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| HARDWARE
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Western Digital WD1200JB With 8 MB Cache Review |
Tom's Hardware Guide has posted a review on the Western Digital
WD1200JB harddisk:
Western Digital makes the headlines on a regular basis - in a
positive way. Once the company began focusing on high-end IDEs
around the end of 1999, it wasn't long until we saw the results: WD
was the first manufacturer to offer an IDE drive with 100 GB and
7,200 rpm. Some weeks later, a 120 GB version followed. To increase
the performance of these drives even further, the top models (-JB,
instead of -BB) are equipped with 8 MB rather than 2 MB cache
memory. Will this be enough to compete with the fastest SCSI drives
as well?
www.sat.co.za
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IBM unveils 'fastest' IC at 110GHz
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IBM says it has created the world's fastest semiconductor circuit,
one that operates at speeds of more than 110GHz. The technology,
called SiGe 8HP, uses the latest silicon germanium (SiGe)
chip-making technology, and will be made available to
telecommunications equipment manufacturers. The first chips built
using SiGe 8HP building blocks are expected to appear later this
year. High speed, low power circuits generally use gallium arsenide
and indium phosphide materials but IBM reckons what SiGe offers is
better suited for top of the line communications chips because it
uses less power. Compared to pure silicon chips, SiGe provides
increased integration capabilities, enabling designers to pack more
function onto a single chip, resulting in speed, power, cost and
weight savings. Market research firm IC Insights estimates that SiGe
sales totalled $320 million in 2001 and are projected to grow to
about $2.7 billion by 2006. IBM had an 80 per cent stake in the
market during 2001, IC Insights reports. IBM's SiGe technology has
found its way into RF components in cellular handsets, Wireless
Local Area Network (WLAN) chipsets, high speed test and measurement
equipment, and chipsets for optical data transmission systems.
www.sat.co.za
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Gigabyte GA-7VTX
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 Gigabyte
is a well known and generally well-trusted motherboard manufacturer.
They are also known for their regular and early support of AMD's
latest and greatest. The GA-7VTX is a Socket A board based on the
VIA KT266 chipset. The two major improvements this chipset brings to
the table (over the recently declared, ancient KT133[A]) are Double
Data Rate SDRAM and V-Link which is VIA's answer to Intel's
interlink bus (dubbed the Interlink Hub Architecture).
Up until the Pro 266, VIA chipsets relied on the 33MHz PCI to
connect the North Bridge and South Bridge. The obviously problem
with this is that of limited bandwidth. At 33MHz, the 32-bit PCI bus
can muster about 133MB/s of bandwidth that needs to be shared with
not only all of the PCI cards but the data traffic between the North
and South Bridges as well. This was fine back in the day, but with
today's technology this setup has become a little outrageous.
These days, it seems that bandwidth, in all its incarnations, is the
greatest limitation to performance. Advances like V-Link are a warm
welcome to the Athlon / non-Intel arena.
Brought to you by Space Age Technologies: www.sat.co.za
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Gigabyte Dual Socket A motherboard
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 As
we have predicted, COMDEX appeared a great chance for the mainboard
manufacturers to announce their Dual-Socket A solutions. The first
company to stand out here appeared Gigabyte, which officially
announced their new dual-processor mainboard for Athlon MP CPUs - GA-7DPXDW.
And here is a list of the mainboard final specifications:
- AMD Athlon and AMD Duron CPUs;
- AMD 762 North Bridge and AMD 768 South Bridge;
- Four 184-pin DIMM slots supporting up to 4GB of DDR memory;
- Integrated Promise PDC20267 ATA/100 IDE RAID controller
supporting RAID 0, 1, 0+1;
- Integrated Intel Pro/100+ (Intel 82559) network controller;
- 4 USB ports;
- AGP Pro50 slot;
- Two 64bit/66MHz PCI slots;
- Three 32bit/33MHz PCI slots;
- ATX form-factor.
We would like to mention that GA-7DPXDW can also work with the
non-Registered DDR DIMM modules, if there are not more than two of
them used. Moreover, there are no special requirements to the power
supply unit, and any device compliant with the ATX 2.03 spec can be
used.
The mass shipments of Gigabyte GA-7DPXDW should start in December.
Brought to you by Space Age Technologies: www.sat.co.za
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Intel to release 533Mhz FSB early 1.8GHz P4
"Celeron" early too
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DESPITE CURRENTLY HAVING supply problems with both the Xeon
Foster and the Pentium 4 Willamette, Intel is maintaining it is
ahead of time with the 533MHz front side platforms it will release
next year. According to sources at Intel in Oregon, the company will
pull its 533MHz FSB Pentium 4s into the second quarter of next year
with support for microprocessors at 2.26GHz and 2.40GHz. It will
move from the 400MHz FSB currently in production by using its high
performance Tehama- E chipset, and will also now launch its
Brookdale-E and Brookdale-G platforms in Q2. Tehama-E, which
displaced the "Tulloch" chipset which occupied the
performance sector of the Intel desktop market in earlier roadmaps
revealed here, was originally slated for Q3 of 2002, but our
information is that it will start replacing the 850 Rambus chipset
in the middle of Q2, if the plans do not go awry. Tehama-E is also
still positioned as the top of Intel's mainstream processors, which
use Rambus memory, but Brookdale-E, Brookdale-G and Brookdale-GL for
the value market will all launch at the same time. At their launch
on April 1st - no jokes please - the Tehama-E chipset will only cost
$39, the 850 will drop to $39,Brookdale-G will cost $46, Brookdale-E
$45, and Brookdale GL will cost around $34. The Intel 845 will cost
the same as Tehama-E, we understand. Further, this all means that
the 1.80GHz Pentium 4, the existence of which we first reported in
August, will also move from Q3 into Q2, a sign of acceleration on
the P4 platform. This baby is a 478 pin "Celeron",
although its unclear whether Intella will carry on calling it that.
