Red Fox Wizbook N1020i netbook

One of the engadget folks was at the official launch event of the Red Fox Wizbook N1020i netbook which was announced just recently. The following is what he stated on engadget.com about his experience.

I was able to snap a few photos as well as try out the demo units for a few basic Windows tasks. All of them had Windows XP Home Edition SP3 pre-installed, and I believe this will be the case for all retail units that will ever be sold here in the Philippines.
The Red Fox Wizbook N1020i is actually more of an upgrade to the original Wizbook 1020i instead of being a new model altogether, but still, it has enough merit to be a distinguished model and after all, it is one of the very few netbooks left which still have ExpressCard/34 slots and it is the very first in the world to feature Bluetooth 3.0. Read on for my first impressions after the break.

The Red Fox Wizbook N1020i netbook features run-of-the-mill netbook specs: 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, 160GB hard drive, 3 USB ports, mic/headphone port, 4400 mAh 6-cell battery, 1GB of RAM (with support for up to 2GB), 10.2-inch 1024 x 600 screen, a/b/g Wi-Fi, built-in webcam and card reader. What possibly sets it apart as even just a little bit better than most other netbooks out there are its ExpressCard/34 slot and its support for Bluetooth ver. 3.0.
ExpressCard/34 slot and Bluetooth 3.0
With this ExpressCard/34 slot, users will be able to upgrade stuff much more easily depending on their liking. They could fit this with a TV tuner, SSD for additional memory, e-SATA port, FireWire 800 and a few others more. Basically, this makes upgrading it that much more fun than just taking the screws off the lid underneath the body and replacing the factory hard drive or RAM.
At the same time, Red Fox touts that this netbook features support for Bluetooth 3.0. I was eager to try it out, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to during the event. I should be receiving a review unit from Red Fox in a couple of days, though, and I should be able to test it then.
(To eliminate any confusion from whether it will actually achieve a data transfer rate of 480Mbit/s or not with Bluetooth 3.0, keep in mind that this is only the max theoretical bit rate that can be achieved with Bluetooth 3.0, the same way that 802.11g’s theoretical bit rate is 54Mbit/s and 802.11n’s is supposedly 600Mbit/s. In real world usage, these are all unlikely to be met.)

Size and notes on hardware
In this side-by-side photo with my Eee PC 1000HE, the Wizbook 1020i appears to be a little short. But note that in this picture, the Wizbook 1020i is not equipped with a battery, and that if it was, it would probably be just as tall as the Eee PC because of the its battery’s bulge.
Both the keyboard and trackpad are smaller than what they could be, based on my observation. The keyboard’s keys are rather cramped, and the dry plastic feel can be felt all around. Being used to netbook keyboards, though, I did not find this to be that much of a problem. But the touchpad doesn’t support multi-touch, which is an even bigger issue at hand. At first, I didn’t really care much for this feature, but after finally figuring it out, I’ve come to prefer it to using a mouse (as it also saves me battery life).
I wasn’t able to hang around long enough to see just how long the the N1020i netbooks last on a single charge with their standard batteries, but I was told that they work up to more than 4 hours straight with moderate to heavy usage. I should be able to start on a review in the next couple of days so tune in next week to see the full review with most other aspects of the netbook’s performance covered.

So that sums it up for today folks, lets wait for what engadget.com has in store for us tommorro. Thanks for reading and have a nice day.

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 CPU Review

It was not too long ago that the web was buzzing with dual-core versus quad-core debates. Sides were taken and lines were drawn. At that time, one of the main arguments against quad-core processors was their high asking price. But as time passed and manufacturing refinements were made, costs steadily decreased and quad-cores found their way into the more mainstream market segments. And before you knew it, a price war was imminent.

Intel and AMD have been going at one another for years. With AMD unable to compete well at the ultra high-end of the market, however, their focus shifted towards the mainstream market segments. As always, Intel responded and their most recent salvo comes in the form the affordable Core 2 Quad Q8400 processor. Since the Q9400, a 2.66GHz Yorkfield quad-core, was already on the market, why did Intel feel the need to release another, affordable quad-core model? One reason could be to increase yield and utilize dies that would otherwise be discarded. Another reason would be to position another product at the same price point as AMD's. Whatever the case may be, competition is always good for the consumer as it usually drives prices lower and provides more options to choose from. With that in mind, let's take a look at the Intel Core 2 Quad8400 to see if it's worthy of consideration for your next build...

