The AMD Palermo Core was released on February 2005.  It was fabricated at 90nm Silicon on Insulator (SOI) process.  Early models are labeled as Oakville mobile Athlon64.  The chips is clocked from 1.4-2GHz with 800MHz HyperTransport bus on a 754-pin Socket.  It carries 64KB data & 64KB instruction L1 Cache and 128/256KB full-speed L2 Cache.  This CPU features MMX, 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, AMD64, Cool’n'Quiet and the NX bit Enhanced Virus Protection.  It has integrated 72-bit single channel and ECC capable DDR RAM controller. 

The Multi-Core Era: Ending the Gigahertz War

The microprocessor reached the 1GHz-mark on 2000, 2GHz on 2001 and 3GHz on 2002.  But the chip makers can no longer push the limit of CPU frequency because of physical barriers.  In 2005, the multi-core processor era officially ended the Gigahertz War.  The instead of pumping the CPU speed, the miniaturization technology allowed chip makers to pack more than 1 processing cores into a single physical processor.  Operating Systems can now execute 2 threads simultaneously.  

The New Core Wars

Because of this multi-core revolution, the Centrino brand drafted the dual-core CPU in its product line.  The Napa platform entered the arena on 2006 which featured an Intel Core or Core 2 processor, Intel 945 chipset on 667MHz FSB and a 54-108MBps Wi-Fi draft-N adaptor. 

AMD Turion 64 is previously known as Mobile Athlon 64.  It is a 64-bit mobile processor for low-power consumption.  The Turion 64 and Turion 64 X2 processors raced with Intel’s Pentium M, Core and Core 2 mobile processors. 

The new Richmond core Turion 64 CPUs will mount on AMD’s S1 Socket. These processors have a 512/1024KB L2 cache, an 800MHz HyperTransport bus and a 64-bit single channel on-die memory controller.  The PowerNow! battery saving feature emphasized its mobile role.

Intel Inside Apple

During the Apple-Intel Transition in 2006, the MacBook Family of laptops were redesigned to incorporate Intel Core and Core 2 Duo microprocessors.  The main reason for this was IBM’s inability to deliver on Apple’s processor requirements.  This transition covered all Macintosh product lines whether nettops, desktops or laptops.  The notebook segment included the consumer-targeted MacBook, the high-end MacBook Pro and the slim-type MacBook Air. 

Centrino 2: Judgment Day

The Centrino brand launched the Santa Rosa platform in 2007 which had a Core 2 Duo chip with SSE4.1, Intel 965 chipset and a Wi-Fi draft-N adaptor with better coverage.  Montevina platform arrived on 2008 with a 2-3GHz Core 2 Duo CPU with SSE4.1, Intel 4 series chipset and an Intel WiMax/Wi-Fi N combination adaptor.  The Montevina platform is also known as Centrino 2.

Core Yonah: Intel’s 1^st Mobile Dual-Core CPU

Yonah is Intel’s first generation of 65nm process mobile CPUs from 2006. It packed 151 million transistors with 12 stage pipeline and run from 2.33-2.5GHz with a 533-667MHz FSB and 2MB L2 cache.  It is based on the Banias/Dothan-core Pentium M microarchitecture. SIMD performance was improved through the addition of SSE3 instructions.  The SSE and SSE2 implementations were also improved.  But integer performance slightly decreased because of higher latency cache. 

Core 2 Merom: Intel’s 2^nd Mobile Dual-Core CPU

Intel Merom cores are sold as Pentium Dual-Core, Core 2 Solo, Core 2 Duo and Celeron. It operates from 1.6-2.6GHz with a 533-800MHz FSB and 2-4MB L2 cache.  It was the first mobile processor based on the Intel Core microarchitecture.  It replaces the Pentium M-based Yonah processor.  Merom XE core behind the Core 2 Extreme Mobile processor.  It was clocked at 2.6-2.8GHz and was used in top-end iMacs.

Penryn: Merom Derivative

Intel Penryn core are also sold as Pentium, Core 2 Solo, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad and Celeron.  It is basically a shrunk Merom by 45nm process.  From here evolved your first quad core laptop. It introduces new fabrication materials of a hafnium-based high-k dielectric.  It is rated at 1.2-3.06GHz core frequency with a 800-1066MHz FSB and 3-6MB L2 cache.  It was mainly designed for mobile applications

The Tiny Atom

The ultra-low voltage Intel Atom processor incarnated in 2008 from the 45nm CMOS process.  This entry-level performance CPU is specifically designed to power the small and lightweight Netbooks or Nettops.  These miniature laptops and desktops are intended for low performance computing and web-based applications.  Netbooks typically weigh less than 1kg (2.2lbs.) and are commonly used for web browsing.  While office-use Nettops are small desktop cases where full-sized monitors, keyboards and mouse are attached. 

The 32-bit Atom CPU delivers core speeds of 800MHz-2GHz with a 400-667MHz FSB.  It comes with in single or dual core versions processor.  The capacity of a single core Atom is about half of the Celeron with the same speed but only has about 2.5W of TDP. 

Centrino’s a-Calpella

The Centrino brand released the Calpella platform on 2009 with the new 45/32 nanometer Intel Core i5 or i7 microprocessor, Intel 5 series chipset with up to DDR3-1600 RAM support and Centrino Wi-Fi N + WiMax combo adapter.

Rise of Nehalem

Nehalem is the successor to the Core microarchitecture. The first processor with this architecture is the desktop Core i7 released on November 2008.  The quad-core variant houses 731 million transistors.  Initial Nehalem processors use the same 45nm process of Penryn.  The CPU line is natively monolithic for quad- and octal-core processors, all processor cores fit on a single die.  

Nehalem-based microprocessors utilize higher clock speeds and are more energy-efficient than Penryn microprocessors. Hyper-Threading is reintroduced along with an L3 Cache missing from most Core-based microprocessors.  In the chip resides a 32KB L1 (instruction) and a 32KB L1 (data) cache per core, 256KB L2 cache per core and 4–8MB L3 cache shared by all cores. 

The Intel QuickPath Interconnect manages point-to-point processor communication and replaced the aging Front Side Bus.  The memory controller is integrated to support 2-3 channels of DDR3 SDRAM.  The Integrated Graphics Processor (IGP) is located off-die but in the same CPU package.   In mid-range models, the PCI Express and Direct Media Interface are integrated into the processor eliminating the northbridge. 

Clarksfield Mobile: Core i5 & i7

Clarksfield is an Intel processor sold as Intel Core i7 mobile.  It’s core speed is rated at 1.6-2GHz and up to 3.2GHz on Turbo.  It has 4x 256KB L1 cache for each core and an 8MB L2 cache.  Like the desktop Lynnfield processor, Clarksfield also uses the 45nm Nehalem quad-core dies.  They both have integrated PCI Express and DMI links.  Clarksfield CPUs were significantly faster than any other laptop processor on September 2009.

Arrandale Mobile: Core i3, i5 & i7

Arrandale is an Intel processor sold as mobile Intel Core i3, i5 and i7.  It was released last January during CES 2010.  Similar to the desktop Clarkdale processor, Arrandale also uses the 32nm Westmere dual-core dies.  Both have integrated Graphics as well as PCI Express and DMI links.  Westmere was derived from the Nehalem microarchitecture.  Arrandale contains two dies: the actual 32 nm processor with the I/O bus and the 45 nm graphics controller with memory interface. 

Arrandale succeeds the Penryn core that is used in many mobile Intel Core 2, Celeron and Pentium Dual-Core CPUs.  Unlike Penryn, this new CPU already contains the major north bridge components.  This includes: the memory controller, PCI Express (external graphics), integrated graphics and the DMI connector.  This makes it possible to build more compact systems without using a separate northbridge or discrete graphics like the desktop Lynnfield.  

Intel’s Core i3, i5 & i7 Branding

Intel introduced a new naming scheme for its Core processors based on the Nehalem microarchitecture.  The names no longer correspond to specific technical features three variants.   The brand is instead divided from the low-level Core i3, to the mid-range Core i5 and up to the high-end Core i7.

