The fastest dual-core and quad-core processors from AMD and Intel go head to head in this performance comparison at Digit-Life (Intel Core 2 Duo E8500; Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770; AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+; AMD Phenom X4 9850):
The top processor from AMD is outscored by the top processor from Intel by 45%. There is actually nothing to comment on. We could have added "we have food for thought now". However, there is nothing much to think about.
Do you want to know what clock rate the Phenom X4 must have to catch up with the existing Core 2 Extreme QX9770, even if we assume that Phenom performance grows strictly proportional to its clock rate? The current clock rate of the top Phenom is 2.5 GHz. The target clock rate (according to our total performance score) is 132/91*2.5=~3.6 GHz. So, in order to reach parity with Intel, AMD has to raise the clock rate by 1.1 GHz. Given Intel is not launching any faster processors that is.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHz Processor Review
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 because it offers the best mix of cache size and clock speed. The dual-core processor runs on a 1066 MHz FSB, comes clocked at 2.4 GHz and most importantly has a massive 4MB of L2 cache! The E6600 processor is built on Intel’s 65 nanometer manufacturing process and comes in the Socket 775 form factor.
..If you’re in the market for an upgrade, the Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 processor is one of the the best routes to follow. Sure Intel just released a quad core Core 2 Quad and Extreme processors but they won’t go native quad-core till the fall of 2007. With most applications only able to use a single core, let alone two or four, the quad core chips are currently overkill. Bottom line, the Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 is a kick ass processor. It doesn’t break the bank, it delivers outstanding performance, and it’s simply an awesome processor!
..If you’re in the market for an upgrade, the Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 processor is one of the the best routes to follow. Sure Intel just released a quad core Core 2 Quad and Extreme processors but they won’t go native quad-core till the fall of 2007. With most applications only able to use a single core, let alone two or four, the quad core chips are currently overkill. Bottom line, the Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 is a kick ass processor. It doesn’t break the bank, it delivers outstanding performance, and it’s simply an awesome processor!
Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Review - Effortless Overclocking
Core 2 Duo E6300 processor was easy, just wait till you laid hands on the E6420 processor. It may not set new clock speed records, but it’s incredibly easy to tap on to its hidden potential and it may even cost less in total system cost!
..Leading performance, low power consumption and heat output were the official reasons why the Intel Core 2 Duo processors are a hit with consumers, but unofficially, the processor’s knack for overclocking is as important a factor as its other credentials. In the enthusiast’s world, it’s all about performance and clock speeds and the ease of overclocking these processors with huge gains made them an instant hit with this voiceful group. This echo was soon picked up by the mainstream DIY’ers whose mission is to pack the most value for any amount spent. Obviously with the Core 2 Duo processors and their huge headroom, many have a chance to dabble in this art safely without much concern as well as bag notable performance improvements. Now who wouldn’t want that?
Overclocking for notable improvements has never been as easy as it has been with the Intel Core 2 Duo E6420, and more so since it doesn’t require expensive supporting components. If you’re still sitting on the fence, it’s about time you try it out yourself too and enjoy the kicks.
..Leading performance, low power consumption and heat output were the official reasons why the Intel Core 2 Duo processors are a hit with consumers, but unofficially, the processor’s knack for overclocking is as important a factor as its other credentials. In the enthusiast’s world, it’s all about performance and clock speeds and the ease of overclocking these processors with huge gains made them an instant hit with this voiceful group. This echo was soon picked up by the mainstream DIY’ers whose mission is to pack the most value for any amount spent. Obviously with the Core 2 Duo processors and their huge headroom, many have a chance to dabble in this art safely without much concern as well as bag notable performance improvements. Now who wouldn’t want that?
Overclocking for notable improvements has never been as easy as it has been with the Intel Core 2 Duo E6420, and more so since it doesn’t require expensive supporting components. If you’re still sitting on the fence, it’s about time you try it out yourself too and enjoy the kicks.
Intel Unveils World’s Best Processor
"The Core 2 Duo processors are simply the best processors in the world," said Paul Otellini, president and CEO of Intel. "Not since Intel introduced the Pentium processor has the industry seen the heart of the computer reinvented like this. The Core 2 Duo desktop processor is an energy-efficient marvel, packing 291 million transistors yet consuming 40 percent lower power, while delivering the performance needed for the applications of today and tomorrow."
The highly anticipated processor family already has very broad support with more than 550 customer system designs underway—the most in Intel’s history. Ultimately, tens of thousands of businesses will sell computers or components based on these processors.
Intel has been shipping production-ready Intel Core 2 Duo processors for all segments in advance of today’s unveiling. Initial Intel Core 2 Extreme processor-based systems are now available from system manufacturers, resellers and integrators, including Intel Channel Partner Program members. Intel Core 2 Duo desktop processor-based systems will be available beginning in early August. Intel Core 2 Duo processor-based notebooks will be available at the end of August.
The highly anticipated processor family already has very broad support with more than 550 customer system designs underway—the most in Intel’s history. Ultimately, tens of thousands of businesses will sell computers or components based on these processors.
Intel has been shipping production-ready Intel Core 2 Duo processors for all segments in advance of today’s unveiling. Initial Intel Core 2 Extreme processor-based systems are now available from system manufacturers, resellers and integrators, including Intel Channel Partner Program members. Intel Core 2 Duo desktop processor-based systems will be available beginning in early August. Intel Core 2 Duo processor-based notebooks will be available at the end of August.
Intel Pentium 4 EE (Extreme Edition) 840 Dual-Core & i955X
Platforms based on the Intel Pentium Processor Extreme Edition feature Hyper-Threading Technology† which allows each processor core to function as two logical processors enabling 4 thread functionality. Each logical processor has its own architecture state with its own set of general-purpose registers and control registers to provide increased system responsiveness in multitasking environments and headroom for next generation multithreaded applications.
Platforms built around the Intel Pentium Processor Extreme Edition and the Intel 955X Express Chipset are an ideal solution for enthusiasts who crave the computing power for gaming, media management, content creation, and compute intensive applications.
Intel Pentium Processor Extreme Edition Performance Overview @ Intel
Platforms built around the Intel Pentium Processor Extreme Edition and the Intel 955X Express Chipset are an ideal solution for enthusiasts who crave the computing power for gaming, media management, content creation, and compute intensive applications.
Intel Pentium Processor Extreme Edition Performance Overview @ Intel
AMD New Dual-Core AMD Opteron Processors
The Dual-Core AMD Opteron processor Model 880 for up to eight-way, 16-core enterprise-class servers and Model 280 for high performance dual-processor workstations and servers are immediately available. Model 180 for one-processor, two-core servers and workstations is expected to be available within 30 days.
“Introducing the next Dual-Core AMD Opteron processor models less than five months after launching the initial Dual-Core AMD Opteron processors shows undeniable technological leadership,” said Marty Seyer, corporate vice president, Commercial Business and Performance Computing, AMD. “In terms of performance-per-watt, nothing can touch the Dual-Core AMD Opteron processor. It represents a potential annual savings of $50,000 for a datacenter with 500 two-way systems.”
Intel has yet to accept AMD’s Aug. 23, 2005 challenge to a Dual-Core Duel to evaluate workloads and power consumption. AMD’s duel would be a live, public performance evaluation between server platforms based on the highest-performing Dual-Core AMD Opteron 800 Series or 200 Series processors and the corresponding Intel x86 server processors that are commercially available in volume.
Pricing and Availability
The Dual-Core AMD Opteron processor Model 880 is priced at $2,649 in 1,000-unit quantities and the Model 280 is priced at $1,299 in 1,000-unit quantities. The Dual-Core AMD Opteron processor Model 180, for single-processor workstations and servers, is scheduled to be available within 30 days and will be priced at $799 in 1,000-unit quantities. With the addition of the new Dual-Core AMD Opteron processor models, the prices of two dual-core processor models within each series overlap with current single-core processors, making the shift to dual-core technology an easy decision for customers. For additional pricing information, please see www.amd.com/pricing.
“Introducing the next Dual-Core AMD Opteron processor models less than five months after launching the initial Dual-Core AMD Opteron processors shows undeniable technological leadership,” said Marty Seyer, corporate vice president, Commercial Business and Performance Computing, AMD. “In terms of performance-per-watt, nothing can touch the Dual-Core AMD Opteron processor. It represents a potential annual savings of $50,000 for a datacenter with 500 two-way systems.”
Intel has yet to accept AMD’s Aug. 23, 2005 challenge to a Dual-Core Duel to evaluate workloads and power consumption. AMD’s duel would be a live, public performance evaluation between server platforms based on the highest-performing Dual-Core AMD Opteron 800 Series or 200 Series processors and the corresponding Intel x86 server processors that are commercially available in volume.
Pricing and Availability
The Dual-Core AMD Opteron processor Model 880 is priced at $2,649 in 1,000-unit quantities and the Model 280 is priced at $1,299 in 1,000-unit quantities. The Dual-Core AMD Opteron processor Model 180, for single-processor workstations and servers, is scheduled to be available within 30 days and will be priced at $799 in 1,000-unit quantities. With the addition of the new Dual-Core AMD Opteron processor models, the prices of two dual-core processor models within each series overlap with current single-core processors, making the shift to dual-core technology an easy decision for customers. For additional pricing information, please see www.amd.com/pricing.
Intel - Pentium 4 Extreme Edition
Intel has taken everyone by surprise by announcing a new processor aimed fairly and squarely at the gaming market. Or rather, with this price tag, at the elite, high-end gaming market. Unlike Intel's other processor launches, the Pentium 4 Extreme Edition arrived without too much fanfare or fuss and also stole some of AMD's thunder for the Athlon FX-51.
