Posts Tagged ‘CPU’
The Proof is in
After a ton of speculation, a bit of denial, and a ton of testing we finally have our answer. The thermal interface material change made by Intel when it went from Sandy Bridge to Ivy Bridge is indeed the cause of the excessive temperatures we’ve observed while overclocking. The first accusation was made in late-April by Overclockers.com, however proving it wasn’t easy. The Japanese division of PC Watch somehow managed to remove the integrated heat spreader from a Core i7 3770k, along with the stock binding and grease. They then proceed to replace it with aftermarket alternatives, and the results speak for themselves.
The findings are undisputable. By swapping out the TIM with OCZ Freeze and Coolaboratory Liquid Pro, they were able to lower the temperatures by up to 18% off a stock clocked chip, and a whopping 23% when overclocked from 3.5GHz to 4GHz. Chips with the aftermarket TIM we also able to sustain higher core voltages, which of course will lead to better overclocking potential.
The report concludes that Intel’s decision to move away from the fluxless solder used in Sandy Bridge has unfortunately crippled the overclocking potential of this generation of CPU’s. Its possible Intel may eventually change the design back, however with AMD lagging pretty far behind these days they really don’t have much incentive to do so. Enthusiasts really only have one place to shop for CPU’s these days.
Ivy Bridge is still an amazing push forward performance wise, it’s just unfortunate that the potential for even more is there and we can’t get at it.
(Image Credit = PC Watch)
Chkdsk And NTFS Health Get A Big Boost In Windows 8
Changes are a-coming to chkdsk and NTFS health in Windows 8, and unlike the controversial Metro interface, these tweaks should make everyone happy. As hard drives get bigger, the Windows 7 chkdsk times get longer (and longer, and longer…) when hard disk errors occur, as infrequent as they are. In a worse-case scenario, attempting to boot a corrupt drive can take hours. The new system changes all that.
The Windows 8 improvements will let NTFS try to identify corruptions on-the-fly and make an instant fix in the background, no usage interruptions required. If that doesn’t work, Windows 8 will conduct a “spot verification scan” to determine if the corruption is genuine or just a brief memory glitch.
Genuine errors will be reported to the user and the OS will start scan the system during idle CPU/storage times and log the location of the problems. When the scan is done, Windows 8 will prompt the user to reboot the PC at his convenience. Chkdsk will then use the information NTFS logged about the errors to fix the corruptions quickly.
“The restart is quick (adding just a few additional seconds) and the PC is returned to a healthy state,” core manager Kim Bangalore writes on the Building Windows 8 blog. Hopefully it really is that quick and simple! For all the nitty gritty details and a helpful FAQ, hit the link.
Thermaltake Frio Extreme Cooler Review
The battle for the high end cooling throne has reached fever pitch this year. The Noctua NH D14 ruled supreme for a long time, although it recently had to make way for a new king, the Phanteks PH-TC14PE. Today we are looking at the latest flagship cooler from Thermaltake, The Frio Extreme. Is this a serious challenger for the top spot?
Thermaltake have released a plethora of high end coolers in the last couple of years, including the original FRIO, the Frio OCK, Frio Advanced and the latest Frio Extreme which we are reviewing today.
The Thermaltake Frio Extreme uses the high end construction of combining two tower heatsinks with a dual fan cooling system.
The Frio Extreme highlights that Thermaltake are pulling out all the stops. They are using two large 140mm fans which can be adjusted with the supplied fan controller.
Additionally they have finally ditched the plastic shroud, opting for a naked dual tower heatsink methodology.
We will compare today against the class leading Noctua NH D14 and the Phanteks PH-TC14PE in a heavily overclocked state.
Features:
Ultimate Over-clocking Design Structure, supports up to 250W
- Dual tower heat-sink with 0.4mm aluminum fins provide large surface for heat dissipation.
- 6 x Ø6 mm-U-shape copper heat pipes accelerate heat conductivity.
- Mirror-finished copper base, provide perfect contact with CPU.
- Premium thermal grease maximizes heat transfer from the CPU onto the copper base for faster dissipation.
The Combination of VR and PWM Fan Control
- Dual 14cm high performance blue blade designed fans, spins from 1,200 to 1,800RPM.
- Combination of VR and PWM functions, switchable upon user’s preferences.
- Tool-less and Easy installation design for quicker disassemble and assemble the fan module.
Universal Socket Compatibility & Accessory Package
- All-in-one back-plate design, support all Intel and AMD platform
- Universal socket support :
Intel: LGA 2011, 1366, 1155, 1156, 775
AMD: FM1, AM3+, AM3, AM2+, AM2
HP Introduces "Sleekbooks:" Ultrabooks That Aren’t Ultrabooks
In between ringing the warning bells about cyberspace boogeymen and rolling out refreshes to the Pavilion lineup, HP also took the time to answer a question we all knew was coming someday: when is an Ultrabook not an Ultrabook? The answer: when it’s a so-called thin-and-light Sleekbook. Two new HP Envy notebooks carry the new name, which skirt the restrictions associated with the Intel-owned Ultrabook brand.
A key distinction for Ultrabooks, of course, is that they have to be powered by Intel’s Core processors. One of the two Envy Sleekbooks — a 14-inch, $700 laptop — in fact runs on Ivy Bridge, but the second model — a 15.6-inch, $600 laptop — sports an AMD APU, something that could never occur in an Ultrabook proper.
The two Envy Sleekbooks also point out the price-based competitiveness of AMD’s processors. The APU-powered Envy sports a bigger screen and “discrete-class graphics” while costing $100 less than the smaller Intel-powered Envy, which HP offers with “optional discrete graphics” that will only add to the price tag.
The Intel model should be available today, while the AMD variant won’t be shipping until around June 20th. Why could that be? *Cough* Trinity *Cough* A couple of actual Ultrabooks were announced, too.
So whaddaya think: if HP and other manufacturers can whip together thin and long-lasting Ultrabook-like notebooks running on AMD processors, then simply call the doppelgangers by a slightly different name, does “Ultrabook” (with its very loose spec guidelines) even carry much value as a brand? The AMD Sleekbook is virtually identical to an AMD Ultrabook, after all, aside from the CPU at its heart.
HTC Desire C leaked to counter Galaxy 3S
When Tecnobitsreported the analysts’ feelings about HTC at the start of April, it was very much a ‘doom and gloom’ picture. Sales were down 35% while profits plummeted a massive 70%. In general, the feeling from places like Morgan Stanley was that HTC had ‘nothing useful coming to fight this drop’. In the wake of the monster launch of the Samsung Galaxy 3S, HTC has decided to leak the Desire C to try and stem the tide of fleeing Android lovers. Will they be successful?
The first leaked shots of the new phone seem to have come from the desk draw of an Orange store owner in Romania.
Vodafone’s new catalogue for Portugal seems to include the first official photo.
In the unlikely event that you wish to purchase the new HTC handset without a contract, it seems likely that your local store will demand around €200/£170/$250 for the pleasure of ownership.
This is what your pocket full of shekels will be buying:-
Anyone wanna borrow Blackberry's designs?
Comment below or in the Tecnobitsforums.