Intel Launches Quad Core for the Desktop

Computer Business Review mentions that Intel is officially launching the quad-core Core 2s:

Intel Corp has officially launched its first desktop quad-core processor, codenamed Kentsfield, with new systems boasting the CPU set to be announced today. But for the average enterprise user, two plus two will not add up to four.

In launching Kentsfield, Intel beats rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc to the quad-core punch. But AMD’s forthcoming quad-core CPU, due mid-2007 or so, may end packing more performance.
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Intel’s Kentsfield, called Core 2 Extreme quad-core QX6700, is up to 80% faster than its Core 2 Extreme X6800, or Conroe, counterpart, claimed Intel. The latter is, of course, the chipmaker’s high-end dual-core desktop offering that launched in July.

They mention that they will probably carry a pricetag of around $1000, with a cheaper, more mainstream/consumer-oriented version coming out early next year.

Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.4.8

Apple released Mac OS X 10.4.8 a few days ago, for both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs.

Some of the fixes/changes that may benefit Mac users interested in virtualization/emulation:
- Improves Apple File Sharing client performance by changing the default AFP WAN quantum size.. More…
- Windows File Sharing now generates only one process, avoiding an issue that could cause a Mac OS X computer to become unresponsive if it won a master browser election.
- Improves the accuracy of Rosetta numerics and addresses Altivec translation issues on Intel-based Macs.
- Adds support on Intel-based Macs for multiple cores to LAPACK and BLAS routines in the Accelerate framework; the maximum number of threads used by Accelerate BLAS routines is now limited by the environment variable VECLIB_MAXIMUM_THREADS; addresses an issue with some complex BLAS routines in the Accelerate framework that were encountering an illegal instruction.

Some virtualization software uses Windows File Sharing/Apple File Sharing to transfer data back and forth between the virtual environment and Mac OS X, and this is a welcome fix. I played around with Parallels after having upgraded to Mac OS X 10.4.8, but I had also upgraded to Parallels Build 1922 as well and while things felt faster, I did not have a chance to do before and after comparisons, to see where any improvements were made.

Parallels Desktop – Internal Build 1910 (Mac Pro/iMac Core 2 Duo)

There is a new build of Parallels Desktop out for Mac Pro/iMac Core 2 Duo owners.

From the Parallels Forums:

We are continuing our efforts to deliver a Parallels Desktop for Mac version that fully supports Mac Pro and iMac Core 2 Duo.

There’s an updated internal build that is available for early testing which can be downloaded from here (see thread).
Please don’t forget to backup any sensitive data on your Mac before proceeding to evaluation.

This version introduces a number of important fixes:
* VM crash on restart on huge memory MacPros in VT-x mode.
* Several VMs simultaneous work.
* Win98 guest 100% CPU usage
* WinNT not being able to start fix
* Several other fixes

We’re still extremely interested in your feedback about this build and any issues you might face.

Universal Binary of DOSBox, Performance on Intel Macs

Just a quick note about DOSBox (a DOS emulator for Mac OS X). According to a thread at VOGONS (official forums for DOSBox), they are working on making DOSBox perform much better on Intel-based Macs (it’s not too shabby as it is, but there are a few issues still remaining). It sounds like they could be making a Universal Binary version available in the near future.

Intel Developer Forum: Apple Has Two “Featured Sessions”

InfoWorld is running an article about Intel’s finally, truly, endorsing Apple, as well as what Apple has done for Intel (among other things, helping to create a market for Intel’s Core Duo CPUs). How is Intel doing this? By giving Apple two “feature sessions” at next week’s Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco.

Excerpts from the article:

Intel has put two Apple sessions at the top of its Featured Sessions list for the upcoming Intel Developer Forum. That isn’t Apple doing Intel a favor by filling a couple of empty slots in the schedule. Intel is touching a toe to that third rail for component manufacturers: Endorsement. And while people at Intel and Apple are scrambling right now to get their denials in a row, I want to drain this issue of its intrigue while at the same time highlighting its importance and pointing out that at least a little endorsement is overdue. After all, among first tier OEMs in the U.S., Apple is the only one remaining that buys CPUs exclusively from Intel. That deserves more than a cupcake. Intel should greet Steve Jobs’ visits to the Intel campus by scattering rose petals before him.

Steve Jobs has been lionizing Intel for over a year. He and Apple’s PR and Marketing have been making public mockery of Apple’s PowerPC systems as they’re replaced by x86, even though some of those PowerPC boxes were fewer than six months old at the time of their replacement. Apple redesigned Macs’ packaging and on-line collateral to play up Intel’s logo and technology. Although the story has never been told, Jobs (certainly not single-handedly) brought Apple to the brink of meltdown to ship Intel Macs way ahead of schedule, seizing the opportunity presented by Core Duo, a CPU that Intel had relegated to the low-volume embedded market. Apple created a broad market among Intel notebook OEMs for Core Duo.

With this trial balloon with sessions at IDF, Intel is playing favorites, just a little, with its poster OEM. For me, that passes the sniff test and looks like good business. Intel is giving Apple some fraction of its due and is creditably being completely open about it.

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