Posted on 05/28/2005 7:46:54 AM PDT by Afronaut
May 28, 2005 Intel touts Pentium D Intel has announced the launch of its new dual-core processor, Pentium D, for use in desktop PCs. The Pentium D is Intel's second dual-core processor, following the introduction of the Pentium Extreme Edition in April and comes just a few days ahead of rival AMD's launch of the Athlon 64x2 dual core PC chip. The new Pentium D 840, 830, and 820 chips are less expensive than the Pentium Extreme Edition, and will introduce dual-core technology to far more users than the Extreme Edition chip. "We're shipping 100,000 this quarter, and we're going to ship millions by the end of the year," said Gerald Holzhammer, vice president of Intel's Digital Home Group. "This is a big deal for us. It's the first time dual core will make a real impact on the marketplace." The new platforms introduced for home and office PCs, combine hardware and software technologies that are designed to provide consumers with enhanced PC security, system management and collaboration capabilities.
Intel touts Pentium D
By Editor
" I won't say it is as exciting as the Internet was about 10 years ago, but it comes pretty close," Gerald Holzhammer.
The 945 chip set contains Intel's Active Management Technology (AMT) that will allow IT managers to remotely manage workstations even when they are shut down. With AMT one will be able to download software updates onto a PC and even take inventory of their network through a protected part of the technology that is transparent to the user reports Earth Times.
Pentium D prices range from $241 to $530 with speeds from 2.8 gigahertz to 3.2 GHz. Supporting chipsets range from $38 to $42. The new processor and chip set will be outfitted in business desktops produced by HP, Dell and Lenovo. Dell's new Dimension 9100 supports either the dual-core 800 series chips or the 600 series Pentium 4 chips. Hewlett-Packard is making the dual-core 800 processors available on several existing models in its Pavilion lineup. Lenovo Group's ThinkCentre A52 and M52 desktops will be available later this year with the dual-core processors and the new chip sets reports PC World.
Foil Hat? Or real concern?, but in the last few months along with the Microsoft and Google Desktop Search and this processor, it seems that PC users are setting themselves up for wide open intrusion. I started to install Google Desktop Search and after watching it scan all my hard drives (would have taken 2 hours as per the app) I stop the process and thought that this is rather convenient for someone to see every file on all 4 Hard drives. During the uninstall, the app (Google) asked me why I was uninstalling, one of the choices was Privacy. And Google wanted me to send this information along to them. I guess Google knows what can happen.
Now there is this 945 Chip that can access the system in down mode. I guess I have have nothing to hide I should have no problem.
I'm holding out for the Terahertz chip myself.
LOL!
LOL, just remember, a work computer has no privacy. Any computer that is work related, even if you use it for personal use, the company that owns it has every right to access it whether it's on or off or even if you have a special place in the pc's heart. I could technically have gotten fired for the stuff i keep on my work pc. I have removed them recently to avoid that problem. :)
Your right. Microsoft is a good example, A lot of Windows features leaves you open or hogs (oink oink) resources. All the best fixes i've come across websites where the "techies" share their solutions with average people like me and you and in simple english. I take those ideas/suggestions and apply them to my PC.
You asked a legitimate question, and I'll do my best to provide you a legitimate answer.
The reason the application was spending so much time scanning your hard drives, it that an inter-relational database had to be created such that a search could be conducted not only on the 'title' of your filename, but also such that 'keywords' within each file could be seached. Thus, if you searched for files containing the word 'Blackbird', you would turn up files such as "Beatles - Blackbird.mp3' as well as your essay on "Migratory patterns of North American birds.doc" which had the word 'Blackbird' within the text.
That is why the scan was taking so long; I think you understand that a cross-referencing inter-relational database of every file on your PC would be a time consuming, and hard drive space consuming endeavor.
Secondly, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but no one really cares what is on your hard drive; except for hackers and gov't agencies with a search warrent. If Google got caught (like RealNetworks has .... twice) searching hard drives; this is an invasion of privacy and is a Federal crime. It's like the phone company tapping your phone at random. This data would be sent back upstream via the internet; where other paranoid IP people would be able to packet 'sniff' your data, and would blow the horn. Google stock would plummet, so it would cost Google BILLIONS in stock damage, plus we have the class action suits and the breach of trust. Remember when Microsoft did this as part of the game install and registry back in the 80's? MS got nailed with Federal suits for illegal search, entrapment and violation of privacy; fines were assessed and MS lost lots of money selling games for about the next 10 years.
Thirdly, this database (if it were kept somewhere) would be fantastically huge. It would change every time someone deleted a file on their hard drive, or installed a new file. Think 10 Million+ users.
