VIA Technologies Inc. started shipping its current family of x86 processors in early 2000. Seven major versions-culminating in the VIA C7 processor-have shipped through the end of 2007. While compatible with the x86 instruction-set architecture, the internal architecture of these processors is very different from other x86 processor designs. This unique internal architecture yields processors that are significantly smaller (lower cost) and use significantly less power than other x86 processors from AMD and Intel.
While the current VIA C7 processors are a perfect fit for many users and applications, a new architecture was needed to keep pace with the rapid introduction of new functions and improved performance from Intel. Accordingly, over the last four years, VIA made a major investment in its U.S.-based processor design subsidiary-Centaur Technology Inc.-to develop a completely new x86 processor architecture. The result is a new architecture, codenamed the VIA Isaiah Architecture, that complements current VIA products by offering significantly more function and performance within the same low-power envelope.
On the 29th of May 2008 VIA announced the Nano CPU, a processor built from Isaiah architecture. Building on the market-leading energy efficiency of their existing VIA C7 processor family, the VIA Nano processor family offers as much as four times the performance within the same power range to extend VIA's performance per watt leadership, while identical pin compatibility with VIA C7 processors will ensure a smooth transition for OEMs and motherboard vendors, and provides them with an easy upgrade path for current system or board designs.
VIA's 'nano' association also extends to VIA's signature silicon and platform design characteristics of power efficiency and form factor size reduction, as demonstrated by VIA's ultra compact Nano-ITX boards and the nanoBGA2 processor packaging used for the current VIA C7 processor family and the first generation of VIA Nano processors.
While the current VIA C7 processors are a perfect fit for many users and applications, a new architecture was needed to keep pace with the rapid introduction of new functions and improved performance from Intel. Accordingly, over the last four years, VIA made a major investment in its U.S.-based processor design subsidiary-Centaur Technology Inc.-to develop a completely new x86 processor architecture. The result is a new architecture, codenamed the VIA Isaiah Architecture, that complements current VIA products by offering significantly more function and performance within the same low-power envelope.
On the 29th of May 2008 VIA announced the Nano CPU, a processor built from Isaiah architecture. Building on the market-leading energy efficiency of their existing VIA C7 processor family, the VIA Nano processor family offers as much as four times the performance within the same power range to extend VIA's performance per watt leadership, while identical pin compatibility with VIA C7 processors will ensure a smooth transition for OEMs and motherboard vendors, and provides them with an easy upgrade path for current system or board designs.
VIA's 'nano' association also extends to VIA's signature silicon and platform design characteristics of power efficiency and form factor size reduction, as demonstrated by VIA's ultra compact Nano-ITX boards and the nanoBGA2 processor packaging used for the current VIA C7 processor family and the first generation of VIA Nano processors.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NVDIA Tegra 650 Mobile Processor
NVIDIA has done very well for itself over the past decade. While most of the world can recognize the chip-maker for its popular GeForce product line, very few might realize that this green-machine also has focus outside of the graphics card industry. Like any company that has mastered its craft, NVIDIA set out to develop a competitive processor design that would change the face of mobile computing. Earlier this year NVIDIA announced that they were ready to product the APX 2500 application processor for a new line of handheld mobile Internet devices, but then very little actually materialized.Back with what might be considered a re-launch, NVIDIA launches the Tegra 650 and 600 mobile processors. A few weeks ago at the NVIDIA Editors Day 2008, Benchmark Reviews was fortunate enough to meet with NVIDIA's mobile products staff and witness the Tegra processor in action. Using the APX 2500 processor in a mobile Internet device, we were able to see how a Smart Phone or portable media player could not only display full 720p content on its screen (or external display via HDMI interface), but is could also encode the very same media. "Creating Tegra was a massive challenge. Our vision was to create a platform that will enable the 2nd personal computer revolution - which will be mobile centric, with devices that last days on a single charge, and yet has the web, high definition media, and computing experiences we've come to expect from our PC," said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO at NVIDIA. "Shrinking down a 50 watt PC architecture will not create the discontinuity this industry needs.
The culmination of nearly 1,000 man years of engineering, Tegra is a completely ground-up computer-on-a-chip architecture that consumes 100 times less power. Mobile internet and computing devices built with Tegra are going to be magical." NVIDIA is building their mobile product offerings around the Windows Mobile 7 Operating System, which can offer a host of mobile compute applications to take full advantage of the Tegra 650 Mobile Processor. While the Tegra Processor is capable, you won't find any 3D video games running on a Tegra handheld device, which might disturb the ultra-conservative 2 Watts of power consumption.
