News Bits: Intel Napa Performance Claims, Latest on Mac-Intel, Current State of Lenovo, Dell Computrace

Intel States Performance Claims on New Dual Core Processors

Intel Yonah dual core processor

Intel will next month be releasing its new dual-core mobile processors, the code name for these dual core processors is "Yonah" and part of the "Napa" platform. The Intel Napa platform contains the following three components:

• Yonah dual core processor
• Intel 945 chipset
• Intel3945 wireless card (802.11a/b/g capability, 30% smaller than current Intel wireless cards and more efficient)

Intel cites that with a Napa based notebook the performance, power and efficiency will be much improved from the Sonomaplatform currently available. Here's what was stated today:

• Performance is going to see anoverall 68% gain with the dual core processor, that's comparing performance to the2.26GHz Sonoma processorwith thehighest-end Yonah dual core
• Powerefficiency of combined components is improved by 28%
• Better wireless performance from Intel3945abg card, plus the card has a 30% smaller form factor than current Intel wireless cards
• Demo ofQuake 4 gave a76 FPS rate, that was versus a 41 FPS of the same notebook with the same graphics processor but a Sonoma processor (2.26GHz) -- they're finding an average of 50 -- 70% improvement in FPS of dual core over the highest end Sonoma processoron such games using the dual core.
• Faster 667MHz Front Side Bus, this is compared to 533MHz on the current Sonoma and 400MHz on the Dothan
• PCMark2005 -- 31%improved performanceon high-end dual-core Yonah processor(compared to2.26GHz Sonoma)
• 3DMark05- 105% faster on high-end dual coreYonah (compared to2.26GHz Sonoma)
• SPECint -68% faster on high-end dual core Yonah (compared to 2.26GHz Sonoma)
• 200 multithreaded applications available at launch
• Battery Life- When asked aboutif whether battery life would be betteror worse, Intel statedthey don't know preciselyif it's better since not all notebook Napa basedproduction systems are finished, but they expect better battery life over Sonoma platform notebooks because power efficiency is 28% better and although the processor is more power hungry the gains through overall power efficiency of components should lead to better battery life. A number of5-hours of battery life with a standard battery on a standard sized (14-15" notebook) was suggested as a possible number.

These are all pretty impressive claims and it seems performance capabilities and power efficiency of the upcomingNapa platform are quite a leap abovethe current Intel platform. We should see Napa notebooks shipping by the end of January, and only then when we get hands on usage by "real users" will we see how much better performance will truly be. You can stop back here for reviews of course!

Latest Intel Based Apple Notebook Rumors

The rumors on the Intel based Mac machines are as fickle as the wind and now the latest is that a widescreen iBook will be released early next year, but what "early" defines exactly is not clear. The first release will be a 13.3-inch model iBook with a 1280 x 720 display. There will also be a 12-inch screen iBook released with the Intel processor, buta 12-inch Intel based PowerBook will not see the light of day.

More: http://www.thinksecret.com/news/0512briefly.html

One YearAfter Announcement of IBM PC TakeoverLenovo is Still Profitable

It was just over a year ago, on December 8, 2004, that Lenovo announced it would be acquiring the IBM PC division and would grab hold of the ThinkPad brand. The good news for Lenovo is that they're still profitable as a company, despite all of the naysayers who said they'd lose money. But we're still yet to see any Lenovo branded computers in Europe or North America. That should change next year when Lenovo releases desktop machines outside of China branded with the typical Lenovo look. But there's still no forecast of when we'd see a Lenovo branded notebook or see a Lenovo badge show up on ThinkPad notebook. Lenovo seems to be doing the right thing though, slowly and cautiously introducing their own brand and making sure the business transition of the takeover is smooth before doing anything drastic with branding and marketing.

More: http://www.pcworld.com/resource/article/0,aid,123895,pg,1,RSS,RSS,00.asp

Dell to Offer Computrace Security Software

Dell already offers Computrace security software as an option on systems through its build-to-order model and Custom Factory Integration (CFI) services, with three-year subscriptions starting at $99.99. Starting immediately, most new Dell notebook computers will include support embedded in the system BIOS firmware, making the optional Computrace tracking and recovery application harder to defeat. To activate Computrace, customers need to purchase the service component from Dell or Absolute. Current Dell notebook users can download a new system BIOS that includes stronger Computrace support from http://support.dell.com.

Palm Treo 650 Giveaway

If you'd like the chance to win a Palm Treo 650 then I suggest visiting our sister site BargainPDA.com where they're running a Palm Treo 650 giveaway contest. If you already have a 650, then an alternative prize is a Treo TripKit.

Link to Treo 650 Contest

Wi-Fi All Over New York City?

New Orleans recently announced they'd be offering wireless coverage city-wide (well, sadly that would be to whoever is left there) and Philadelphia is already working on wireless coverage of the city. Many cities all over the world do this, and it's becoming more of a trend. New York City is a little bigger than the average size city in the U.S. and according to a report from CNET.com they're apparently also now considering taking on the feat of offering wireless to 8-million people:

More: http://news.com.com/Can+Wi-Fi+make+it+in+Manhattan/2100-7351_3-5992316.html?tag=nefd.top

 

The performance upgrades are huge for Yonah. I have to wonder though, how much of the current notebook market really needs any of that? I don't, and most people spending $1500 or less don't either. Sure, it's great for gamers or video encoding, and I suppose those markets are growing, but I think it's going to take a while for this to catch mass appeal.

