INTEL Corp.'s newest microprocessor, the next generation 2.2GHz version of its Pentium 4 chip, went on sale in Tokyo's Akihabara electronics district on Thursday afternoon, ahead of its official launch date in January.
The new processor is not just a faster version of the company's previous chips but is the first new chip to be based on Intel's Northwood core. Produced using a state-of-the-art 0.13 micron production process rather than the 0.18 micron process used for current Willamette cores, the Northwood cores include double the amount of layer 2 cache memory, 512k bytes, which should translate into higher performance for users. The Northwood core also uses less power and runs at a lower voltage -- 1.5 volts against 1.75 volts for the Willamette.
Along with the new 2.2GHz chip, a 2.0GHz Pentium 4 based on the Northwood core is also due to be officially launched soon but, like the new processor, has already made its Akihabara debut, appearing a couple of days before Christmas.
Prices for the 2.2GHz processor range from 79,800 yen to 81,800 yen (US$609 to $624) depending on the store while the 2.0AGHz version (the letter A signifies the first generation Northwood core) is selling for around 60,000 yen.
Those prices may drop soon, however. An internal Intel roadmap, seen by IDG News Service in late November, had the 2.2GHz Pentium 4 intially debuting in early January for $615 but being cut to $560 on Jan. 27. If Intel sticks to these plans, the new chip should be 9 percent cheaper in one month.
The launch of the new chips comes at a time when high-performance Pentium 4 systems are getting cheaper for consumers. The launch earlier in December of Intel's 845D chipset means PC makers can now couple DDR (double data rate) memory with the processor. DDR memory has the advantage of being both low cost -- it is just a little more expensive than conventional SDRAM (synchronous dynamic RAM) memory -- and high-performance, delivering around the same performance as Rambus DRAM.
News source: Info World - Intel's 2.2GHz Pentium 4 hits the streets early
The new processor is not just a faster version of the company's previous chips but is the first new chip to be based on Intel's Northwood core. Produced using a state-of-the-art 0.13 micron production process rather than the 0.18 micron process used for current Willamette cores, the Northwood cores include double the amount of layer 2 cache memory, 512k bytes, which should translate into higher performance for users. The Northwood core also uses less power and runs at a lower voltage -- 1.5 volts against 1.75 volts for the Willamette.
Along with the new 2.2GHz chip, a 2.0GHz Pentium 4 based on the Northwood core is also due to be officially launched soon but, like the new processor, has already made its Akihabara debut, appearing a couple of days before Christmas.
Prices for the 2.2GHz processor range from 79,800 yen to 81,800 yen (US$609 to $624) depending on the store while the 2.0AGHz version (the letter A signifies the first generation Northwood core) is selling for around 60,000 yen.
Those prices may drop soon, however. An internal Intel roadmap, seen by IDG News Service in late November, had the 2.2GHz Pentium 4 intially debuting in early January for $615 but being cut to $560 on Jan. 27. If Intel sticks to these plans, the new chip should be 9 percent cheaper in one month.
The launch of the new chips comes at a time when high-performance Pentium 4 systems are getting cheaper for consumers. The launch earlier in December of Intel's 845D chipset means PC makers can now couple DDR (double data rate) memory with the processor. DDR memory has the advantage of being both low cost -- it is just a little more expensive than conventional SDRAM (synchronous dynamic RAM) memory -- and high-performance, delivering around the same performance as Rambus DRAM.
News source: Info World - Intel's 2.2GHz Pentium 4 hits the streets early
Hack attacks
Atri Chatterjee, a spokesman for McAfee, said although a lot of people used stand-alone anti-virus programs many forgot to update them regularly, leaving them vulnerable to viruses that exploited recently found loopholes.
Even those who used a personal firewall to protect themselves and their computer from unwelcome intruders could be caught out by the sheer number of security vulnerabilities and patch programs that were reported every week, he said.
A study by anti-virus company MessageLabs found that the number of viruses circulating on the net has leapt in the last year.
In 2000, MessageLabs was stopping a virus every 700 e-mails. Now, the figure is one virus in every 370 messages.
Research has found that those who use broadband net connections are at real risk of attack from malicious hackers and computer vandals.
Because broadband connections are "always on", attackers typically have more time to find and try to penetrate computers linked to the net in this way.
Computers online via a broadband link have proved very popular with vandals who use them as proxies to carry out "denial of service attacks" in which a target machine is bombarded with bogus data packets.
Remote control
For £17.95 a year, McAfee will take on the burden of updating anti-virus software for customers to ensure that they stay protected against viruses.
For an extra £20.95 per annum, subscribers get a firewall managed remotely by McAfee that keeps out those that want to harvest personal information from a computer or recruit that machine for a future attack.
Both programs are updated, managed and monitored via the web by McAfee.
"Three out of four people are surfing naked and are open to all kinds of hacking attempts," said Mr Chatterjee.
The McAfee security subscription service has been running in the US since April 1999 and now has more than 1.2 million customers.
The service is available now in the UK and Germany and will be rolled out to 12 more countries in 2002.
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