The Core i3

The Intel Core i3 brand is marketed at the new entry-level processor that will retire the Core 2 brand.  The first batch of these CPUs were released last January 7, 2010.  The first Nehalem based Core i3 was based on Clarkdale.  It come with an integrated GPU and two cores.  The same chip can configured differently and be labeled as Core i5 or Pentium.  

Arrandale is the mobile version of the Clarkdale desktop processor.  Derived from it is the Core i3-3xxM processor. This will be similar to the Core i5-4xx series except for the lower clock speeds and no Turbo Boost.

Core i5

The first Intel Core i5 was introduced on September 2009.  It is positioned between the mid-level Core i3/Core 2 and the high-end Core i7/Xeon brands.  Core i5 is a mainstream variant of Core i7.  Core i5 notebooks are from the Lynnfield-based quad-core desktop processors.  It could also be from the dual-core Arrandale (mobile) and Clarkdale (desktop) processors scheduled in 2010. 

The Core i5 750 is a 2.66GHz quad-core Lynnfield-based CPU without Hyper-threading. This Core i5 processor boasts an 8MB L3 cache, a DMI bus running at 2.5GT/s.  It natively supports 800/1,066/1,333MHz dual-channel DDR3 SDRAM.

The Core i5-5xx mobile CPUs named Arrandale are derived from the 32nm Westmere shrink of Nehalem.  Arrandale chips only have two processor cores but integrated graphics is enabled.  The L3 cache in Core i5-5xx processors is limited to only 3MB.  These edition was released on January 2010.

Core i7

Intel Core i7 covers several 64-bit desktop and laptop processors families under Nehalem technology.  It is the successor of the Intel Core 2 brand.  The Core i7 label was first used on the earlier batch of Bloomfield processors introduced in 2008.  The name was applied to some Lynnfield and all Clarksfield models in 2009.  All Core i7 models were quad-core before 2010.  The label was later applied to dual-core Arrandale models.  The forthcoming Gulftown desktop Core i7-9×0x Extreme chip will have 6 Hyper-Threaded cores. 

Clarksfield is the mobile version of Lynnfield.  It will be placed under the Core i7 Mobile name of the Centrino 2 Calpella platform. It debuted at the Intel Developer Forum last September 2009. 

Arrandale will be the second mobile Core i7 processor.  It will be designated as Core i7-6xx and feature an integrated graphics processing unit with only 2 processor cores, half of Clarksfield.

CES 2010: The Minority Report

The 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas presented the Intel Infoscape that was powered by an Intel Core i7 processor.  A laptop displayed two 7-foot screens and showed 576 cubes.  These cubes are streamed by 20,000 sources and 20 live video feeds.  Spectators can tap a cube and an information box showing the content will appear.  A participant exclaimed that the giant screens were extremely smooth and responsive in rendering the display.  It was compared to the holographic interface in the futuristic movie Minority Report. 

Multi-Core on your Lap

Our society is now thriving in the Information Age.  With the help of these multi-core processor platforms, we will soon experience computing power that we can only dream of.  The laptop with its modern mobile processor will take us into greater heights.  We are living in exciting times.

Related posts:

1. The Evolution of Laptop CPU’s – Part 1
2. Alienware Aurora m97 7-inch Laptop Review
3. Detailed Platform Analysis in RightMark Memory Analyzer. Part 11: Dual Core Intel Pentium EE 955

Back in the pioneering years, a computer would mean an a huge room of mechanical and electrical components.  These machines were custom designed to perform only a limited number of tasks.  They can only be operated by a dedicated team of specially trained technicians.  A single unit would cost an entire company department.  Back then, computers were not meant for individuals or home use.  Only large corporations need and own them.

Rise of the Machine: Desktop Computers

In November 1971, the world’s first commercial microprocessor, the Intel 4004, was released.  It’s general purpose architecture opened the possibilities for multiple applications from a single chip design.  Combined with Intel’s RAM chip, a new era of personal desktop computers was ushered.  Altair 8800, IMSAI 8080 and other models immediately made their way for personal use.  Microsoft and Apple Computers emerged from this revolution.  They made personal computers useful and available for the general public. 

Attack of the Clones: IBM PC Compatibles

The arrival of the IBM PC finally set the standard for general purpose, low cost and practical computing.  Small businesses, professionals and hobbyists can now afford desktop computer hardware and software.  The high availability of the IBM PC further encouraged the development of related technologies that eventually created its own industry – the PC.  Students, hobbyists and programmers can now create simple and robust games or applications which were easily distributed through floppy disks.  The industry flourished to the extent that IBM eventually lost control of the PC standard while it slowly took life from Microsoft and Intel.

Portable Heavyweights

The idea of having a portable computer is not a recent concept as you might think.  Even 4 decades ago, Xerox PARC already wanted to produce a self-contained personal computer.  This means a self-enclosed design where most components are attached for a quick pack-up and easy deployment.  These “luggable” personal computers typically weighed from 10-30 kilograms (22-66 pounds) and folded into a size of a portable sewing machine.  The monitors are about 6-9 inches is diameters while the keyboard are revealed when unfolded.  A mouse may be included.

NoteTaker: The First Portable Computer

The Xerox NoteTaker was developed in 1976.  It came with an 8-bit 1MHz CPU and 128KB of RAM which were advanced during its time.  The NoteTaker came with a monochrome display, a floppy disk drive, and a mouse.  It ran on SmartTalk a graphical operating system weighed 22kg (48lbs.).  While it was very promising, only 10 prototypes were made and it never entered production. 

The Osborne Effect – Revisited

The first commercially successful portable personal computer was the Osborne 1.  This portable computer was released in 1981.  It featured a 4MHz Z80 CPU, 64KB RAM, detachable keyboard, parallel/serial ports and ran on the CP/M operating system.  It was mainly based on the Xerox NoteTaker. 

Compaq vs. Hyperion

The Compaq Portable was released in January 1983 and came with a larger 9-inch green screen.  Hyperion rivaled Compaq because it was the first portable IBM PC compatible computer.  It was also shipped in January 1983 with 256KB RAM, 360KB 5.25” floppy drive, 7-inch CGA monitor and a 300bps modem.  Office software were bundled.  In February 1984, IBM finally released their first luggable machine, the Portable PC 5155 model 68. 

The Convertibles

The IBM PC Convertible model 5140 truly resembled a clam-shaped design of a modern laptop.  It was introduced in April 1986.  I was powered by an 4.77MHz Intel 80c88 CPU, 256+KB RAM, dual 720KB floppy drives and an monochrome CGA LCD screen.  It weighed 5.8kg (13 pounds) and includes a carrying handle.  The MinisPORT by Zenith Data Systems debuted in 1989.  This modern-looking laptop came with 640KB of RAM, 3.5” 1.44MB floppy drive, 20MB hard drive, 2.4K baud modem and a color LCD display. 

Toshiba vs. Mac

The Toshiba’s laptop series culminated with the T1200 in 1987.  It was ticking at 9.54MHz, 1MB RAM, a 720Kb 3.5” floppy drive and a 20MB hard drive.  Macintosh Portable arrived in 1989 with a 16MHz Motorola 68000 CPU at 16MHz bus, 1MB RAM that’s upgradeable to 5MB and a 3.5” 1.44MB floppy drive.  It weighed at 7.2kg (15.8lbs) because of its lead-acid batteries. 

The Laptop De Facto Standard

The Macintosh PowerBook series emerged in 1991 and eventually set the standards for the modern laptop form factor.  It introduced the first serious offering for the Laptop genre of personal computers.  Three versions were released to satisfy consumer budgets.  PowerBook 170 is the fastest of the Series.  It is driven by the 25MHz Motorola 68030 CPU, 4-8MB RAM, 40-80MB hard drive, 1.44MB floppy Superdrive, active matrix display, a trackball and Mac OS 7.6.