What sets the Pentium 4 Extreme Edition apart from the rest of the Northwood P4 line is the addition of 2MB of on-die Level 3 cache, added to the Pentium 4's normal 512KB of Level 2 cache, giving the Extreme Edition a total cache size of 2.5MB, which is huge. As with all the latest Intel Pentium 4 processors, this one has an 800MHz FSB and comes with HT (Hyper Threading).
Although the Pentium 4 Extreme Edition can be fitted into existing dual-channel i865/i875-based motherboards, the actual core isn't based on the Pentium 4 Northwood core but rather the Gallatin core (or, as its known to you and me, the Xeon MP processor). This means that the transistor count has gone up from the Northwood's 55 million to a whopping 167 million, but despite this the heat emission from the chip has fallen. There is also a new design of standard cooler which is copper-based.
The only external difference between the Pentium 4 Extreme Edition and a normal Northwood Pentium 4 is on the underside of the chip, where the Extreme Edition uses more filtering capacitors. But it's certainly quicker. Our tests made it between 10 and 45 percent faster than a standard Pentium 4 running at the same clock speed (3.2GHz), depending on the type of operation being carried out. It's probably realistic to expect around a 15 percent gain in average processing speed.
By using a large amount of on-die cache, the Pentium 4 Extreme Edition takes advantage of the fact that on-die cache runs at the same frequency as the CPU and also allows larger segments of instruction code to be held by the CPU, meaning less time spent returning to system memory. Any reduction in the number of times that the CPU accesses the system memory means a boost in performance.
This is why Intel has aimed the chip at the gaming market; games, perhaps more than any other form of software, constantly use large segments of instructional code. The downside of all this is the price. The Pentium 4 Extreme Edition is expensive compared with a standard Pentium 4 and only true hardcore gamers will beat a path to the shops to get one.
What sets the Pentium 4 Extreme Edition apart from the rest of the Northwood P4 line is the addition of 2MB of on-die Level 3 cache, added to the Pentium 4's normal 512KB of Level 2 cache, giving the Extreme Edition a total cache size of 2.5MB, which is huge. As with all the latest Intel Pentium 4 processors, this one has an 800MHz FSB and comes with HT (Hyper Threading).
Although the Pentium 4 Extreme Edition can be fitted into existing dual-channel i865/i875-based motherboards, the actual core isn't based on the Pentium 4 Northwood core but rather the Gallatin core (or, as its known to you and me, the Xeon MP processor). This means that the transistor count has gone up from the Northwood's 55 million to a whopping 167 million, but despite this the heat emission from the chip has fallen. There is also a new design of standard cooler which is copper-based.
The only external difference between the Pentium 4 Extreme Edition and a normal Northwood Pentium 4 is on the underside of the chip, where the Extreme Edition uses more filtering capacitors. But it's certainly quicker. Our tests made it between 10 and 45 percent faster than a standard Pentium 4 running at the same clock speed (3.2GHz), depending on the type of operation being carried out. It's probably realistic to expect around a 15 percent gain in average processing speed.
By using a large amount of on-die cache, the Pentium 4 Extreme Edition takes advantage of the fact that on-die cache runs at the same frequency as the CPU and also allows larger segments of instruction code to be held by the CPU, meaning less time spent returning to system memory. Any reduction in the number of times that the CPU accesses the system memory means a boost in performance.
This is why Intel has aimed the chip at the gaming market; games, perhaps more than any other form of software, constantly use large segments of instructional code. The downside of all this is the price. The Pentium 4 Extreme Edition is expensive compared with a standard Pentium 4 and only true hardcore gamers will beat a path to the shops to get one.
AMD Turion64 Processor Review
we’ve taken a closer look at the new Turion64 processor, AMD’s long-awaited competition to Intel’s Pentium-M for the mobile markets. The Turion64 is based on AMD’s 90nm "Lancaster" core, and boasts very impressive power consumption and heat production numbers, in addition to SSE-3 and 64-bit processing support. We test a few Turion64 chips against Intel’s Pentium-M and AMD’s own Athlon64 processor family to see if the Turion64 brand is worth all the hype.
..The Turion64 certainly delivers for the mobile arena, and will give finally AMD a viable candidate for the thin-and-light notebook market. Honestly though, I’m a bit under whelmed by the performance of our first generation Turion64 processors, especially in comparison to Intel’s latest generation Pentium-M chips. If AMD is able to push out another clock speed boost or two without pushing up power levels, they should be able to give Intel’s top Pentium-M chips a run for their money. Still, the prospect of an ultra-efficient 64-bit mobile platform is tempting, and I would have a hard choice on my hand if I had to choose between a similarly configured Turion64 or Pentium-M notebook platform. One thing is clear, the Turion64 is the most immediate threat Intel has ever seen to date to its dominance of the mobile market.
Efficient 64-Bit Mobile Computing : AMD’s Turion64 ProcessorIntel DG45FC: Loaded LGA775 Mini-ITX Board
Intel branded motherboard is the safe pick for a stable, reliable system. Intel motherboards have been traditionally designed for business and forego the flashy colors and heatsinks, ridiculous feature-sets, and gimmicky software bundles so popular with retail DIY-oriented products. If it's going into a PC at a corporate cubicle, it just needs to work, work well, and preferably work forever.
The Intel DG35EC is a micro-ATX motherboard based on Intel's G35 chipset and features support for all current Intel processors. Though the G35 chipset is a year old, it has been poorly represented in the market. It's hard to say why this is the case — though if the Asus P5E-VM HDMI's price-tag is any indicator, high cost may be a factor. Whatever the reasons, G35's GMA X3500 graphics processor was (until recently) the most advanced IGP money could buy for the LGA775 platform, and until Intel's new X4500 GMA is proven to be superior, it should not be ignored.
Our criteria for judging mATX boards are quite different than other sites. As mATX boards typically have integrated graphics, video playback ability is key when you take into account ever increasing multimedia and high definition content. We also consider low power consumption to be vital, not only to lessen the toll on the environment, but also to reduce heat in the system to ease cooling a system quietly. Finally, fan control by the board is also taken into account. While it's not hard slow down and mod fans to reduce noise, being able to do it with board-integrated controls makes life that much easier.
The Intel DG35EC is a micro-ATX motherboard based on Intel's G35 chipset and features support for all current Intel processors. Though the G35 chipset is a year old, it has been poorly represented in the market. It's hard to say why this is the case — though if the Asus P5E-VM HDMI's price-tag is any indicator, high cost may be a factor. Whatever the reasons, G35's GMA X3500 graphics processor was (until recently) the most advanced IGP money could buy for the LGA775 platform, and until Intel's new X4500 GMA is proven to be superior, it should not be ignored.
Intel DG35EC: Specifications | |
| Form factor | MicroATX (9.60 inches by 9.60 inches [243.84 millimeters by 243.84 millimeters]) |
| Processor | At product launch, this desktop board supports: * Support for an Intel® Core™2 Quad processor (95 W TDP) in an LGA775 socket with an 1333 or 1066 MHz system bus |
| Memory | Four 240-pin DDR2 SDRAM Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) sockets Support for DDR2 800 or DDR2 667 MHz DIMMs Support for up to 8 GB? of system memory |
| Chipset | Intel® G35 Express Chipset |
| Audio | Intel® High Definition Audio subsystem in the following configuration: 6-channel (5.1) audio subsystem using the Realtek* ALC888S audio codec |
| Video | Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator X3500 on board graphics subsystem |
| LAN support | Gigabit (10/100/1000 Mbits/sec) LAN subsystem using the Intel® 82566DC Gigabit Ethernet Controller |
| Peripheral interfaces | * Ten USB 2.0 ports * Two IEEE-1394a interfaces (1 external port, 1 internal header) * One serial port header * Four Serial ATA IDE interfaces * One Parallel ATA IDE interface with UDMA 33, ATA-66/100 support * One diskette drive interface * PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports |
| Expansion capabilities | * One PCI Express* x16 bus add-in card connector |
| Microsoft Vista* Premium Ready | With a PC built with Intel® Core™2 Duo or Intel® Core™2 Quad processors, and the Intel® Desktop Board, you can experience a more responsive and manageable environment of Microsoft Windows Vista* including a new visual sophistication of the Windows Aero* interface. |
Our criteria for judging mATX boards are quite different than other sites. As mATX boards typically have integrated graphics, video playback ability is key when you take into account ever increasing multimedia and high definition content. We also consider low power consumption to be vital, not only to lessen the toll on the environment, but also to reduce heat in the system to ease cooling a system quietly. Finally, fan control by the board is also taken into account. While it's not hard slow down and mod fans to reduce noise, being able to do it with board-integrated controls makes life that much easier.
CPU Intel E7200 (Wolfdale)
Intel successfully migrated to the 45-nm process technology and early in 2008 presented first products. Those wer 4-core Yorkfield CPU, and they were just the first to arrive in the retail. A bit later, Intel announces a release of a whole series of E8ххх CPUs based on the Wolfdale core. In particular, announced were the models E8200, E8400, and E8500 with the clock speed varying within 2.66 GHz to 3.16 GHz. All these processors run at the 333 MHz (1333 QPB) bus, and it is easy to see that the E8500 uses the fractional multiplier (9.5). The reason for emerging such multipliers is straightforward: due to its undisputable technological and architectural advantages over AMD's products, Intel does not need at all to take part in the races of clock speeds. Frankly, 65-nm products offer quite a substantial capability for clock speeds, and Intel might have rested on its laurels at least until late 2008. So, why is the "IT industry engine" speeding up a migration towards the finer process technology? The answer is straightforward: use of the 45-nm process allows Intel manufacturing more cores from a single wafer, thus reducing the prime cost and finally earning more profits.
