CPU

Intel Core i3-8130U: here are the specifications of the new notebook CPU

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Intel Core i3-8130UAfter the first details emerged a few weeks ago, we now have the definitive technical specifications of the new Core i3-8130U, a low-power processor designed for notebooks and compact mid-range laptops.

According to information leaked on laptopmedia.com, the features of the Core i3-8310U are not very far from its predecessor Core i7-7310U; the new Intel chip maintains the dual-core approach with Hyper-Threading support (4 logical threads), integrated HD 620 graphics and an LL cache that passes from 3 to 4MB.

Intel Core i3-8130UThe chip’s maximum TDP remains 15W as with the Kaby Lake 7000 series, however with the Kaby Lake-R architecture Intel manages to push this chip at a turbo frequency of 3.4 GHz (i3-7310U stops at 2.7 GHz).

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Intel Core i9-7980XE Skylake-X Review: New X-series processors

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Introduction

Today, Intel’s two most powerful models for this generation of HEDT processors were unveiled: they are the new 16-core Core i9-7960X and the 18-core Core i9-7980XE Extreme Edition. These processors come from Intel’s Xeon lineup, but they are being turned into powerful processors for the desktop platform intended to compete and beat AMD’s powerful Threadripper processor introduced back in July.

New X-series processors

These two new processors are a plot twist for the technology that Intel has already introduced on its HEDT lineup with the Core i9-7900X and the Core i7 processors with LGA2066 sockets for the X299 chipsets. We get a higher processing power via more cores and a more demanding TDP (for the cooling system more than anything else) that exceeds the 140 W that Intel had set as a limit for desktop processors so far, now reaching 165 W.

Intel Core i9-7980XE Skylake-X

The competition had no problem in going over this limit, so Intel came up with these two new processors that have been preceded by 10-core and 12-core models, respectively, and we are still getting a 14-core model in a few weeks. All of these processors feature Hyper-Threading Technology, which allows a single physical processor core to behave like two logical processors. This translates into two threads per core, up to 36 threads with the Core i9-7980XE.

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The amazing story of the processor that was born in the shadows and defeated Intel: AMD Threadripper

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This is not a story about big resources and budgets to develop a glorious product. This is the story of a group of CPU enthusiasts made up of semiconductor engineers and marketing people from AMD who started a secret personal adventure that would end up being what we know today as AMD Threadripper.

AMD Threadripper

It all started in 2014. At that moment, AMD was in serious trouble since the latest Intel‘s CPU platforms were light years away from AMD’s in terms of performance, and sales were disappointing. The same thing happened with APUs, which were AMD’s big bet for years and where Intel was and still is a tough rival.

To the public, the brand was focused on what it had been most successful at in recent years: GPUs with its Hawaii architecture (RX 200 Series) and its Jaguar architecture that would power the most important consoles on the market, including Sony’s PS4 and Microsoft’s XBOX One.

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The evolution that AMD’s Ryzen has had since its launching

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Introduction

The new AMD’s Ryzen processors’ performance took everybody by surprise by taking us back to those times when the competition between AMD and Intel was much harder and when users were always introduced to better products at more attractive prices.

I do not know if it is already too late for AMD to go back to the position it had almost a decade ago, but Ryzen has undoubtedly given us back the hope for a less monopolized and more open PC world. Right now, no one doubts that Ryzen processors are a technical success, but it is too early to tell if they are also a commercial success since AMD does not provide sales figures. Today we will go over the progress that the product has made in the past few months, although it could not escape some controversy.

AMD’s Ryzen

Software and programs optimization

Although x86 is a well-known architecture that has been around for some time, there is always room for resource optimization and performance improvement. All of this is usually done on several software levels where every one is equally, or even more important than the others.

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Here they come: Intel Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X with 18 cores for home PCs

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Today is the day that Intel officially launched its new high-performance HEDT platform for enthusiasts. Two architectures join forces for the first time during the launching, Kaby Lake-X and Skylake-X, besides unveiling the Core i9 lineup, a new Intel X299 chipset and the new LGA-2066 socket with a 55 pin increase in contrast to the the previous LGA 2011.

Intel Skylake-X

Not every Skylake-X processor announced will arrive right away. Actually, the company has postponed the most interesting models’ arrival to the domestic market: Core i9 chips with 12, 14, 16 and even 18 cores and prices from $1,200 to $2,000.

