to land at some point next year. Time to make some apps that can use all that parallel processing power, nay?
Intel teases six-core Gulftown, discusses tera-scale computing
The 32nm dual-core Clarkdale processors that recently made their debut are about to pave the way for Intel's next performance crown chaser, the six-core Gulftown. You might've known that already, but Intel's decided to furnish us with the above slide detailing the particular differences between the two dies, with the most notable being the whopping 1.17 billion transistors that the new CPU will be composed of. The major attraction of Clarkdale chips lies in their power efficiency and competent integrated GPU, but the Gulftown focus will be firmly on the high end. Hence, there's no integrated graphics, but the built-in memory controller supports three channels of DDR3 RAM and even plays nice with lower-powered 1.35-volt sticks. There's also confirmation that the forthcoming hex-core chip will fit inside the familiar LGA-1366 socket, so if you bought a high end Core i7, worry not, you'll be able to replace your still blisteringly quick CPU with an even faster beast. Quad-core variants -- by virtue of disabling a pair of cores -- are on the cards as well, while Intel also took the opportunity to delve into questions of 1Tbps+ bandwidth interconnects and its 80-core processor project, but you'll have to hit up the links below to learn more about those.
Intel's Arrandale and Clarkdale CPUs get benchmarked for your enjoyment
Whoa, Nelly! Just weeks after Intel came clean with its new Pine Trial nettop and netbook platform, the company is today cutting loose with a few more. This go 'round, we've got the 32nm Arrandale (which consists of the Core i5 Mobile and Core i3 Mobile) heading for the laptops and the 32nm Clarkdale chips over on the desktop front. Starting with the former, most reviews found the CPU + GPU solution to be faster than rivaling Core 2 Duo + integrated GPU options, with the Core i5 being particularly potent in highly threaded applications. Better still, battery life didn't seem to take a hit even with the extra performance, though high-end, high-res gaming was still a lesson in futility when working without a discrete graphics card. Overall, the chip was a welcome addition to the fold, but we got the feeling that the first wave was priced too high and offered too little of a performance increase on the gaming side to really warrant a wholehearted recommendation. As for the Clarkdale? The Core i5 661 that everyone seemed to snag was found to be blisteringly fast, with most folks deeming it the outright champion in the dual-core realm. Unfortunately, the integrated GPU was -- again -- not awesome for hardcore gaming, and the questionable pricing didn't exactly thrill some critics. Do yourself a favor and dig into the benchmarks below -- we get the feeling we'll be seeing oodles of machines hit the wires this week with these chips within. Update: Check out the Arrandale in action after the break! Arrandale reviews Read - HotHardware Read - AnandTech Read - Tom's Hardware Read - PCPerspective Read - Legit Reviews Clarkdale reviews Read - NeoSeeker Read - HotHardware Read - HardOCP Read - TechSpot Read - MissingRemote Read - AnandTech Read - PCPerspective Read - Legion Hardware Read - Overclockers Club Read - Bit-tech
Gulftown processor dubbed Core i7-980X, making its debut Q1 2010?
If you didn't make it to eBay in time to put down $1,200 or so for your very own pre-release Gulftown chip, cheer up! The countdown to the six core wonder continues apace, with more news each passing day. According to a purportedly leaked slide that popped up on China's PC Online, the 32nm chip will be known as the Core i7-980X and not the Core i9, as previously rumored. Part of the i7 "Extreme Edition" series (so extreme!). If everything goes as leaked, the 3.33GHz processor could be included in new Mac Pro systems come early 2010 -- which more or less jibes with rumors that the processor will be available sometime in March. See the new product name appear on the roadmap after the break.
Intel's Core i3 530 processor up for order, still unconfirmed by Intel
Remember Intel's budget-friendlier Core i3 line that we've been talking about since June? Despite recent leaks the company still hasn't made it officially official, but it's now unofficially officially thanks to a pre-order at a Canadian retailer. If you're getting a little déjà vu right now don't worry, it isn't a glitch in the matrix; this is exactly the same scenario that played out with the Core i5 back in August, about a month before that proc was finally given its coming out party. In other words, expect this 32nm chip -- with its 2.93GHz speed, 512KB of L2 cache, 4MB of L3, and $157 CAD asking price (a mere $10 lower in American) -- to be given the full press release rigmarole sometime around the new year.
Leaked Intel Core i9 chip makes its way to eBay?