Intel Core i7 CPU & DX58SO X58 Platform
Intel Core i7 CPUFor the last several months the hottest topic on just about every venue for computer product information has been the forthcoming release of the new Intel Core i7, the first series of processors in the new Nehalem product line. There's not been a day out of that time frame that some prognosticator has not forecasted when we would see this product on the store shelves. Why so much fervor and hype? Well that's very simple, the Core i7 processors are reputed to literally smoke the current Core 2 Quad 45nm processors which literally rule high-end computing. Talk about getting an enthusiast's adrenaline flowing! Fast forward to Sunday, November 2, 2008, which by the way happens to be today and also very special date in time both for all computer enthusiasts and also for us at Benchmark Reviews.
At 9:00 PM PST we're finally able to put all the hype, myths and rumors to rest as the embargo on product information on the forthcoming release of the Intel Core i7 processor series has officially been lifted. Notice I used that word again, "forthcoming" and not that doesn't mean tomorrow this product will be available on the shelves of your favorite distributor on Monday morning. What it does mean is that because is that the sheer magnitude of launching an entirely new product line of this scope is a daunting task to the very least. Intel and their partners have chosen to phase in the launch meaning you should see it available for purchase sometime later in November.
Rather than allowing consumers to continue speculating about just what this new product line has to offer Intel has chosen to take the high road and has sent pre-release samples of the entire Core i7 system to selected review sites. It was then the job of these sites to garner as much information regarding this product line as possible in a relatively short time span and pass it on to our readers.
DX58SO Smackover X58 Platform
We at Benchmark Reviews consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have been chosen by Intel as one of those review sites to showcase the Core i7 prior to its official launch. Once chosen our dilemma was how to best convey the myriad of information we ascertained to our readers. Obviously the best plan would be to release one all encompassing review of the entire product line. Because of time constraints this plan was impossible.
After much deliberation we decided our best recourse was to present a series of reviews on this product line. In today's segment we will cover an overview of the technological aspects of the Core i7 processor series and the X58 motherboard that supports it. We'll test all three of the processors using a succinct series of benchmarks run a stock processor speeds and draw the necessary conclusions from their results. What else is left you might ask? Believe me when I say that's only scratching the surface. In future reviews we'll concentrate on individual product components and expound in much greater detail on that product's performance capabilities including overclocking.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Intel Core i7-965 Extreme Edition Processor
Intel Core i7-965XE CPU On November 3, Benchmark Reviews had the pleasure of publishing our first in a series of articles and reviews covering Intel's newest processor series, the Core i7. As we alluded to in that article the time frame from receiving our review kit to publishing the finished product was only a matter of days, so something had to give. We opted to stick with the basics and present a general overview of the entire product. As a result we had to omit many of the extras we would have normally included in a feature article of this type. Since the release of that article we have had a number of our readers request future articles in our series that deal more with with the specifics of each processor.
The same group was somewhat adamant that we showcase both performance tuning and the overclocking capabilities of each product. Fear not my enthusiast brethren, in our second publication we will be covering all that you asked for and more as we review the Intel Core i7-965 Extreme Edition (XE). We have now had sufficient time to spend with Core i7 series and our knowledge base on these processors and their supporting components has grown exponentially.
This review is pretty much strictly Intel, meaning the motherboard, and the vast majority of the rest of the components we used in our testing are Intel's own. The BIOS on the motherboard is still considered a pre-release version. What I'm getting at here is don't hold the results we present today as being the "Holy Grail" of this processor's capability. It usually holds true with any new product release of this magnitude that it will take two to three months of BIOS and driver maturity after the release to get a complete picture of product's complete performance profile. In our first article, Intel Core i7 CPU & DX58SO X58 Platform we covered most of the available information regarding both the Nehalem Technology and the architecture used with the Intel Core i7 Processor family. We will therefore not repeat that discussion, instead; our goal today is to spend most of our energy concentrating on those features and performance aspects of the Intel Core i7-965XE model BX80601965 that have led it and its other i7 kin to be dubbed "The Fastest Processor on the Planet" by Intel.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Intel Core i7-920 Processor BX80601920
Intel Core i7-920
The same group was somewhat adamant that we showcase both performance tuning and the overclocking capabilities of each product. Fear not my enthusiast brethren, in our second publication we will be covering all that you asked for and more as we review the Intel Core i7-965 Extreme Edition (XE). We have now had sufficient time to spend with Core i7 series and our knowledge base on these processors and their supporting components has grown exponentially.