Mobile Intel

The laptop PCs in 1991 are limited to Intel 286 CPUs because 386 processors consume huge amounts of power. But the arrival of the power-optimized Intel 386SL processors included laptops in future CPU design considerations.  The 25MHz 386SL is a 386SX core integrated with a memory controller paired with an I/O chip to produce the SL chipset.  A System Management Mode (SMM) function is embedded.  It is packed with 855,000 transistors using 1 micrometer process.  This was widely implemented in the notebook market in its time.

486 Extinction

The Intel 486SL, a power saving and complete 486DX CPU, followed this path.  It was released on November 1992 and was clocked at 20, 25 and 33MHz.  This chip packed 1.4 million transistors, has SMM included and manufactured at 0.8 microns.  This model was later abandoned in favor for the arrival of the Pentium and mobile Pentium microprocessors.

Heated Confrontation: 030 vs. 486

The 32-bit Motorola 68030 CPU has an integrated Floating Point Unit and Memory Management Unit.  It has six stages of full-pipeline architecture.  The 030 is basically a shrunk 68020 core with added data cache.  This process allowed Motorola to pack more hardware on the CPU die.  However, the Intel 80486 used in 1994 laptops can be overclocked better without the overheating problems of the 030.  Because of this, Apple was unable to recover their lead in this period.  

The First Touchdown

The PowerBook 500 series is the first laptop to use a touchpad as pointing device.  The 500 series is powered by a 40MHz Motorola 5068LC040 CPU and can be upgraded to a 68040 that has an FPU.  It sports a 9.5-inch passive color display, 16-bit stereo sound and expansion options.

Multimedia Laptop 95

Microsoft Windows 95 implemented the Advanced Power Management specification.   This  simplified notebook power management in the OS.  Rebooting and entering the BIOS was no longer needed to set power management policies.  Windows 95’s multi-media features justified the need for CD-ROM drives and Intel Pentium CPUs for the laptop computers. 

Spinning Laptops

The Gateway Solo was the first 3-spindle (hard disk, optical & floppy) notebook computer.  At the same time, the IBM ThinkPad, Toshiba Satellite and the Dell Latitude were gaining reach  using Pentium-based 2-spindle (hard disk & floppy) systems in the corporate market.

Aim High PowerPC!

The PowerBook 5300 series was the first generation of PowerBook laptops to use the PowerPC processor in August 1995.  They are attributed as the first to feature hot-swappable expansion modules.  PowerPC is a RISC-based architecture (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) A CPU design strategy which uses simplified instructions.  It was designed by Apple, IBM and Motorola (AIM). 

Celeron’s Mission

During these periods, most Intel-base laptop computers are either using desktop processors or their scaled-down versions to prolong battery life.  The Pentium II CPU touched down on May 1997 running at 233-450MHz clock frequencies with 7.5 million transistors using 0.35 or 0.25 micron processes.  The first Intel Celeron microprocessor was based on the Pentium II chip.  It is similar in most ways including the clock speed and fabrication process.  The only difference are that they have little or no L2 caches, have slower bus speeds and have disabled multimedia features.   Mobile versions were developed for both PII and its Celeron counterpart.

PowerBook G3

The first PowerBook G3 shipped in 1997 with a 250MHz G3 processor and a 12.1″ TFT SVGA LCD.  The PowerPC G3 is not microprocessor, but in fact, a set of microprocessors from different vendors.  It is a 32-bit system designed and manufactured by IBM and Motorola.  The PowerPC 740 and 750 CPUs were introduced in late 1997 to power the PowerBook G3 laptop.  The CPU can reach speeds of up to 366MHz while only consuming 7.3W. 

K6 Redux

The AMD K6-2+ is an enhanced K6-2 with 570MHz core frequency and 128KB L2 cache using a 0.18 micron process.  It’s essentially a K6-III+ with only half the L2 cache. The K6-2+ was intended as a low-power mobile CPU.  It was released when mainstream desktop CPUs were quickly migrating on to newer platforms like the Athlon.  It sold in modest numbers to its target market.  The AMD K6-2+ chip were sometimes used on desktops.  

The PowerPC G3

The PowerPC G3 came with a 66MHz 60x system bus, 32KB instruction and 32KB data L1 caches, a second integer unit, an enhanced floating point unit, higher core frequency and on-die cache controller/tags. It supports the optional 256, 512 or 1,024KB external unified L2 cache.  Both caches are accessed by a dedicated 64-bit bus.  The 740/750 models contains 6.35 million transistors.  It was initially produced by IBM and Motorola using an aluminum-based 0.26 micron fabrication process.  

Pentium III: 3 Variants

The Pentium III was inaugurated on February 1999.  It housed 9.5 million transistors through a 0.25 micron process.  The Katmai version is clocked at 450-600MHz, 100-133MHz bus speed with Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE) and  512KB off-die L2 cache.  The Coppermine CPUs ran from 500MHz–1.1GHz frequencies with 100-133MHz system bus and was made by a 0.18 micron process.  The Tualatin chip formalized the Gigahertz Era by starting at 1,133MHz and reaching 1.4GHz with a 133MHz bus.  The die has 32KB L1 cache and 256-512KB integrated L2 through a 0.13 micron process.  Mobile editions are available for Coppermine and Tualatin.

Mobile Celerons

The Coppermine (PIII) –based Celeron hit the market on March 2000 and featured 28.1 million transistors processed at 0.18 microns.  They operated from 533-850MHz with 66-100MHz system bus, 32KB L1 cache and 128KB L2.  The Tualatin (PIII) –based Celeron ran from 1-1.4GHz at 100-133MHz bus speed with 32KB L1 and 256KB L2 caches.  They were manufactured using the 0.13 micron technology process.  These 2 Celeron derivatives also have low-voltage versions specifically meant for the Mobile computing market. 

The Laptop Generation

The year 2000 is the time when the mobile computing market started to flourish because of the growing demands for multi-media notebooks and decreasing hardware costs.  A TFT LCD SVGA display became the minimum standard.  CD writers and floppy drives were included.  Multiple expansion ports are available around the laptop.  A Fax/Data modem and a 100-Base Ethernet adapter became the norm.  Hard drives were large enough and batteries gain longer hours.

The Mobile Athlon

The AMD Palomino Core was first released as a mobile version.  It was called the Mobile Athlon 4 or Corvette.  This stock has 64KB data & 64KB instruction L1 Cache and 256KB full-speed L2 Cache.  It ran with 133MHz FSB and has MMX, 3DNow! and SSE technologies. 

G4: The Last PowerBook

The PowerBook G4 laptop was announced at MacWorld Expo in January 2001.  On November 2002, the last version of PowerPC G4 featured a 867MHz or 1GHz clock speed with 256KB backside L2 cache and 1MB backside L3 cache. 

Pentium 4 Unleashed

The much awaited Pentium 4 desktop processor reached the public on November 2000.  It introduced the NetBurst Architecture which features very deep instruction pipelines that can reach frequencies up to 3.8GHz.  This rate is only limited by the Thermal Design Power that went as high as 115W.  The bus is only 100MHz but was Quad-Pumped to reach 400MHz.  It utilized SSE2 and later SSE3 instruction sets for better multi-media processing.  Newer Pentium 4 chips introduced the Hyper-threading (HT) Technology where a single physical CPU works as 2 virtual CPUs.

Mobile Mac for the People

The iBook, a line of Apple laptop computers between 1999 and 2005.  It initially ran on 500-900MHz PowerPC G3 CPUs with 32-576MB RAM.  The last editions used 800MHz-1.42GHz G4 processors with 256MB-1.5GB RAM.  It was targeted at the consumer and education markets with its lower specifications and prices. 

The Mobile Pentium

The Pentium 4-M processor entered the laptop market on April 2002.  It featured Intel’s SpeedStep and Deeper Sleep technologies for the laptop CPUs.  Other related laptop processors emerged like the Pentium III Mobile, Mobile Pentium 4 and Pentium M which is the fastest of the 4.  Unlike the desktop Pentium 4, Pentium 4-M has lower voltage, less heat and did not need an Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS). 

