Chris Pirillo » intel

Can Money Buy Hard Drive Happiness?

Chris Pirillo — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:10:28 +0000

Over on Lockergnome, there’s a popular discussion going on about the things money can’t buy. Several people have talked about how all of the gold in the world cannot purchase happiness or love. We already know this, right? It cannot fix broken hearts. It can’t guarantee you will grow old. The fun part of the discussion, though, comes in when people start bringing up the technology they only wish they could get their hot little hands on.

Tim is sad that all of the greenbacks in banks everywhere is still not enough to buy him the Intel 48 core CPU. Sadly, it isn’t available for purchase. This particular piece of technology is only for use in scientific and educational settings.

What do you wish money could buy for you?

Great news! Money can buy the best software and apps available… and it doesn’t even take a lot of green when you visit out software center.

Can Money Buy Hard Drive Happiness?

How Do You Focus on the Task at Hand?

Chris Pirillo — Wed, 05 May 2010 05:14:04 +0000

How Do You Focus on the Task at Hand?

Sometimes, focusing our brain can be a difficult task. Things happen on a daily basis in our lives that end up muddling our minds. It becomes difficult to shut off the noise and truly focus on whatever it is we’re supposed to be doing. Even though the thoughts running rampant may be serious or life-changing, we still have to find a way to push them aside for a bit of time so that we can finish our work. Life goes on, even when we may not want it to.

My question is… how do you accomplish this? How do you manage to stop thinking about everything else and get the things done that you have to? What do you do to clear your head and distract yourself when you need to? I happen to know someone who is going through a very difficult and painful time right now. However, she still has to work in order to take care of her family. She’s having a lot of trouble concentrating. Instead of thinking through what she’s trying to write, she ends up having her thoughts consumed by what is going on in her life. I am hoping that our community may have some advice and tips for her to help her get through this period. I’m sure that she’s not the only one having this problem, either. I’m willing to bet all of you have had to deal with this at some point or another.

How do YOU turn off the noise and just focus?

You won’t find any type of noise or external clutter when you head over to our software center to get the latest software and apps for your devices and computers.

How Do You Focus on the Task at Hand?

What Tech Do You Want?

Chris Pirillo — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 07:03:31 +0000

What Tech Do You Want?

Earlier, I posted a video asking which format you prefer our YouTube videos to be recorded in. Going a step further, I can’t help but wonder what it is that will make the community one big happy bundle of joy. What do you want to see? What directions do envision our community taking?

For instance, if I post an article or video related to Apple, the Windows fans go ballistic. Likewise, whenever I posted something Windows-related, the Mac fanboys blow a gasket. It’s like there’s no happy medium these days. I cannot possibly make everyone happy all at once. I’m not even going to try!

However, I DO strongly believe that what we’re doing is about the community, not just “for” the community. So… I want to know what YOU think. What do you want to see more of in the coming months? What things can you live without? Leave a follow-up comment here, or drop me an email with your thoughts.

Don’t forget to stop by our software center to see what new deals we have for you today!

What Tech Do You Want?

Do We Take Technology Advances Too Far?

Chris Pirillo — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:56:36 +0000

Do We Take Technology Advances Too Far?

In the name of being the best, technology manufacturers are constantly pushing out new product, along with updates to older generation devices. Often, these new gadgets boast something new and improved, making our lives better in some way. Once in awhile, though, we get a product that makes us scratch our collective heads and wonder what on Earth the company in question was thinking of.

Are companies pushing themselves TOO hard to create the next big thing? Are they sometimes sacrificing quality – and sometimes pushing things out too quickly – in the name of beating their competitors to the punch? I happen to think this is absolutely the case, and cannot help but wonder why it’s so all-fire important to hurry? What’s the rush? Where’s the fire? Why don’t these companies take their time to create something truly unique? In my mind, they’d sell far more units – thus making more money – were they to take the time to truly think things through prior to production and rollout.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree with me, or do you think I’ve lost my mind (again!)?

Don’t forget to stop by our software download center to see what new titles are available today!

Do We Take Technology Advances Too Far?

How Do You Defeat Jet Lag?

Chris Pirillo — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:42:18 +0000

How Do You Defeat Jet Lag?

Dude, seriously – how do you get over jet lag without practically killing yourself? I was in Paris last week, to speak at the LeWeb conference. While it was a fantastic experience for me, I am still so tired I could die. Paris is nine hours ahead of the time here in Seattle. That is a HUGE difference, let me tell you. I was tired when I got to Paris, and I’m still wiped out two days after returning home.

Yes, I slept a little on the flight. No, it really didn’t seem to help. I’ve only been to Europe once before, and I had the same issues then, as well. I know many of you out there are jet-setters, right? How do you manage to go back and forth between different time zones without dropping over from exhaustion? How the heck do you reset your body clocks so quickly, and adapt within a matter of hours?

