Dual Core Processing: Intel and AMD,

Dual Core Processing: Intel and AMD,

The latest buzz in the processor industry is about dual core processors. AMD may be the first to take the limelight with their announcement of dual core AMD Opteron processors set to launch in mid-2005 but Intel and IBM are cueing up their dual core processors as well.

A dual core processor is exactly what it sounds like. It is two processor cores on one die essentially like having a dual processor system in one processor. AMD's Opteron processor has been dual processor capable since its inception. Opteron was designed with an extra HyperTransport link. The relevance of it was mostly overlooked. HyperTransport Technology simply means a faster connection that is able to transfer more data between two chips. This does not mean that the chip itself is faster. It means that the capability exists via the HyperTransport pathway for one chip to “talk” to another chip or device at a faster speed and with greater data throughput.

We knew that HyperTransport Technology would provide for a faster connection to system memory, the GPU and the rest of the motherboard but back in the fall of 2003 we thought of the extra HyperTransport link as a connection to another physical processor.

(click on image to enlarge)

It didn't dawn on us that the "extra" processor could be on the same die. While some will say "I knew that" most didn't pick up on it.

AMD have the added punch of being able to drop their dual core Opteron processors into existing 940-pin sockets. This upgrade path is extremely favorable as all it will require is a processor swap and, perhaps, a BIOS update.

Intel are continuing with their Pentium 4 cores by releasing two flavors codenamed Paxville and Dempsey. The codenames will very likely change once the marketing department gets their hands on it as "Introducing the new Dempsey" has a very lackluster ring to it.

MAC orientated Think Secret posted IBM plans on the PowerPC 970MP codenamed Antares and rumored to clock in at 3GHz with a 1GHz EI (Elastic Interface) bus.

The horses are now in the paddock. AMD, INTEL and MAC loyalists are beginning to group at the fence to eye up their favorite and the competition. The post parade is still a ways off and with post time now set at mid-2005 it's anybody's guess who will be out of the gate first.

(click on image to enlarge)

Intel & AMD Dual-core Desktop Processors
The Intel Pentium Processor Extreme Edition 840 running at 3.2 GHz and Intel 955X Express Chipsets are being built into computers that are now entering the market. This is Intel's first desktop dual-core product supporting Hyper-Threading Technology. Processor features include the following:

• Hyper-Threading Technology: Enables you to run multiple demanding applications at the same time.
• Intel Extended Memory 64 Technology: Provides flexibility for future applications that support both 32-bit and 64-bit computing.
• Dual-Core: Two physical cores in one processor support better system responsiveness and multi-tasking capability than a comparable single core processor. [Source: Intel Dual-core Desktop Processor]

WHY??

Why the shift to dual core and how will this impact the gigahertz performance race? Who or what will dual core processing benefit and will it be sought after by enthusiasts or left buried deep inside the dark recesses of server rooms?

The broad brush paints a processor as a device that executes a series of instructions to tell it what to do which, in turn, tells everything else it interacts with what to do. The faster it can do this the better. "Faster" can be directly related to clock speed but don't make the mistake of thinking that INTEL's higher clock speeds make it "faster" than AMD.

Both AMD and INTEL scaled up the clock speeds of their processors in a very short amount of time but have recently slowed the curve. AMD moved from the 1GHz "Thunderbird" to the Athlon64 FX53 in In a little less than 4 years which is impressive considering from 1997 until 2000 the K6 processor family saw a mere 4-500 MHz clock speed increase.

It is the flattening of the clock speed curve that some are reasoning why a shift to dual core. Some have surmised that AMD and INTEL have hit clock speed walls and another route is being taken to continue the performance curve and stay top of mind with new product releases. The problem with winding up clock speeds is heat. At present the processor engine can operate at only so much RPM before the engine will seize. Heat is the enemy of any processor and high clock speeds mean high heat and that means errors. A Windows PC running at 10GHz isn't much good if it can't make it past booting up before crashing.

That heat comes from power. It takes a lot of juice to crank up a processor to high clock speeds and a processor with that much electricity running around the die is prone to noise. It's not audible noise like a high RPM cooling fan but electrical noise otherwise akin to interference. The pathways on a processor are microscopically close together. The more power that runs through these pathways due to the requirement of higher clock speeds means that there will be a small amount of electrical radiation from one pathway to the next. That leakage could corrupt the data in another pathway. Corrupted data means errors which means a program could get cranky.

