PC Users are on the brink of a massive shift in technology and performance. We identify the most game-changing technologies and life-changing products for the coming year
To the PC doubters and doomsayers throughout the land, we have but one thing to say. You are incorrect. Misguided. Flat-out wrong. As we started to investigate the technologies, products, and processors that will appear in PCs and related devices in the year ahead, we realized that, from this moment on, our beloved Personal Computer is more important and more relevant than ever.
It’s not that the times aren’t changing. They most assuredly are, and the infusion of so many new platforms and usage models into the home and the personal-computing equation is concentrating a lot of power and flexibility in our hands.
Not surprisingly, the PC ethos we all embrace—nonlinear, flexible, interconnected, and constantly evolving—lies at the center of the crossover. We mean that literally and figuratively. Desktops. Laptops. Tablets. Smartphones. Accelerated Processing Units. 60GHz networks. Personal servers. These days, each of us is essentially walking around with a tiny supercomputer, Internet, and cloud-computing scheme in our hands. To which we say, “Bring it on.” We’ve been waiting for this moment for years.
As always, the near future of PC technology is coalescing around three key axes: performance, power, and interconnectivity. Back in the day, you could sacrifice one or maybe even two of these criteria. Not anymore. Over the next 10 pages, we’re going to explain what, why, when, where, and how...........
Wow it seems as though Intel's i7 platform just got started and alerady were looking at new processors and motherboard sockets. Computers are evolving at lighting speeds and enthusiast may need a second job just to keep up. Thanks Brink a very informative read.
System Manufacturer/Model Number Self Built:kellymac35/TOSHIBA LAPTOP X775 3DV78 OS WINDOWS 7 Ultimate x64 Full CPU INTEL i7 930/INTEL i7 2630QM 2.9 GHz With Turbo Boost Motherboard EVGA X58 3X SLI CLASSIFIED/TOSHIBA Memory MUSHKIN ENHANCED 12GB/8GB SAMSUNG DDR3 1333 MHz Graphics Card EVGA GTX570 S.C(SLI) FERMI /GTX560M 1.5GB of GDDR 5 DISCRETE Sound Card REALTEK ON BOARD /BUILT IN HARMAN KARDON STEREO SPKS Monitor(s) Displays TOSHIBA 32'' /17.3" LCD 3D READY 120 Hz LED BACKLIT Screen Resolution 1360x768/1920x1080
Keyboard Logitech MX 3200/PREMIUM RAISED TILE LED BACKLIT Mouse Logitech PSU CORSAIR Professional Series AX1200 1200W Case THERMALTAKE Xaser VI Cooling CORSAIR HYDRO SERIES H70 Hard Drives MUSHKIN Enhanced Callisto Deluxe SSD X 2 240GB RAID 0/MUSHKIN Enhanced Callisto Deluxe 240 GB SSD 750 GB Serial ATA Hard Drive Internet Speed DSL Other Info (SPDIF) To Kenwood VR-6070 Lucasfilm THX Select Surround EX
Here is some summarized info I made up regarding the new Sandy Bridge processors. I think it's pretty accurate and hope it formats OK here. I made this as a quick reference in Excel.
Desktop chipsets will be P67 and H67. H67 has only one PCIe port with 16 lanes, while the P67 offers the choice between 1x16 and 2x8 so you can do SLI/Crossfire.
All have on processor graphics (IGP) that is noticeably better than on prior processors.
All support Turbo mode, DDR3 RAM, and SATA 6
Socket 2011: 4 to maybe 8 cores with quad channel RAM; for servers and workstations
Socket 1155 is a mainstream desktop replacement for socket 1156, with dual channel RAM
Socket 1356 is for enthusiast/high performance desktops with triple channel RAM
26 series is i7, 4 cores, Hyperthreading, SLI capable (2x graphics)
25 series is i5, 4 cores, no Hyperthreading, 2x graphics, reduced cache
Any processor numbered 2400 or higher without a suffix is a quadcore
S series has 65 Watt TDP
T series has 45 Watt quadcores or 35 Watt dualcores
K series should have an unlocked multiplier to help overclocking
The m, XM, and QM series are for notebooks
S and T series may be priced at a premium due to less power consumption?
Here is a screenshot table. At the bottom, you should be able to download the same table in Word format.
System Manufacturer/Model Number Ignatz Special; 4 speed manual gearbox; factory air conditioning; one of one OS Windows 7 SP1, Home Premium, 64-bit CPU Intel Sandy Bridge i5-2500, not overclocked Motherboard Gigabyte H67A-UD3H-B3, full ATX Memory 4 GB Crucial DDR3-1333 Graphics Card none; graphics are integrated on CPU Sound Card onboard: Realtek ALC892; external: USB Behringer UF0-202 Monitor(s) Displays NEC 90GX2-BK 19" LCD Screen Resolution 800 x 640
Keyboard Leopold Tenkeyless with Cherry Blue switches, USB Mouse Logitech or Microsoft optical wired; either USB or PS 2 PSU Seasonic SS-560KM, modular Case Antec Solo II Cooling CPU: Scythe Big Shuriken; Case: Scythe Slipstream 800 & 500 Hard Drives System: Intel 320 Series SSD, 80 GB;
Data: Samsung Spinpoint 103SJ, 1 TB;
Backup: WD Caviar Green WD15EADS-00P8B0, 1.5TB Other Info Power consumption of this system, including monitor: 68 watts at idle; 144 watts at full load
It’s likely both Intel and AMD chipsets will support PCI Express 3.0 in the next year. PCI-E 3.0 essentially doubles the speed of PCI-E 2.0 using a pretty clever trick. Even though PCI-E 3.0’s throughput moves only 8 gigatransfers per second versus PCI-E 2.0’s 5GT/s, PCI-E 3.0 banks 20 percent in encoding bandwidth to double the actual data transfer rates. Don’t worry—PCI-E 3.0 is backward compatible, and since PCI-E has been incredibly low on drama, we expect this transition to go smoothly.
Since PCI-E 3.0 design was just approved, I didn't think they would be adopted so soon. Should be a big boast for new video cards that use PCI-E 3.0 when they come out.
Computer type PC/Desktop System Manufacturer/Model Number Home Built OS Windows 7 HP 64bit, Windows 8 Pro w/Media Center 64bit CPU Phenom II X6 1100T Motherboard ASUS M5A99X EVO Memory Crucial Balistic 8gb DDR3-1866 CL9 Graphics Card MSI R6850 Cyclone IGD5 PE Sound Card On Board Monitor(s) Displays ASUS VE258Q 25" LED with DVI-HDMI-DisplayPort Screen Resolution 1920 x 1080
Keyboard Logitech K120 Mouse Logitech Marble Mouse USB, Logitech Precision Game Pad PSU Seasonic X650 80 Plus GOLD Modular Case Corsair 400R Cooling Antec Kuhler H2O 620, Two 120mm and four 140mm Hard Drives Two WD Cavier Black 2TB Sata III, WD My Book Essential 2TB USB 3.0 Internet Speed 15MB Antivirus Norton IS 2012, Malwarebytes Pro Browser IE-10, FF-19 Other Info APC UPS ES 750, Netgear WNR3500L Gigabit & Wireless N Router with SamKnows Test Program, Motorola SB6120 Gigabit Cable Modem. Brother HL-2170W Laser Printer, Epson V300 Scanner
The Tipping Point: 2011 Technology Preview problems?
Restoring windows to original point, can't find restore point 