 

Ah jeez, notebook technology is really moving way too fast for me and I'm sure many other users as well. Granted, I'd gain basically no performance benefits from Yonah or even Merom doing the simple things I do like web surfing and typing documents yet everyone likes to have the latest and greatest right? Why do I have this feeling that not many people will spring for Yonah, especially when so many people have already bought Sonoma notebooks?

 

So.... the processor IS more power-hungry... but the COMPONENTS are more efficient? What components? Do they mean the chipset? Cause if they are talking about hdd or video card or whatever else that doesn't have anything to do with intel, that's pretty cheap marketting tactics.

 

can anybody expect the price when it release?

Yonah 2.13Ghz with 512 MB, 60 gb HDD, 15.4 Widescreen with X700 would be about $2000 ??

 

Napa sounds interesting...but nothing more than a clever marketing gimmick to me - just like AMD's 64-bit processors and the P4's HyperThreading... or "Sonoma"...

Still, it does sound quite intriguing.

 

I think they mean the overall efficiency of the chipset which would result in longer battery life which is what everyone cares about. I dont care if my processor sucks more power if I still get a battery life increase, do I?

 

I think it will be nice for the mobile lappys. I will wait until they come down in price. I just bought a new Lappy and I will upgrade again later next year. Good post BTW.

 

I'm not buying the FPS gain in Quake 4. Seems bloated to me. Wouldn't that mean that the Athlon 64 X2 should own as well - that is, if the game can use dual core. Because, the only advantage I can see with the Yonah is the multitasking ability...

Good info though!

 

Yeah, just to clarify, the processor might demand more power if you're running a dual core at 2.13GHz but the chipset and wireless card will be more power efficient. Now, if you're not using an Intel wireless card I don't know what the claim is. Again, they were very vague on battery life and overall power drain -- they just didn't want to be pinned to any numbers or hard "yes" as to whether they'd guarantee more battery life for a Napa machine with say the same processor speed as a Sonoma notebook.

 

Nice post abaxter - thanks for the much-needed info

 

If they can keep to the same battery drain, it'll be just okay i guess.
Something i'd really like to know is if it's gonna be just as hot or hotter than sonoma. I can't forgive sonoma for it's heat.

 

I'd still prefer Atheros based chipset wireless cards

 

a very good point, another stat is that the average power draw of a component is 3-Watts for Napa versus 4.2-Watts on Sonoma, so you would be lead to believe there's less heat overall, but who knows until systems come out.

 

I really don't understand why Intel is even releasing Yonah, I mean, its going to be overshadowed by Merom and its 64-bit ability when it comes out - Yonah is going to as useless as the P-M when 64-bit computing comes out. Good info. though.

 

^ 64 bit won't effect a massive majority of people that buy computers, atleast not for quite a few years. I don't understand of wanting 64 bit processor now when by the time it is usefull the technology is outdated?

 

Naw, i think 64bit is a new paradigm so it's just better to wait. It's not like something insignificant like rising the clockspeed. Technology goes by leap, not a gradual slope. Well, that's what i think.

Nice stats for the wattage, i hope i get enough money by next schoolyear to get it. Oh how i lust at a fujitsu convertible T4020, but i want the battery life to extend even further and hopefully the new platform will give us that.

 

The real bottleneck in computers is the hard drive, not the CPU, so I don't see any real advantage to getting a Merom. The hard drive is one thousand times slower than the next fastest component, which is RAM. What we need is a new form of storage, say, perhaps holographic. Then performance will take off.

 

Weren't they gonna make those solid state hard drive soon? Or hybrid hard drive. That should improve the performance since there wouldn't need to be a mechinal seeking time, or less of it in the case of the hybrid.

I'm waiting for all that.

 

What happened to that intel thing that was suppose to have 4 gigs of flash memory and store the OS so you could boot from ram instead of the hard drive.

On another note, it seems like merom is just over the horizon and yonah might not be worth releasing, but Intel might want to stay 1 step ahead of AMD by being the first to release a dual core mobile processor. Also, while the performance boost from yonah might seem like overkill, it does help with multitasking which is something you do even when just web browsing and word processessing at the same time. More important are yonah's claims of increased efficiency and battery and its improved wireless card. Especially with the huge boom in wireless networks, being able to get a good wireless connection on a laptop with sufficient battery life is becoming increasingly important, probably moreso than performance.

 

that's their Viiv technology they're touting, I have a presentation from them on that, PM me if you want it.

 

Im just curious as to when and where it will be released. Is it going to be part of Napa or is it further down the road?

 

Brian,

While everything you said is technically correct, it doesn't allow for marketing psychology. If you look back 15 years to today, and compare a product line consisting of low to high end computers. Always the low end is suitable for word processing, the high end for video encoding or whatever. Today's low end boxes are super-computers compared to the high end 15-years ago. Yet they're only "recommended" for word processing.

Same with cars, 140 mph wonder machines in grid-locked America. Ever see a car commercial showing grid-lock?

Yonah will sell because its the "latest and greatest" NOT because the average consumer needs the "latest and greatest". Sell the sizzle!!!

Hermit

 

This new platform may allow you to use more effective, hence more resources consuming anti-virus software. Maybe, the double core configuration will allow for a simultaneous running of two anti-virus programs with different anti-virus philosophies. If you experience slow down from your programs running in the background, you'll see what I mean.

Moreover, if you like to, you can have much more applications open at the same time in many virtual displays... That may make your perception of work more continueous. I'd love that.