Think of it like a hot element on a stove. A hand can be placed fairly close with the burner on low. Turn the burner up to high and it get's pretty uncomfortable to keep a hand at the same distance it was when the burner was on low. It may even burn a hand. The radiated heat from the burner "corrupts" the hand resulting in a burn. In a processor the thermal heat is an issue but it's also the electrical noise like a radio station that isn't quite tuned in. The data is "dirty" and the song isn't clear enough to understand.

Yamaha YSP-1 Digital Sound Projector Home Theater Speaker System

Download latest updates, softwares, music and much more from above

Yamaha YSP-1 Digital Sound Projector Home Theater Speaker System

Steven Stone, June, 2005

The modern world revolves around easy. Look at the home-theater-in-a-box products. Consumers only need to make one shopping decision to purchase an entire home theater sound system. Unfortunately, they still need to set up the speakers and connect everything together.

Yamaha has tried to go home-theater-in-a-box one better. They've created a home theater in one box—literally. Yamaha's new YSP-1 Digital Sound Projector includes an audio processor, amplifiers, and speakers in a 40- by 8- by 5-inch enclosure that can sit above or below a flat-screen monitor and create a complete surround soundfield without a bunch of speakers around the room.

Naturally, skeptical audiophiles will wonder whether this technological hat trick can work well and sound good. Let's see.

One Box
The Yamaha YSP-1 delivers a single-box solution to home theater sound by placing 40 small, 1.5-inch speaker drivers and two 4.5-inch midsize drivers in one compact package. Each driver has its own amplifier. The 1.5-inch drivers utilize a miniscule 2-watt amp, while each of the 4.5-inch drivers is attached to a 20-watt amp. Connections include two pairs of analog inputs and three digital inputs (one coax, two optical) as well as a composite video output so the onscreen display can be viewed on your video screen.

Sophisticated DSP (digital signal processing) formulates delay and phase differences between its drivers to create surround effects. The YSP-1 controls sonic parameters based on the dimensions of your room as well as the physical location of the speaker system and listeners within the room. Yamaha's use of the term "Sound Projector" refers to the YSP-1's special ability to focus and bounce sound off a room's walls to generate surround effects.

Given the technologically ambitious nature of the YSP-1, setting it up could be intimidating. But since the typical owner of the YSP-1 wants a simple one-box solution to home theater sound, a complicated installation process could put the kibosh on the deal. Yamaha has addressed this issue with their Easy Set Up menu, which asks simple questions, and can successfully configure the YSP-1 based on the user's responses. Think of it as a built-in "expert system" for installation. According to Bart Greenberg of Yamaha, "Ninety percent of the YSP-1's owners set up their systems using the Easy Set Up menu." For the technologically savvy 10 percent, there's a Manual Set Up menu, which allows fine-tuning adjustments for all the important parameters.

I could expend copious amounts of copy describing the finer points of the YSP-1's setup procedure, but in the interest of brevity I'll just touch on a few major details. The Easy Set Up does qualify as easy; even without referring to the instruction manual, almost anyone can accomplish an acceptable installation. But to obtain optimum performance, you must enter the Manual Set Up menu, within which you can adjust not only the subwoofer and speaker levels and subwoofer crossover, but also room EQ, sound-beam direction, image location, input assignments, and brightness of the onscreen and front-panel displays.

Obtaining the optimum setup requires patience and more than a little courage. The settings appear to have little correlation with anything you'll find in the real world. Just as with CRT projectors, you must write down these initial settings before you begin to mess with them. The YSP-1 features a built-in pink-noise generator to assist with fine-tuning, but figuring out when the sound is right can be daunting. Through trial and error, I discovered the YSP-1's level of adjustability borders on scary. You can, with a bit of effort, make it sound really, truly awful. But if you like to tweak your sound system, the YSP-1 will deliver endless hours of engaging entertainment. Finally, at the end of the day, it's comforting to know that a factory-reset button awaits as a last resort.

Although the YSP-1 doesn't come with a subwoofer, it has an output for one. If you intend to listen to anything with bangs, booms, or thumps, you need a subwoofer. Not only will the subwoofer supply needed low frequency information, but by relieving the YSP-1's midrange speakers of bass duties, the system can play much louder with less strain. Yamaha recommends their own YST-FSW100 flat-profile subwoofer ($179), but anything superior to a Dixie cup and a string will work nicely. I used a small TEAC subwoofer with a down-firing 8-inch driver liberated from their LSR-150 mini-surround system.

