Could You Tell Me The Clock?

I bet a lot of you still look at the clock rate of a processor for comparison between two different processor families,even between Intel and AMD.
Think about it-what is clock rate?
It is the amount of calculations a processor can perform in a given time.But it is useful only when comparing processors of the same families, say between two Athlons, etc.That is-
an Athlon x2 with 3Ghz will be about twice as fast as one at 1.5Ghz.But you CANNOT say that a 3Ghz Athlon x2 is twice as fast as a 1.5Ghz Core2 duo.

Let me demonstrate like this-
Let us take two kids of the same age, say 10 years.If kid1 can finish 20 mathematic calculations in a given time and kid2 can only complete 1o similar calculations in the same time-span, we can conclude that kid1 is twice as smart or fast than kid2.
But by the same token, a 20 year old man who can complete the same calculations as kid1 in the same time is DEFINITELY not as fast or smart as kid1!!!! See?
Or put it this way- Pentium D may be able to do 3 billion addition problems in a second, so I suggest you imagine that C2D can perform1.86 billion algebraic problems in a second!

If you dont beleive me, then tell me how a Core2 duo at 1.86Ghz can perform much faster than a Pentium D at 3Ghz??
Core2 duo is the kid,Pentium D is the man.[of course, not for real though!]
Got it now?

Smilies that make your system cry!

I bet a lot of you are used to the crazy ads that pop up everytime you visit an unknown or questionable website.They usually go like-"You are the 999,999th visitor of our website.Click here to claim your prize!".They really could fool u.

Chances are,you would already know such ads well enough now to be fooled that easily.Then again, ads get more tempting.

I bet you use some kind of instant messaging service.Be it Yahoo,Skype whatever.You usually would use the 'cute' smilies too, invariably.I guess u feel the preloaded smilies are too basic and do not cover all the emotions you want to express, right?Thats when u see the ads on the websites saying "New smilies!More funny!100% free!Click here!"

If you install these smilies, u get more than just smilies.You get rootkits too(VERY well hidden malware-like stuff).Yep.Got to think twice these days.The same principle can apply to ads for free screensavers,desktop backgrounds, etc.Rootkits need not cause too much harm,but they really slow down your system if they keep mounting.
So beware.Do NOT click on these ads and install their content.If you already have done so and are worried about it, I'll give u some help.Try this application-RootKit Revealer[RKR].It does not remove the rootkits by itself,but it tells you about the rootkits installed on your system,since it is freely available but the site itself gives you directions about how to destroy the rootkits you find.I think you will be in for a surprise after you see the results your first scan has to offer.
Here's the link-http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/rootkitrevealer.mspx
Don't worry,RKR is supposed to be absolutely safe.
NOTE:If you use some big time antivirus system, u most probably need not worry about all this!Also,rootkits are less in Windows Vista.
Okay then.Best of luck!Stay safe!

16-cores???!!!Overdrive!

Well, It's happened again.

Some company 'Tyan', has made (a?)motherboard that has slots for eight processors.You can put a solo core AMD Opteron processor on each slot,basically.[It only supports AMD's Opteron processors, although.Dumb, isn't it?]

Or you can also put eight dual core Opterons on it. 2x8=? 16!!!

Here's how it works-It has a main motherboard,that has 4 CPU slots.Then,it has another daughterboard that has yet another 4 CPU slots.So in a way, you get a PC with 8 or 16 cores, but not technically.You will NOT get the real performance of an 8-core or 16-core CPU with this layout.It is just namesake-"I have a 16-core computer!".
This stuff could be 512-bit processing capable, though I'm not saying it is.
Let's face it-who needs this much power?It's gonna be USELESS for gaming.Not a single application I know of can utilise all the 16 cores to their maximum potential.Plus, consider the amount of-

• Electricity required,
• Heat generated and
• Space taken,

Alongside so many other factors!!!I'm not so pleased about all this.This really spoils all the fun of waiting for real 16-core CPUs to pop up.
This is crazy,isnt it?Oh well,some people just want attention for things anyone can do,though not as easily.

Okay then.Give me a motherboard with 4 CPU slots.Give me a daughterboard with another 4 slots.Give me a grand-daughterboard that has yet another 4 slots.Give me a great grand-daughterboard with YET another 4 slots.Yay,I have made a motherboard that has 16 slots for CPUs.Yaaaaaaay!!!I have beaten Tyan!!!!!I will earn millions for my new 'discovery'! [Big deal.]

Anyone can make such nutty things,which can handle multiple CPUs.But as long as the CPUs themselves are not good enough & applications are not ready etc,all this fancy stuff is of no use.
Now do you understand how dumb this concept is?(!)
Add to that-the cost of buying eight AMD Opteron dual core processors!!!See?

In human terms,this is how the layout will look like this-
We have to take a two-storey building, ground floor representing the motherboard and first floor representing the daughterboard.The ground floor will have four rooms, each room consisting of one person[solo-core] or one person with two brains[dual-core].(The people act as the processors.) Then, we have person A, the application.Person A will have to visit the building,then a room and finally, reach one of the people.
In real 16-core CPUs,There would be just one person who has all the 16 cores in him,in the form of brains.(so he will have 16 small but powerful brains).By then,the applications too would have commands to give all the 16 brains(cores) individual commands.