However, quite a long time has passed until we were able to find the new E8ххх series in the retail. In fact, the new dual-core CPUs immediately turned a hard-to-get thing. Anyway, the situation is getting better, and the key factor was the release of the E7ххх series of 45-nm process which currently includes only one model - E7200. This series is being positioned as a "replacement" of the E4xxx series and is thus aimed at affordably priced middle-end systems.
Intel is going on with the division of processors over the market sectors in its traditional manner through reducing the clock speeds, the FSB speed, and also cutting down the L2 cache size. In particular, E7200 offers the clock speed 2.53 GHz, FSB = 266 MHz, the multiplier 9.5, and the 3 MB L2 cache size. In fact, this core is a Wolfdale with the L2 cache size cut down by half. To make the differences among the cores more amenable for perception, we have drawn up the following table:
Series E4xxx E6xxx E7xxx E8xxx
Core Conroe Conroe Wolfdale Wolfdale
FSB, MHz 266 333 266 333
L2 cache size, MB 2 4 3 6
Process technology, nm 65 65 45 45
Support for SSE 4.1 - - + +
TDP, W 65 65 65 65
Core area, sq. mm 143 143 107 107
Q-ty of transistors, mln 291 291 410 410
Note that the 3 MB version of the Wolfdale core offers the same area and the number of transistors as the 6 MB version. That means both versions are cut from the same wafers and therefore offer the same capability for clock speeds. Therefore, physically the E7200 offers a 6 MB L2 cache, with its half "disabled". We also note that in the 7th series support for virtualization has been disabled. This is another proof that the E7xxx series is aimed at replacement of the E4ххх series in which this feature is also disabled.
The visual differences of the new processors are about the number and layout of capacitors:
Intel E7200
(To the left - Wolfdale 3 Mb, to the right - Conroe)
The CPU-Z utility displays the following information:
Intel E7200
With the specifications for E7200 included, this table looks like this:
Name Core Q-ty of cores Clock speed, GHz FSB, MHz Multiplier L2 cache size, MB
Core 2 Extreme QX9770 Yorkfield 4 3,2 400 8 12
Core 2 Extreme QX9650 Yorkfield 4 3,0 333 9 12
Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 4 2,83 333 8,5 12
Core 2 Quad Q9450 Yorkfield 4 2,66 333 8 12
Core 2 Quad Q9300 Yorkfield 4 2,5 333 7,5 6
Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 2 3,16 333 9,5 6
Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 2 3,0 333 9 6
Core 2 Duo E8300 Wolfdale 2 2,83 333 8,5 6
Core 2 Duo E8200 Wolfdale 2 2,66 333 8 6
Core 2 Duo E8190 Wolfdale 2 2,66 333 8 6
Core 2 Duo T7200 Wolfdale 2 2,53 266 9,5 3
We purposely called the release of the 7th series a key factor. As we can see, Intel is expanding its assortment and introducing 45-nm processors into the middle-end market. In particular, the recommended price for E7200 is set to $133. It looks like Intel has enough resources to fill this vast market sector. By the way, that should be a good news for AMD which has got so little time left to improve the attraction of its products. Because, if Intel keeps advancing towards the 45-nm process at this pace, then by the end of the year users will get the value series E5xxx as a replacement of the super popular E2xxx series, followed by a possible migration of dual-core Celeron processors to a new process early next year.
Overclocking
A few words on the overclocking. In theory, processors of the E8xxx and E7xxx series are highly attractive for overclocking. The finer process technology provides a higher clock speed limit and at the same time reduces the heat emission. If we look at E7200, it appears to be more preferable for overclocking because it offers a relatively low rated FSB speed (266 MHz) and, therefore, a high multiplier - 9.5. If we assume that the clock speed limit for the Wolfdale core is at about 4 GHz, then we attain this limit with the FSB speed set to 422 MHz. In case of using DDR2 memory, it will run at 844 MHz (with the minimum multiplier 1:1 selected). In other words, these conditions are feasible for most modern motherboards and DDR2 memory modules.
Now let's try the overclocking capability of the test processor.
Intel E7200
With the core voltage (Vcore) slightly raised, we were able to attain a stable operation at the clock speed ~3.9 GHz. To overcome the 4 GHz bar, we had to raise the Vcore to 1.55V. However, we believe these results are good enough and quite promising. The thing is, we tested an "engineering" sample with an early stepping. Normally, later steppings (found in the retail versions of processors) provide higher overclocking capability under the lower Vcore voltage. Therefore, we believe the technological limit for the Wolfdale 3 MB is at about 4.3-4.5 GHz. Therefore, to attain the limit we would have to use a higher quality motherboard (which provides an operational stability at FSB = 500 MHz) with the "overclocker-friendly" DDR2 memory running at a frequency higher than 1000 MHz at least.
However, quite a long time has passed until we were able to find the new E8ххх series in the retail. In fact, the new dual-core CPUs immediately turned a hard-to-get thing. Anyway, the situation is getting better, and the key factor was the release of the E7ххх series of 45-nm process which currently includes only one model - E7200. This series is being positioned as a "replacement" of the E4xxx series and is thus aimed at affordably priced middle-end systems.
Intel is going on with the division of processors over the market sectors in its traditional manner through reducing the clock speeds, the FSB speed, and also cutting down the L2 cache size. In particular, E7200 offers the clock speed 2.53 GHz, FSB = 266 MHz, the multiplier 9.5, and the 3 MB L2 cache size. In fact, this core is a Wolfdale with the L2 cache size cut down by half. To make the differences among the cores more amenable for perception, we have drawn up the following table:
Series E4xxx E6xxx E7xxx E8xxx
Core Conroe Conroe Wolfdale Wolfdale
FSB, MHz 266 333 266 333
L2 cache size, MB 2 4 3 6
Process technology, nm 65 65 45 45
Support for SSE 4.1 - - + +
TDP, W 65 65 65 65
Core area, sq. mm 143 143 107 107
Q-ty of transistors, mln 291 291 410 410
Note that the 3 MB version of the Wolfdale core offers the same area and the number of transistors as the 6 MB version. That means both versions are cut from the same wafers and therefore offer the same capability for clock speeds. Therefore, physically the E7200 offers a 6 MB L2 cache, with its half "disabled". We also note that in the 7th series support for virtualization has been disabled. This is another proof that the E7xxx series is aimed at replacement of the E4ххх series in which this feature is also disabled.
The visual differences of the new processors are about the number and layout of capacitors:
Intel E7200
(To the left - Wolfdale 3 Mb, to the right - Conroe)
The CPU-Z utility displays the following information:
Intel E7200
With the specifications for E7200 included, this table looks like this:
Name Core Q-ty of cores Clock speed, GHz FSB, MHz Multiplier L2 cache size, MB
Core 2 Extreme QX9770 Yorkfield 4 3,2 400 8 12
Core 2 Extreme QX9650 Yorkfield 4 3,0 333 9 12
Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 4 2,83 333 8,5 12
Core 2 Quad Q9450 Yorkfield 4 2,66 333 8 12
Core 2 Quad Q9300 Yorkfield 4 2,5 333 7,5 6
Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 2 3,16 333 9,5 6
Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 2 3,0 333 9 6
Core 2 Duo E8300 Wolfdale 2 2,83 333 8,5 6
Core 2 Duo E8200 Wolfdale 2 2,66 333 8 6
Core 2 Duo E8190 Wolfdale 2 2,66 333 8 6
Core 2 Duo T7200 Wolfdale 2 2,53 266 9,5 3
We purposely called the release of the 7th series a key factor. As we can see, Intel is expanding its assortment and introducing 45-nm processors into the middle-end market. In particular, the recommended price for E7200 is set to $133. It looks like Intel has enough resources to fill this vast market sector. By the way, that should be a good news for AMD which has got so little time left to improve the attraction of its products. Because, if Intel keeps advancing towards the 45-nm process at this pace, then by the end of the year users will get the value series E5xxx as a replacement of the super popular E2xxx series, followed by a possible migration of dual-core Celeron processors to a new process early next year.
Overclocking
A few words on the overclocking. In theory, processors of the E8xxx and E7xxx series are highly attractive for overclocking. The finer process technology provides a higher clock speed limit and at the same time reduces the heat emission. If we look at E7200, it appears to be more preferable for overclocking because it offers a relatively low rated FSB speed (266 MHz) and, therefore, a high multiplier - 9.5. If we assume that the clock speed limit for the Wolfdale core is at about 4 GHz, then we attain this limit with the FSB speed set to 422 MHz. In case of using DDR2 memory, it will run at 844 MHz (with the minimum multiplier 1:1 selected). In other words, these conditions are feasible for most modern motherboards and DDR2 memory modules.
Now let's try the overclocking capability of the test processor.
Intel E7200
With the core voltage (Vcore) slightly raised, we were able to attain a stable operation at the clock speed ~3.9 GHz. To overcome the 4 GHz bar, we had to raise the Vcore to 1.55V. However, we believe these results are good enough and quite promising. The thing is, we tested an "engineering" sample with an early stepping. Normally, later steppings (found in the retail versions of processors) provide higher overclocking capability under the lower Vcore voltage. Therefore, we believe the technological limit for the Wolfdale 3 MB is at about 4.3-4.5 GHz. Therefore, to attain the limit we would have to use a higher quality motherboard (which provides an operational stability at FSB = 500 MHz) with the "overclocker-friendly" DDR2 memory running at a frequency higher than 1000 MHz at least.