The Mobile Pentium 4 was developed to the address the self-defeating practice of using a full desktop Pentium 4 CPU in laptops.  The Mobile Pentium 4 ran on a Front-side Bus (FSB) of 533MHz and bridge the gap between Pentium 4 and Pentium 4-M. 

The Mobile Celeron

The Mobile Celeron was derived from the Mobile Pentium 4.  While the Celeron M processor is built from the Pentium M chip design and released on March 2003.  They are similarly clocked with their normal Pentium counterpart but performed better and drained more battery life.  These 2 Celerons differ from regular chips in terms of their lower FSB rating and reduced multi-media capacity. 

The Mobile Athlon XP

The mobile Athlon XP-M are identical Athlon XP.  It only worked at lower voltages, bus speeds and is not multiplier-locked. This enabled the chip to consume less power and generate less heat.  It was ideal for battery-powered laptops.  Athlon XP-M processors also have a higher heat tolerance making it suited to the tight conditions of a laptop.   Athlon XP-M is based on the newer Thoroughbred and Barton cores.  It replaced the older Mobile Athlon 4 that used the older Palomino core. 

The Intel Centrino Platform

In 2003, Intel launched the Centrino brand, a platform-marketing initiative.  A laptop with a Centrino sticker will have an Intel mobile chipset, a Pentium M CPU and a mobile Intel wireless adapter.  The Carmel platform is the first offering and included a Pentium M CPU, Intel 855 chipset and an 11MBps Wi-Fi adapter.  Sonoma platform followed on 2005 with a Pentium M CPU, Intel 915 chipset on 533MHz FSB and a 54MBps Wi-Fi adapter. 

Further reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_laptops and 

http://www.geekwithlaptop.com/laptop-revolution-where-size-does-mater-a-whole-lot

Related posts:

1. The Evolution of Laptop CPU’s – Part 2
2. Alienware Aurora m97 7-inch Laptop Review
3. Intel releases the P4 Extreme Edition

The Xbox 360 Wireless N Network Adapter is your robust and reliable companion for connecting to Xbox LIVE.  Perform effortless streaming of High-Definition Videos or download complete games or other Multi-media content from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Xbox 360 meets High-speed Wireless Network

With the Xbox 360 Wireless N Network Adapter, you can now experience full quality multi-media content from Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Stream or download complete HD videos in full 1080p and 5.1 surround sound.  Enjoy the latest music albums before they hit the stores.  Experience multi-player gaming with your friends.  Explore on-line gaming with other Xbox 360 players from all-over the world.  The Wireless N technology brings lag-free network gaming for your Xbox 360 platform.

Convenient Wireless N Connection

Before this Wireless N Adapter became available, you can only connect your Xbox 360 to a Wireless G Network using the older Wi-Fi adapter.  You can also use the Ethernet port for a wire network if you do the cabling.  But, purchasing a special Ethernet-to-Wireless N bridge can also help if you’re really that desperate.  With an Xbox 360 Wireless N Network Adapter, connecting your Xbox 360 to a Wireless N Network is now easier than ever. 

Neat Attachment

This 802.11n Xbox 360 adapter snugly fits the back of your console and interfaces through a USB port.  The short USB cord is perfect for this simple arrangement.  If you need to re-position the Wi-Fi adapter elsewhere, you will need to use a separate USB 2.0 extension cable.  You should do this if connection is impaired by the console’s distance or location relative to your  wireless router.

Designed for the Wireless Jungle

This specially designed wireless N adapter is well suited for huge spaces or multiple rooms.  It was also built to minimize interference to and from other wireless devices that you already have.  This adapter can thrive even in saturated wireless environments with multiple wireless networks and devices. 

Compact Design

The Xbox 360 Wireless N Network Adapter is the latest wireless adapter exclusively designed for your Xbox 360.  The compact design seamlessly fits the rear of the console for clutterless operation.  This latest design features maximum compatibility to existing A/B/G/N networks. 

The Wireless N / 802.11n Standard

The new Wireless N Specification ensures connection speeds of up to 7x faster compared to Wireless G standard.  This new Specification extends connection range of up to 2x wider compared to the older Wireless G.  Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) is natively supported for security against intruders.  Dual Band Support for 5GHz and 2.4GHz with Full-Duplex capability maintains signal integrity.  The 2 external antennas and off-board placement feature with a USB extension cable allow you to position the device for maximum signal reception.

Xbox 360 On-line: Quick and Easy

Getting your Xbox 360 on-line using this Wi-Fi adapter is very simple to do.  The software drivers are available in the software disc included.  You do not need the drivers if your console was previously connected to the internet after October 28, 2009 and has updated system files.  If otherwise, un-plug the Wi-Fi adapter and the network cable before inserting the disc.  Turn-off and restart the console.  Installation is automatic, just follow the on-screen instructions when directed.  After installation, attach the Wi-Fi adapter (with the antennas) to the back of the console.  Plug-in the USB connector of the adapter to the USB slot of the console.  Remove the disc and restart the unit.  You will later be prompted to scan for wireless networks and later given a list of found ones.  Choose the Wi-Fi network that you want and enter the required network encryption keys to start connecting to Xbox LIVE.

The Good:

Signal Range: works great even when distanced from the wireless router/access point

Signal Strength: strong wireless signal despite some barriers

Connection Speed: excellent at downloading high capacity content via wireless N specification

Physical Installation: attaches snugly at the back of the console, easy USB plug

Software Installation: easy to install drivers, may not be needed if console is updated before

Compatibility: exclusively designed for an Xbox 360 console

Form Factor: neat and compact size and design

Aesthetics: elegant black color and cute stubby antennas

Accessories: can be extended using a separate USB 2.0 extension cable

Price: expensively priced at $100

The Bad:

Signal Range: can be affected by physical barriers such as walls, ceilings, furniture, etc.

Signal Strength: can be affected by physical barriers such as walls, ceilings, furniture, etc.

Connection Speed: depends greatly on the Signal Strength

Physical Installation: stand for independent and distant operation is not included

Software Installation: (none)

Compatibility: only wireless adapters designed by Microsoft for Xbox 360 can be used

Form Factor: antennas have limited freedom of movement and can be broken when forced

Aesthetics: comes only in one color – black main body and grey antennas

Accessories: USB 2.0 extension cable is not included in the package

Price: costs ($99) half of an Xbox 360 Arcade Edition ($199)

The Verdict:

The wireless networking performance of the Xbox 360 Wireless N Network Adapter is highly commendable and lives up to its claims.  It is well suited for a gaming platform and delivers high volume multi-media content on your Xbox 360.  The only major downside is the hefty price tag that comes with it.

After considering the benefits and the trade-offs, this wireless adapter is only recommended if:

1. you have a compatible and certified Wireless N Router,
2. you have a high-speed internet connection of more than 54Mb/s or 6.5MB/s (ideally 600Mb/s or 75MB/s),
3. you really want wireless internet connection for your Xbox 360 and
4. you really want seamless high-capacity content delivered right into your Xbox 360 machine. 

Otherwise, the existing Ethernet port at the back of your console can deliver the same multi-media content through a connection speed of 100Mb/s or 12,5MB/s.  Just use Ethernet cabling and upgrade your low internet bandwidth.

Related posts:

1. D-Link DGL-4300 Wireless 108G Gaming Router Review
2. Xbox Controller PC Conversion Mod
3. Add External Hard Disk Drive to Xbox

Competitive renumeration can be expected.

Should you be interested. Email: chinnervian@hotmail.com and comment on this post to let me know to watch out for your mail.

Looking forward to hear from you.

Vian Chinner

Best Places to Buy High End

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Xbox 360 Mod/Hack Rating:

Difficulty Level:         2 out of 5

Skill Level Needed:   2 out of 5

Personal Risk:            2 out of 5

Equipment Risk:         2 out of 5

Duration:                     1.5 out of 5

Cost:                            1.5 out of 5

Satisfaction:                3 out of 5

Bottom Line:        2.5 out of 5

Expensive Memories

Data storage in video game consoles have always been a premium commodity since game data saving became possible.  But this was only understandable and acceptable during the early days of disc-based consoles.  Now, advances in the mass storage industry made economies of scale possible on a priced resource in computing – storage capacity.  A closer look will show that video game console are now riding the hardware and software advancement of personal computers.  In fact, the latest generation of Xbox and other consoles are more of a Personal Computer than a Video Game Console!

