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1/27/2001: ARM will use the technology PowerVR

    ARM (Advanced RISC Machines), the principal designer of processors RISC for systems absorbed so much of 16 as of 32 bits (with more than 75 % of the market) and Imagination Technologies, the manufacturer of the acquaintances chips graphs PowerVR, have come to an agreement to integrate the graphic solutions of the last one inside the nucleus of the microprocessors of ARM.
    The principal sectors to which the chips ARM are directed are the consumption electronics in all his variants, as there can be digital cameras, breeding animals of MP3 (like the Diamond/S3 Rio 600) or breeding animals manufacturers' MiniDisc of the size of Sony. Therefore, the graphic capacities of the PowerVR will do possible new products, since there multiply the multimedia possibilities of all this scale of devices.
    The principal destination of these new processors ARM with capacities of video integrated into his nucleus there will be portable devices with Internet connection, mobile phones and consoles of portable games. Companies as Symbian and Peace Micro Technology have already showed his support to this new technology.
    The chips will be made and used by many habitual technological associates of ARM, between whom they stand out: Alcatel, Ericsson, Fujitsu, Hyundai, IBM, Mitsubishi, Motorola, Panasonic, Philips, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Toshiba, Yamaha... and of course Intel, who makes at present the successful StrongARM (who, obviously, are designed by ARM).

More information in:
www.arm.com/sitearchitek/news.ns4/iwpList125/08382904DD605C90802569DF0033 B867
www.imgtec.com/news/PressReleases/IMGandARMSignStrategicAgreement.htm
www.powervr.com
New products Intel Inside (and they are not microprocessor)

News written for: Miquel Tarazona

1/26/2001: New architecture for the AMD of 64 bits

    AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) might allow using the current architecture EV6 that the current Athlons use in his future processor of 64 bits, the Sledgehammer. The change of architecture would be destined to improve the future servants and workstations multiprocessor of the American company.
    The architecture EV6 would be replaced by so called NUMA (Non-Uniform Memory Access). This architecture would allow the servants' development with major number of microprocessors, a major escalabilidad of the same ones and a major yield on having had every micro finished access to all the band of the bus, something possible thanks to the use of a new technology of interconnection called LDT, Lightning Data Transport.
    Nevertheless, it is necessary to tint that the current architecture EV6 is entirely current for all the model AMD of 32 bit, and ready still to extract the best thing of her itself in the current Athlons, the future Young pigeon, with values of bus of up to 400 MHz, supporting up to 4 GB of memory DDR-SDRAM (with latencies CAS between 2 and 3) and being also valid for systems multiprocessors, although always with the future option to be praised by the architecture NUMA.
    This contrasts with the decision of Intel for the architecture IA-64 of his future Itanium of 64 bits, who shares the bus between the installed processors, braking his yield and propitiating possible "necks of bottle" as the number of processors grows. Perhaps be a good decision on the part of AMD, which seems ready to snatch from Intel the servants' market and to force her to do a magnificent and expensive advertizing campaign for his Itanium...

More information in:
www.ebnews.com/story/OEG20010124S0018
www.xbitlabs.com/news/#980414340
Itanium de Intel: better than...: 486!!? (in 32 bits)
AMD: Duron 850 and collaboration with Transmeta for 64 bits
Presented the Beta of Network Hat Linux 64 bits for Itanium
The market of 64 bits, more and more hard-fought

News written for: Ignacio Jim�nez of the Ship

1/25/2001: It lowers the price of the microprocessors and the memory

    In the last months there have joined diverse factors that are provoking a strong prices fall in the computer sector, much especially in microprocessors and memoirs. The prime mover seems to be a deceleration of the sales of PCs, motivated by the sensation between the users of having potency more than sufficient with his current machines... which can be very true, especially between the managerial users.
    The PCs manufacturers have big stored, acquired stocks thinking about a Christmas period much more successful than it was. In case of the microprocessors the situation is especially serious, for his rapid obsoleteness and the price war between Intel and AMD; in this respect, one hopes that Intel will lower in a few days his prices up to 40 % (especially those of his mikes of more MHz), while AMD might introduce a new Athlon to 1,3 GHz.
    The memoirs market is not in a better situation; the price of the memory SDRAM not of to go down, being able to be modules of 128 MB of PC133 for less than 50 $. The memoirs DDR-SDRAM also go down, since several chipsets exist already for the same ones, it is finishing his ratification with them and his mass production begins, with modules of diverse marks of up to 256 MB and advanced projects of 512 MB modules and 1 GB.
    The memory RDRAM (Rambus) is in a more confused situation: his price is relatively low ("only three or four times more expensive than the SDRAM, with few 256 MB and most expensive modules ), but the demand created by the Pentium 4 makes her skimp and rise of price. Although it is not a demand so high as it was of waiting and the manufacturers little interest in her, being Samsung the principal supplier... enclosed one says that Intel might move forward his chipset Brookdale to use memory SDRAM (or perhaps DDR-SDRAM) with the Pentium 4.