The community may not have been with me in presence, but I know you were all with me in spirit. Thanks to those of you who watched my presentation as it happened. Your support means a lot to me! I’m also glad that you all stayed home! It allowed you to keep writing and posting things on our sites!

There are several excellent new pieces of software featured on our downloads site today! Be sure you check back every day, so you don’t miss anything!

How Do You Defeat Jet Lag?

Do Your Research – on Every Topic

Chris Pirillo — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 05:07:44 +0000

Do Your Research – on Every Topic

Earlier tonight, I put up a blog post discussing the possible trouble you can run into by using generic ink cartridges. Just a few days ago, I talked in another post about what a great deal they can be – for some people. This is why I always caution you to do your research. Not every deal is going to be a good one for every person. Not every brand will work for you. What is “awesome” for one person, may very well be a disaster for you.

It doesn’t matter if you’re buying print cartridges, a new television or computer, or even whether you’re in the market for a new house. Do your research. Find out what others are saying. Know what the strengths and weaknesses are of whatever it is you’re looking at purchasing or investing in. Don’t buy something only because so-and-so told you that you should, even if that so-and-so was me. Buy whatever is going to fit your needs – and your budget – the best.

One great way to find out what is good, and what is not so good, is to read what people are saying on Lockergnome and Geeks.

If you’re in the market for new software of any type – mobile platforms included – be sure to keep an eye on the deals and discounts we pass on to you every day!

Do Your Research – on Every Topic

Future of the Data Center

Chris Pirillo — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:39:48 +0000

Future of the Data Center

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The Microsoft Data Center Futures team built a prototype containing 100 dual-core Atom processors. They believe that data centers in the future will include many more low-power processors. This prototype is the first step in demonstrating their potential cost savings.

This little board is tiny, inexpensive, and powerful. This is definitely server-level stuff. Microsoft is running Server 2008 on these, along with other Microsoft applications. The devs have taken 50 of these boards, put them in a rack, and turned it into a server. The server is actually efficient and quiet, and can be plugged right into a regular power outlet!

This was done as an experiment, and it’s one that is working! There isn’t yet enough data to make a general statement, but none of the boards have failed yet. That is a good sign for the future, and shows the way things are going to go. Everyone wants parts to cost less, and everyone wants to save energy.

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Future of the Data Center

Top 5 Intel Processors

coupons — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 02:48:00 +0000

Top 5 Intel Processors

This is Aidan Allen’s submission for the HP Magic Giveaway. Feel free to leave comments for this article as you see fit – your feedback is certainly welcomed! If you’d like to submit your own how-to, what-is, or top-five list, you can send it to me. Views and opinions of this writer are not necessarily my own:

Intel Core i7 Extreme – A good choice if you are a hardcore gamer and want the best graphics and performance processor. The clear graphics will leave you wondering which reality is and which is not. This all comes at an incredible speed, of 3.46GHz, for each of the 4 cores, which all comes at £899.99 or $1,495.99.
Intel Core i7 – The next choice down for serious gamers. It provides you with HD Graphics and great responsiveness which is perfect for Gaming, Video editing, and Web browsing – all with the performance you need. All at around 2.93GHz and again the adding feature of 4 cores giving you the edge for all your needs, but it does come at a price of £259.36 or $565.99.
Intel Core 2 Quad – With 4 cores again to offer high end graphics and speeds of up to 2.93GHz, this is perfect for HD encoding photo editing and even HD gaming; it has 50% faster graphics than the old Intel Core 2 Quad HD Processor. All of this adds up to bring you the best overall performance for your PC, all at around £184.00 or $317.50.
Intel Core 2 Duo – This is the processor for an average home computer. This is a good choice if you are not into gaming and just want the basic all around processor. With only 2 cores it is the most energy efficient processor made by Intel. It does support HD video and has some good solid performance. This runs around £159.99 or $210.99, but amazingly for that price you have 2 Cores both running at an incredible 3.16GHz helping you make the most of your PC.
Intel Centrino 2 – This is a notebook processor but you are able to be the most productive you ever be. With integrated wireless technology with a speed of 2.8GHz in both two Core. This processor is designed to have longer battery life when you are away from your power supply. The integrated Wi-Fi manages two times better range and five times more internet performance. This processor can’t just be bought off of the internet – you have to buy a laptop that has the processor included. No fuss and bother in installing it.

That is my top 5 list of the best processors that you can buy. I hope this will help you and kept you up to date with all the processors that have just come out from Intel including the “i7 Extreme” and the “i7” itself, along with the other processors mentioned in this article. I hoped this helps you if you are building a PC, and gives you the advice and choices about processors you may be looking for.