There’s a PC in your Xbox 360!

If you try opening any of the three 7^th Generation video game console, like the Xbox (warranty voided!), distinct PC-like components may be found: CPU, GPU, RAM, HDD, Audio Chip, MoBo & Chipsets, Optical Disc Drive, Network Adapter, USB Ports, Video Ports and more.  This means that with the right motivation, equipment, materials and skills, you can safely extend and expand the functionality and performance of the gaming platform.

Do-it-Yourself Xbox 360 External Hard Drive

Instead of buying a $149.99 120GB Xbox 360 Hard Drive from Microsoft, you could safely and easily add one on your own externally.  You could revive that old 80/120/160/200GB ATA/IDE Hard Drive that’s collecting dust in your drawer.  Imagine viewing your precious media files through your shiny Xbox 360.  Cool huh?  Yeah!

Hardware Needed:

   Xbox 360 System (Power Adapter, Video Cables, Controllers, Video Display & Games)

   3.5” ATA(IDE) Hard Disk Drive (preferably 60+GB Storage Capacity)

   3.5” ATA(IDE) Hard Disk Drive USB 2.0 External Enclosure Unit (w/ Fan):  $10-$30

   USB 2.0 Data Cable – Standard A/B Plug (usually included with the External Enclosure Unit)

   5V/12V AC/DC Power Adapter (usually included with the External Enclosure Unit)

Software Needed:

   Microsoft Windows XP or later Operating System

   FAT32 Formatting Software (Paragon Partition Manager, Partition Magic, Win98 FDisk/Format)

Tools Needed:

   Philips-Type Precision Screw Driver Set

   Mini Screw Driver or Small Tweezer (for changing Hard Drive Jumper Pins)

   Dry Cleaning Cloth or Dry Tissue Paper (for dust cleaning)

Skills Needed:

   Basic Hardware Assembly Skills

   Basic Electronics Skills

   Basic PC & Windows Operating Skills

Alternative Hard Disk Drive & External Enclosures:

   3.5” SATA Hard Disk Drive w/ corresponding HDD USB 2.0 External Enclosure Unit (w/ Fan)

   2.5” ATA(IDE) Hard Disk Drive w/ corresponding HDD USB 2.0 External Enclosure Unit

   2.5” SATA Hard Disk Drive w/ corresponding HDD USB 2.0 External Enclosure Unit

The Main Phases & Individual Steps:

1. Avoid transferring static electricity to any electronic devices.
   1. Attach a grounding cable to your wrist whose other end is connected to a grounded metal or outlet.
   2. Or firmly hold a grounded metal surface to dissipate any static electricity in your body.
2. Install the Hard Disk Drive in a compatible USB 2.0 External Enclosure Unit.
   1. Back-up important files from the old hard drive that you wish to use.
   2. Use a dry cleaning cloth or dry tissue to remove any dust or debris from the old hard drive (be careful not to break or scratch any component).
   3. Refer to the user’s manual in the External Enclosure Kit that you will use for more detailed instructions on how to install your HDD in it.
   4. The HDD must be set as “Master,” if not, configure it to “Master” by moving the jumper pins with a pair of tweezers.  Refer to the instructions on the drive’s label,  manual or website.
   5. Firmly attach the HDD to the connector(s) of the External Enclosure Circuit.
   6. Enclose the HDD and the Circuit with the External Enclosure.
   7. Firmly place the screws to secure the new External USB Hard Drive.

1. Connecting the External USB Hard Drive to your Windows PC.
   1. Connect the Power Cable to the Power Adapter.
   2. Connect the Power Adapter to the new External USB Hard Drive.
   3. Connect the B-plug of the USB 2.0 Data Cable to the External USB Hard Drive.
   4. Connect the A-plug of the USB 2.0 Data Cable to the USB Slot of the PC.
   5. Plug the Power Cable of the External USB Hard Drive to an AC Power outlet of the RIGHT Voltage.
   6. Switch-on the External USB Hard Drive.  The HDD inside should start to spin-up.
   7. Let Windows detect the new hardware and wait for ready to use indication.
2. Format the External HDD Unit (HDD capacity is less than 32GB)
   1. If HDD capacity is less than 32GB, open windows explorer.
   2. Right-click the drive and click format to run formatting tool of Windows.
   3. Choose FAT32 as File System, enter Label or Volume Name and leave other settings to default.
   4. Click start to format the drive.
   5. Wait for the format process to finish.
3. Format the External HDD Unit (HDD capacity is more than 32GB – Windows XP does not natively support partitioning and formatting FAT32 volumes larger than 32GB, a special Application will be needed)
   1. Run the Partitioning & Formatting Software to setup.
   2. Select the Physical HDD.
   3. Run command to Delete/Remove all partitions in the External USB Hard Drive.
   4. Run command to Create a new partition in the External USB Hard Drive.
   5. Run command to Format the new partition in the External USB Hard Drive using the FAT32 Files System.
   6. Add Label or Volume Name for the partition/drive.
   7. Run command to execute/commit the actions to the External USB Hard Drive.
   8. Wait for the partition/format process to finish.
4. Transfer your media files in the new volume in the External USB Hard Drive.
   1. Open the new volume in My Computer/Windows Explorer.
   2. Transfer you media files and organize them as desired.
   3. Wait for the transfer process to completely finish.
5. Safely Removing the External USB Hard Drive from the Windows PC.
   1. Close any open Explorer window relating to the External USB Hard Drive.
   2. Click the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon in the System Tray Notification Area.
   3. Click to Select “Safely Remove Hardware”.
   4. Wait for the “You can now Safely Remove the Hardware” notification.
   5. Disconnect the A-plug of the USB 2.0 Data Cable from the USB Slot of the PC.
   6. Turn-off the External USB Hard Drive.  The HDD inside should start to spin-down.
   7. Un-plug the Power Cable of the External USB Hard Drive from the AC Power outlet.
6. Connecting to a Xbox 360 and viewing your files.
   1. Bring the External USB Hard Drive (along with the Data Cable & Power Adapter) near the Xbox 360 console.
   2. Connect the A-plug of the USB 2.0 Data Cable to the USB Slot of the Xbox 360.
   3. Plug the Power Cable of the External USB Hard Drive to an AC Power outlet of the RIGHT Voltage.
   4. Switch-on the External USB Hard Drive.  The HDD inside should start to spin-up.
   5. Let Xbox 360 detect the new hardware and wait for ready to use indication.
   6. Run Media Center, Choose Portable Device to open the USB Storage File Browser.
   7. View your media files.
7. Safely Removing the External USB Hard Drive from the Xbox 360.
   1. Close any open File Browser relating to the External USB Hard Drive.
   2. Click the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon.
   3. Click to Select “Safely Remove Hardware”.
   4. Wait for the “You can now Safely Remove the Hardware” notification.
   5. Disconnect the A-plug of the USB 2.0 Data Cable from the USB Slot of the Xbox 360.
   6. Turn-off the External USB Hard Drive.  The HDD inside should start to spin-down.
   7. Un-plug the Power Cable of the External USB Hard Drive from the AC Power outlet.

Benefits:

   Save from $110 to $140

   Make use of your old/idle Hard Drive

   View your Media Files from Xbox 360

   Have a High-Capacity Portable External USB Hard Drive

   Have a High-Capacity Portable Back-up USB Hard Drive

   Have a High-Capacity Media File Storage for your Xbox 360

   Have a “Staging Area” for other more complicated & more exciting mods/hacks

   Personal Satisfaction & Bragging Rights (Yeah!)

P.S.: A Little more about the Xbox.

Xbox 360 was made available on November 2005 in the USA, Mexico and Canada.  It was released in Europe and Japan in December 2005, other countries followed in the following year.  The console was completely sold out  upon release in all regions except Japan.  With only a year in the market, Xbox 360 was launched in at least 36 countries, the highest first year distribution for a video game console.  As of January 2010, over 39 million Xbox 360 units have been sold.