CPU Intel Atom 230
These new CPUs are aimed solely at mobile computers, and their specifications fully meet the requirements of such devices. This first of all applies to power consumption which is below 4W (TDP). Such low indicators have been achieved due to a new architecture which does not resemble any of the previous Intel's architectures, although uses some of the features. The core comprises 47 mln transistors, and because they are manufactured following the 45-nm process technology it becomes clear why Atom is such a miniature and power-saving CPU.
Currently, Intel offers two series of the Atom processor in its assortment. The first is named Z (processors Z500-Z540), it is based on the Silverthorne core and is aimed at mobile systems of the MID class (Mobile Internet Devices). The second series based on the Diamondville core was announced quite recently (in March this year) and includes two models (N270 and 230). It is aimed at desktop systems (Nettops) and value notebooks (Netbooks).
Core Clock speed, GHz FSB, MHz L2, K TDP, W Process technology, nm Core area, mm2 Q-ty of transistors, (mln)
Atom Z500 Silverthorne 0,8 400 512 0,65 45 25 47
Atom Z510 Silverthorne 1,1 400 512 2 45 25 47
Atom Z520 Silverthorne 1,33 533 512 2 45 25 47
Atom Z530 Silverthorne 1,6 533 512 2 45 25 47
Atom Z540 Silverthorne 1,86 533 512 2,4 45 25 47
Atom N270 Diamondville 1,6 533 512 2,5 45 25 47
Atom 230 Diamondville 1,6 533 512 4 45 25 47
All Atom processors offer L1 56 K cache size, 32 K of which is reserved for the instructions cache and 24 K - for data. Also, all the processors are able executing 32-bit code and support additional instruction sets MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, and SSSE3. As regards 64-bit code (x86-64), it is supported by only the Diamondville core and only in the Atom 230 model. Currently, all the Atom processors are single-core. At the same time, they offer support for the Hyper-Threading which allows executing two parallel command streams.
Closer to the end of 2008, Intel is planning to release first dual-core Atom processors. There are rumors in the Internet regarding the model Atom 330 which will run at 1.6 GHz (FSB=533 MHz), with 512 K of L2 cache reserved per each core.
Atom processors of the Z series support the virtualization technology, as well as the C1E Speedstep power-saving technology. Besides the Z series, the C1E Speedstep is supported by Atom N270 built on the Diamondville core.
The assortment of Atom processors is quite wide, and includes two cores for various systems. To avoid a mishmash, it is important to note that the processors operate with certain chipsets, and it is just they which determine the purpose of the final product. Along with new processors, Intel has release a series of chipsets UL11L, US15L, US15W which are also aimed at operation of the Atom series Z processors (the Silverthorne core).
The chipsets offer similar specifications, each comprising a chip that implements functionality of the "north" and "south" bridges. The new chipsets support Intel Atom processors having the system bus speeds 100 or 133 MHz (400/533 MHz QPB), offer the integrated single-channel controller for 400- or 533-MHz DDR2 memory (the maximum memory capacity makes up 1 GB). Also, the chipsets of the new series offer the integrated graphic core Intel GMA500 which along with 3D graphics provides hardware decoding of the video formats H.264, MPEG2, VC1, and WMV9. At the same time, they support the D-SUB and DVI-I, as well as TV-Out outputs. Besides, there is the bus controller PCI Express spec 1.0.
A few words on the expansion options of the UL and US chipsets - they support one IDE link, eight USB 2.0 ports, as well as the HD audio subsystem.
The chipsets UL11L, US15L, US15W are a component part of the Centrino Atom 2 platform which also includes Atom processors, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, and 3G modules. The heat emission of UL11L is 1.6W, and that for chipsets of the US series - no more than 2.3W. In the end, the overall heat emission of the "UL11L + Atom CPU" combination is merely 2.25W! That is just what is needed for mobile devices since the unparalleled low power consumption provides a long operation time.
As regards the processors Atom N270 and Atom 230 built on the Diamondville core, they are aimed at cheap, power-saving and small-size systems (Nettops and Netbooks) with the 945GC chipset. That is just the system, namely, the motherboard, we are testing now:
Currently, Intel offers two series of the Atom processor in its assortment. The first is named Z (processors Z500-Z540), it is based on the Silverthorne core and is aimed at mobile systems of the MID class (Mobile Internet Devices). The second series based on the Diamondville core was announced quite recently (in March this year) and includes two models (N270 and 230). It is aimed at desktop systems (Nettops) and value notebooks (Netbooks).
Core Clock speed, GHz FSB, MHz L2, K TDP, W Process technology, nm Core area, mm2 Q-ty of transistors, (mln)
Atom Z500 Silverthorne 0,8 400 512 0,65 45 25 47
Atom Z510 Silverthorne 1,1 400 512 2 45 25 47
Atom Z520 Silverthorne 1,33 533 512 2 45 25 47
Atom Z530 Silverthorne 1,6 533 512 2 45 25 47
Atom Z540 Silverthorne 1,86 533 512 2,4 45 25 47
Atom N270 Diamondville 1,6 533 512 2,5 45 25 47
Atom 230 Diamondville 1,6 533 512 4 45 25 47
All Atom processors offer L1 56 K cache size, 32 K of which is reserved for the instructions cache and 24 K - for data. Also, all the processors are able executing 32-bit code and support additional instruction sets MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, and SSSE3. As regards 64-bit code (x86-64), it is supported by only the Diamondville core and only in the Atom 230 model. Currently, all the Atom processors are single-core. At the same time, they offer support for the Hyper-Threading which allows executing two parallel command streams.
Closer to the end of 2008, Intel is planning to release first dual-core Atom processors. There are rumors in the Internet regarding the model Atom 330 which will run at 1.6 GHz (FSB=533 MHz), with 512 K of L2 cache reserved per each core.
Atom processors of the Z series support the virtualization technology, as well as the C1E Speedstep power-saving technology. Besides the Z series, the C1E Speedstep is supported by Atom N270 built on the Diamondville core.
The assortment of Atom processors is quite wide, and includes two cores for various systems. To avoid a mishmash, it is important to note that the processors operate with certain chipsets, and it is just they which determine the purpose of the final product. Along with new processors, Intel has release a series of chipsets UL11L, US15L, US15W which are also aimed at operation of the Atom series Z processors (the Silverthorne core).
The chipsets offer similar specifications, each comprising a chip that implements functionality of the "north" and "south" bridges. The new chipsets support Intel Atom processors having the system bus speeds 100 or 133 MHz (400/533 MHz QPB), offer the integrated single-channel controller for 400- or 533-MHz DDR2 memory (the maximum memory capacity makes up 1 GB). Also, the chipsets of the new series offer the integrated graphic core Intel GMA500 which along with 3D graphics provides hardware decoding of the video formats H.264, MPEG2, VC1, and WMV9. At the same time, they support the D-SUB and DVI-I, as well as TV-Out outputs. Besides, there is the bus controller PCI Express spec 1.0.
A few words on the expansion options of the UL and US chipsets - they support one IDE link, eight USB 2.0 ports, as well as the HD audio subsystem.
The chipsets UL11L, US15L, US15W are a component part of the Centrino Atom 2 platform which also includes Atom processors, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, and 3G modules. The heat emission of UL11L is 1.6W, and that for chipsets of the US series - no more than 2.3W. In the end, the overall heat emission of the "UL11L + Atom CPU" combination is merely 2.25W! That is just what is needed for mobile devices since the unparalleled low power consumption provides a long operation time.
As regards the processors Atom N270 and Atom 230 built on the Diamondville core, they are aimed at cheap, power-saving and small-size systems (Nettops and Netbooks) with the 945GC chipset. That is just the system, namely, the motherboard, we are testing now:
AMD Radeon HD 4670
Some time after the release of Radeon HD 4800 series, AMD is up to surprise thrifty gamers with new video cards Radeon HD 4670 and Radeon HD 4650. Based on the GPU RV730, they have inherited the architecture of the RV770 chip and lost only some functional blocks. AMD's new product promises to be rather fast, and the immediate competitor to Radeon HD 4670 at price is GeForce 9500GT with GDDR-3 video memory. The recommended price for Radeon HD 4670 is $79.
The video card has proved to be of comparatively small size, takes up only one expansion slot and does not require additional power supply.
On the reverse side of the video card, there are four memory chips.
On the front side of the video card, under the cooling system, there are another four memory chips.
Made following the 55-nm process technology, the graphic chip RV730 is of quite small size, albeit contains 514 million transistors.
VRAM_chip
The overall video memory capacity is 512 MB and is made up of 8 chips. The memory bus width is 128-bit wide. The GDDR-3 memory chips are made by Hynix and offer 1.0 ns access time, which is equivalent to the effective frequency 2000 MHz at which they run.
Cooling system from Radeon HD 4670
The radiator of the cooling system for Radeon HD 4670 is made of copper, which helps it cope with its job without much noise. We tested the video card for heating using the test scene Firefly Forest from the benchmarking suite 3DMark at 2048x1536 with 8X FSAA and 16X AF enabled. After a few runs, the temperature of the GPU reached 83 C, while during the idle mode the GPU temperature amounted to 61 C. Note that even under maximum load the video card remained pretty quiet.
The video card has proved to be of comparatively small size, takes up only one expansion slot and does not require additional power supply.