Day-to-Day Operations
Once you've set up the Yamaha YSP-1, the hard work should be over. Its fully featured remote control can be programmed to also control your DVD player and TV. The front-panel display reveals information about your current input source, volume level, and audio mode. For unsophisticated or technophobic users the YSP-1's unintimidating interface should be easy to assimilate. Too bad the remote control doesn't light up.

During the review period, the YSP-1 operated flawlessly. Its remote control sensors have a wide angle of acceptance and excellent sensitivity. I found no instances in my small room where I couldn't either bounce the remote's signals off the wall or go for a direct shot without success.

The YSP-1 supports Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS, and DTS Neo:6 surround formats with built-in decoders. It also has four "beam mode settings" that are similar to audio modes in a conventional audio processor. Stereo mode turns the YSP-1 into a two-channel, forward-radiating system, while Three-Beam mode creates right, left, and center-channel outputs, directing the left and right channels' sound off the sidewalls. Five-Beam mode bounces the right and left front and surround channels off the room's walls, and ST+Three-Beam mode gives you a direct signal from front right, left, and center channels while reflecting rear-channel information off the sidewalls. This last setting is intended for both two-channel music and live-concert DVDs.

One Voice
Just because the YSP-1 succeeds ergonomically doesn't insure that it succeeds sonically. It will not induce audiophiles accustomed to top-flight audio to swoon with ecstasy. The YSP-1 sounds good, but never great. Its primary sonic attribute is clarity. Its principle deficiency is lack of midrange warmth and body. However, casual and less discriminating listeners will be delighted by the YPS-1's ability to play loudly in a small room (if used with a subwoofer) as well as its pseudo-surround capabilities.

If you use the YSP-1 primarily for video sources, its strengths will far outweigh its weaknesses. On boisterous soundtracks such as Lost in Space, it delivers easily decipherable dialog even during the loudest and most frenetic action scenes. The YSP-1's crisp, matter-of-fact sonic character preserves all the low-level details of a soundtrack. But music, especially from less-than-perfect sources such as MP3s or iPods, sounds mediocre through the YPS-1. At louder-than-background volume levels, music develops a hard, dry, two-dimensional character that makes it cold and uninviting. Aggressive material quickly becomes fatiguing, and you will either turn the volume down or axe-murder someone. The ST+Three-Beam mode does expand two-channel music's somewhat limited soundstage and spatial parameters, but it also adds a hollow and artificial harmonic character. Unlike Lexicon's Logic 7 or Meridian's Tri-field modes, the YSP-1's surround augmentations subtract rather than add to musical enjoyment.

Surround effects are well separated from front-channel information, but except in rare cases they never seem to emanate from behind as with conventional 5- or 7-channel surround systems. I must admit that the surround test signals from Video Essentials actually circled behind me during my initial setup, but most movies' surround effects came from behind the boundaries of the front channels instead of from behind me.

Other users may find the YSP-1's surround sound effects far more convincing because the DSP employs HRTF (head-related transfer functions) to alter the time alignment between drivers and phase coefficients to create surround effects. Different people have varying sensitivities to these sonic manipulations, which will determine their degree of perceived veracity. I'm a tough sell, I guess.

One World
The YSP-1 epitomizes the successful lifestyle product. It elegantly fulfills the particularly challenging ergonomic function of delivering home theater surround-sound capabilities from a single low-profile, visually unobtrusive enclosure. It works well on movies and video sources, delivering crisp dialog, satisfying volume levels, and sometimes convincing surround effects. For music, the system is less endearing, especially when subjected to critical listening standards. Still, for background music and video sources, the YSP-1 performs remarkably well. When you consider its price, features, and overall performance level, only a complete curmudgeon could view the Yamaha YSP-1 as anything less than a spectacular A/V miracle.

Highs and Lows

Highs
• Compact home theater solution
• Works well with movie soundtracks
• Excellent dialog clarity
• Can play surprisingly loud when mated with outboard subwoofer

Lows
• Not convincing with music
• Lack of midrange warmth and body
• Manual Set Up mode (more flexible than the simple, Easy Set Up option) is complicated

Laser TV predicted to be death of plasma

Laser TV predicted to be death of plasma

It's being hailed by its developers as the next revolution in visual technology - a laser television that will make plasma screens obsolete.

Soon-to-be-listed Australian company Arasor International and its US partner Novalux unveiled what they claimed to be the world's first laser television in Sydney, with a pitch that it will be half the price, twice as good, and use a quarter of the electricity of conventional plasma and LCD TVs.

Manufacturing company Arasor produces the unique optoelectronic chip central to the laser projection device being developed by Silicon Valley-based Novalux, which is being used by a number of television manufacturers.