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WoW: Warcraft on Steroids

World of Warcraft (November 2004) is the fourth video game of the Warcraft franchise by Blizzard Entertainment.  It is a major departure from the original Real-Time Strategy (RTS) game genre that was pioneered by the first three games.  WoW, as popularly called, evolved from the RTS/Local PC arena and entered the realm of MMORPG – Massively Multi-Player Online Role-Playing Game.  Massively multi-player online means you can play with hundreds of thousands to millions of other players in the WoW universe that persists even if players log-off or are off-line.  As a Role-playing game, you assume control of the a single character that you created.  This means leaving the classic “construct base, build army and invade enemy” formula that mainly define the RTS mindset.  The game is also hosted in server “realms” but media data is installed your local computer.

In WoW, You are the Hero

The game is set in the high fantasy world of Azeroth in a period that is similar to Medieval Europe.  WoW as an MMORPG is set in the established universe of the Warcraft franchise.  Instead of macromanaging and directing units and base operations, you assume the character of the Warcraft hero you earlier designed and choose to play.  With this avatar, you experience the adventure, interact among other players and explore the common world of Azeroth.  In this realm, you may team up or fight against other players by forming coalitions and compete for control and honor.

Experience Warcraft from Eye-Level

WoW turns Azeroth and what’s behind the Dark Portal into a stunning virtual 3D environment.  Both new and old gamers are able to experience the Warcraft chronicles from an individual’s perspective and explore the game universe at eye-level.  Familiar characters, places, units and abilities from the original game come to life interactively.

A Continuing Saga

Set four years after the events of Warcraft III: Frozen Throne a great unrest spreads across the ruins of Azeroth.  New ancient and ominous plagues emerge that threaten the different Races as they rebuild their individual Kingdoms.

Personalized and Flexible Adventure

In WoW, you can play at your own pace.  This may range from a few hours or a marathon weekend.  A Quest system introduces multiple variations of intriguing pursuits combined with narratives, lively events and adaptable reward schemes.  Faster chronology of events means lesser downtime and more focus on conflicts and techniques against various enemies.  The WoW Universe contain 10 playable Races of 10 playable Classes having 14 different Professions with exclusive advantages.  There also exists thousands of Quests to pursue and accomplish, several methods of Transportation and Personal Mounts for quick travel, a far-reaching and intricate Storyline for realism and 4 Realm Types that determine your gameplay.

An Immersive Reality

You will experience an immersive world with acres of different landscapes like forests, deserts, snow-covered mountains, and other exotic regions.  You will encounter both the familiar and new characters and enemies in the Warcraft saga.  You can better understand the epic story behind the territories of Azeroth and the other kingdoms by participating in various quests.  You can then explore the far reaching and uniquely styled Dungeons scattered throughout the map.  You should visit the 6 colossal Capital Cities mostly populated by the races who built them.  Your character can practice a selection of primary and secondary Professions from different trades and perform related responsibilities to amass wealth by transacting deals with other players or Non-Playable Characters (NPCs).

An Exotic World

After designing your character, you will enter the Warcraft Universe through the starting area of you race, except for the Trolls who start with the Orcs and Gnomes with the Dwarves.  After viewing a cutscene introduction of your race, you free to explore the World of Warcraft.  Encountering monsters won’t take long because WoW is the habitat of these creatures which come in various forms, sizes and threat.  You will also be facing smarter and more dangerous beasts or entities of different shapes.  The vast regions in WoW contain unique sceneries for that landscape.  The destruction brought by previous conflicts and curse are reflected in the diseased flora and fauna of the that land. 

Continuous Exploits

The absence of the RTS element in WoW is replaced by Quests which are integral in RPGs.  Aside from eradicating monsters and voyaging far lands, accomplishing Quests will increase experience points and play an important contribution in level advancement.  Quests are abundant throughout the game and vary greatly in terms of objectives, difficulty, length, rewards and outcomes.  These tasks also help familiarize the player about the interesting legends of Warcraft.  Best of all, completed Quests provide rewards like cash, potions, food, magical items, weapons, armors or other gifts that make your WoW experience more enjoyable.  Quests can sometimes trigger another related one forming Quest Chains.

A Virtual Society

As an MMORPG, WoW is designed with in-game Socials in mind.  Searching for other players are as easy as entering the name or other keyword search details.  The Friends List can also be useful to quickly access other players.  You can join or establish your own Group, Guild or Party with players of similar interests to undertake common pursuits.  Packages and Mail containing messages, gold or items can be sent to other Characters. Items can be Bought and Sold using Gold in Auction Houses.  Players are able to communicate with others using chat channels, friend lists, animated and audible character expressions.

An Intuitive Visual Interface

WoW has a user-friendly visual interface that’s intuitive and consistent throughout the game.  The context sensitive philosophy involving the mouse and keyboard make the game control easier to learn and master therefore freeing the player from the complex learning involved with navigation to have more time for gameplay.  Hovering the mouse will reveal pop-up clues that will further aid learning and information for the player.  Using XML, the game interface can be customized to suit your preference.

A Fulfilling Experience

Aside from just leveling or grinding through battle after battle, a huge variety of things can be done.  Characters can craft items, fight against other players and explore distant lands. Even when players do fight monsters, it will often be as part of a quest, or in search of special materials for their crafts.  Aside from fighting, there are other ways of gaining experience.  Substantial experience points can be earned from doing quests.  Exploration can also be a source of experience by simply traveling to areas where your character has never been.

Responsive Developers

Blizzard employees are mostly MMORPG gamers, have considerable gaming experience, are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the genre and strive to improve on the positive qualities while eliminating the downsides.  Several problems in the past like “Kill Stealing” and “Camping” have been resolved by “Tapping” and “Instancing” policies.  Experience points are fairly distributed among group members relative to their levels.  Quest participants will receive a copy of the item from the killed monster or place where it was found.  As a commitment from the developers, subscribers can enjoy regular monthly updates of quests, items and adventures.

An Ongoing Quest

WoW, as you will find it, is easy to learn but difficult to master.  The game cannot truly end because of the thousands of game play hours in WoW plus nearly infinite goals for the players and the regular addition of new quests, creatures and items by the WoW Development team.  This constant flow of fresh content guarantees that the game will introduce new attractions and innovations which makes it more and more exciting every coming month.  Currently, WoW has 2 Expansion Sets: Burning Crusades (January 2007), Wrath of the Lich King (November 2008) and the upcoming Cataclysm (~2010).

Warcraft Across the Years

In the first Warcraft game, the warring Human and Orc races annihilate each other in campaigns directed by players or the in-game AI.  Introduced in the second release were additional races of Elves, Dwarves and Gnomes who allied with Humans while Ogres, Trolls and Goblins fought with the Orcs.  Two more playable races of Night Elves and the Undead were introduced in the third version.

A Pioneer of Real-Time Strategy Games

In the original three games,  contenders play simultaneously and continuously against each others’ forces in virtual battlegrounds.  Players manage the over-all operations which include resource gathering, structure building, base management, unit training, technology upgrades and combat direction.  New options during the game become available after requirements are met.  Each succeeding game version introduced major enhancements in gameplay over the previous ones.  The first three editions were entirely based on a local computer that also allow network gaming modes.

WoW Requirements

An on-line account in Battle.net must be made in order to register.  Regular subscription via pre-paid game cards, credit or debit cards is required to continue playing.  A 10-day free trial can be obtained on-line by creating an account and downloading the installer which in turn downloads and installs the entire game.  Recommended hardware specifications include: 1.8 GigaHertz CPU,  15+ GigaBytes of Hard Drive Space, 1 Gigabyte of RAM, a 3D Capable Video Card with 128 Megabytes of VRAM, XGA (1,024 x 768) Screen Display, 256 Kbps Broadband Internet Connection, Windows XP SP3 or Mac OS 10.4.11, Keyboard and Mouse with Scroll Wheel.