On the reverse side of the video card, there are four memory chips.
On the front side of the video card, under the cooling system, there are another four memory chips.
Made following the 55-nm process technology, the graphic chip RV730 is of quite small size, albeit contains 514 million transistors.
VRAM_chip
The overall video memory capacity is 512 MB and is made up of 8 chips. The memory bus width is 128-bit wide. The GDDR-3 memory chips are made by Hynix and offer 1.0 ns access time, which is equivalent to the effective frequency 2000 MHz at which they run.
Cooling system from Radeon HD 4670
The radiator of the cooling system for Radeon HD 4670 is made of copper, which helps it cope with its job without much noise. We tested the video card for heating using the test scene Firefly Forest from the benchmarking suite 3DMark at 2048x1536 with 8X FSAA and 16X AF enabled. After a few runs, the temperature of the GPU reached 83 C, while during the idle mode the GPU temperature amounted to 61 C. Note that even under maximum load the video card remained pretty quiet.
Intel's XEON and Iwill's DX400-SN
Expense is relative. This is something I have learned in the years that I have been employed in the computer industry. What I used to think cost too much now looks more reasonable to me. Similarly, when it comes to big business, what some of us may find an obscene amount of money is shrugged off with ease. This is something I am going to ask you to keep in mind as you read this article. Remember, what may seem outrageous to you, often seems perfectly reasonable to someone else.
Intel's XEON line of processors was born back in the days of yore with the venerable P6 core that we have all come to know and love. Today marks the release of the first XEON based on the new Pentium 4 core. This product, as it is presented to you today, is Intel's next stab at the high-end workstation and server market. It will begin humbly, as an extension of the Pentium 4 into the dual-processor realm, and over the next half a year it will evolve into a fully-fledged server solution.
The codename, Foster, has been sloughed off for the more recognizable name, XEON - so for the purpose of this article I will refer to the processor simply as XEON. It will be released today at speeds of 1.4Ghz, 1.5Ghz, and 1.7Ghz in a socket 603 package with the same amount of onboard cache as the current Pentium 4 line. That means 8kb of L1 and 256kb of L2 for now. I will go into that in-depth later on in the article.
Figure 1.1 /// XEONs Figure 1.2 /// XEON Lid Figure 1.3 /// XEON Pins
To support this new processor, motherboards based on Intel's i860 or Colusa chipset have also been announced today. The Iwill DX400-SN was used for the testing and is the first of its kind. it is a no-holds-barred workstation class board as I assume all the motherboards supporting the XEON will be.
Understanding the XEON core is not difficult if you understand the core of the Pentium 4. The reason for this, as I am sure you may have guessed, is that currently the Pentium 4 and XEON are almost identical. For this reason I am not going to regurgitate the architecture of this processor in-depth. If you would like to read very detailed accounts of the core architecture, I suggest you go here, or for an excellent article on the latest Pentium 4, go here. These two articles contain the nitty-gritty on just about every detail of the Pentium 4 core architecture, so if you are interested, I recommend them highly.
Intel's XEON line of processors was born back in the days of yore with the venerable P6 core that we have all come to know and love. Today marks the release of the first XEON based on the new Pentium 4 core. This product, as it is presented to you today, is Intel's next stab at the high-end workstation and server market. It will begin humbly, as an extension of the Pentium 4 into the dual-processor realm, and over the next half a year it will evolve into a fully-fledged server solution.
The codename, Foster, has been sloughed off for the more recognizable name, XEON - so for the purpose of this article I will refer to the processor simply as XEON. It will be released today at speeds of 1.4Ghz, 1.5Ghz, and 1.7Ghz in a socket 603 package with the same amount of onboard cache as the current Pentium 4 line. That means 8kb of L1 and 256kb of L2 for now. I will go into that in-depth later on in the article.
Figure 1.1 /// XEONs Figure 1.2 /// XEON Lid Figure 1.3 /// XEON Pins
To support this new processor, motherboards based on Intel's i860 or Colusa chipset have also been announced today. The Iwill DX400-SN was used for the testing and is the first of its kind. it is a no-holds-barred workstation class board as I assume all the motherboards supporting the XEON will be.
Understanding the XEON core is not difficult if you understand the core of the Pentium 4. The reason for this, as I am sure you may have guessed, is that currently the Pentium 4 and XEON are almost identical. For this reason I am not going to regurgitate the architecture of this processor in-depth. If you would like to read very detailed accounts of the core architecture, I suggest you go here, or for an excellent article on the latest Pentium 4, go here. These two articles contain the nitty-gritty on just about every detail of the Pentium 4 core architecture, so if you are interested, I recommend them highly.
AMD Athlon MP and Intel XEON: The Long Term
For a refresher on both reviews, I am going to go over the conclusions we drew after testing both systems. We determined that for most workstation purposes, especially those involving audio/video and 3D application work, the Athlon MP system was superior to the XEON system not only in performance but also in price. I also mentioned that I would be following up that article with more in depth testing of high-end workstation and server applications, and I still intend to do that. From my findings so far it looks like the XEON’s memory throughput and very fast cache are helping it fend off the MP system in web and e-mail server situations. This is really not surprising, and in a way, fits with the pricing structure of both machines.
Figure 1.1 /// XEON Logo Figure 1.2 /// Athlon MP Logo
That leads me into the one comment and request we got more than any other – The Athlon MP (and in a sense the new XEON) systems have NOT been tested for long-term reliability and many of you are worried about that. I have received e-mails from professionals in the industry who are either wary of taking the plunge and going with an AMD based workstation or server, or who desire to do just that, but cannot because of others who are being cautious. There have even been articles on the net addressing this issue. Some sites are being very careful about handing out recommendations, and I cannot blame them. Now for you and I it is easy to scoff at this wariness, but they are right. These systems, in particular, the MP (since it is AMD’s first attempt to enter the workstation/server market) have not been tested for long-term reliability because no one has had the time to do just that.
I want to point out that in the business world stability means something entirely different that it does in the desktop market. At home in our living rooms we often shut our systems down everyday, or every week – often times we don’t flinch if we get a lockup or software failure. This isn’t true for everyone, but it is for most consumers.
On the other hand, when you talk about servers, you want them to be able to run non-stop, without constant supervision, for months and months on end. In the business world, when workstations or servers go down money is lost – a lot of it. That is why it isn’t uncommon for some businesses to spend the extra money up front for machines they know might be a little slower or a little heavier on the wallet but have proven themselves up to the tasks the business needs them to perform. You’re paying for reliability, and like I said above, we still don’t know if either of these machines can deliver that for the long-term.
This is not a criticism of any website that reviewed the AMD Athlon MP or Intel XEON – I understand that time limitations made it impossible to do this since most sites had these systems for no longer than a month before the initial reviews. I think that sometimes readers assume we get the hardware months and months before it is released. While we try and spend as much time with hardware as is possible before reviewing it, often times there are deadlines that must be met – and this causes a problem.
As I am sure you’ve all read, initial reports on the stability of both systems are very good. The Tyan Thunder K7 using the AMD762 chipset and the Iwill DX400-SN using the Intel i860 chipset, have both been rock solid in my testing and that of many others. Huge credit has to go to all parties involved on both sides in that sense. They just haven’t had ample opportunity to show long-term stability or instability because they haven’t been around long enough to do that.
Figure 1.3 /// MP ad Figure 1.4 /// Intel Ad
So, what do I intend to do about this? First I intend to follow-up both articles, like I mentioned above, with more and better testing. Hopefully this will help determine where both machines are best suited. Ultimately I want to use both these systems for an extended period of time in a server or workstation capacity to really test their reliability. As we all know a machine that can feel rock solid after the initial install of an operating system can quickly become ‘quirky’ after certain software or hardware is loaded. Obviously I will not be able to test every scenario – but over the next six months to a year I want to throw everything I can at these machines to see what, if anything, will cause them to falter. I do want to mention that these updates are not going to be MP vs. XEON articles. I will leave that for the reviews – these will be reports on the stability and usability of the machine.
So what about the specifics? As I am sure you can see Accelenation.com is still in its infant stages. We took a big leap when changing the design and name from FullOn3D, and we’re growing everyday at an exponential rate. Because of this we have to think about the long-term options available to us with regards to serving out page. We plan forums and other traffic intense ventures and as I am sure you can tell, our current server isn’t the fastest machine on the planet. What I am getting at is this – I am going to run one of these machines as our dedicated server (sadly, one is enough right now!) and the other I plan on using as an audio/video workstation that will be working non-stop, all day, everyday. With the help of some industry professionals I am going to do everything I can to try and find flaws with either machine and will report to you the progress of both regularly as I use them.
To digress for a moment, this leads me into something else we plan to do here at Accelenation.com and that is following up on our reports. Often times you’ll read a review, see some benchmarks, check out the conclusion, and that will be the end of it. What we want to do is keep up on the products we review, keep using them, get feedback, and report any changes to you readers. Much like we did at FullOn3D with the Iwill KK266 and KK266 FAQ we plan on updating you on problems, BIOS updates, drivers, fixes, and anything else that affects the owners of these products.
The thing that sparked this idea was a review I once read of a motherboard that had just been released, the infamous FIC SD11. This board was one of the very first to support the newly released AMD Athlon (heh), and was met with harsh critism for being horribly unstable, which, at the time it was! I bought one of these boards when it was first released and was disgusted. However, within 6 weeks of the release FIC has released at least 4 new BIOS’s which fixed almost every issue the board had. I didn’t see one follow-up anywhere regarding this and found it a little disappointing. The SD11 was never a great board, but FIC deserved some credit for keeping up on the issues and fixing them pretty quickly. So, how do you know, when you read a poor review of a newly released board, that that board won’t be a great buy two weeks after the review? You wouldn’t unless someone told you, and that is what we’re going to try and do.
