ThruIT » Mike Fleishman

Intel drops more i5 and new i3 CPUs (aka the low-end gets Intel love again)

Mike Fleishman — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:41:57 +0000

Intel sure has been busy these last few months, releasing desktop i5 and i7 processors a few months back and a the new “Pine Trail” netbook platform. Now they’ve dropped new CPU’s onto the market with the i3 CPU and more in the i5 line of processors. All of these processors use Intel’s new 32nm chip die, allowing for lower power requirements and less heat (important for the all-critical mobile market). All of these processors include built in graphics capability, which is attractive to the low-end market and even potentially htpc builders (time will tell and we’ll see how the chip stacks up in terms of crunching 1080p video).

Here’s how they stack up:

from techtree.com

In terms of sockets, LGA-1366 will remain for high end i7 processors only. LGA-1156 will be used for i5 and i3CPUs and some lower-end i7. For further clarity, the LGA-1156 Core i7s will be the 8xx series and the LGA-1366 i7s will be the 9xx series. The i5s will be the 6xx series and the i3s will be the 5xx series. This brings into question the future of the LGA1366 socket, as now a very limited segment of the market uses this socket (and actually needs to minor speed bump that goes with it’s high sticker price).

Be prepared for a new wave of notebooks using these processors, we can expect to see them pushing power requirements and battery life to heights we haven’t seen from true notebooks.

Comcast to swallow NBC

Mike Fleishman — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 03:55:02 +0000

Update: The deal is now offical and announced. see the press release. Now comes the tough part- getting the FCC to sign off on the deal. Stay tuned, this one isn’t done yet.

Mashable and other sources report that on Thursday Comcast is likely to buy a 51% stake in NBC, leaving GE with 49%. Comcast sits currently as the number 1 broadband and cable television provider in the United States and this venture would be a shift in Comcast’s business model in a new direction. Instead of simply delivering the ability to access content by the end user Comcast would have a major stake in content creation. NBC Universal owns USA Network, Bravo, Syfy, MSNBC, CNBC, among others.

The reasoning behind the deal makes sense for the cable giant- many folks have cable already and demand for new installs is down. Competition for Verizon’s FIOS service may also be a factor, who has been competing fiercly in some markets with competive pricing on triple play packages. The recession is no help either- consumers are losing interest for more channels (or perhaps suffering from digital cable channel OD) that increase monthly bills. Comcast and other cable subscribers also must pay studios like NBC for access to TV channels on behalf of their subscribers- if Comcast owns NBC then no doubt they will benefit from an ownership arrangement.

Sound off: Is Comcast getting a good deal on this potential purchase?

New DIY PC + Win 7= Nirvana (Part 1)

Mike Fleishman — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:50:40 +0000

I don’t think I’ve ever had such an enjoyable process configuring a newly built PC then the experience I just had with my new DIY project/sweet awesome toy.

I decided recently that the time was right to take the plunge into Windows 7, a decision brought upon me by the release of the P55 chipset (with new i5/i7’s from Intel) and the release of ATI’s new 5800 series graphics cards (more about that in my earlier post). The mainstream has never looked so good, with the Intel i5 selling for $199 complete with four cores and low power usage. Benchmarks have the i5 besting the quad Core 2 Duo’s and even the Core 2 Extreme in some benchmarks.

The system I built:

Total: $ 1475.95 (Newegg and ewiz were used for purcahsing. Newegg as always has scary fast shipping)

The machine is beautiful…I’m a proud papa. The Antec 300 case gave me enough room for all my components, with the total of 5 case fans keeping my rig cool to the touch. The 5850 has enough room to breath with that beefy PSU. Win 7 reconigized all my components out the box. I even installed Win off a USB drive for a faster install time!

One item of note: On my two HDDs I set up 4 total partitions. One 250GB partition on the 500GB drive for Win7, the other 250GB for data. Of the 1TB drive the first 250 has been set aside for full system image backups, with the rest for data. This system image partition drive saved me when awful logitech software for my old webcam riddled my system with all sorts of issues, making 32 bit apps run like my 70 year old grandmother. System restore was no help, but my system image saved the day. Thanks windows 7, screw you logitech for your terrible x64 support. My webcam works, but your software experience was enough to make me think twice before buying your products again.

Later I will post benchmarks and more reviews and analysis of my new rig.

Leaked ACTA Internet Provisions- Say it ain’t so!

Mike Fleishman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:35:23 +0000

Information has been appearing all over the ‘net about the secret Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement being negotiated between roughly 40 nations in Seoul, South Korea. Rumblings about ACTA have been going on for a while now, but it seems what is actually in the treaty is beginning to come to light. What is allegedly being discussed is terrifying – a global DMCA-like regime that makes ISP’s the watchdog for copyrighted content (lions), three strikes disconnect policy (tigers), the end or major changes to safe harbor provisions (bears), and other major changes that could dramatically change the internet forever (Oh my!).

The US Government has not been forthcoming with any information about ACTA for some time, which led the Electronic Frontier Foundation to file a Freedom of Information Act request for the information. This was met with stonewalling by the US Trade Representative, who claimed that the information was a state secret. Non-Disclosure agreements were a requirement by the USTR to be privy to the negotiations, which could be why the industry has been so very quiet about all this.

Internet users of the world, commence the shaking in your boots. I have a nasty feeling the proverbial “boom” will be lowered soon on us all.

Read more about ACTA:
from EFF
from Michael Geist, Canadian Law Professor
from Afterdawn
from HuffPost

Can’t find an ATI 5850? You’re not alone

Mike Fleishman — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:00:03 +0000

It’s a great time to be a hardware guru…Intel’s recent release of the i5/ new i7 CPU and ATI’s unveiling of the 5000 series GPU’s at the end of September (Reviews: 5870 | 5850) are making more then one would-be DIYer salivate. The opportunity exists for both these manufactures to attack both the mid-range and the high-end markets, with the goal of making the enthusiast community want to rush out and get the latest for their new(ish) Win7 installs. The time to build a new system hasn’t been this good for a while, with this climate allowing many to build modest systems with their GPU as their biggest expense and not suffer a CPU bottleneck.

While the 5870 has a stratospheric price (MSRP $399) and high-end performance but it’s lesser sibling that has garnered much attention. Given a soft launch along with the flagship 5870, the 5850 (MSRP $299)has been both extremely popular and hard to find. Granted both have not been as easy as finding a deer in a forest, as both cards are consistently on backorder at most major electronics retailers (newegg, amazon, zipzoomfly, tigerdirect etc). While one can find the 5870, the 5850 has been largely MIA. Rumor around the internets is that the prices on these new cards have actually increased (!) after launch to the MSRPs listed above.

The intense demand for the 5850 over the flagship product may be the less rigid PSU requirements and the shorter length of the 5850, making it more suited for mid-range builds with smaller cases. Nevertheless, it seems like this shortage of 5000 series Radeon cards could be a major lost opportunity for AMD/ATI. With Nvidia having not yet released their upcoming 300 series GPUs ATI is left with a product that undercuts the existing Nvidia product line in both price and performance. If ATI had the cards to sell, then they could be making off like bandits.

In the meantime, press F5 and pray that the little button says “in stock”

Have you had an easier time finding one? Let us know where.