As to the Intel 945 chip; unless they are talking about adding or removing Dynamic Link Library (.dll) files as part of the sytem upgrades, there is only so much you can do to an OS while it is not running, before you destabilize it. The OS typically 'likes' to be running, and it will test the update for compatibility before adding it permanently to the OS (unless there is a WHQL approval from MS).
Personally, when it comes to Dual Core, I think AMD has the better solution.
Check this out: http://www.tyan.com/products/html/thunderk8qspro.html
For the stuff Windows leaves turned on, a helpful solution is Gibson Research. You can turn off Windows Messenger, lock your raw sockets, turn off DCOM, and turn off Universal Plug 'n Play.
All this can be done without tools by changing the default settings if you know where to look, but these little programs allow you to monitor all these security risks and turn them off painlessly.
I just got a new computer with WinXP SP-2 pre-installed, and some of these security risks are STILL left on by default. They should all be turned off unless you are in a workplace where they are needed. If you do need any of these functions at any time, you can use these little tools to turn them back on (temporarily).
http://www.grc.com/freepopular.htm
Thank you!
Google is Haliburton...
Now there is this 945 Chip that can access the system in down mode. I guess I have have nothing to hide I should have no problem.
For large companies, this is something that's been available for quite some time, although not through the processor, but through the chipset on the systemboard and network adapter. It's known as WOL (Wake On Lan), which allows a specific type of network packet to "wake up" the computer, and have it boot up. This is used by certain network management software, like Microsoft's SMS, Novell's Zenworks, and Symantec's Ghost Corporate Edition, and allows for centralized management of the computers. One really good example of this is in pushing out new software. Imagine you've got to roll out the new version of MS Office to 10,000 computers. That roll-out can be unattended, with no intercession by the system administrators, but can you imagine the slowdown on the network if this were to occur during normal business hours? Using the management software I mentioned before, you can schedule the computers to "wake up" and automagically install the software during the off hours.
Mark
The reasons I think that AMD has a better solution than Intel are two fold. First, I believe that Hyper-Transport is a superior communications protocol, when compared to the Intel Front Side Bus. HT allows for 1,2,4,8,16 bit and beyond buses, running at speeds in excess of 2 GHZ, that are ONE WAY ONLY. This is to say, that we have a dedicated 2Byte (16 bit) pipeline running at 2 GHz; or 4 GB/second from the processor to the 'North Bridge'; and another identical 4 GB/second pipeline running from the 'North Bridge' to the processor. There is no latency, where a component must request the bus, then must transfer a request; then wait for the bus to be free; such that a response may be sent. The buses constantly run, and requests are answered from a que.
Now I use the word 'North Bridge' cautiously, because the AMD 64 bit solutions do not have a true 'North Bridge'. The North Bridge historically tied the memory and the rest of the motherboard to the CPU. The AMD processors have the Memory Controller built into the CPU; so the on-board Memory Controller can direct data to the processor in question, can cache data or re-direct data to the appropriate destination without impacting the CPU operations (no wait states while this mess settles out). This is my second reason for chosing to Champion AMD's dual core solution.
Meanwhile, the Memory Controller function remains on the North Bridge in the Intel world. Now we get into cache coherency issues (if processor 1 is working in a memory range that processor 2 needs to get into; who has the most current data?). If you base your calcuation on stale data, the result will not only cause data corruption, it may completely invalidate the findings on the program. Given the way things are exectuted within the CPU, it's possible to run the same program numerous times (without cache coherencey in place) and get a different answer each and every time. This is what we, in the engineering circles call ....'bad'.
We are going to an exciting and possibly very dangerous place.
The exponential growth of computing power over the past 20 years has been astonishing. Where will we be 20 years from now?
The average PC is far more powerful then mega-million room-sized mainframes of a generation ago. I'm talking about mainframes that were operated by white-jacketed nerds in air-conditioned rooms in which access to normal people was strictly prohibited.
I currently have an iPod strapped to my belt that holds nearly 40GB of data - almost 10,000 songs consisting of my music collection. This is nothing however compared to my home network, which consists of 5 PCs and laptops with a combined storage space of 3.5 terrabytes that could easily hold the text of every book ever written. I have over 45,000 songs and gigabytes worth of other files and media.
Where will we be in 20 years if we progress at the same rate? You could have a device the size of a wristwatch that holds the entire World Wide Web that could calculate Pi to 500 quadrillion digits in microseconds.
Computers have a very good chance of taking over the world and enslaving the human race. It sounds like weird science fiction but I am convinced that this is a possiblity. We are not that far away from thinking machines that can build replicas of themselves and robots that will be designed to overpower and enslave us. We must be very, very careful.
Ping
Good stuff here
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