Vapor-phase cooling can cool a CPU below the ambient temperature, and it's not "5% efficent".
There is a 12V Vapochill system that requires only 6.6A, and it is quite effective at cooling even the P4 Prescott (not nearly as effective as the AC versions of the same product, though).
"They just suck when it comes to power consumption and they always did."
Actually, before P4 it was Intel that was beating AMD in power consumption. The PIII used far less power (around 35W) than the Athlon Thunderbird (60+ W).
And the PIII is still the low power king, except that now it's been renamed the Pentium-M.
The P-M is really just a modified PIII, and I think that it's Intel's best chip. They took the best features from the PIII (low power, great performance at low clocks), added the best features of the P4 (large caches, 90nm process, SSE2, the frontside bus), added power saving features, and shipped it as a mobile chip.
Dothan at 2.0GHz (comparable to Pentium 4 at 3GHz) is only 22W. The ULV 1GHz Dothan is only 5W.
That's why Intel is abandoning P4 - they have a better, cooler, faster CPU.
"And for the record, it's pretty easy to see over, under, through, or around an SUV if you're driving one yourself."
And there's no problem with Microsoft using closed standards as long as everyone uses Windows.
"Although, I do want to go on record as saying that any "SUV" based on a car platform, with unibody construction, and featuring front wheel drive, isn't really an SUV."
Right, just like the unibody Toyota Tundra isn't a pickup.
Look, there are people who need SUVs, but they are few and far between. We have soccer moms buying SUVs because it's the "thing" to do - yet these people rarely use the capabilities that make an SUV an SUV. How many soccer moms go off-roading on Saturdays? Not many.
If you need an SUV, get one. But most people don't need an SUV.
"The part of the CPU that contains the real logic is called the core, and the cache and interface stuff is well the non-core. So, they put the heart of 2 CPUs on a single chip and wrap 1 non-core cache & bus interconnect around it, and call it a dual-core CPU, or multi-core to be generic."
Actually, both AMD and Intel have confirmed that their dual-core products will have independent caches for each processor.
" Question, how useable is a pII-450 (or a pIII-450 if they existed)?"
Very usable. I have a PIII-500 in my notebook ($300 on eBay) and a Celeron 300A in an old desktop I have.
Both run XP hreat.
"Windows XP is sluggish on my p4 3ghz machine with a gig of ram."
Perhaps you should scan for spyware. The 2.6GHz Northwoods around the office were extremely sluggish until we realized that spyware was stealing all of our memory and cracked down on software installation. Since then, everything is simply nto true.
"I feel perfectly comfortable saying a G5 1.8ghz would smoke a p4 3.4ghz"
You might feel comfortable, but it's simply not true. The G5 is a fast chip, but in the vast majority of applications it performs similarly, clock-for-clock, to the Athlon 64/Opteron. P4 2.6 (Northwood) or P4 2.8 (Prescott) would be a more accurate comparison.
That said, P4 Prescott sucks. It's just that simple. It is hot, expensive, and, compared with Northwood or Athlon 64, slow.
The fact is, PCs are cheaper at the low end. PC, 17" CRT, and printer - with XP pro - for $400 is not uncommon. Hell, there's a PC package at Best Buy right now with a Celeron D (the non-evil Celeron) 2.66GHz, 256M PC2700, DVD/CD-RW combo, 60GB disk, 17" Monitor, and Lexmark printer - for $370 (albeit after rebates).
The absolute cheapest eMac, on apple.com, is $800 - with a smaller disk and a slower processor. Only by purchasing refurbished and accepting a CD-ROM instead of a DVD/CD combo drive can you get the price within striking distance - but at $550 + shipping, it's still at least $180 more than the (better equipped) PC.
Notebooks are a better comparison - the iBook is probably Apple's best deal right now (I'd still rather get a $1300 Compal with a Radeon 9700 and an SXGA screen). Particularly when you compare them to Pentium-M notebooks (and, let's face it, Pentium 4-M absolutely blows), Apple's notebooks are quite competitive.
