Intel introduced its last single-core Xeon processors Tuesday, two models that consume lower amounts of power than regular versions of the server chip.
The models are a 55-watt, 3GHz Xeon LV and a 90-watt, 3.2GHz Xeon MV, Intel said. In contrast, Intel's conventional 3.8GHz dual-processors are 110-watt chips.
Chipmakers are working on processors that consume less electrical power and, correspondingly, throw off less waste heat. And it's not just because energy and electricity prices are increasing. Chips that consume less power make it easier for computer makers to design systems and easier for customers to fill data centers without facing overheating problems. Intel's new low-voltage models are geared for blade servers and other models that pack processors more densely into computing chassis.
Dual-core processors typically run at lower clock speeds than their single-core equivalents. But dual-core models can perform better even at lower clock speeds when the workload is divided into multiple independent instruction sequences, called threads.
Intel has lagged behind rival Advanced Micro Devices in releasing dual-core server chips, which combine two processing engines onto a single slice of silicon. But the larger company has more than a dozen dual-core and multicore chips in development and plans to announce its first dual-core Xeon, called Paxville, in coming weeks. Paxville will come in two versions, one for servers with dual processors and one for servers with four or more processors.
AMD's mainstream Opteron chips are 95-watt models, though a 120-watt "special edition" is available. So far only Sun Microsystems uses the SE version. AMD also sells lower-wattage models for blade servers and other densely packed computer designs.
AMD has gained market share against Intel with Opteron. But
Merrill Lynch analyst Joe Osha expects Intel will fight back with pricing, keeping AMD's profit margins from growing.
Intel my undercut AMD in it's prices, but I still wouldn't buy an Intel processor theses days. AMD just produces better chips at the moment. I'm sure that in the near future Intel will start fighting back with better chips that cost less, but until then it's AMD for me.
As UC Berkeley students, the co-founders of "Back to the Roots" discovered they could grow mushrooms using recycled coffee grounds. Now their mushroom kit sells at grocery stores across the country.
Tommy Jordan, the man who shot his daughter's laptop for YouTube, gets a visit from police and child protection services. Oh, and Good Morning America.
For people who don't have time to tend a Zen garden, the Zen Table will handle the work for you. The table is filled with silicone beads and a robotic system that "rakes" images into the sand.
The Washington State Senate passed a bill that would charge electric car owners $100 per year to compensate for not paying gas taxes. The bill still has to pass the House.