Figure 1.1 /// XEON Logo Figure 1.2 /// Athlon MP Logo
That leads me into the one comment and request we got more than any other – The Athlon MP (and in a sense the new XEON) systems have NOT been tested for long-term reliability and many of you are worried about that. I have received e-mails from professionals in the industry who are either wary of taking the plunge and going with an AMD based workstation or server, or who desire to do just that, but cannot because of others who are being cautious. There have even been articles on the net addressing this issue. Some sites are being very careful about handing out recommendations, and I cannot blame them. Now for you and I it is easy to scoff at this wariness, but they are right. These systems, in particular, the MP (since it is AMD’s first attempt to enter the workstation/server market) have not been tested for long-term reliability because no one has had the time to do just that.
I want to point out that in the business world stability means something entirely different that it does in the desktop market. At home in our living rooms we often shut our systems down everyday, or every week – often times we don’t flinch if we get a lockup or software failure. This isn’t true for everyone, but it is for most consumers.
On the other hand, when you talk about servers, you want them to be able to run non-stop, without constant supervision, for months and months on end. In the business world, when workstations or servers go down money is lost – a lot of it. That is why it isn’t uncommon for some businesses to spend the extra money up front for machines they know might be a little slower or a little heavier on the wallet but have proven themselves up to the tasks the business needs them to perform. You’re paying for reliability, and like I said above, we still don’t know if either of these machines can deliver that for the long-term.
This is not a criticism of any website that reviewed the AMD Athlon MP or Intel XEON – I understand that time limitations made it impossible to do this since most sites had these systems for no longer than a month before the initial reviews. I think that sometimes readers assume we get the hardware months and months before it is released. While we try and spend as much time with hardware as is possible before reviewing it, often times there are deadlines that must be met – and this causes a problem.
As I am sure you’ve all read, initial reports on the stability of both systems are very good. The Tyan Thunder K7 using the AMD762 chipset and the Iwill DX400-SN using the Intel i860 chipset, have both been rock solid in my testing and that of many others. Huge credit has to go to all parties involved on both sides in that sense. They just haven’t had ample opportunity to show long-term stability or instability because they haven’t been around long enough to do that.
Figure 1.3 /// MP ad Figure 1.4 /// Intel Ad
So, what do I intend to do about this? First I intend to follow-up both articles, like I mentioned above, with more and better testing. Hopefully this will help determine where both machines are best suited. Ultimately I want to use both these systems for an extended period of time in a server or workstation capacity to really test their reliability. As we all know a machine that can feel rock solid after the initial install of an operating system can quickly become ‘quirky’ after certain software or hardware is loaded. Obviously I will not be able to test every scenario – but over the next six months to a year I want to throw everything I can at these machines to see what, if anything, will cause them to falter. I do want to mention that these updates are not going to be MP vs. XEON articles. I will leave that for the reviews – these will be reports on the stability and usability of the machine.
So what about the specifics? As I am sure you can see Accelenation.com is still in its infant stages. We took a big leap when changing the design and name from FullOn3D, and we’re growing everyday at an exponential rate. Because of this we have to think about the long-term options available to us with regards to serving out page. We plan forums and other traffic intense ventures and as I am sure you can tell, our current server isn’t the fastest machine on the planet. What I am getting at is this – I am going to run one of these machines as our dedicated server (sadly, one is enough right now!) and the other I plan on using as an audio/video workstation that will be working non-stop, all day, everyday. With the help of some industry professionals I am going to do everything I can to try and find flaws with either machine and will report to you the progress of both regularly as I use them.
To digress for a moment, this leads me into something else we plan to do here at Accelenation.com and that is following up on our reports. Often times you’ll read a review, see some benchmarks, check out the conclusion, and that will be the end of it. What we want to do is keep up on the products we review, keep using them, get feedback, and report any changes to you readers. Much like we did at FullOn3D with the Iwill KK266 and KK266 FAQ we plan on updating you on problems, BIOS updates, drivers, fixes, and anything else that affects the owners of these products.
The thing that sparked this idea was a review I once read of a motherboard that had just been released, the infamous FIC SD11. This board was one of the very first to support the newly released AMD Athlon (heh), and was met with harsh critism for being horribly unstable, which, at the time it was! I bought one of these boards when it was first released and was disgusted. However, within 6 weeks of the release FIC has released at least 4 new BIOS’s which fixed almost every issue the board had. I didn’t see one follow-up anywhere regarding this and found it a little disappointing. The SD11 was never a great board, but FIC deserved some credit for keeping up on the issues and fixing them pretty quickly. So, how do you know, when you read a poor review of a newly released board, that that board won’t be a great buy two weeks after the review? You wouldn’t unless someone told you, and that is what we’re going to try and do.
Intel P4 3.06 GHz w/Hyper Threading
Over a year ago we saw Intel beat AMD in the battle to hit 2 GHz with their P4, since the P4 2 GHz was based on the original Willamette core; it wasn’t met with much acclaim by the hardware community. Nonetheless, the Willamette 2 GHz was still a success thanks to OEM’s delivering systems to consumers who like big numbers, in terms of MHz.
Fast forward a bit to last December we saw that Intel finally released their .13u Northwood based P4’s ranging from 1.6 GHz to 2.2 GHz which ran neck and neck with AMD’s Athlon XP2000+, which launched on the same day. With the launch of the Northwood core P4’s; Intel stated that the Northwood core will allow them to break the 3 GHz barrier in Q4 2002. As time passed, we saw Intel release a 2.4 GHz, which was faster then anything AMD had to offer at the time, as well as make the transition to a faster 533 MHz Quad Pumped front side bus which allowed them to scale the Northwood core even higher.
Towards the end of the summer we saw Intel and AMD launch new processors. While Intel launched a 2.8 GHz processor and was able to deliver right away, AMD had problems delivering their recently released XP2400+ (2 GHz) and XP2600+ (2.1 GHz) processors, which let Intel gain more market share. While AMD recently released their XP2700+ and XP2800+ processors running on a 166 MHz FSB, Intel was prepping to launch their counter attack.
Since AMD still has yet to deliver their flagship XP2800+ models, Intel has taken this opportunity to execute their latest product launch. Today Intel has chosen to launch their latest flagship 3.06 GHz Pentium 4 equipped with Hyper Threading SMT technology just a few days before Comdex starts.
Hyper Threading Explained
We’ve all heard the phrase “Two become one,” which I won’t even attempt to go into detail about, but Hyper Threading technology in laymen terms is pretty much the opposite, which is “One becomes two.” What does it all mean you might ask? Since the birth of the x86 processor, processors have only been able to process one thread at a time, unlike multiple processor systems, which are capable of processing multiple threads.
With processors increasing rapidly in speed, you can only increase the clock speed to a certain point before it is no longer the limiting factor. Intel saw this limitation and recently introduced Hyper Threading SMT technology to their Xeon (Prestonia) line of processors. SMT, or Symmetrical Multi-threading, allows a single processor to process multiple threads, without having a physical second processor but instead having a logical or virtual second processor. In the case of the P4 3.06 GHz HT, even though it is only a single processor, it would be detected as two processors in Windows, which allows Windows to sign a thread to each Logical processor. In simpler terms, the processor tricks the OS into thinking there are two processors installed which would allows the OS to treat the system as a Dual Processor system.
While the processor and BIOS might support the technology, it is all up to the OS to take advantage of it in the end. Currently the only operating systems that support Hyper Threading Technology are Windows XP Professional, Home, Windows 2000, and Linux. While some might argue that Windows XP Home Edition only allows one processor, you’re somewhat right. Windows XP Home as reported by Microsoft and Intel supports one physical processor, and one logical processor, which makes Windows XP Home fully compatible with HT, enabled 3.06 GHz Pentium 4’s.
The Processor
Since the P4 3.06 GHz is still a Socket 478 processor, it doesn’t differ much from its existing counterparts.
With such a high clock speed, the 3.06 GHz requires a new cooling solution. Unlike the all aluminum cooler that graced the P4 up to 2.8 GHz, the new cooling solution uses a hybrid copper and aluminum design. Like most hybrid solutions, the new cooler uses a copper core with aluminum fins because copper is better with heat transfer and aluminum is better with heat dissipation. The cooler also uses a Sunon 70MM fan which is relatively loud. Lastly the heat sink was designed by a company named EKL, as printed on the label.
Fast forward a bit to last December we saw that Intel finally released their .13u Northwood based P4’s ranging from 1.6 GHz to 2.2 GHz which ran neck and neck with AMD’s Athlon XP2000+, which launched on the same day. With the launch of the Northwood core P4’s; Intel stated that the Northwood core will allow them to break the 3 GHz barrier in Q4 2002. As time passed, we saw Intel release a 2.4 GHz, which was faster then anything AMD had to offer at the time, as well as make the transition to a faster 533 MHz Quad Pumped front side bus which allowed them to scale the Northwood core even higher.
Towards the end of the summer we saw Intel and AMD launch new processors. While Intel launched a 2.8 GHz processor and was able to deliver right away, AMD had problems delivering their recently released XP2400+ (2 GHz) and XP2600+ (2.1 GHz) processors, which let Intel gain more market share. While AMD recently released their XP2700+ and XP2800+ processors running on a 166 MHz FSB, Intel was prepping to launch their counter attack.