So, let's recap some facts:
- PC desktops (including the monitor) are still far cheaper than any new or refurbished Apple system - The G5, fast as it may be, is usually no faster than the Opteron clock-for-clock - Apple's products are sometimes an excellent value (iBook, Airport Express) but are generally more expensive than their non-Apple counterparts, although they compensate for this with style and polish (Apple keyboard/mouse, PowerMac G5, iPod, PowerBook G4, etc.)
"The US claims that DVB-T doesn't work well in more rural areas, which maybe true."
It has to do with the modulation. DVB uses CODFM, which is excellent at avoiding multipath issues but requires at least twice as much power to go the same distance as an 8VSB system (like the US ATSC standard) under clear conditions.
Translation: If you live in an area where multipath is the primary concern, CODFM is better. Otherwise, 8VSB is better.
Sinclair, the developers of CODFM, attempted to get the FCC to switch to CODFM. Extensive studies were conducted and it was determined that, at current power levels and transmitter locations, less US households would recieve a viewable signal with CODFM than with 8VSB.
8VSB has gotten a lot better, too - 4th generation recievers can approach CODFM for their multipath-handling ability. CODFM has improved as well, but the difference is less dramatic.
"I've never scanned a Windows PC connected to the internet that wasn't loaded with spyware, trojans and every evil thing that creeps on the net. Even when those PC's were in places with fairly good network security."
Well then you've never scanned a PC at my home, my company, or my school. All are spyware-free.
And, no, I don't consider data-tracking cookies to be "spyware".
Seeing that a new fab costs $5-$10 billion and takes multiple years to construct and bring up to speed, it's unlikely that either IBM or Motorola could produce enough PowerPC CPUs to meet demand, at least not for several years.
Now if AMD and Intel started fabbing PPCs, it would be a different story.
CDMA phones can't be jammed this way. Since a CDMA phone talks with multiple towers simultaneously, there is no way to "override" a remote cell using a more powerful local cell. It would take extensive cooperation with the carriers for the handset to recognize a jamming signal as anything other than noise (a CDMA signal without the proper code to decode it looks like white noise).
Moreover, white noise jamming is unlikely with CDMA, as a CDMA handset can communicate (because of extremely high process gain) with a signal-to-noise ratio of as low as -40db. It is unlikely that anything other than a very strong source of noise very close to the handset would be able to prevent the handset from registering. Worse, such a noise signal would likely interfere with voice operation (which requires a much higher signal to noise ratio then registration) far outside of the intended area.
A lot of comments will invariably be about how "broken" the two party system is here in the US.
Did you ever stop and think that maybe we have a two party system for a reason?
A lot of people complain that the two party system gives us a choice between two similar canidates. Well, of course it does. That's the point.
Ww have a two party system because voters are uninformed and can be easily mislead. Combined with the checks and balances system, the federalist system, and the overall difficulty of passing legislation, it is relativly certain that changes are moderate and slow.
The two party system ensures that extremeists like Hitler cannot successfully be elected. Since both parties must field relatively mainstream canidates to have any chance of victory, whoever the public votes for is unlikely to vary substantially from the "norm".
That's why we have a two party system. It is one of many measures designed to prevent radical political change.
Yeah, and last time I checked one was downed by a tire that exploded.
"Heard of Airbus?"
Yep, and last I checked a fly-by-wire system destroyed a prominent Aribus jet at an airshow. Sort of how a drive-by-wire system caused this car to accelerate out of control.
"Manuals are just FAR superior to automatics in every way possible."
Wow. I never knew that one thing could be better than another in "every way possible". But if a Slashdotter says it, it must be true.
Just like "Linux is better than Windows in every way possible", or "Kerry is better than Bush in every way possible", statements like your own only show your ignorance.
There are situations where automatic transmissions are far superior to manual transmissions. There is a reason that most people drive automatic transmission vehicles, and it's not that "they're stupid".