Would you pay $1,200 for an as-of-yet unreleased Intel Core i9 chip? Hard to say if the transaction actually occurred, but an auction recently ended from a Taiwanese eBay user who claims to be selling a six-core, 2.4GHz Xeon Westmere Gulftown processor. We can't vouch for the validity of the listing, but those are some pretty convincing pictures being tossed around -- ones that aren't blurred, which might give Intel an advantage in snooping out the leak. That's not all, though -- Nordic Hardware (via Tom's Hardware) also reports that the OCTeamDenmark forums had it listed for on sale for $850. The 32nm fella had some promising benchmarks released recently, although its release isn't slated until at best sometime early 2010. Sure, it's great to be first, but with early adopter prices like that, we don't mind waiting until it goes official. %Gallery-79549%
Intel's 32nm processors show off power efficiency in informal preview
Craving for some cutting edge tech to go with your croissant this morning? Intel's Clarkdale and Arrandale -- the 32nm chips that cram the GPU and memory controller inside the CPU package -- have been subjected to the discerning eye of the Hot Hardware investigators, and have shown off some significantly reduced power usage. The entire small form factor system you see above, built around a Clarkdale processor, clocked up an austere 28W when idling, and only went up to around 70W under full load, which you can just about make out on the wattmeter beside it. Limited to two processing cores due to the added complexity inside the chip, these might lack the juice to oust Core i7 rigs, but if the laptop parts reflect similar power savings, it's difficult to imagine a more desirable CPU for your next mobile computer. Hit the read link for some synthetic benchmarks and further impressions.
Eyes-on with Intel's Pine Trail CPU/GPU hybrid and new Gulftown gaming chip (update)
See that tiny little thing? That's not just a CPU, it's Intel's next-gen Atom Pine Trail CPU / GPU hybrid, and it's set to pop in all sorts of devices here at IDF. Intel was demoing it in a nettop running 480p video, but they assured us it was capable of 1080p playback -- we'll believe it when we see it, obviously. Also on display here at IDF: demo machines running 32nm Arrandale chips, with Intel's Clear HD video playback system, and the next-gen Gulftown gaming chip, which has six cores and will slot right into your X58 mobo to provide more power than you possibly need sometime next year. Check it all in the gallery! Update: So the first Intel rep we spoke to was a little confused -- Pine Trail only supports 480p playback, although it can apparently do 720p if pushed. Native HD isn't on Intel's roadmap until the next generation of these chips, so If you want HD right now, Intel's pointing manufacturers to the Broadcom Crystal HD video accelerator, which usually ends up costing about $30 extra at retail. So to recap: Intel's integrating graphics into its CPU dies, but in order to play back HD content, you still need a separate video processor to handle the decoding. How very efficient. %Gallery-73726%
Intel begins production of 32nm Westmere processors
Were you so impressed by the reviews of Intel's latest Lynfield Core i7 chips that you ran out and paid the early-adopter premium to buy one? Your period of superiority hasn't lasted long, dear reader, with the company announcing initial production of 32nm processors has begun. It's taken many years (and a $7 billion manufacturing investment) to get these Westmere chips onto silicon, with the Clarkdale (desktop) and Arrandale (notebook) lines expected to start showing up in over-sized cardboard boxes before the end of the year. What's next for 45nm chips, like those new Lynnfields? A slow fade to obsolescence, as they're likely to be the last of the breed -- but they at least can take pride in knowing they were the king of their class; a class that resulted in a whopping 200 million sales. Check out the video after the break for a some silicon and cleanroom action.
Intel demos first-ever 32nm processors
Intel had a little roadmap event today to shed some light on its massive $7b fab investment, and the focus was mostly on the upcoming transition to 32nm processors -- highlighted by the first-ever demo of a working 32nm Nehalem-based Westmere chip. It was just a demo, so there aren't any hard benchmarks available, but eventually the tech will show up in the Calpella platform's dual-core Clarkdale laptop processors that integrate two processor cores, a graphics core, and a memory controller all in a chip the size of one 45nm quad-core Clarksfield chip. (Yes, the codenames are confusing as hell.) Intel wouldn't lock down the schedule for any of this stuff, but when we asked them about the rumored Calpella delays we heard about this morning we were told that parts of the platform will definitely go into production sometime in 2009. Video, slides, and the full press release after the break.
Intel touts 20x less power-hungry UMPCs, lays out processor roadmap
While we already have a pretty good idea of Intel's near-term processor plans, the company has now decided to give folks a glimpse a bit further into the future, laying out some its processor plans through the year 2010 at its spring analyst meeting this week. Among the more notable boastings by the company is a promised 20x reduction in UMPCs' power consumption by 2009-2010. That'll supposedly be made possible by its new "Moorestown" system on a chip, which is set to replace its still-to-be-released Menlow system. In addition to the lower power consumption, Moorestown also promises to reduce thermals by 9x and cut the actual size by the same amount. As for the rest of its roadmap, Intel is continuing to talk up its 45-nanometer manufacturing process, with the first such chip (code-named Penryn) still on track to ship this year. Don't get too used to those 45nm chips though, as Intel's says it's planning to release its first 32-nanometer chip, a Nehalem-based processor dubbed "Westmere," sometime in 2009.Read - RegHardware, "Intel web tablet SoC to cut power consumption by 20x"Read - InformationWeek, "Intel Road Map Stretches From Quad Cores To Mobile Internet"