This review is pretty much strictly Intel, meaning the motherboard, and the vast majority of the rest of the components we used in our testing are Intel's own. The BIOS on the motherboard is still considered a pre-release version. What I'm getting at here is don't hold the results we present today as being the "Holy Grail" of this processor's capability. It usually holds true with any new product release of this magnitude that it will take two to three months of BIOS and driver maturity after the release to get a complete picture of product's complete performance profile. In our first article, Intel Core i7 CPU & DX58SO X58 Platform we covered most of the available information regarding both the Nehalem Technology and the architecture used with the Intel Core i7 Processor family. We will therefore not repeat that discussion, instead; our goal today is to spend most of our energy concentrating on those features and performance aspects of the Intel Core i7-965XE model BX80601965 that have led it and its other i7 kin to be dubbed "The Fastest Processor on the Planet" by Intel.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Intel Core i7-920 Processor BX80601920
Intel Core i7-920On November 3, Benchmark Reviews had the pleasure of publishing our first in a series of articles and reviews covering Intel's newest processor series, the Core i7. As we alluded to in that article the time frame from receiving our review kit to publishing the finished product was only a matter of days, so something had to give. We opted to stick with the basics and present a general overview of the entire product. As a result we had to omit many of the extras we would have normally included in a feature article of this type. Since the release of that article we have had a number of our readers request future articles in our series that deal more with with the specifics of each processor. The same group was somewhat adamant that we showcase both performance tuning and the overclocking capabilities of each product.
Today we are releasing the third review in our Core i7 series which focuses on the features and performance of the Intel Core i7-920. The Core i7-920 is considered to be the processor for the mainstream consumer primarily because of its price to performance ratio. The i7-920 doesn't have the unlocked multipliers that its more mature sibling does, but it is still a quite capable chip with its 2.66 GHz factory clock. We intend to share all of our findings and hope after reading this review you will have a much better understanding of the Core i7 family in general and the i7-920 in specific. We also plan to go into as complete of a discussion as possible on everything you can do to enhance capabilities this processor brings to the table. Unfortunately we don't have a QX9770, Intel's previous "King of the Hill", to compare the i7-920 to; but we should note that in all the test results we've seen the i7-920 outperforms the QX9770 in all processor dependant tasks. So the only true competition for the i7-920 are the other members of the Core i7 family which we will be testing for comparison purposes.
In our first article, Intel Core i7 CPU & DX58SO X58 Platform we covered most of the available information regarding both the Nehalem Technology and the architecture used with the Intel Core i7 Processor family. We will therefore not repeat that discussion, instead; our goal today is to spend most of our energy concentrating on those features and performance aspects of the Intel Core i7-920 (model BX80601920) that have led it and its other i7 kin to be dubbed "The Fastest Processor on the Planet" by Intel.
Today we are releasing the third review in our Core i7 series which focuses on the features and performance of the Intel Core i7-920. The Core i7-920 is considered to be the processor for the mainstream consumer primarily because of its price to performance ratio. The i7-920 doesn't have the unlocked multipliers that its more mature sibling does, but it is still a quite capable chip with its 2.66 GHz factory clock. We intend to share all of our findings and hope after reading this review you will have a much better understanding of the Core i7 family in general and the i7-920 in specific. We also plan to go into as complete of a discussion as possible on everything you can do to enhance capabilities this processor brings to the table. Unfortunately we don't have a QX9770, Intel's previous "King of the Hill", to compare the i7-920 to; but we should note that in all the test results we've seen the i7-920 outperforms the QX9770 in all processor dependant tasks. So the only true competition for the i7-920 are the other members of the Core i7 family which we will be testing for comparison purposes.
In our first article, Intel Core i7 CPU & DX58SO X58 Platform we covered most of the available information regarding both the Nehalem Technology and the architecture used with the Intel Core i7 Processor family. We will therefore not repeat that discussion, instead; our goal today is to spend most of our energy concentrating on those features and performance aspects of the Intel Core i7-920 (model BX80601920) that have led it and its other i7 kin to be dubbed "The Fastest Processor on the Planet" by Intel.
0 comments:
Post a Comment