So, the next time you feel like telling me that RPN is better, that assembly beats Java, that building a computer is better than buying one, or that "vi" is for wusses, Don't.
"the article also states that the MS tax payed by vendors to Microsoft for Windows XP licenses is $70 or more."
That figure is just plain wrong. On Pricewatch, an XP Home COA sells for $43, and I know for a fact that Dell or HP isn't paying as much for a COA as myself buying a single license on Pricewatch.
Whoops. GSM originally stood for "Groupe Systeme Mobile", French for "Mobile System Group". It was later rebranded "Global System for Mobile communication".
Allofmp3.com already has FLAC, Vorbis, and VBR MP3 files for the taking. They're DRM-free and play on anything.
I would happily pay $.99 a track for what Allofmp3.com offers. Of course, they only charge $0.01 per megabyte.
Of course, Allofmp3.com is probably illegal, at least in the US. But the RIAA should learn the lesson that the MPAA has learned:
Give people the content they want (movies, some of them costing $100s of millions to produce), at a fair price ($15 DVDs), in a format that's convenient (DVDs have good quality and nonrestrictive DRM) and there will be no incentive to pirate your content.
Slashdot Mirror
Vapor-phase cooling can cool a CPU below the ambient temperature, and it's not "5% efficent".
There is a 12V Vapochill system that requires only 6.6A, and it is quite effective at cooling even the P4 Prescott (not nearly as effective as the AC versions of the same product, though).
"They just suck when it comes to power consumption and they always did."
Actually, before P4 it was Intel that was beating AMD in power consumption. The PIII used far less power (around 35W) than the Athlon Thunderbird (60+ W).
And the PIII is still the low power king, except that now it's been renamed the Pentium-M.
The P-M is really just a modified PIII, and I think that it's Intel's best chip. They took the best features from the PIII (low power, great performance at low clocks), added the best features of the P4 (large caches, 90nm process, SSE2, the frontside bus), added power saving features, and shipped it as a mobile chip.
Dothan at 2.0GHz (comparable to Pentium 4 at 3GHz) is only 22W. The ULV 1GHz Dothan is only 5W.
That's why Intel is abandoning P4 - they have a better, cooler, faster CPU.
Imagine DOOM3 running on such a system. It's piss slow on a GeForce 5200 - it probably wouldn't even eun on this.
And DOOM3 is already being ported to a console, the XBOX. It's easy to port PC games to the XBOX because it runs Windows 2000.
"this is not really a democracy as you cannot legally express that you don't like any of the choices"
Apparently, you haven't heard of 3rd party canidates.
"And for the record, it's pretty easy to see over, under, through, or around an SUV if you're driving one yourself."
And there's no problem with Microsoft using closed standards as long as everyone uses Windows.
"Although, I do want to go on record as saying that any "SUV" based on a car platform, with unibody construction, and featuring front wheel drive, isn't really an SUV."
Right, just like the unibody Toyota Tundra isn't a pickup.
Look, there are people who need SUVs, but they are few and far between. We have soccer moms buying SUVs because it's the "thing" to do - yet these people rarely use the capabilities that make an SUV an SUV. How many soccer moms go off-roading on Saturdays? Not many.
If you need an SUV, get one. But most people don't need an SUV.
"The part of the CPU that contains the real logic is called the core, and the cache and interface stuff is well the non-core. So, they put the heart of 2 CPUs on a single chip and wrap 1 non-core cache & bus interconnect around it, and call it a dual-core CPU, or multi-core to be generic."
Actually, both AMD and Intel have confirmed that their dual-core products will have independent caches for each processor.
Because, as we know, the cost of the software is the only consideration in "total" cost of operation.
" Question, how useable is a pII-450 (or a pIII-450 if they existed)?"
Very usable. I have a PIII-500 in my notebook ($300 on eBay) and a Celeron 300A in an old desktop I have.
Both run XP hreat.
"Windows XP is sluggish on my p4 3ghz machine with a gig of ram."