Top 5 Intel Processors

What is Intel’s Core i7?

Chris Pirillo — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:55:48 +0000

What is Intel’s Core i7?

This is Kyle Allen’s submission for the HP Magic Giveaway. Feel free to leave comments for this article as you see fit – your feedback is certainly welcomed! If you’d like to submit your own how-to, what-is, or top-five list, you can send it to me. Views and opinions of this writer are not necessarily my own:

Core i7 brings us Intel’s first true quad core processors, all four cores are now on a single die. Previously Intel’s Quad Core’s were essentially two dual core processors in one package. The current Core i7 line includes three Quad Core Processors, the 920 (2.66GHz), 940 (2.93GHz), and 965 Extreme Edition (3.2GHz). Currently priced at $294.99, $569.99, and $1029.99 respectively (Prices from Newegg).

The only Chipset that currently supports the Core i7 architecture is Intel’s own X58 express, offered by many manufacturers such as Intel, Asus, Gigabyte, Foxconn, EVGA, MSI, and Biostar. The X58 chipset supports ATI CrossFireX technology, Nvidia has even opened up SLI support for the X58 express chipset, although motherboard manufacturers must submit their motherboards to Nvidia for review. Core i7 brings many new technologies and even brings back some old. Intel has brought back Hyper Threading technology which allows each core to process two threads of information simultaneously, so each of the Core i7 processors have 8 threads and are seen as 8 Virtual Cores by the systems OS.

Core i7 isn’t just Intel’s new line of Processors it’s an entirely new, much improved architecture. Intel has replaced the Front Side Bus (FSB) with its new Quick Path Interconnect (QPI) which can achieve data transfer speeds as high as 25.6 GB/sec. Intel says QPI performance is 6.4 Gigatransfers/second on the 965 Extreme Edition and 4.8 Gigatransfers/second on the 940 or 920 CPUs, the resulting bandwidth is either 16 or 12GB/s respectively. Intel’s Core i7 bring us an integrated memory controller which offers improved performance due to increased bandwidth and lower latency. Core i7 processors now feature L1, L2, and Shared L3 Cache, 64K per core, 256K per core, and 8MB shared respectively. Core i7 only supports DDR3 and bring us fast triple channel memory, it is also recommended that memory is operated below 1.65V.

Core i7 also features advanced Power Management features, Power Gate allows individual cores to enter a sleep state while other cores are under load, the processors include integrated power controllers and a power control unit that actively monitor each cores power consumption, and voltages. Having integrated power controllers and a power control unit is important to the Core i7 architecture because it allows the CPU to transfer power from cores in sleep mode to cores under load in what Intel calls “Turbo Mode.” If one of the cores is being used heavily, it can use some of the power that would ordinarily be used for one of the other cores if it is not currently in use to essentially overclock individual cores. Lastly Core i7 introduces a new CPU socket the LGA 1366, a 1366 pin socket that functions similarly to the current LGA 775, but is slightly larger and the CPU cooler mounting holes are further apart.

What is Intel’s Core i7?

Intel Leaves OLPC Hanging

Chris Pirillo — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 03:00:02 +0000

Intel Leaves OLPC Hanging

Intel seems to be power-tripping lately, as they recently pulled out of the OLPC program for reasons described as philosophical disagreements with the founders. C’mon Intel, don’t you have a heart? This seems somewhat predictable, as Intel has been working on their Classmate laptop for some time now, a direct competitor to OLPC in many ways.

I can see how Intel would want to take over the cheap laptop market, but I must question why they left OLPC (seemingly) high and dry? They can’t say that there aren’t enough chips to go around. The good news is that OLPC will continue on using AMD as its main chip supplier for their gear.

It should be interesting to see how things turn out, but given the last revision of the ‘Classmate’ laptop, I don’t see how Intel could take over the market. In the end, Asus is the real winner with their Eee Laptops (that seem to be selling like hot cakes). As prices drop (as they always do with tech stuff), the Eee could possibly be the next OLPC at home and abroad.

Ponzi wants an Eee with XP. Whee!

FirstRSS ERROR: "http://shop.tagjag.com/asus+eee+pc" NOT FOUND!

Intel Leaves OLPC Hanging

Processor Speeds

Chris Pirillo — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 05:19:26 +0000

Processor Speeds

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http://live.pirillo.com/ -Eric left a voice mail for me, wondering why his processor speeds sometimes have a large variance. The good news is, this doesn’t mean the processor is failing.

Eric’s processor speed is 1.99GHz at times, and others it will be ‘down’ to 1.14GHz. This is actually normal, and nothing to worry about. If you’re using an Intel processor, then SpeedStep Technology is the result. Likewise, if you are using an AMD processor, then Cool’n'Quiet is the ‘culprit’.

