November 18, 2008 by Matt
I’ve been reading lots of articles on this and I just shopped around a bit to confirm. It turns out that, indeed, 64-bit computing has become mainstream. Many computers from popular manufacturers like Dell and Gateway are shipping their products with the 64-bit version of Windows Vista as the default choice, and in some cases as the ONLY choice.
This is a good thing for 64-bit progress and it means that especially when Microsoft stops shipping 32-bit versions of Windows, we’ll be able to move on.
From my personal experience, 64-bit Vista works beautifully. I recently installed it as my primary OS on my primary desktop PC and I have not had a single problem. Suddenly, it just works and the extra RAM capability doesn’t hurt anything either. I suggest that if you’re feeling bold, go ahead and take the plunge.
Posted in information | Tagged hardware, 64-bit | Comments Off
November 17, 2008 by Matt
Mozilla is hard at work on the next version of Firefox. The new version 3.1 will feature many requested features that didn’t make it into the time frame of 3.0. The new features include private browsing, tab tearing, enhanced tab switching, enhanced security, and a new javascript engine just to name a few.
The new javascript engine has been dubbed TraceMonkey and is much faster than Safari (WebKit) or even Google Chrome. It is also significantly faster than Firefox 3.0. So look forward to increased performance from Firefox 3.1, especially with web apps like Gmail.
You can test Firefox 3.1 via Minefield.
Firefox 3.1 Wiki
Lifehacker TraceMonkey Stats
Posted in information | Tagged mozilla, firefox, firefox 3.1 | Comments Off
November 17, 2008 by Matt
Adobe has released an update to its AIR Platform today to v1.5. You can find the link below. It will install on Mac, Windows and Linux (in beta form).
Posted in information | Tagged adobe | Comments Off
November 17, 2008 by Matt
Intel has officially shipped the Core i7 “Nehalem” processor line today. The new CPUs all feature quad-core architecture, an integrated memory controller, and a completely redesigned architecture. The new processors demand a new socket, LGA1366 to seat them and the Intel X58 chipset.
One thing I heard today is that the new Intel X58 chipset does not discriminate between nVidia and ATI graphics cards… that means you can install either GPU in your new machine.
Dell has an AWESOME deal on a Core i7 machine right now.
Posted in information | Tagged core i7, hardware, intel | Comments Off
November 17, 2008 by Matt
Yep, you read that right - Intel has released the Core i7 CPUs on NewEgg.com. You can now order the 920, 940, and 965 Extreme processors on the website.
You must order an Intel X58 chipset motherboard with LGA1366 socket in order to install the new processor. You can also run DDR3 RAM with this chip and it’ll be screaming fast. Here’s a potential setup for you to try if you have the money:
Intel Core i7 920
Intel X58 Motherboard
Corsair DDR3 RAM
The Core i7 chip is the fastest CPU Intel has for the desktop consumer market. All of these processors are 4 cores and have a highly advanced (and fast) architecutre. Do a little shopping and see what you can find.
Posted in information | Tagged hardware, intel, core i7 | Comments Off
November 12, 2008 by Matt
ExtremeTech has a great article on what the CPU wars will be like in the coming year. A great read.
Posted in hardware | Comments Off
According to neowin.net and engadget, Intel is ready to release their new Core i7 CPUs this month, on November 17th. These chips are the long-awaited Nahalem chips that have received much hype in the tech press recently. Here’s the key paragraph from neowin:
“The chips come in 3 models, 920, 940, and the higher end model 965 Extreme Edition. All models of the chip feature 4 cores, 256 kb L2 Cache and 8 MB Shared L3 Cache, ranging from 2.66 GHz to 3.2 GHz, with 800-1600 MHz 3xDDR3 memory controllers, in a LGA1366 socket.“
My recommended path for the budget builder would be to get a decent LGA1366 board and throw the 920 on it. Grab some DDR3 RAM and you’re off to the races.
As I looked around the usual suspects (NewEgg etc.) I couldn’t find any legitimate sites that offered the Core i7 nor a LGA1366 motherboard. I can’t wait until they do and we can see what the consumer prices are. Here are the bulk prices per CPU:
Core i7 920 - $284
Core i7 940 - $562
Core i7 965 - $999
Basically, if you’re budget conscious but you want the latest and greatest, go for the 920 chip. It beats the pants of off any other comparable processor from AMD or Intel. All in all they will be badass chips and you’ll enjoy some serious speed.
Posted in hardware | Comments Off
Hey I have noticed some major misconceptions about the speed of the nightly builds of Firefox 3.1 Some reviewers have attempted to compare Firefox 3.1 with other browsers like Chrome and have come up with unexpected results. This is mostly due to the individuals NOT enabling TraceMonkey (the new JavaScript engine) in Firefox 3.1. You HAVE to enable TraceMonkey in order to get the increased speed it provides. Here’s how you do it, courtesy of the Mozilla Wiki:
“Playing with TraceMonkey
TraceMonkey is currently available for testing in nightly builds. You will need to go take the following steps to turn it on:
- open a new tab
- type about:config and hit enter
- read the warning and heed its wisdom
- enter jit in the filter field
- double click on javascript.options.jit.chrome and javascript.options.jit.content to change their values to true
If you experience instability, please file a bug and reference any crash report ID that might be relevant.”
Posted in mozilla | No Comments »
