When the Intel Developer Forum kicks off Tuesday in San Francisco, the theme of low power will be high on the agenda of topics.

The headliner at IDF this year is indisputably the upcoming "Nehalem" Core i7 processor. Though the new microarchitecture is replete with esoteric technologies like QuickPath (for faster chip-to-chip communication) and on-chip memory controllers--things that end users can't readily relate to--better power efficiency is something every consumer gets because it results in better battery life.

"(Nehalem) is pretty subtle because it's a change in microarchitecture. A lot of the changes aren't … Read more

Update at 11:45 a.m. with additional information about Intel blogger.

Aaron Brezenski, the blogger, states the following in describing his posts: "Aaron Brezenski has been at Intel (Chandler, AZ) since 1995 and has been a product engineer for most of that time. He currently manages a team of product development engineers in STTD, but his nefarious purpose in (Intel Software Network) Blogspace is to highlight Intel Integrated Graphics in the Home Theater PC space from an end-user perspective."

An Intel engineer has posted a discussion about performance issues with its newest Centrino 2 graphics silicon.

The … Read more

Intel has released a specification revision for next-generation USB 3.0 technology that resolves a dispute with Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices, which had threatened to develop their own USB 3.0 standard.

USB 3.0--also known as SuperSpeed USB--is a next-generation high-speed connection standard due in 2009. It is significant not only because all future PCs and devices will use connectors based on the standard but because it will offer 10 times the speed of USB 2.0--used in virtually all PCs introduced in the last few years--or roughly 5 gigabits per second.

On Wednesday, Intel released what it … Read more

Advanced Micro Devices on Wednesday announced the availability of silicon targeted at the "performance" gaming community.

The new 790GX chipset is slotted below the existing, higher-end 790FX, which is targeted at the ultra-enthusiast game segment.

The 790GX allows gamers to safely run Phenom-processor-based systems at speeds of more than 3.0GHz using a technology AMD calls "Advanced Clock Calibration." A processor rated at 2.5GHz, for example, can be "overclocked" to run at 3.2GHz to get better performance in games.

"Significant tuning enhancements via Advanced Clock Calibration...introduced with the AMD 790GX … Read more

Intel CEO Paul Otellini had mostly upbeat news on Tuesday when the world's largest chipmaker reported solid earnings, but Atom processor issues and weakness in the flash memory business were recurring themes in the earnings conference call.

One of the most interesting comments made during the conference call on Tuesday by Otellini was about the Atom processor. "(Atom) is less than a third the performance of our Centrino (processor). You're dealing with something that most of us wouldn't use," he said.

Though he qualified this by repeating the mantra that Atom is "principally designed … Read more

There was relatively little said Monday at the Centrino 2 launch about new processors. Almost as little as was said about side shows such as a "Montevina" desktop design. The main attraction was the Centrino 2 chipset.

Why? There's not a whole lot that's new about the processors other than faster speeds and improved power efficiency: the new "P" series chips have a thermal envelope of 25 watts versus 35 watts for the previous generation.

The focus of the Centrino 2 launch returned repeatedly to the chipset and accompanying silicon: namely, the Intel 4 … Read more

Update July 11, 8:40 a.m. PDT with additional information on Toshiba notebooks and correction of integrated graphics chipset shipment date.

With Intel's rollout of Centrino 2 processors due Monday, Hewlett-Packard is not wasting any time in readying new notebooks, including a 17-inch model offering at least four of the new processors and 64-bit Windows.

Intel will roll out "Montevina" Centrino 2 processors including the P8400 (2.26GHz), P8600 (2.40GHz), P9500 (2.53GHz), and T9600 (2.80GHz). The 3.06GHz X9100 Extreme processor is also expected to debut.

P7XXX series processors, such as the 2.… Read more

Advanced Micro Devices' bet on a new approach to graphics chip design appears to be paying off, according to analyst Jon Peddie. This could put AMD's ATI graphics chip unit on top again--or at least on equal footing with Nvidia, the graphics leader over the last few years.

Peddie heads Tiburon, Calif.-based Jon Peddie Research, which specializes in graphics chip market research.

Test reports on AMD's and Nvidia's newest graphics chips are pouring in. Both companies are racking up good scores. (See Diamond Viper Radeon HD 4850 review here.)

But beyond the day-to-day test scores, AMD'… Read more

Sony is set to refresh its notebook lineup with upcoming mobile chips from Intel. Specifications posted on some reseller sites and leaked in Sony documents show a major refresh potentially in the offing.

This may be good news for Advanced Micro Devices, too: its mobile graphics processors look to figure prominently in the new lineup.

A post on Laptoping says some model will come with 16.4-inch screens. Other models include ultraportables "featuring a 13.1-inch screen," Laptoping said. This series, as well as other Sony notebooks, will have a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI).

One reseller lists … Read more