And displayed beside a conventional 50 inch plasma TV, the Mitsubishi-built prototype does appear brighter and clearer than its "older" rival.

With a worldwide launch date scheduled for Christmas 2007, under recognisable brands like Mitsubishi and Samsung, Novalux chief executive Jean-Michel Pelaprat is so bold as to predict the death of plasma.

"If you look at any screen today, the colour content is roughly about 30-35 per cent of what the eye can see," he said.

"But for the very first time with a laser TV we'll be able to see 90 per cent of what the eye can see.

"All of a sudden what you see is a lifelike image on display."

Combine that with energy efficiency, price advantage and the fact that the laser TVs will be half the weight and depth of plasma TVS, and Mr Pelaprat says "plasma is now something of the past".

Mr Pelaprat predicted LCD TVs would come to dominate the market below 40 inches, and laser television the market above that screen size, displacing plasma.

The optoelectronic chip-laser technology won't be confined to TVs.

The technology is also being trialled in mobile phones, where it will be used to project images onto any surface, and in home theatres and cinemas.

The unveiling of the laser TV prototype was held on the eve of Arasor's public float on the Australian Stock Exchange next week

TOP 10 GRAPHICS CARD

download latest drivers and softwares from above links

TOP 10 GRAPHICS CARD

1) ATI Radeon X1900

ATI's X1900 cards, which so far come in XT, XTX, and Crossfire versions as well, are at the top of ATI's current product line for gamers. The performance is very similar to that of GeForce 7 cards. As with earlier ATI cards, the X1900 XT is better than the plain X1900, and the XTX is better still. The X1900 features an impressive 48 shader units and some versions have 512 MB of memory, but they don't come cheap.

CALL OF DUTY2

2) nVidia GeForce 7900 GTX

The GeForce 7900 is nVidia's premium chipset for gamers, and has several improvements over the 7800. As well as better performance, it's smaller, has fewer transistors, and generates less heat. Subsequently, it should cost less to manufacture cards using the 7900 than the 7800 in the long run, but at the moment they are quite expensive. To be sure, it's a force to be reckoned with and keeps up to the Radeon X1900 XTX on most benchmarks.

3) nVidia GeForce 7800 GTX

With 24 pixel pipelines, 8 vertex units, and an astonishing 302 million transistors, the GeForce 7800 is one of the most complex graphics processors ever built. By comparison, an Xbox GPU has 60 million transistors. Like GeForce 6 cards, the 7800 supports SLI (Scalable Link Interface), which is nVidia's dual card solution.

4) nVidia GeForce 7600 GT

Aimed at mainstream gamers rather than the high-end of the market, the GeForce 7600 is based on nVidia's new 90-nm G73 graphics core. Although it has half as many pixel shaders as the 7900, it offers performance very close to Radeon X1800 cards on some game benchmarks. Because the new core is more economical to make, 7600 cards are definitely among the best values on the market at the moment.

5) ATI Radeon X1800 XT

The X1000 series from ATI so far includes the X1900, X1800, X1600, and X1300. The X1800 XT is one of their premium offerings with ultra-threaded 3D architecture, improved memory controller efficiency, and Shader Model 3 support. It outperforms the GeForce 7800 GTX on many benchmarks despite having fewer pipelines, and the core hums along at 625 MHz.

6) nVidia GeForce 6800 GT

nVidia's GeForce 6800 series represented the largest leap in game card performance to come along in years. They support DirectX 9.0c and Shader Model 3.0 and are available for both AGP and PCI Express. Note that the 6800 Ultra wants two auxiliary power connectors, so you might want to go with the 6800 GT, which only needs one. An excellent card that should get more affordable now that the 7800s are out.

7) ATI Radeon X850 XT

A slightly older chipset from ATI targetted at gamers is the X850, which is available in Pro, XT, and XT Platinum Edition (PE) versions. There is also a Crossfire Edition for those of you interested in running a system with two graphics cards, though this is prohibitively expensive for most purposes. The X850 can be found for AGP and it's a nice choice for a relatively affordable upgrade if Shader Model 3.0 support isn't important to you.

8) nVidia GeForce 6600 GT

Although very similar to the 6800 cards, including DirectX 9.0c and Shader Model 3.0 support, nVidia has made some changes to make the 6600 series more affordable. They have fewer pixel pipelines, fewer pixel shader units, and the memory bus has been reduced to 128-bit from 256-bit, but they still offer exceptional game performance. AGP versions of this card are also available, and recent price drops have made the 6600 GT a great value.