Game Maintenance

The WoW Development Team regularly updates the game with exciting new content, as well as performance enhancements and bug fixes. The game will be updated using any of the 4 Update Methods: content patches, hotfixes, emergency patches and localization patches.  Content Patches include major additions or modifications in the game that include functions, content, economy, interaction or fights which are mostly enhancement related.  These require several hours of maintenance and consist of a download and the patch notes usually on Tuesdays.  Hotfixes are critical updates that too urgent to wait for the next regular scheduled patch.  They are server-side changes that do not require subscriber intervention.  Emergency Patches are similar to Hotfixes but require a download that is accompanied by a patch note.  Localization Patches are about the language implementation in WoW and occurs to all versions which comprises of a download and its notes.

The Price of War

At the end of the trial period or the free month bundled with the retail package, additional subscription is needed to continue playing WoW.  Three subscription options are available: a 1-month package for $14.99, a 3-month plan for $41.97, and a 6-month plan for $77.94.  These fees are used to cover the maintenance costs required for the high-levels of quality service, support and ongoing content development which make WoW an exciting game to play.

The WoW Market Share

WoW holds approximately 62 percent of the Massively Multiplayer Online Game subscription market in April 2008.  As of December 2008, WoW had more than 11.5 million subscribers thus earning it a Guinness World Record of being the most popular MMORPG in terms of subscribers.  WoW is currently the world’s most popular MMORPG considering these figures.

The Good:

System Investment: minimal hardware & software (system) requirements, can be played on 2004-era computers and small Netbooks, widely supported because of minimal requirements

Graphics Quality: adequate 3D representation of a virtual world using 2D mapping

Graphics Performance: easily rendered corner details on simple polygon surfaces

Aesthetics: Essential and Non-essential entities and places are included for authenticity

Music and Sound Effects: music, sounds effects and voices of characters/NPCs provide credibility

Environment: real-world representation and unrestricted movement

Storyline: consistent with previous chronicles of the franchise, some humor & reality references

Playable Characters: customizable, increasing variations, interesting backgrounds

Non-Playable Characters: credible roles, adds realism, interesting behaviors

User Interface: high-resolution, intuitive, simple, context-sensitive

Level Advancement: attainable and challenging, multiple venues for leveling-up, very replayable

Content: regularly updated and improved, keeps game interesting, anticipated expansion sets

Challenge: players can choose the challenges they want, flexible participation and pacing

Bug/Patch Response: highly responsive development team, immediately resolves most issues

Technical Support: high-availability, multiple support options

Datacenter Performance: high uptime hours, scheduled downtimes for maintenance & repairs

Subscription Rates: 1, 3 or 6-month packages with 6-7% discount on longer subscriptions

The Bad:

System Investment: moderate performance gain even on higher-end quad core systems

Graphics Quality: plain projection of shaded 2D graphics on simple 3D surfaces to simulate 3D depth and detail

Graphics Performance: real-time performance on more powerful video cards

Aesthetics: Lower quality of details under higher resolution displays, use of shadows to cheat

Music and Sound Effects: extremely high level of activity during mass combat can be noisy

Environment: Simulated depth of field to create the illusion of distance, low detail on plants

Storyline: some inconsistent external phenomena in WoW universe were added for relief

Playable Characters: races, classes and characters are implausibly added at some expansions

Non-Playable Characters: some have incredible backgrounds, appearances and roles

User Interface: default setting needs to be customized, floating names can be distracting at times

Level Advancement: leveling-up is necessary to enjoy the game further and every aspect of it

Content: less frequent expansions, decrease of player interest between expansions

Challenge: more advanced players may find themselves bored prior to the release of updates

Bug/Patch Response: mostly adequate, responsive deployment, players are immediately notified

Technical Support: may be saturated during peak times of widespread need for tech support

Datacenter Performance: peak time performance bottlenecks

Subscription Rates: relatively expensive compared to other MMO Games with similar realism

The Verdict: World of Warcraft – in Cataclysm?

While WoW is perceived as a King in its class of MMORPG, it still has a lot of areas to improve on.  Aside from making it too friendly for new subscribers, it needs to add more depth and gravity in its content to be seen as a mature and serious offering for its mature and serious gamers.  No doubt, the polished content released every expansion set will revive its dormant subscribers and invite new players, but what it needs is a genuine reason to keep most, if not all, of its members always active in the first place.  WoW is a good place to start for those who are still window shopping for an established on-line game and is an excellent training ground for the next generation of hardcore gamers for years to come.  As with every updates, the pending release of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will hold the key to the latest judgment of the franchise.  Only then can we know if WoW is really destined to prevail or bound to cataclysm.

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DC Output Power Regulation

The DC output voltages shall remain within the regulation ranges shown in [Table 1] when

measured at the load end of the output connectors under all line, load, and environmental

conditions. The voltage regulation limits shall be maintained under continuous operation

for a period of time equal to or greater than the MTBF specified in Section 7.2 at any steady

state temperature and operating conditions specified in Section 5. [Src. Formfactors.org]

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AGP Aperture Size:

^

The AGP Aperture Size is the amount of system ram to be shared with the AGP interface. Setting this value too high can steal too much system memory from applications, which can easily offset the benefit of more video RAM. The default setting of 64MB is usually fine, although you can experiment with higher and lower values yourself.

Active Cooling:

^

Active cooling refers to the use of an active system such as a fan, heatsink/fan combo or watercooling to cool computer components. (See also passive cooling).

Auto Detect DIMM/PCI CLk:

^

This is another method that can be used to reduce EMI (Electromagnetic Interference). When enabled, it will automatically turn off the clock cycles on unpopulated AGP, PCI or SDRAM slots. Clock cycles on populated slots will also be turned off when not in use if this option is enabled. Since there is no performance hit associated with this option, you can usually leave it on.

Bank Interleave:

^

Bank interleave allows consecutive data requests to RAM, cycling through each bank of memory. This can give a good performance boost with large RAM modules, since each bank of the module can be accessed consecutively. DRAM chips of 64Mbit or higher have 4 separate internal banks which can be active at the same time. You can set bank interleave to Disable, 2-bank or 4-bank. It is generally recommended that you use the highest setting (4-bank) whenever possible. Bank interleave doesn’t usually affect stability as long as the RAM module can support it.

BIOS (Binary Input/Output System):

^

The BIOS is software built-in to the motherboard. It is responsible for detecting and starting up basic device services in a computer at boot time. The BIOS can also contain a number of user-configurable settings, allowing you to control such things as RAM timings, CPU multiplier, AGP settings, and much more. If you plan on overclocking your computer, you will most likely spend a lot of time changing settings around in your BIOS.

Burst Mode:

^

This is a generic term, meaning that data is sent faster than normal across a communication line. Burst mode is implemented in many ways across the system bus, PCI bus, and caching methods for the IDE bus.

Bus:

^

When referring to personal computers, a bus is a collection of wires which are used to transfer data inside a computer system. A bus is made up of two separate buses: the data bus and the address bus. The data bus is used to transfer data from one device to another, and the address bus contains information about where that data should go.

CAS (Column Access Strobe):

^

A signal which tells the DRAM to accept an address as the column address. Used in conjunction with Row Access Strobe (see RAS) to select a bit of DRAM.

CAS Latency:

^

CAS latency refers to the ratio between column access time (see Tcac) and clock cycle time. Since column access time refers to the period after the CPU requests a column, to when the data is moved to the output line, a lower CAS latency means less clock cycles to move the data to the output line. It is usually recommended you use the lowest CAS latency which your RAM and motherboard can run stable with.

CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor):

^

The CMOS is a small amount of battery powered memory attached to your motherboard which allows your computer to store things like date and time, so they are not reset every time you turn your computer off. BIOS settings are also stored in the CMOS, and if there is ever a time when your BIOS modifications prevent your computer from booting up, there is usually a clear-CMOS jumper (see jumper) on your motherboard, which will clear the CMOS memory when removed for ~5 seconds.