More information in:
www.pricewatch.com
www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2677783,00.html
www.theregister.co.uk/content/3/16326.html
www.amd.com/devconn/ddrvalid.html
www.via.com.tw/company/ddrzone_val.htm
www.electronicnews.com/enews/news/5968-18NewsDetail.asp
www.theregister.co.uk/content/3/16244.html
The computer companies worried by the descent of the sales
ALi answers to ROUTE with DDR + integrated video
Already in manufacture the chipset DDR of ROUTE for Athlon
Rambus gains money...: by means of threats?

News written for: Juan Herrer�as

1/24/2001: Itanium de Intel: better than...: 486!!? (in 32 bits)

    A few tests realized recently to a PROTOTYPE of future Intel Itanium of 64 bits demonstrate that, executing the current applications of 32 bits, this mike is capable of overcoming to... one 486DX 50 MHz. Good, "skylight"... but for very little, and the truth is that it does not manage to overcome a Pentium 100 MHz...
    The tests were done by an Intel Itanium to 667 MHz (we insist: a prototype, not the final mike), with 512 MB of RAM and a version beta 1 of the Microsoft Whistler of 64 bits. Of them showy punctuations get rid; an example: to measure the intensive use of the CPU one chose to use the FlaskMPEG (it compresses video to the format MPEG4), giving these results: Pentium 4 to 1,5 GHz, 14 fps; Athlon to 1,46 GHz, 15,5 fps... Itanium to 667 MHz, 0,4 fps.
    Nevertheless, it is necessary to bear in mind that the Itanium is a microprocessor designed almost exclusively to execute applications of 64 bits, so this information must not be interpreted in a very negative way unless it should be of those that he was thinking playing to the Quake 3 with an Itanium. My Voodoo does not also wash the clothes... because it was not designed for that.
    Nevertheless, we rise a question to ourselves: Will Intel throw the towel of 32 bits with his Itanium? If it does it, it will give a clear advantage to AMD, since future AMD Sledgehammer of 64 bits yes will execute applications of 32 bits with big efficacy. Intel is defoliating the daisy: only 64 bits or 64/32 bits? If it is praised by this second option it will have to work hard, very hard, to tenor of these results...
    NOTE of the writing: 486 there was the predecessor of the Pentium (of the original Pentium, without MMX, or II, or III, or anything)... anyway, a mike perhaps more veteran than any of our readership.

More information in:
www.theregister.co.uk/content/3/16307.html
athena.tweakers.net/reviews.dsp?Document=204
AMD: Duron 850 and collaboration with Transmeta for 64 bits
Presented the Beta of Network Hat Linux 64 bits for Itanium
The market of 64 bits, more and more hard-fought

News written for: Ignacio Jim�nez of the Ship

1/23/2001: Two new basic badges with chipset ROUTE KT133A

    The recent chipset ROUTE KT133A, with official support for the AMD Athlon and Duron format Socket A with speeds of 266 MHz bus (in addition to the models with bus to 200 MHz), is being adopted quickly as the market thanks to his excellent yield and entire compatibility with the designs for his predecessor, the KT133.
    The well-known Taiwanese manufacturer ASUS has just presented his new motherboard A7V133, natural successor of the A7V, who incorporates like principal characteristics (in addition to the bus to 266 MHz): a checker UltraDMA100, checker optional RAID, AGP Pro/4X, 3 grooves DIMM (that qualify it to support up to 1,5 GB of memory SDRAM), 4 ports USB and 5 grooves PCI for expansion, in addition to the already habitual AMR.
    For his part, Iwill presents his new basic badges KK266 and KK266-R (it seems that they did not think on the Spanish market on having chosen the name), with bus speeds of up to 266 MHz and processors up to 1,5 GHz.
    Between his most interesting characteristics the support is for devices IDE UltraDMA100, which in the KK266-R are up to 8 and with support RAID for 4. Also they are provided with the possibility of modifying the speed of the bus in increases of 1 MHz, something for that the numerous fans of the overclocking will be grateful; and they have "memory" so that in case of trumping the overclocking it is returned automatically at the last speed of stable bus.
    And they wait for many other badges KT133A, like for example the ABIT KT7A and KT7A-RAID...

More information in:
www.asus.com.tw/products/motherboard/socketa/a7v133/index.php"l
www.iwillusa.com/pressrelease/kk266.pdf
www.abit.com.tw/english/product/motherboards/kt7a-raid.htm
ROUTE becomes strong on the chipsets market for SDRAM

News written for: Miquel Tarazona