Since AMD still has yet to deliver their flagship XP2800+ models, Intel has taken this opportunity to execute their latest product launch. Today Intel has chosen to launch their latest flagship 3.06 GHz Pentium 4 equipped with Hyper Threading SMT technology just a few days before Comdex starts.
Hyper Threading Explained
We’ve all heard the phrase “Two become one,” which I won’t even attempt to go into detail about, but Hyper Threading technology in laymen terms is pretty much the opposite, which is “One becomes two.” What does it all mean you might ask? Since the birth of the x86 processor, processors have only been able to process one thread at a time, unlike multiple processor systems, which are capable of processing multiple threads.
With processors increasing rapidly in speed, you can only increase the clock speed to a certain point before it is no longer the limiting factor. Intel saw this limitation and recently introduced Hyper Threading SMT technology to their Xeon (Prestonia) line of processors. SMT, or Symmetrical Multi-threading, allows a single processor to process multiple threads, without having a physical second processor but instead having a logical or virtual second processor. In the case of the P4 3.06 GHz HT, even though it is only a single processor, it would be detected as two processors in Windows, which allows Windows to sign a thread to each Logical processor. In simpler terms, the processor tricks the OS into thinking there are two processors installed which would allows the OS to treat the system as a Dual Processor system.
While the processor and BIOS might support the technology, it is all up to the OS to take advantage of it in the end. Currently the only operating systems that support Hyper Threading Technology are Windows XP Professional, Home, Windows 2000, and Linux. While some might argue that Windows XP Home Edition only allows one processor, you’re somewhat right. Windows XP Home as reported by Microsoft and Intel supports one physical processor, and one logical processor, which makes Windows XP Home fully compatible with HT, enabled 3.06 GHz Pentium 4’s.
The Processor
Since the P4 3.06 GHz is still a Socket 478 processor, it doesn’t differ much from its existing counterparts.
With such a high clock speed, the 3.06 GHz requires a new cooling solution. Unlike the all aluminum cooler that graced the P4 up to 2.8 GHz, the new cooling solution uses a hybrid copper and aluminum design. Like most hybrid solutions, the new cooler uses a copper core with aluminum fins because copper is better with heat transfer and aluminum is better with heat dissipation. The cooler also uses a Sunon 70MM fan which is relatively loud. Lastly the heat sink was designed by a company named EKL, as printed on the label.
Intel Pentium 4 3.2E
Approximately two years ago Intel launched their long awaited Northwood core. The Northwood allowed Intel to regain their performance crown from AMD in the high-end sector. The Northwood doubled the L2 cache of the existing Willamette core as well as shrunk the die from .18u to .13u. As time rolled by, the Northwood core underwent enhancements such as a faster system bus and platform upgrades, which have allowed us to reach speeds in excess of 3 GHz. After being a favorite among the gaming and overclocking community for over two years, the Northwood is nearing the end of its life; in its place will be the long awaited Prescott based Pentium 4 CPU that has been delayed since Q4 2003.
Finally it’s the moment everyone has been waiting for. Since the launch of the Athlon 64, Intel users have been touting that Prescott will beat out AMD’s 64-bit technology. Now that Prescott has arrived, can he dance as well as we've been led to believe?
Prescott
For today, Intel is launching a total of six microprocessors for the trusty ole Socket 478. Prescott will be available from 2.8 to 3.4 GHz with Hyper Threading and an 800 MHz front side bus. There will also be a lower-end 2.8A version without HyperThreading for existing 533 MHz FSB motherboards. On top of that, Intel will be releasing their current Extreme Edition Pentium 4 at 3.4 GHz and also the last Northwood core at 3.4 GHz. To differentiate the processors, all Prescott processors, with the exception of the 2.8A, will carry the E suffix; for example, 3.2E, 3.0E, etc.
In today’s article we will be taking a look at the Intel Pentium 4 3.2E.
Differences...
Die Shrink
The existing Northwood-based Pentium 4 was fabricated using a 130 nanometer process with a 146mm² die, 55 million transistors, that required around 1.5-1.55 volts. Prescott is based on a 90 nanometer process that shrinks the die size to 112mm², making the Prescott die 22% smaller. While the die size has shrunk by 22%, the transistor count has increased 2.5 times, coming in at 125 million. Since a smaller fabrication process allows engineers to squeeze more transistors into a smaller area, engineers were allowed to add more enhancements. With the 90 nanometer die shrink, the Prescott operates with a mere 1.3 volts and dissipates 103W of heat.
For the most part, a die shrink is beneficial as it allows more transistors to be crammed in a small area while lowering voltage requirements.
Extended Pipeline
To allow the Pentium 4 to achieve higher clock rates, Intel had to increase the length of the pipeline. With the Prescott, the pipeline has been extended from 20 stages to aproximately 31 stages. This would normally decrease the IPC (Instructions Per Cycle) of the processor, but Intel has other tricks up their sleeve.
Better Branch Prediction
To make up for the extended pipeline, Intel has improved the branch prediction unit of the Prescott. Taking a page from the Pentium M design team, an indirect branch predictor was added to the core for better branch prediction. Since the pipeline needs to be flushed every time a bad prediction is made, less mistakes will lead to fewer flushes, which maintains performance.
More Cache
Where the Northwood had 8KB of L1 cache that was 4-way associative, the Prescott doubles that number to 16KB, making it 8-ways associative. In addition to the increase in L1, the L2 cache has also been doubled from 512KB to 1MB. With more L2 cache, the system doesn’t have to fetch data from memory as often.
Finally it’s the moment everyone has been waiting for. Since the launch of the Athlon 64, Intel users have been touting that Prescott will beat out AMD’s 64-bit technology. Now that Prescott has arrived, can he dance as well as we've been led to believe?
Prescott
For today, Intel is launching a total of six microprocessors for the trusty ole Socket 478. Prescott will be available from 2.8 to 3.4 GHz with Hyper Threading and an 800 MHz front side bus. There will also be a lower-end 2.8A version without HyperThreading for existing 533 MHz FSB motherboards. On top of that, Intel will be releasing their current Extreme Edition Pentium 4 at 3.4 GHz and also the last Northwood core at 3.4 GHz. To differentiate the processors, all Prescott processors, with the exception of the 2.8A, will carry the E suffix; for example, 3.2E, 3.0E, etc.
In today’s article we will be taking a look at the Intel Pentium 4 3.2E.
Differences...
Die Shrink
The existing Northwood-based Pentium 4 was fabricated using a 130 nanometer process with a 146mm² die, 55 million transistors, that required around 1.5-1.55 volts. Prescott is based on a 90 nanometer process that shrinks the die size to 112mm², making the Prescott die 22% smaller. While the die size has shrunk by 22%, the transistor count has increased 2.5 times, coming in at 125 million. Since a smaller fabrication process allows engineers to squeeze more transistors into a smaller area, engineers were allowed to add more enhancements. With the 90 nanometer die shrink, the Prescott operates with a mere 1.3 volts and dissipates 103W of heat.
For the most part, a die shrink is beneficial as it allows more transistors to be crammed in a small area while lowering voltage requirements.
Extended Pipeline
To allow the Pentium 4 to achieve higher clock rates, Intel had to increase the length of the pipeline. With the Prescott, the pipeline has been extended from 20 stages to aproximately 31 stages. This would normally decrease the IPC (Instructions Per Cycle) of the processor, but Intel has other tricks up their sleeve.
Better Branch Prediction
To make up for the extended pipeline, Intel has improved the branch prediction unit of the Prescott. Taking a page from the Pentium M design team, an indirect branch predictor was added to the core for better branch prediction. Since the pipeline needs to be flushed every time a bad prediction is made, less mistakes will lead to fewer flushes, which maintains performance.
More Cache
Where the Northwood had 8KB of L1 cache that was 4-way associative, the Prescott doubles that number to 16KB, making it 8-ways associative. In addition to the increase in L1, the L2 cache has also been doubled from 512KB to 1MB. With more L2 cache, the system doesn’t have to fetch data from memory as often.
AMD's Athlon MP & Tyan's Thunder K7
Over the past two years AMD have established themselves as one of the two premier chipmakers for the desktop market. Today we will be looking at the products they hope will make a name for them in the workstation and server arena. The Dual Athlon MP system is finally here. This is the next logical step for AMD since they have managed to eat up quite a large chunk of the desktop market share since August 1999, but have, as of yet, been virtually invisible in the high-end business segment. Yes, some forward thinking companies like Boeing have put together huge clusters of Athlon based machines - but what AMD wants is for the less forward thinking companies to regard them as the company to bank on for their computer needs instead of their competitors.
To do this AMD has just announced a new processor, which they hope will challenge Intel’s Dual Pentium III and Dual XEON line of processors. This chip, whose codename Palomino has been changed to Athlon MP is the next step in the evolution of the previous Athlon Thunderbird. Besides a few new features which should help performance and long-term life the Athlon MP's main selling point is the ability to run in Dual processor machines (with support from AMD). To achieve this, AMD has also announced the AMD 760MP (762) Northbridge, which will allow motherboards to run two processors and utilize SMP.
To do this AMD has just announced a new processor, which they hope will challenge Intel’s Dual Pentium III and Dual XEON line of processors. This chip, whose codename Palomino has been changed to Athlon MP is the next step in the evolution of the previous Athlon Thunderbird. Besides a few new features which should help performance and long-term life the Athlon MP's main selling point is the ability to run in Dual processor machines (with support from AMD). To achieve this, AMD has also announced the AMD 760MP (762) Northbridge, which will allow motherboards to run two processors and utilize SMP.
