Two New AMD Mobile Chips Launched

to_kallon writes "Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has unleashed two new mobile microprocessors today. One processor belongs to the company's 64-bit Mobile Athlon64 line while the other one comes from the 32-bit Athlon XP-M product line. According to CNET News: 'Like other Athlon 64 chips, and Intel's Prescott, the new Athlon 64 3400+ will block many security threats automatically in conjunction with Windows XP Service Pack 2. The delayed SP2 is slated to come out in August. The Athlon 64 3400+ will also run a 64-bit version of Windows, due now at the end of the year.It runs at 2.2GHz and comes with 1MB of cache. Gamer-PC maker Alienware will insert the chip in a notebook later in the month. Meanwhile, the Athlon XP-M 2200+ comes from the company's older line of chips. It runs at 1.6GHz and is built around an older processor core and comes with a 512KB cache. Averatec, a small computer manufacturer, has put the chip into a notebook that can convert into a tablet PC, marking the first time AMD's chips have been used in a tablet'."

Comments

Cooling

[growlydog]

With all these new advances in processor and video-card technology, when are we going to see some advances towards cheaper, and quieter cooling solutions? These devices keep getting hotter and hotter!
In order to keep my gaming computer cool I have something like 7 or 8 fans in there, and the box sounds like a jet-engine taking off... I've looked into water-cooling but virtually every water-cooling setup costs upwards of $200. Is it really *that* expensive for the equipment? What other alternatives are out there?
And with a notebook... isn't heat going to soon be a real serious issue with laptops?

Re:Cooling

[StateOfTheUnion]

Do you find that 7-8 fans are really necessary?

I will admit that I don't run the latest and greatest machine (AMD Barton core 2200 and a midrange graphics card), but I slowly started shutting down all those extra case fans and slowed down my CPU fan. I'm now running the cpu fan, the power supply fan, GPU fan, and a motherboard fan that sits on either the southbridge or the northbridge (don't remember). I run this system in an unairconditioned house near the Mediteranean (read:hot and humid) and I've never experienced overheating issues.

Not to say that there aren't systems/users out there that need better cooling than what I have, but I've found that sticking with the basics seems to work pretty well . . . I know a lot of people that drill big holes in their cases, mount gargantu-fans in the case, buy gazillion dollar heat transfer compund, etc. . . but most of the people that I know that do this stuff do it before doing any system characterization.

The fact that its hard to find a handheld device with a remote temperature probe (thermocouple) at a normal computer shop is indicative to me that most of the folks that go overboard on the cooling have not characterized their system before going out and buying the "superduper cooling kit." Does it really make sense to install XXX number of fans in a case before doing any serious temperature monitoring and characterization to identify whether they really need to go to these sorts of extreme measures. (I know, I know, there's usually a couple of thermocouples on the MB . . . but do the third and fourth case fan really have a significant effect on the MB thermocouples, or would it make more sense to also measure temperatures near other heat sensitive components in nooks and crannies of the case that one would expect to have poor ventilation (e.g. a graphics board installed next to another PCI board) . . .for that a probe would be useful to determine which fans where have the most significant effect)

And for that matter what about characterizing the temperature profile after installing the "supercooling solution" to determine whether it made a significant difference.

And for that matter, how much of a difference is really significant anyway?

I almost think that people like to brag about how much cooling their case has whether the system needs it or not "I have 6 cooling fans" . . . "Oh, yeah well I have 7" . . . "oh yeah, well I have a liquid circulating cooling kit on my overclocked system that cost me more than just buying a faster processor would have." . . . do you see the logic here? I don't.

I don't claim to understand it, but I guess its just cool to be cool . . .

Uggghhh...

[k4_pacific]

"marking the first time AMD's chips have been used in a tablet"

Prior to this, they were either injected or used in suppository form.

Re:Work with XP SP2

[mapmaker]

I don't want a freaking CPU that knows it's running WindowsXP SP2

It doesn't, it's the other way around - this CPU has a feature (NX bit) that WinXP will be aware of as of SP2.

Re:Work with XP SP2

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't worry the proc has no idea what OS is running. Its just that it supports a noexec instruction which lets you mark areas of memory as data vs. code, this makes the buffer overflow attact a little harder because the chip won't do instructions in an area that is flagged data(where the array you are exploiting would be). SP2 will give the windows OS the ability to support performing that instruction in some instances and therfore enchance security. I have already heard noises of implementing this in Linux and *BSD. Its complex from a software stand point to make really effective use of as you have to be able to predict the future to some degree but its probably a good security tool noone the less and could be extreemly benificial in many cases.

And intel's reply:

[silverfuck]

Intel has 'unleashed' new low voltage and 'ultra low voltage' Centrinos and Celerons.

*shakes head*

[Flower]

The processor comes with a "no exec" op code that an operating system can use to enhance security. OpenBSD or Linux could use this just as readily as XP. As a matter of fact OBSD already does iirc and MS isn't doing anything truely original on this platform (yes, I'm aware other processors and OSes have offered this for years.)

Re:AMD

[boarder8925]

AMD = poor quality.

I think you misspelled "Intel."

Using mobile chips in a desktop

[kilonad]

I'm getting ready to build a new PC and I've decided on the Athlon64 (it was such a difficult decision... not.). It looks like the mobile chips are basically identical to their desktop brethren except that they don't put out as much heat nor do they have integrated heat spreaders. I really like the fact that they put out less power, perform identically (I think), and only cost a few dollars more.

Does anyone know if you can take a mobile A64 and just plop it in a desktop motherboard (for regular A64s) and have it just work? Or does the BIOS have to be aware of the fact that it's a mobile proc? Will the heatsinks designed for the desktop versions work with a mobile version? Does an A64 really require a 400W+ power supply as many sites suggest?