9) ATI Radeon X1600 XT

The Radeon X1600 is a mid-range chipset from ATI aimed at those seeking something easier on the wallet than the X1800 and X1900, but better performing than the X1300. It is very comparable in both speed and price to GeForce 6600 technology. Although the X800 is a little faster in some cases, you may want to go with an X1600 because it has Shader Model 3.0 support, which X800 and X850s do not have.

10) ATI Radeon X1300 Pro

Radeon X1300s are designed for gamers on a tight budget. They don't really compare in performance to other cards on this list, but they do support Shader Model 3.0 and they run most games adequately at lower settings. I recommend the Pro model because it's a little faster than the vanilla X1300. With some shopping around and maybe a rebate, you should be able to find an X1300 Pro card for under $100

amd

AMD Unveils Energy Efficient Roadmap
Leveraging its leadership in performance-per-watt computing, AMD unveiled a top-to-bottom energy efficient AMD desktop processor roadmap at the In-Stat Spring Processor Forum. Consumers and businesses alike are requesting smaller, more elegant PCs that aesthetically complement home and office environments, yet deliver the same performance as larger systems

AMD Announces Strategic Agreement with Founder Technology, Second Largest PC Provider in China

AMD Announces Strategic Agreement with Founder Technology, Second Largest PC Provider in China

AMD Processor-Powered Founder Desktop PCs to be Available Early October in China
AMD and Founder Technology today announced an agreement to offer Founder customers a range of systems based on AMD64 processors, which are recognized for their innovation and performance-per-watt leadership.

Founder, China’s second largest PC provider and the seventh largest global desktop PC provider, expects to launch AMD64 processor-based desktop PCs throughout China in early October 2006. The sales agreement will begin with desktop systems and expand to cover both the notebook and the server markets in the near future.

Attending a news conference in Beijing today were Qi Dongfeng, president of Founder Technology; Henri Richard, AMD executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer; and Karen Guo, AMD corporate vice president and president of AMD Greater China.

“As a premier technology brand in China, Founder Technology shares AMD’s passion for delivering exceptional innovation to its customers,” Guo said. “Through this strategic agreement, we can continue increasing innovation and customer choice by providing compelling options that help contribute to the healthy, robust development of the information technology industry in China.”

“Founder Technology’s collaboration with AMD is based on our shared understanding of the market. As a leading innovator of microprocessors, AMD has been providing PC users a viable choice through its consistent execution and top-of-the-line processors,” said Qi Dongfeng. “Founder Technology is one of the leaders in China’s PC market, and is committed to responding to customer needs with our high-quality products and dedicated services.”

According to IDC, Founder sold 2.5 million PCs in 2005, solidifying its market position as China’s second-largest PC maker.

About AMD
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is a leading global provider of innovative microprocessor solutions for computing, communications and consumer electronics markets. Founded in 1969, AMD is dedicated to delivering superior computing solutions based on customer needs that empower users worldwide. For more information visit www.amd.com.

About Founder Technology
Founder Technology, a subsidiary of Founder Group, is one of the most influential publicly listed high-tech companies in mainland China. In the second quarter of 2006, Founder Technology’s PC sales grew by almost 34 percent compared with the same period last year, making it the seventh largest PC provider in the world and the fourth largest in the Asia-Pacific region. Founder Technology ranks number one in the Asia-Pacific region in terms of growth rate in total shipments. Meanwhile, the market share of Founder Technology achieved 13%, consistently ranked as one of the largest PC providers in China for last seven years.

AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Athlon, AMD Sempron, and combinations thereof, are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Other names used are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners

AMD Begins First Revenue Shipments of AMD64 Products Manufactured At Chartered

AMD Begins First Revenue Shipments of AMD64 Products Manufactured At Chartered
AMD announced that in June it began its first revenue shipments of AMD64 processors manufactured at Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing in Singapore. AMD and Chartered ramped 300mm production at Fab 7 in record time, hitting all major milestones and starting production at mature yields. Initial shipments out of Chartered consisted of microprocessors manufactured on 90nm process technology. The ramp of volume production at Chartered combined with recent announcements in Dresden shows that AMD will have the ability to intelligently scale and flex production in line with customer demand.

“We selected Chartered to augment our production because of a shared philosophy of flexibility and agility in manufacturing,” said Daryl Ostrander, senior vice president, logic technology at AMD. “Through successful integration of select advanced process control modules we’ve enabled an on-time start-up with the same standards of quality, efficiency and responsiveness that AMD customers have come to expect from our manufacturing operations.”