Anyway-congratulations Tyan, for doing something like this.

I mean no offence to you readers who find this news exciting.Still, we have to face the truth about all this.in this case, its not so nice.
I guess it would be fun to have one though.....!!!

Check out my PC's specifications!

• Compaq Presario 3600 series desktop
• Pentium 4- 1.5 Ghz,400 Mhz FSB,256 KB L2 cache[The first few to come off production],Willamette edition.
• A-BIT Motherboard with 3 RAM slots,1 AGP 4x port,overclocking supported!
• 768 MB 133MHz SDRAM 1x 512MB,1x 256MB
• 40 GB HDD at 5400RPM
• 17" Compaq MV740 CRT [which was upgraded from 15" thanx to a scratch card offer,which I won!!] Supports upto 120Hz refresh rate!
• Creative Sound Blaster 5.1 VX
• JBL Platinum Series 2.0 CH speakers.
• Nvidia Vanta L/T chipset,16 MB graphics!XD

There you have it.Crazy,isn't it?

Consider this-my dad spent $1555.55 for it!!!![Of course that was 5-6 years back.]

CPU Development: Too fast,Too furious?

• Solo core.[For ages!!]


• Hyper threading.(fools computer into thinking it has two cores.)[sometime in 2003]


• Dual core.[2005]


• Quad core-[late 2006,almost 2007]


• Octo core-coming 2008!

[PS:I chose Intel's processor line up since they developed faster than,for example-AMD.]

Look at that!Can we go faster than this?We have gone from single to eight cores in just three years!This is defying Moore's Law!

Don't you feel we are going too fast right now?

I bet a lot of you would have bought a Pentium 4 in those days,replaced by one with HT technology.Got hands on it,find it outdated by pentium D.Then find out its defects.Get a Core2 Duo.Then get a Core2 Extreme.Worried about the octo core already?

I dont know about this.Today, we have barely adjusted to dual-core processors.And now quad-core has arrived?Fantastic.

The issue is- even today,VERY few applications are MULTI-THREADED for even dual core processing, remember?You get a new app, chances are, it wont utilise all the cores on your processor, unless it is a high end 3D editing app or such.

In simple terms?Intel and AMD are not giving time for-

1. Us (We the people, not the U.S.!)
   
2. The applications commonly used etc etc...............

-To adjust to new age, multicore processors.Even before applications get used and modified to use dual-core processing, companies create quad core, to give extra confusion.

What is the confusion, you may ask?I'll describe it using myself-

Here's the scene-I made a new software.My software's basic version itself is in high demand.I plan everything well, after spending a lot of money to develop a new, more advanced version of my software.

Then,I find myself between a rock and a hard place.Do I make applications for dual or the quad-core processors?!?Both type of processors are in circulation.Both are popular.I cannot make both,without running skint or bankrupt.Do I ignore the vast amount of dual-cores already in circulation?Or do I focus on future technology, which seems to be spreading well too?As if that wasnt enough, I also hear about octo-core coming up soon..............

Enough to give me several sleepless nights!!!!

It looks like Intel is worried about AMD catching up, though AMD's Athlon 64 X2 did not really touch Intel Core2 duo's performance!

Intel is aiming too high...

There is so much more that could be done to improve dual core processors itself, which has not been done yet.

• It could be shrunk at least a bit more,especially AMD's, which are still manufactured under 90 nm process.AMD is planning to shrink it to 65nm soon, but Intel is already using 65 nm, and will switch to 45 nm quite soon!!The smaller, the better.


• They could poke around and try reducing heat generation, which is always a nuisance.
  
• Plus, they could try making processors that bring back high clock-speed too.


• Then there is energy efficiency.The more, the better, though the Core2 Duo is already good in that area.

Mainly-it's the suspense that is broken!If it didnt arrive already, we would have seen a lot of dual core processors, then slowly moved to quad core after we just cannot get more stuff out of dual core processing.

I dont know about you.You may fantasise and say the faster it gets here the better,but thats not the case.The more time one technology is kept alive,the more refined it gets.The more we can learn from this technology,and use this knowledge to create better technologies in future.

Statement to support my statements?

'Slow and Steady Wins The Race.'

Two cores are better than one.So how about eight?

Intel could have done it again.
There are rumors that Intel is making plans for an eight core processor.Its codenamed Dunnington,whatever that means!Chances are,it could be octo-core.Or it could be a very powerful quad core.

It will touch ground sometime in 2008(notice the '8'!).Bit more to wait,but can't really blame Intel for this.They are progressing very quickly indeed!It's supposed to be for servers,although.Imagine the clock and everything it will have!!I bet it will use two quad core processors in the same package.It will most probably come after the 'bloomsfeild' processor(Intel's first quad core on a single silicon die).I hope they bring 128-bit processing to the world along with it.It is supposed to bring a whole new microarchitecture with it.We shall see once it arrives,we shall seee.....

Three cheers for Intel!!!

Quad Core-Unmatched or do even more?!