Intel Skylake-X

In fact, the models that Intel launched today are an improvement on the models already existing in its Broadwell-X lineup, with models ranging from 4 to 10 cores. The first i9 to hit the market will have precisely 10 cores, the 10-core Core i9-7900X with 20 threads and a speed of up to 4.5 GHz.

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Is it technically possible to keep scaling down manufacturing processes?

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You already know that Moore’s law is practically dying: reducing lithography and increasing the number of transistors on chips keeps getting more complicated. Manufacturers, especially TSMC, Samsung and Intel, are working incessantly to keep reducing lithography by using new techniques on manufacturing processes, but it is clear that we are very close to the possible limit.

Currently, the main manufacturers are already producing 14 nm manufacturing processes (Intel’s Kaby Lake and AMD’s Ryzen, to name a few), although Intel has already planned its next generation (Cannon Lake) scaled to 10 nm while hinting at having something ready for next year at 7 nm. Meanwhile, TSMC already has its 10 nm process read and it has plans for a 5, and even a 3 nm, lithography, going as far as to anticipate a 2 nm lithography. Do not bother asking for AMD because it currently is the most realistic manufacturer: they have just started with the 14 nm process and it hopes for 7 nm by 2020.

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Certainly, we are talking long-term. Getting an actual 7 nm manufacturing process by next year or by 2019 would be quite an achievement, and the plans for 5 nm by 2020 seem pretty far away from what was originally expected. Let’s not talk about 3 and 2 nm: let’s face it, they will not be here any time soon.

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Guide: AMD´S RYZEN Processors Questions and Answers

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AMD´S RYZEN processors have been with us for a while now and thanks to the tests and analyses that we have been able to do, their possibilities, the value that they offer and practically all their technical issues are very clear to us.

We know many of you have hesitations about this new generation of processors, and that they are due above all to the differing results that have been recorded by different kinds of analyses, although there are also other secondary causes equally important, such as the habitual misinformation produced by some sources blinded by a certain favoritism and which affects even some well-known media.

To illustrate this last point, a simple example will do, and it is that in their analyses some sources began to negatively assess the fact that RYZEN does not include an integrated GPU. Yes, and they stayed that way to their liking.

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Guide: Which processor is the recommended minimum for each graphics card?

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One of the things that most worries new users when setting up a new PC is the known theme of the bottleneck caused by CPU, something understandable considering that each graphics card can have certain requirements and need a processor or greater or less power.

First of all I want to clearly and extensively clarify what exactly this bottleneck caused by CPU is, as it is a fairly broad topic and not everyone has a solid understanding, even after the publication of this article which I undoubtedly invite you to review.

A bottleneck means that one or more components offer a lower performance than other elements in the system, and when they are working at the same time, they slow or limit their full potential. This is the simplest definition I can give you.

In the case of the CPU it is the processor that ‘feeds’ data to the GPU, and if the GPU ‘pulls frames per second’ faster than it receives information from the processor it will be slowed down and it won’t be able to work at its maximum capacity. This clarifies exactly what a CPU bottleneck is.

Different levels of bottlenecking

First of all, I want to make something clear that appears not to have been properly understood in the previous article, there are many levels of bottlenecking within the same type of bottleneck, and they can be ordered and differentiated according to their severity.

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32-bit vs. 64 bit Windows, programs and Processor: What’s the difference between them?

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Choosing a processor or operating system is not a simple task, especially when technical terms start to appear which are as foreign as Chinese.

When installing an operating system you have the option of using either the 32 or the 64-bit version. When buying a computer CPU or a smartphone, you will find that both 32 and 64-bit processors are available. What is the difference? Which is better? Can you really notice a difference between them? We are going to try to answer these questions.

32-bit vs. 64 bit cpu

In computing, lots of concepts are linked to bits because bits are the DNA of computing and therefore, everything revolves around them.

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Best CPU 2017 Buying Guide: Everything you need to know when choosing a processor

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processor

Whether you decide to upgrade your computer’s processor, or if you want to choose all of the components and build a PC yourself, not only will you save some euros, but you will also have more knowledge about what you purchase and about the components of your PC, or at least, everything you need know when choosing a processor.

To upgrade a computer, it isn’t always necessary to replace it. Sometimes, replacing the chip for another more powerful one is enough, although it will always be your motherboard that determines the type and model of processor it supports.

Instead, if you choose to select the components and build your own PC, you will have to keep in mind some factors to determine which is the ideal processor for your setup.

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