AMD and Chartered originally announced a manufacturing agreement in late 2004 which called for volume production of AMD64 products in the second half of 2006. With this announcement, AMD has once again demonstrated a track-record of flawless execution and on-time delivery in manufacturing to provide additional flex capacity for its customers. AMD will continue to enhance operations at Chartered with a planned transition to 65nm process technology in mid-2007.

“Achieving mature yields on-plan and ahead of schedule for 90nm volume production in support of AMD’s expanding market opportunity have been our collective goals since we initiated our manufacturing collaboration in 2004, and we are equally proud of these results,” said Kay Chai “KC” Ang, senior vice president of fab operations at Chartered. “Our close working relationship with AMD has not only enhanced our ability to meet and exceed its aggressive manufacturing requirements, but has provided pass-through benefits resulting from our implementation of Automated Precision Manufacturing know-how from AMD.”

“Through a flexible, collaborative approach and the power of Automated Precision Manufacturing, AMD and Chartered have attained rapid production ramp on AMD64 products with mature yields,” said Preston Snuggs, vice president of manufacturing systems at AMD. “Through a continued customer-centric approach to manufacturing, we now have increased flexibility in dynamically adjusting capacity to meet customer demand.”

About AMD
AMD (NYSE:AMD) designs and produces innovative microprocessors, and low-power processor solutions for the computer, communications and consumer electronics industries. AMD is dedicated to helping its customers deliver standards-based, customer-focused solutions for technology users, ranging from enterprises and governments to individual consumers. For more information, visit www.amd.com.

About Chartered
Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing (Nasdaq: CHRT, SGX-ST: CHARTERED), one of the world’s top dedicated semiconductor foundries, offers leading-edge technologies down to 65 nanometer (nm), enabling today’s system-on-chip designs. The company further serves the needs of customers through its collaborative, joint development approach on a technology roadmap that extends to 45nm. Chartered’s strategy is based on open and comprehensive design enablement solutions, manufacturing enhancement methodologies, and a commitment to flexible sourcing. In Singapore, the company operates a 300mm fabrication facility and four 200mm facilities. Information about Chartered can be found at http://www.charteredsemi.com.

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (abbreviated AMD; NYSE: AMD) is an American manufacturer of integrated circuits based in Sunnyvale, California. It is the

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (abbreviated AMD; NYSE: AMD) is an American manufacturer of integrated circuits based in Sunnyvale, California. It is the second-largest supplier of x86-compatible processors, and was once a leading supplier of non-volatile flash memory. It was founded in 1969 by a group of former executives from Fairchild Semiconductor, including Jerry Sanders, III. AMD's current Chairman and CEO is Dr. Héctor Ruiz. The current president and Chief Operating Officer is Dirk Meyer.

AMD is 15th among the Worldwide Top 20 Semiconductor Sales Leaders with revenues in 2005 of $3.9 billion.

AMD is best known for the Athlon, Opteron, Turion 64, Sempron, and Duron lines of x86-compatible processors.

On July 24, 2006, AMD reached an agreement to merge with ATI at a cost of $5.4 billion, subject to ATI shareholder, court, and regulatory approval. The merger closed on October 25, 2006.[1]

IBM

IBM works on new visualization tools

IBM is bringing Microsoft Windows into the fold of its high-end graphics visualization system, but plans more sophisticated network abilities for its current Linux-based product in 2007.

IBM's Deep Computing Visualization technology, which uses Linux today, will work on Big Blue's Windows workstations as well in December, the company told customers Tuesday. Specifically, IBM will release Windows support for its Remote Visual Networking (RVN) software that lets geographically distant co-workers collaborate by sharing graphical images over an encrypted network connection.

IBM already offers a separate Linux tool called the Scalable Visual Networking (SVN), which lets a cluster of computers collectively render a large image shown with a collection of displays or projectors. That technology can be useful for "immersive" graphics that surround viewers, for example to improve the realism of a flight simulator. SVN for Windows will be available in the first half of 2007, IBM said.

Also in the first half of 2007, IBM plans to introduce an SVN-related technology for Linux, Scalable Parallel Visual Networking (SPVN). SPVN will be more flexible, easier to upgrade and more cost-effective, IBM said.

IBM's push into visualization coincides with the fading of Silicon Graphics, which once specialized in the area but these days prefers to call itself just SGI. "Visualization...is an insignificant portion of our business today," SGI Chief Executive Dennis McKenna said in September.