We all know the Core2 Extreme is the most powerful desktop processor.The catch?

Doesn't it feel a little creepy looking at the speed Intel has gone from dual to quad core?Wondering how Intel managed to achieve all this so quickly?I'll tell you how.


I bet you know the slogan for Intel's Core2 Duo(its 'dual core-do more', anyway).

The Core2 Extreme could be better off using just 'quad core-do even more'(!).Why?'Cause they did the same setup as the Pentium D.[refer my article- 'Pentium D(ream?)...']


Back to the discussion-to be the first to get to the quad core realms,all Intel has done is slap
two core2 duo processors together.Example-the Core2 Extreme QX6700 simply consists of two Core2 Duo E6700 processors slapped together.Double performance?-no.In fact-while doing everyday office applications on a Core2Extreme,its marginally slower,than the Core2 Duo.Example-

• Core2 Extreme QX6700 gave 267 points for office productivty


• Core2 Duo E6700 gives 270 points for the same work

Please take note-ITS SLOWER ONLY IN THIS DEPARTMENT.That too,by just 3 points.In all other feilds,the Core2 Extreme is waaayyyy ahead of the other processors.Other than office work, the Core2 Extreme is highly recommendable.

Why the Core2 Extreme is slow in Office work compared to the Core2Duo is because the Core2 Extreme is just the first few real quad core processors to hit the market, whereas the Core2 Duo is a seasoned,well developed dual core,developed through a lot of borrowed experience from previous dual core models(Pentium D,to name one).Reasons include-

• most office apps are not multi threaded


• four cores not on same silicon die

Think of it this way-who needs four cores for simple office work?!

Core2 Extreme is awesome but Intel is gonna launch a quaddie on a single die soon(hopefully),which is to say sometime around 2008.that will solve the office productivity issues it suffers.

Maybe you can wait for this to come,as it will have many advantages-more energy efficiency,less heat generation,better performance,to name a few.This processor is codenamed-Bloomsfeild,I hope it blooms well,like the Core2 Duo has and dominates the quad core market!

I'll do my best to keep you informed about these quads.

Black-Out!

Many others have it too.Why did I choose a black template?'Cause I'm a guy?no.There are many reasons.

• Biggest reason-IT MAKES YOUR MONITOR CONSUME LESS POWER.

Its true.Monitors take minimal amount of electricity to produce a black colour screen.Which means-as you read this,your monitor is using lesser energy than usual,you spend lesser money too!!

• It creates marginally less radiation(if you use CRT monitors)


• It is more soothing and easy on the eye

because it reflects,or generates less light.

[All this does also mean that I cannot modify the template much,sadly...]

See how considerate I am about you!!!!!! ;-)

I hope you follow my example!

Knowing Me, Not Knowing U!

Hello!Welcome to my first blog! I'm crazy about computers, especially the hardware side.I'm no scientist or hardware engineer so I can't give you out of this world kind of info about whats coming up but I will try to describe stuff to you in as simple language, as possible.I'm also crazy bout the latest gadgets-mobile phones,iPods,etc,etc.

I have NO idea when I can update my blogs,the times are so hard. After all,everyone wants to be on the top of the rat race these days!Plus, I'm in the 9th grade,so free time is very rare. I can get time only during the weekends.Most of the other days are taken up by school,tutions,blah blah.the list goes on.So please excuse me if you see age old articles still lying around.Anyway,I'll try my best to keep up.Sorry to bore you about all this biz!Stay tuned!

Pentium D(ream?) becomes a nightmare-Why?

When I was young, I used to think Why can't we have two processors in one package?We will get double performance and so much more!Come on Intel! put two of my favourite Pentium 4 processors together. Dream come true?!Thats when I heard about the new(in those days) Pentium D.What is it?TWO PENTIUM 4 CHIPS TOGETHER!The specs were designed to kill, I felt.

• 2.66-3.6 Ghz clock(x2!!)


• 800 Mhz FSB


• 2MB X 2MB L2 Cache


• Most importantly-64 BIT CAPABLE!!!

Why was it the ultimate failiure?Think of it like this-

The pentium D's 2 CPU's as two people A1 & A2

an application as person B

In those days,most applications were programmed to send commands to only one CPU.which means, our person B can give instructions to only person A1 OR A2, rendering the extra core(person) useless.In effect, person A2 will be taking a piggyback ride on A1 .A2 will not contribute anything at all,while A1 goes full throttle

By contrast, multithreaded apps will make both cores work at the same time.Simple terms- the app will give both A1& A2 something to do.

This happened also because the two CPUs were not on the same silicon die.To explain that-

now,lets take one person,(-ok,I know this sounds crazy and you cant do this for real unlike above,but this is the simplest way of saying it)who has two brains.The brains are the CPUs,or better the cores.This guy can handle single threaded apps much better,since he can utilise the two cores.

This twin core format comes in the form of Intel's next processor,my favourite-the Core2Duo.Right now, its one of the best consumer dual core CPUs in the market(after the dual core Core2 Extreme of course but thats mainly for gaming).It is good value too,for the performance it offers.

I hope you understood the concept.Now Gotta run,I have a science exam to catch up with.

See ya soon!