Perhaps you should scan for spyware. The 2.6GHz Northwoods around the office were extremely sluggish until we realized that spyware was stealing all of our memory and cracked down on software installation. Since then, everything is simply nto true.
"I feel perfectly comfortable saying a G5 1.8ghz would smoke a p4 3.4ghz"
You might feel comfortable, but it's simply not true. The G5 is a fast chip, but in the vast majority of applications it performs similarly, clock-for-clock, to the Athlon 64/Opteron. P4 2.6 (Northwood) or P4 2.8 (Prescott) would be a more accurate comparison.
That said, P4 Prescott sucks. It's just that simple. It is hot, expensive, and, compared with Northwood or Athlon 64, slow.
The fact is, PCs are cheaper at the low end. PC, 17" CRT, and printer - with XP pro - for $400 is not uncommon. Hell, there's a PC package at Best Buy right now with a Celeron D (the non-evil Celeron) 2.66GHz, 256M PC2700, DVD/CD-RW combo, 60GB disk, 17" Monitor, and Lexmark printer - for $370 (albeit after rebates).
The absolute cheapest eMac, on apple.com, is $800 - with a smaller disk and a slower processor. Only by purchasing refurbished and accepting a CD-ROM instead of a DVD/CD combo drive can you get the price within striking distance - but at $550 + shipping, it's still at least $180 more than the (better equipped) PC.
Notebooks are a better comparison - the iBook is probably Apple's best deal right now (I'd still rather get a $1300 Compal with a Radeon 9700 and an SXGA screen). Particularly when you compare them to Pentium-M notebooks (and, let's face it, Pentium 4-M absolutely blows), Apple's notebooks are quite competitive.
So, let's recap some facts:
- PC desktops (including the monitor) are still far cheaper than any new or refurbished Apple system
- The G5, fast as it may be, is usually no faster than the Opteron clock-for-clock
- Apple's products are sometimes an excellent value (iBook, Airport Express) but are generally more expensive than their non-Apple counterparts, although they compensate for this with style and polish (Apple keyboard/mouse, PowerMac G5, iPod, PowerBook G4, etc.)
Did you ever think that maybe Roland is paying the Slashdot editors to accept his stories?
Think about it.
"Doubtful. Most electronics come with "universal" plugs nowadays. I plugged my GBA sp that I bought in NA into a Japanese outlet with no problem."
That's because Japan uses 110V, and 1/2 of the country uses 60Hz as well.
Of course, you are right - most power supplies today *are* multivoltage.
"The US claims that DVB-T doesn't work well in more rural areas, which maybe true."
It has to do with the modulation. DVB uses CODFM, which is excellent at avoiding multipath issues but requires at least twice as much power to go the same distance as an 8VSB system (like the US ATSC standard) under clear conditions.
Translation: If you live in an area where multipath is the primary concern, CODFM is better. Otherwise, 8VSB is better.
Sinclair, the developers of CODFM, attempted to get the FCC to switch to CODFM. Extensive studies were conducted and it was determined that, at current power levels and transmitter locations, less US households would recieve a viewable signal with CODFM than with 8VSB.
8VSB has gotten a lot better, too - 4th generation recievers can approach CODFM for their multipath-handling ability. CODFM has improved as well, but the difference is less dramatic.
"I've never scanned a Windows PC connected to the internet that wasn't loaded with spyware, trojans and every evil thing that creeps on the net. Even when those PC's were in places with fairly good network security."
Well then you've never scanned a PC at my home, my company, or my school. All are spyware-free.
And, no, I don't consider data-tracking cookies to be "spyware".
Seeing that a new fab costs $5-$10 billion and takes multiple years to construct and bring up to speed, it's unlikely that either IBM or Motorola could produce enough PowerPC CPUs to meet demand, at least not for several years.
Now if AMD and Intel started fabbing PPCs, it would be a different story.
"I just want a desktop Pentium M system, without having to browse some Japanese-only Hitachi site.
c ription=19-103-440&depa=0
I don't want more power, I want a fast enough machine that runs silently.
