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computerwriter.com
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New Processors and New Standards Coming SoonNew Intel chipset and laptop virus here nowToronto Star Fast Forward Computer Wares column for April 3/97 Copyright © Myles White, 1997 Preliminary reports are in on the latest generation of PC processors from Intel, Advanced Micro Device (AMD) and Cyrix. In benchmark tests on a pair of pre-release PC models from different manufacturers, PC WorldMagazine reports in its May 1997 edition that AMD's new K6-PR2-233 MMX comes close to the performance of Intel's yet-to-be released 266 MHz version of the Pentium II. Both Pentium II (the name Intel has given to the Pentium Pro with MMX -- multimedia extensions added) and K6 processors have been tweaked to provide better support for Windows 95 and applications written for the older, 16-bit, Windows 3.1x operating system than the older Pentium Pro. Both advanced processors produced significantly higher performance results than the Pentium with MMX technology or the rapidly fading classic Pentium processors without the code extensions. Neither the 233 MHz K6 nor the 266 MHz Pentium II is shipping in quantity, yet, but each company has said its latest revision of the chips will be in the channel by late spring or early summer. Intel's 233 MHz Pentium II and AMD's 200 MHz K6 are both available now. When they ship, systems with the 233 MHz AMD K6 are expected to sell for about 15 percent less than Intel-based 266 MHz Pentium II equivalents. If tests for compatibility hold up, it should give consumers an interesting set of options. K6 Upgrade?Whenever a new processor ships, one of the first questions owners of existing systems ask is, "Can I upgrade?" In this case the answer is yes, and no. Intel's Pentium II ships on a new plug-in cartridge which is not compatible with any existing Pentium or Pentium Pro motherboards. AMD's K6, can use the standard 321-pin "Socket 7" configuration used by Pentiums. In order to switch to it, however, like the Pentium with MMX, processor socket voltage is an issue. BIOS (basic in/out system) support is also required. AMD reports that the following motherboards and BIOSes are compatible with the K6: AMD-K6(TM) MMX Processor Motherboard Setup Requirements.
*233 MHz configurations are still being evaluated. If your motherboard is not on this list, AMD suggests the following considerations:
In addition, for AMD-K6-233 support:
You can get more information at www.intel.com and www.amd.com/k6 Cyrix newsCyrix still hasn't made test units available with its promised M2 processor, which the company claims will be the equivalent of Intel's Pentium II. Samples of the M2 previewed at an engineering conference several months ago boasted both MMX technology and Pentium Pro instruction set compatibilty.. Cyrix has also said the M2 will be capable of operating on a main system board running at 75 MHz, while Intel and AMD are sticking with 66 MHz main boards for the time being. In the meantime, early tests of Compaq's new Presario 2100 series, featuring Cyrix's 120 MHz MediaGX processor have produced less than sterling results. The slow speed is being blamed partially on Compaq's decision to leave external cache memory out of the units, but the test results show the systems running slower than a 100 MHz classic Pentium. Intel newsIf you examined the list of AMD compatible systems above, and particularly if you're deep in the research stage for buying a new system, one anomaly probably stood out -- mention of an Intel 430 TX chipset. Until recently, Intel had only four mainstream Pentium/Pentium MMX chipsets on the market, the low-end 430 FX, the consumer-level 430 VX, the business user's 430 HX and the chipset for laptops, the 430 MX. The 430 TX is brand new and Intel is touting it as the new target for everyone buying a new Pentium MMX-based system this spring. Like the 430 VX, the new chipset supports synchronous DRAM (dynamic random access memory), the fastest type of memory commonly available in today's market. It also has some 430 HX characteristics such as support for Concurrent PCI, a faster version of the scheme for managing peripheral expansion slots. It also includes support for Universal Serial Bus (still being talked about but mostly noticeable by its absence) and the Wired for Management Initiative -- the ability to place sensors on a motherboard that would allow corporations to engage in remote diagnostics (so far only available on newer Pentium Pro motherboards -- neither VX nor HX allows for this). For the first, time, the same chipset is designed for use in both laptop and desktop systems and the TX is expected to raise laptop speeds, using Pentium MMX processors, to 166 MHz. The logic chipset in a computer is the bridge between the CPU and the rest of the system and has a direct effect on the type of memory the system can use, the peripherals it can support, and the efficiency with which data is communicated between the CPU and various subsystems. Bug ReportIf you recently purchased an Hitachi M-102D laptop or certain models of Compaq or Packard-Bell computers lately and you've noticed that they won't recognize the presence of a CD-ROM when you're running Windows 95, it's not something you're doing. According to a recent report in PC Week Online, the problem is a virus. Engineers for the three companies aren't sure whether the virus is in the systems' BIOS software, in the copies of Windows 95 they're loading, or an unfortunate interaction between some other software applications, but it apparently affects the drivers for the IDE hard drive/CD-ROM drive setup in such a way that the systems cannot find the CD-ROM. The precise model numbers and revision dates of the Packard Bell and Compaq systems were not disclosed. More "standards"One of the more intriguing things about standards in the computer industry is that there are so many of them. Soon there will be one more. It's a joint development by Intel and Microsoft to define the minimum standards for a desktop PC for 1998 and beyond. Dubbed the PC98 Design Guide, a preliminary draft has gone out to system manufacturers for comment, with the final version expected this June. According to the draft version, the basic PC of the near future -- a standard business desktop -- will include a 200 MHz Pentium Processor with MMX Technology or equivalent, 256KB of Level 2 cache, 32MB of RAM, a minimum of one USB (Universal Serial Bus) port, user protection from incorrectly installing devices or peripherals, and BIOS and hardware support for OnNow. OnNow is a scheme that will allow a PC to power down and wake up on schedule to check overnight e-mail, download news, or to wake up when prompted to, for example, respond to incoming fax messages or voice mail. One of the more controversial suggestions in the preliminary draft is to do away with industry standard architecture (ISA) expansion slots entirely, forcing all new PC purchasers to use only PCI-based add-in components such as graphics cards, modems, network cards, sound cards and so on. The problem with the legacy ISA bus, says the companies, is that it interferes with PlugNPlay. System vendors and those hoping to save money by migrating existing components into newer computers aren't expected to fall in love with this particular suggestion. Stay tuned. This document is protected by international copyright. By all means read it for your own enjoyment, but you may not make lotsa copies for your class or friends, post it to your own Web site (although a link to here would be nice), or quote all or any part of it without asking me first. Clear enough? |
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