Brought to you by Space Age Technologies: www.sat.co.za
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Servers take the lead
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IBM scored one of the major breakthroughs in chip design this
year with its Power 4 chip, which combines two processors on a
single piece of silicon. By combining two chips in this way,
performance increases because the two chips can communicate at a
much faster rate and share resources. At the same time, power
consumption goes down because the electrical pathway between chips
has been dramatically shortened.
IBM also has designed its server in such a way that four of the dual
processors fit snugly in a single module to boost performance even
further in multiprocessor servers.
Brought to you by Space Age Technologies: www.sat.co.za
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Panasonic SD Cards
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 The
e-wear™ SD Audio Player is a sleek digital music player that you
can take with you virtually anywhere. The extremely compact design
allows you to comfortably clip the SD Audio Player to your clothing
or wear it with the included neck strap — making your music part
of your wardrobe. With the e-wear™ SD Audio Player, you can enjoy
all of your digital music away from your computer.
The e-wear™ SD Audio Player Headset adds a new dimension to
your mobile listening experience, by putting your music completely
in your headphones. The unique all-in-one construction of the SD
Audio Player Headset means no dangling wires or cumbersome
CD/Cassette players to carry. It also folds up when not in use and
comes with a cool carrying case, which makes transporting your
favorite songs easier than ever. All you do is transfer your digital
music files onto the SD card, pop the card into the headset, and
you're ready to go!
SD Audio Features
Uses AAC
The SD Audio Player also plays AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) files,
bringing you outstanding sound and quality. AAC is a
state-of-the-art audio compression technology that provides higher
quality audio reproduction, yet requires approximately 30% less data
than MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3) audio. This means you'll get digital music
that sounds great, downloads fast, and takes up less space than MP3
files. Soon this CD-quality technology will be the premier way to
enjoy digital music, and your SD Audio Player will be able to take
advantage of this exciting new format.
Plays MP3s
Both SD Audio Players will play your MP3 files without transcoding.
Each has a built-in MP3 decoder.
Extremely Compact
The SD Audio Player is so small that it only uses one AAA battery
— giving you up to 4 - 6 hours of digital listening enjoyment.
Will Not Skip
Unlike personal CD players that can be unstable, the SD Audio Player
has no moving parts and won't skip, no matter how active you are!
Wearable Design
Thanks to the included neck strap, armband and multi-purpose clip,
you can wear the stylish SD Audio Player almost anywhere you go. Now
your portable music player can be an integral part of your wardrobe.
Fast Content Transfer
Transfer music from your computer to your SD Audio Player, using the
USB reader/writer that comes with your SD Audio Player.
e-wear SD Audio Player
FEATURES:
 Extremely
compact for wearability (1-13/16"W x 1-7/8"H x
9/16"D) Weighs 1.5 oz (without battery) High quality sound
using AAC coding (Advanced Audio Coding) Plays MP3 files without
transcoding USB connection for fast content transfer Will not skip
since there are no moving parts Dual decoders (AAC & MP3) for a
wide range of music entertainment Large, easy-to-read LCD with
"reverse display"--silver characters on a black background
LCD shows play list name, song title and artist name in 2-line,
12-character dot matrix display Play/stop, skip/search, volume
up-down, EQ, play mode keys and hold/mode/normal dial Random play
and repeat play XBS® (Extra Bass System) & train position (high
cut filter) High grade (level-3) copyright protection; SDMI
compliant Includes high-performance clip-on headphones, neck strap,
arm band with multi-purpose clip, 64MB SD memory card with storage
case, CD-ROM (PC software including SD Jukebox), extension cord for
headphones, USB reader/writer and rechargeable battery and charger
e-wear SD Audio Player Headset
FEATURES:
 All-in-one
construction; no dangling wires Folds to a compact size for easy
transport High quality sound using AAC coding (Advanced Audio
Coding) Plays MP3 files without transcoding USB connection for fast
content transfer Will not skip since there are no moving parts Dual
decoders (AAC & MP3) for a wide range of music enterntainment
LCD shows track number and playlist number Play/stop, skip/search
keys on one side; power, volume, and EQ keys on the other side
Random play and repeat play XBS® (Extra Bass System) High grade
(level-3) copyright protection; SDMI compliant Includes sleek
carrying case, 64MB SD memory card with storage case, CD-ROM (PC
software including SD Jukebox), USB reader/writer and rechargeable
battery and charger.
Brought to you by Space Age Technologies: www.sat.co.za
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| AMD Naming Convention |
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AMD is naming the XP processors using model numbers instead of
MHz designations. Hence, we have the 1800+, 1700+, 1600+ and 1500+
versions. If the company is trying get away from MHz measurements,
than why not come up with names instead of numbers? The number
designations that are real close to the MHz rating are going to make
it even more difficult for the Radio Shack crowd to figure out which
model to buy. AMD says that the model numbers are intended to
designate the relative application performance among XP processors,
as well as their architectural superiority over existing AMD Athlon
processors, but picking names so close to MHz ratings seems designed
to confuse the Public.
The clock speeds of the chips are:
XP 1500 - 1.33GHz
XP 1600 - 1.4GHz
XP 1700 - 1.47GHz
XP 1800 - 1.53GHz
Brought to you by Space Age Technologies: www.sat.co.za
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