I guess it's my fault for waiting for Intel to provide this instead of just buying a Mac."
Athlon XP 2200+ Mobile:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?des
Power Consumption: 35W. Undervolted and underclocked: 25W.
No need to buy a Mac.
CDMA phones can't be jammed this way. Since a CDMA phone talks with multiple towers simultaneously, there is no way to "override" a remote cell using a more powerful local cell. It would take extensive cooperation with the carriers for the handset to recognize a jamming signal as anything other than noise (a CDMA signal without the proper code to decode it looks like white noise).
Moreover, white noise jamming is unlikely with CDMA, as a CDMA handset can communicate (because of extremely high process gain) with a signal-to-noise ratio of as low as -40db. It is unlikely that anything other than a very strong source of noise very close to the handset would be able to prevent the handset from registering. Worse, such a noise signal would likely interfere with voice operation (which requires a much higher signal to noise ratio then registration) far outside of the intended area.
A lot of comments will invariably be about how "broken" the two party system is here in the US.
Did you ever stop and think that maybe we have a two party system for a reason?
A lot of people complain that the two party system gives us a choice between two similar canidates. Well, of course it does. That's the point.
Ww have a two party system because voters are uninformed and can be easily mislead. Combined with the checks and balances system, the federalist system, and the overall difficulty of passing legislation, it is relativly certain that changes are moderate and slow.
The two party system ensures that extremeists like Hitler cannot successfully be elected. Since both parties must field relatively mainstream canidates to have any chance of victory, whoever the public votes for is unlikely to vary substantially from the "norm".
That's why we have a two party system. It is one of many measures designed to prevent radical political change.
"'Install on Demand' should be disabled by default."
In SP2, it is.
"Heard of the Concorde?"
Yeah, and last time I checked one was downed by a tire that exploded.
"Heard of Airbus?"
Yep, and last I checked a fly-by-wire system destroyed a prominent Aribus jet at an airshow. Sort of how a drive-by-wire system caused this car to accelerate out of control.
"Manuals are just FAR superior to automatics in every way possible."
Wow. I never knew that one thing could be better than another in "every way possible". But if a Slashdotter says it, it must be true.
Just like "Linux is better than Windows in every way possible", or "Kerry is better than Bush in every way possible", statements like your own only show your ignorance.
There are situations where automatic transmissions are far superior to manual transmissions. There is a reason that most people drive automatic transmission vehicles, and it's not that "they're stupid".
So, the next time you feel like telling me that RPN is better, that assembly beats Java, that building a computer is better than buying one, or that "vi" is for wusses, Don't.
"Sega has only released one handheld, the Gamegear."
Sega Nomad.
The US has 10,000+ armed and operational nuclear warheads that can target any point on the planet.
If this indeed spells the end for the US, it won't be so "peaceful".
Don't give up so easily. A Nazi-like regime in the US means the end of the world as we know it.
Arial Unicode. It's on most XP systems and should have what you need. It is, however, 22MB.
"the article also states that the MS tax payed by vendors to Microsoft for Windows XP licenses is $70 or more."
That figure is just plain wrong. On Pricewatch, an XP Home COA sells for $43, and I know for a fact that Dell or HP isn't paying as much for a COA as myself buying a single license on Pricewatch.
"(GSM originally stood for ),"
Whoops. GSM originally stood for "Groupe Systeme Mobile", French for "Mobile System Group". It was later rebranded "Global System for Mobile communication".
Allofmp3.com already has FLAC, Vorbis, and VBR MP3 files for the taking. They're DRM-free and play on anything.
I would happily pay $.99 a track for what Allofmp3.com offers. Of course, they only charge $0.01 per megabyte.
Of course, Allofmp3.com is probably illegal, at least in the US. But the RIAA should learn the lesson that the MPAA has learned:
Give people the content they want (movies, some of them costing $100s of millions to produce), at a fair price ($15 DVDs), in a format that's convenient (DVDs have good quality and nonrestrictive DRM) and there will be no incentive to pirate your content.