Years ago, if you bought a computer with a let’s say 1GHz processor, that processor always worked at 1GHz. Now when you buy a processor, these third party applications I mentioned will automatically adjust the processor speed to match the state of your computer or laptop. This saves power and battery life. If you are running something with intense graphics, for instance, your processor will need to be running faster. When the computer is not doing much, or nothing at all, these applications will slow the processor down to save on power and/or battery.

If you do not have one of these apps and need them to help regulate your processor speeds, you can visit the Intel or AMD sites to obtain the proper one. Also, you can probably visit your pc manufacturer’s website to get them, as well.

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Processor Speeds

What is Dual Core?

Chris Pirillo — Wed, 23 May 2007 16:15:39 +0000

What is Dual Core?

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http://live.pirillo.com/ – BigJohnMidland wants to know exactly what dual core means.

Dual core refers to the number of processing cores in the processor package. So, in essence, with a dual core processor you actually have two processors. The advantage is that you can get up to twice the processing power. If you do a lot of video editing, photo editing, or run many programs at one time you’ll notice a significant increase in the responsiveness of your system.

Intel introduced their Dual-Core processors (marketed as Core 2) back in 2005:

An Intel dual-core processor-based PC will enable new computing experiences as it delivers value by providing additional computing resources that expand the PC’s capabilities in the form of higher throughput and simultaneous computing. Imagine that a dual-core processor is like a four-lane highway: it can handle up to twice as many cars as its two-lane predecessor without making each car drive twice as fast. Similarly, with an Intel dual-core processor-based PC, people can perform multiple tasks such as downloading music and gaming simultaneously.

AMD followed up with their 64-bit X2 Dual-Core systems:

The AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core processor puts the power of dual-core technology on the desktop. Dual-core processors contain two processing cores, residing on one chip, that perform calculations on two streams of data, thereby increasing efficiency and speed while running multiple programs and the new generation of multi-threaded software.

For the end-user this means a significant increase in response and performance when running multiple applications simultaneously. The AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core processor outperforms the highest-performing AMD Athlon 64 4000+ single-core processor on multi-tasking benchmarks by up to 30..

Should you upgrade to a dual core processor? Well, they’re quickly becoming the standard desktop processors of choice so you may not have a choice. In the future we’ll even see quad and octo core processors become standard in many home machines.

What do you think?

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What is Dual Core?

Intel Has an (un)Official Blogger

Chris Pirillo — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 22:07:56 +0000

Intel Has an (un)Official Blogger

Josh from TinyScreenfuls just posted a mouthful:

I want to start some conversation. Iâ€™m not officially authorized to speak for Intel on any matter (see my â€œCaveat Lectorâ€�? disclaimer over there in the sidebar), but there are a ton of things that I can talk about. Iâ€™m just a guy, a blogger, who works at a very large company that makes the most complex things ever made by humans. Itâ€™s a fascinating place, and I know there are lots of you that would like to know more about Intel. Or maybe you have something youâ€™d like to vent. Or perhaps you just want to say how much you love something Intel has done (wouldnâ€™t that be nice?).

Wow. That’s pretty bold. I’ve known Josh for a while now (after first meeting him at a geek dinner in Portland). He’s about as “geek” as they come. I guess the ball’s in Intel’s court now? It’s happening anyway.

Intel Has an (un)Official Blogger

Hacking Netflix, Intel and Melodeo at Gnomedex 6

Fri, 25 Aug 2006 07:42:44 +0000

Hacking Netflix, Intel and Melodeo at Gnomedex 6

If you’re a movie junkie, you probably can’t live without your Netflix account. There’s one guy who knows Netflix better than anyone – Mike Kaltschnee of Hacking Netflix talks with Alex Williams at Gnomedex 6. Alex follows with a conversation about Intel. And this Gnomedex segment closes with Bill Valenti of Melodeo talking about the changing face of entertainment distribution.

Hacking Netflix, Intel and Melodeo at Gnomedex 6

AMD Cares About Bloggers

Chris Pirillo — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 19:43:08 +0000

AMD Cares About Bloggers

So, it’s official – AMD is a Gnomedex sponsor. Didn’t take much to convince them, either – in fact, when we told them that we were bringing together some of the world’s most prolific and influential bloggers, they jumped at the opportunity. For you see, though AMD’s corporate policy currently does not allow for blogging – they understand that being at Gnomedex and establishing real relationships with bloggers is key to their ongoing communications strategy. “Tell them that we’re here for them, whatever they need.” And you’ll be able to talk with the right AMD folks at Gnomedex – where the relationship goes from there is completely between you and them. [NOTE: we asked Intel early on if they wanted to be involved with Gnomedex, and they passed - draw your own conclusions.]

AMD Cares About Bloggers