Godaddy
The most advanced family of simultaneous 32- and 64-bit Windows- compatible processors made for mobility. Uniquely optimized to deliver 
AMD64 performance in thinner and lighter notebook designs. Longer battery life, enhanced security with Enhanced Virus Protection enabled by Windows XP SP2, and compatibility with the latest wireless and graphics technologies, today and tomorrow. AMD64 technology enables 32- and 64-bit computing and maximizes performance for both current and future applications, resulting in quicker application loading and an excellent multi-media experience. HyperTransport technology with an integrated DDR memory controller increases application responsiveness, decreases loading time and improves overall PC performance by reducing I/O bottlenecks, increasing bandwidth and reducing latency.
AMD64 performance in thinner and lighter notebook designs. Longer battery life, enhanced security with Enhanced Virus Protection enabled by Windows XP SP2, and compatibility with the latest wireless and graphics technologies, today and tomorrow. AMD64 technology enables 32- and 64-bit computing and maximizes performance for both current and future applications, resulting in quicker application loading and an excellent multi-media experience. HyperTransport technology with an integrated DDR memory controller increases application responsiveness, decreases loading time and improves overall PC performance by reducing I/O bottlenecks, increasing bandwidth and reducing latency.
SAP Education
SAP team
Profiles
As a SAP Business Intelligence (BI) consultant you will work
on challenging assignments for leading clients and enable
ISV’s (Independent Software Vendors) to realize BI
solutions and become ‘Powered by SAP Netweaver’.
You will work in a team of TopForce professionals to
realize BI solutions together with our clients using our
vision on the ‘High Perwormance Workplace’ and on BI.
Key words are SAP BW and Netweaver knowledge, BI focus
applied to SAP BI solutions, and user-centric design. Our
user-centric approach ensures that we deliver the right
information at the right time to the right people based on
the value of usability. Our solutions will be designed
according to our Enterprise SOA framework. Business
knowledge and BI knowledge are combined with the latest
SAP BI and Netweaver knowledge to ensure that we deliver
the highest value to our clients. We are looking for BI
with outstanding references. Who are keen on having the
role of innovator and are up to date with the latest trends
and technologies. You have experience and affinity with
working in complex environments with multiple SAP
and non SAP technologies, like SAP BW, EP, MDM, XI,
WebDynpro. We offer a good career in BI for professionals
from the grade of consultants up to the level of senior
manager. Our ambition is to be recognised as the best SAP
BI partner in the market and we are rapidly working to
become so. If you are working in the BI area we challenge
you to contact us and live your dreams.
Qualifications:
Your approach is enthusiastic, customer orientated and
you enjoy working in a team and help build TopForce
and the BI practice. Your educational background is on
HBO/WO level. You are also flexible and able to work
independently.
- Experience and/or affinity with technique, development,
- Developments and the latest developments on SAP BW,
- Visual Composer and NetWeaver.
Tasks:
Develop SAP BW solutions in complex environments with
multiple SAP and non-SAP technologies, advise clients on
the translation of a functional design to a technical design,
implementing SAP BI solutions, analyse and advise on
performance improvements, oversee current SAP BW
implementations and advise on improvements. Help ISV’s
to develop
and become ‘Powered by NetWeaver’.
Responsibilities:
In your assignments you advise clients on both the functional
and the technical design as well as the implementation of the
technical design. You advise and implement design and
process of Extraction Transformation and Loading (ETL).
Implementation of performance improvement.
Specific Qualifications:
We are looking for consultants, senior consultants, managing
onsultants, senior manager for our BI practice and depending
On your knowledge and experience we can offer you one of
the above positions. Your current working experience is at
a consulting firm or client organisation. You have experience
with SAP BW implementation projects.You also have
experience and/or affinity with SAP NetWeaver, ABAP,
Visual Composer. You know Business Intelligence principles
like data modelling, data warehousing, ETL and are keen on
further working and applying these. You have experience
with off site development and having knowledge of non-SAP
technologies (like Oracle, Information Science) is an
advantage. You have good communication skills and your
demand of the Dutch and the English language, both spoken
as in writing, is impeccable. If you would like to know more
about us and our challenging projects for well-known clients,
surf to Business practice BI.
The Business Unit BI is one of the four Business Units within
TopForce. Our mission is to become the best BI firm for our
SAP clients in the market enabling them to create the ‘High
Performance Workplace’. You will work on fully integrated
projects which in most cases contain the almost complete
NetWeaver stack. Clients we serve include amongst others
Shell, Philips, Government, Heineken, Essent, Rolls Royce.
In addition we help Independent Software Vendors (ISV’s)
in becoming ‘Powered by NetWeaver’.Employment
Conditions The TopForce approach towards its employees
is aimed at creating an exciting and professional work
environment where they can focus on that what they are
good at. TopForce therefore greatly values and invests in
employee development. As a TopForce employee you are
awarded a budget and the time for further education and
training whereby the everyday practice also
offers plenty of opportunity to broaden your knowledge.
This will give you the chance to acquire specific competences
bringing you to the level of a valued professional. TopForce
offers plenty of opportunity for career growth, enabling you
to develop from technical consultant to business consultant.
Career:
Being a BI professional at TopForce means you can build a
career from consultant to partner and have a chance to
work on your personal and professional growth and
development. Both assignment and training program are
based on your personal.development plan according to our
BI competence development framework.
Profiles
As a SAP Business Intelligence (BI) consultant you will work
on challenging assignments for leading clients and enable
ISV’s (Independent Software Vendors) to realize BI
solutions and become ‘Powered by SAP Netweaver’.
You will work in a team of TopForce professionals to
realize BI solutions together with our clients using our
vision on the ‘High Perwormance Workplace’ and on BI.
Key words are SAP BW and Netweaver knowledge, BI focus
applied to SAP BI solutions, and user-centric design. Our
user-centric approach ensures that we deliver the right
information at the right time to the right people based on
the value of usability. Our solutions will be designed
according to our Enterprise SOA framework. Business
knowledge and BI knowledge are combined with the latest
SAP BI and Netweaver knowledge to ensure that we deliver
the highest value to our clients. We are looking for BI
with outstanding references. Who are keen on having the
role of innovator and are up to date with the latest trends
and technologies. You have experience and affinity with
working in complex environments with multiple SAP
and non SAP technologies, like SAP BW, EP, MDM, XI,
WebDynpro. We offer a good career in BI for professionals
from the grade of consultants up to the level of senior
manager. Our ambition is to be recognised as the best SAP
BI partner in the market and we are rapidly working to
become so. If you are working in the BI area we challenge
you to contact us and live your dreams.
Qualifications:
Your approach is enthusiastic, customer orientated and
you enjoy working in a team and help build TopForce
and the BI practice. Your educational background is on
HBO/WO level. You are also flexible and able to work
independently.
- Experience and/or affinity with technique, development,
- Developments and the latest developments on SAP BW,
- Visual Composer and NetWeaver.
Tasks:
Develop SAP BW solutions in complex environments with
multiple SAP and non-SAP technologies, advise clients on
the translation of a functional design to a technical design,
implementing SAP BI solutions, analyse and advise on
performance improvements, oversee current SAP BW
implementations and advise on improvements. Help ISV’s
to develop
and become ‘Powered by NetWeaver’.
Responsibilities:
In your assignments you advise clients on both the functional
and the technical design as well as the implementation of the
technical design. You advise and implement design and
process of Extraction Transformation and Loading (ETL).
Implementation of performance improvement.
Specific Qualifications:
We are looking for consultants, senior consultants, managing
onsultants, senior manager for our BI practice and depending
On your knowledge and experience we can offer you one of
the above positions. Your current working experience is at
a consulting firm or client organisation. You have experience
with SAP BW implementation projects.You also have
experience and/or affinity with SAP NetWeaver, ABAP,
Visual Composer. You know Business Intelligence principles
like data modelling, data warehousing, ETL and are keen on
further working and applying these. You have experience
with off site development and having knowledge of non-SAP
technologies (like Oracle, Information Science) is an
advantage. You have good communication skills and your
demand of the Dutch and the English language, both spoken
as in writing, is impeccable. If you would like to know more
about us and our challenging projects for well-known clients,
surf to Business practice BI.
The Business Unit BI is one of the four Business Units within
TopForce. Our mission is to become the best BI firm for our
SAP clients in the market enabling them to create the ‘High
Performance Workplace’. You will work on fully integrated
projects which in most cases contain the almost complete
NetWeaver stack. Clients we serve include amongst others
Shell, Philips, Government, Heineken, Essent, Rolls Royce.
In addition we help Independent Software Vendors (ISV’s)
in becoming ‘Powered by NetWeaver’.Employment
Conditions The TopForce approach towards its employees
is aimed at creating an exciting and professional work
environment where they can focus on that what they are
good at. TopForce therefore greatly values and invests in
employee development. As a TopForce employee you are
awarded a budget and the time for further education and
training whereby the everyday practice also
offers plenty of opportunity to broaden your knowledge.
This will give you the chance to acquire specific competences
bringing you to the level of a valued professional. TopForce
offers plenty of opportunity for career growth, enabling you
to develop from technical consultant to business consultant.
Career:
Being a BI professional at TopForce means you can build a
career from consultant to partner and have a chance to
work on your personal and professional growth and
development. Both assignment and training program are
based on your personal.development plan according to our
BI competence development framework.
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