DOS Flat Mode:

^

This setting enables DOS mode memory addressing. Windows already uses this method so only enable it if you are using an application that needs it. All memory will be seen as real, instead of as a segment and offset; this can result in better stability where it is needed.

DRAM Command Rate:

^

DRAM command rate specifies the time to wait after a chip select before activate and read can be started. It is usually recommended you use the lowest command rate that your RAM and motherboard can run stable with. However, at higher frequencies it may be necessary to increase the command rate latency.

DRAM Queue Depth:

^

DRAM queue depth specifies how deep row refresh requests can be queued. By queueing these requests, they can be issued in burst mode (see burst mode). This way multiple rows can be refreshed consecutively. It is usually recommended you use the highest queue depth which your RAM and motherboard can run stable with.

FSB (Front Side Bus):

^

Also known as the system bus, and sometimes the memory bus, the front side bus is the primary connection between the CPU and system memory. Other devices in the computer also derive their speeds from the FSB, such as the AGP bus and PCI bus. The AGP and PCI bus generally run at a slower speed than the FSB, and use a divider (see divider) to obtain the correct speed. The CPU also derives its clock speed from the FSB by applying a multiplier (see multiplier). Changing the frequency of the FSB can give you huge overclocks, but since so many components in your computer obtain their speeds from the FSB, it can cause a lot of stress on other components. It’s always best to take it one step at a time, so if you are overclocking your FSB then start in small increments. For example, if you normally run at 133MHz FSB, try 134 then test it, 135 then test, 136 then test, and so on.

Heatsink:

^

A heatsink is a block of metal that is used to help disperse heat from hot running components in your computer. The largest, and generally most important HS in your computer is the CPU heatsink. The CPU is the hottest running part of your computer, and it is important to help transfer heat away from the CPU as quickly as possible. You will also hear the term HSF, which is simply an acronym for HeatSink/Fan – usually referring to the combination of a heatsink and a cooling fan.

Jumper:

^

A jumper is basically a user controllable circuit. It generally consists of pins which are connected or disconnected using ’shunt’, a small plastic coated metal sheath. When closed (shunt is on), the circuit allows electricity to flow through. Jumpers are used for a number of things, and if you look closely at your motherboard you will probably see a few yourself – basically they look like small black plastic rectangles stuck on to two pins. In some cases jumpers are used to change FSB and multiplier settings, or clear the CMOS, or more.

Lapping:

^

Lapping is the term used to describe the process of smoothing the contact area of a heatsink. Generally this is done by using progressively finer grains of sandpaper to get the smoothest possible surface. This reduces the amount of air in the contact area and increases heat transfer.

Molex connector:

^

Molex is actually an electronics manufacturer that created many different cable adapters. However, the one molex adapter commonly found in PCs is commonly referred to as just “the molex plug” or the “the molex connector”. So when it comes to PC hardware, a Molex connector is the most common power connector found in a case – a 4 pin power connector with yellow/red wires providing +12V and +5V respectively, and two black wires for grounding.

Multiplier:

^

A multiplier is used by the CPU to obtain its clock speed. Since the CPU uses the clock of the FSB, it needs to multiply that clock speed by a number to achieve higher clock speeds itself. The basic formula is FSB x Multi = Clock Speed. For example, a FSB running at 133MHz, coupled with a CPU using a 10.5 multiplier, will result in a CPU running at 1.4GHz (133 x 10.5 = 1,396.5MHz). As you can see, changing either of these variables will result in a higher clock speed, and these are the two major numbers you will be changing if you want to overclock.

Passive Cooling:

^

Passive cooling refers to the use of a non-mechanical cooling method, such as a heatsink with no fan. Passive refers to the inactive method of cooling, since the cooling method relies on natural heat dissapation through a heatsink. (See also active cooling).

Peltier:

^

A peltier, or thermoelectric module, is generally a small plate which is mounted between the CPU and HSF. When an electrical current is applied to the peltier, all of the heat in the module is forced to the top, making the bottom very cold. This can be a useful component in moving heat off the CPU. In general terms, a peltier is an array of semiconductor pellets which have been doped so that either negative or positive charge carrier carries most of the current.

RAS (Row Access Strobe):

^

A signal which tells the DRAM to accept an address as the row address. Used in conjunction with Column Access Strobe (see CAS) to select a bit of DRAM.

Spread Spectrum:

^

This setting should almost always be disabled. To be CE listed in acceptance with the European market, this setting is included to help reduce EMI (Electromagnetic Interference). It can reduce system performance, so unless you are experiencing serious difficulty with EMI leave this setting off.

Stepping:

^

Stepping refers to the version of a CPU. Like a software application, version numbers change when bugs are fixed, and updates are made. Unlike software, the stepping of a CPU uses a different format for versioning, usually a proprietary code developed by the manufacturer. Usually the most recent stepping of a processor is the most stable and overclockable, but this isn’t always the case. Steppings are helpful when purchasing a CPU you intend to overclock, since doing a little research on the good steppings can help you find the most overclockable chip.

Thermal Compound:

^

Thermal compound is generally a paste or silver based compound which is applied between a heatsink and the chip being cooled. Thermal compound is important in transferring heat off a chip. Normally the surfaces of the heatsink and chip are imperfect, meaning there are microscopic ridges and bumps on the surface; thermal compound helps to fill these trenches and increase heat transfer into the heatsink.

Tcac (Column Access Time):

^

Column access time is the time it takes for data to be moved to the ouput line after the CPU makes a column request on the CAS line.

Tras (Active to Precharge):

^

Tras specifies the amount of time required between an active command to a precharge command. Basically this means the number of cycles that must pass after a bank is opened to when it can be closed. It is usually recommended you use the lowest Tras which your RAM and motherboard can run stable with.

Trcd (Active to CMD):

^

Trcd, also known as Active to CMD or RAS-to-CAS, is the time we have to wait between a row access request and a column access request. It is usually recommended you use the lowest Trcd which your RAM and motherboard can run stable with.

Trp (Precharge to Active):

^

The amount of time from a bank precharge request to when it can be activated. It is usually recommended you use the lowest Trp which your RAM and motherboard can run stable with.

Voltage:

^

The rate at which energy is drawn from an electrical source. This is an important term to be familiar with when overclocking, since an overclocked device will usually require a higher voltage to remain stable. Generally speaking, as the frequency of a chip increases, it requires more voltage to bridge a gap in the unit. Since all silicon has impurities, there will always be gaps. At low clock speeds the current has a chance to go around the gap, but as the clock speed increases the chances of a current not making the jump in time, or at all, increase. Higher voltage will help to sustain a higher clock, but it also increases the heat emitted, and the potential to damage the chip.

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DSP & FPGA

• Science Mark
• STREAM: Sustainable Memory Bandwidth in High Performance Computers
• GL Excess
• 3DMark 2001 SE
• PCMark 2002
• Q3Bench
• SPECViewPerf
• UT2K3 Benchmarking
• SiSoft Sandra
• 7Byte – HotCPU & MetaBench
• BenchmarkHQ
• Futuremark
• GL Excess – The OpenGL Demo
• Memtach
• Prime 95
• ScienceMark.org
• Sharky 3DMark Team Database Homepage
• STREAM – Memory Benchmark
• GROMACS
• SPEC
• FreeBench.org – Home
• AquaMark – The Reality Benchmark

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I’ve been using Mac OS X since version 10.0, but I’ve never been able to come up with the cash to lay down for a decent, powerful Mac. It’s always been old hand me downs, nothing more powerful than a G3. I’ve loved OS X since the first time played with it, but Macs are expensive, and hardware choices are limited. Some of their designs are cool, but none of them follow a standard form factor. You can’t just keep your case and drives and upgrade just your core components, like you can with a PC. You’ve got to buy a whole damn computer every time you want to upgrade. I love their operating system, but for the money Apple’s hardware just doesn’t do it for me. Naturally I was super psyched when Apple announced they would be switching over to Intel hardware. I knew the day would come when I would by running OS X on my own custom PC, and it did.

Read the Full Article: adamo – extreme nerd guru

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