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 Close Up

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 Processor Specifications & Features

	Q8400
sSPEC number Core Frequency System Bus Frequency Clock Multiplier TDP (Thermal Design Power) Thermal Specification Number of CPU Cores L2 Cache Max Processor Input Voltage (VID) Manufacturing Process Total Die Size Packaging Instruction Set Extensions Extended HALT State (C1E) Enabled Execute Disable Bit (XD) Enabled Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology Intel Virtualization Technology (VT) Demand Based Switching Turbo Boost Technology Hyper-Threading Technology Trusted Execution Technology (TXT) MSRP	SLGT6 (R0) 2.66 GHz 1333 MT/s 8x 95W 71.4C 4 4MB (2 x 2MB) 1.3625V 45nm 2 x 107mm² Flip Chip LGA775 MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1 Enabled Enabled Enabled Enabled Disabled Disabled Disabled Disabled $183

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45nm Yorkfield Quad-Core

There isn't a shortage of options for those on the market for a 45nm Intel quad-core CPU. From the 3.2GHz Extreme Edition QX9770 to the 2.33GHz Q8200, Intel has the entire price spectrum covered. Those looking for a low power option can also choose from the S-series processors, which sport lower 65W TDPs. Where exactly does the Q8400 fit in to the mix?

The Q8400 operates at 2.66GHz with a 333MHz front side bus speed. It is manufactured using Intel's 45nm process technology and has a 95W thermal design power (TDP). The CPU can operate using core ratios from 6 to 8 and has 4MB of L2 cache.

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 Top & Bottom

Intel's Q8400 fills the $180 price point in Intel's line up that competes directly with AMD's Phenom II X4 940 BE processor. But the Q8400 has a tough fight on its hands as the X4 940 BE runs at 3GHz and offers an unlocked multiplier.

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 CPU-Z Details

CPU-Z reveals the processor's details and settings. Note the 4MB (2MB x 2) L2 cache shown above. This is the only difference between this processor and the more expensive 2.66GHz Q9400, which has 6MB of L2 cache. We will show you the performance difference between the two chips later on in this review.

Overclocking The Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 Pedal To The Metal

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 Overclocked to 3.92GHz

We love free upgrades. One of the best ways to get more performance from your PC is to overclock the processor. From a stock frequency of 2.66GHz, we overclocked the Q8400 to an impressive 3.92GHz using a TRUE 120 and 1.36V. We started with a 333MHz FSB and raised it slowly while testing for stability along the way. It wasn't until we passed 490MHz FSB that we ran into any issues so we backed it back down and settled for the 3.92GHz overclock. We would like to note that we stayed within Intel's recommended operating voltage (0.85V - 1.3625V) to achieve this overclock. With higher voltages and more powerful cooling, even higher frequencies are likely possible.

Intel Quietly Announces Core i5 and Core i3 Branding

So today we have a look at the Core i5 and i3 branding that took place recently. Thanks to the people who write at anandtecch.com we are able to read about all the new info. So here it is, a review taken from anandtech. Intel, today, announced its Core i5 and Core i3 branding with very little detail. The post that inspired all of this is here, which I found from Cyril's summary on Tech Report (btw, Cyril's posts pretty much always rock).

The important take away points are as follows:

1) The new brand is Intel Core. There will be three derivatives: Core i7, Core i5 and Core i3.

2) The Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad branding will eventually disappear.

3) Pentium, Celeron and Atom will remain.

4) Centrino will also go away and Intel's WiFi and WiMAX products will inherit the name starting in 2010.

But what separates a Core i7 from a Core i5 and Core i3? I may have some insight. Let's start with desktop processors:

Desktop Processor	Cores	Threads	Turbo
Intel Core i7	4	8	Yes
Intel Core i5	2 or 4	4	Yes
Intel Core i3	2 or 4	4	No

Only the Core i7 is allowed to run in a LGA-1366 socket, however there will be LGA-1156 i7, i5 and i3CPUs . The number of memory channels and the presence of a QPI link does not determine branding. In other words, Lynnfield will be both a Core i7 and a Core i5 depending on the SKU.

The LGA-1156 Core i7s will be the 8xx series, while the LGA-1366 i7s will be the 9xx series. The i5s will be the 6xx series and the i3s will be the 5xx series.

Four cores and HT enabled with turbo mode yields you a Core i7 on the desktop. If you only have support for up to 4 threads then you've got a Core i5; take away turbo and you have a Core i3.

In mobile, things are a little different:

Mobile Processor	Cores	Threads	Turbo
Intel Core i7	2 or 4	4 or 8	Yes
Intel Core i5	2 or 4	4	Yes
Intel Core i3	2 or 4	4	No

The mobile i7 can be 2 or 4 cores and support 4 or 8 threads, which makes sense since there will be more dual-core than quad-core mobile processors. The rest of the lineup follows the desktop rules; i5 and i3 are capped at 4 threads and i3 doesn't have Turbo.

I've got one more thing to report. Remember how I wasn't totally sure about the turbo modes for the top end Lynnfield processor in our preview? I think I've got it:

Desktop Processor	Clock Speed	Max Turbo (# of Cores Active)
		4C	3C	2C	1C
Intel Core i7 870	2.93GHz	3.20GHz	3.20GHz	3.46GHz	3.60GHz

From what I've heard, this is going to be a Core i7 870 and the turbo modes are similar to what I estimated. With two cores active this thing will turbo up to 3.46GHz (4 speed bins). That's going to be a huge boon to performance in games and other apps that have difficulty using more than 2 threads. Combine that with Windows 7's superior thread handling and I believe we have a winner on our hands.