The Tipping Point: 2011 Technology Preview

Brink · 13 Dec 2010

The Tipping Point: 2011 Technology Preview

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...........

Read more at source: The Tipping Point: 2011 Technology Preview | Maximum PC

kellymac35 · 13 Dec 2010

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.

Brink · 13 Dec 2010

It's amazing how much faster the new technology is being released these days. I can't wait for it.

ignatzatsonic · 14 Dec 2010

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.

Brink · 14 Dec 2010

Thank you sir. :)

Phone Man · 15 Dec 2010

I found this quote very interesting.

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.

Jim