DailyTech - 8/4/2008 Daily Hardware Reviews -- Intel Larrabee Edition

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Hardware 8/4/2008 Daily Hardware Reviews -- Intel Larrabee Edition
Brandon Hill (Blog) - August 4, 2008 8:06 AM

13 comment(s) - last by phxfreddy.. on Aug 6 at 4:16 PM

Intel Larrabee Overview @ AnandTech

DailyTech's roundup of hardware reviews from around the web for Monday

Intel Larrabee Overview
@ AnandTech
@ Tech Gage
@ PC Perspective
@ Tech ARP

Desktops
ASUS Eee Box Desktop System @ Hot Hardware

Processors
AMD Phenom X4 9350e Low Cost Quad Core @ TweakTown
Intel Atom 230 versus VIA Nano L2100 @ Legit Reviews

Motherboards
XFX Motherboard Roundup @ DriverHeaven
ASUS Rampage Extreme (X48) Motherboard @ CPU3D
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R @ InsideHW
ASRock P43 and P45 Motherboards @ TweakTown
ASRock P45R2000-WiFi P45 DDR2/DDR3 Motherboard @ ThinkComputers.org

Video
NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT Video Card Preview @ Legit Reviews

Cases
GMC H-70 Case @ DriverHeaven
In Win Alpha360 Mini-Tower Case @ TheTechLounge
Antec Twelve Hundred Gaming Case @ Virtual-Hideout

Cooling
Thermaltake DuOrb Heatsink @ Frostytech.com

Power Supplies
NZXT Performance Power 800w PSU @ OCIA.net

Storage
Icy Box IB-3218 Enclosure @ OCIA.net
SilverStone SST-TS01B RFID External Drive Kit @ BmR

Peripherals
OCZ Alchemy Elixir Gaming Keyboard @ OCIA.net

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Larrabee

By therealnickdanger on 8/4/2008 11:58:43 AM , Rating: 1

I want Larrabee to kick ass, I really do. NVIDIA and AMD need a third competitor to shake things up a bit. However, Intel has utterly failed to prove to me that they can do graphics in any way. The X3000/3100/3500 and whatever other IGP they are planning to release still has weak drivers. Those IGPs look good on paper, but Intel really failed at making them useable beyond basic functionality.

I really do love the idea of x86 being the backbone of Larrabee, I can see some amazing potential there. I hope it pans out. For one, I like to see a company deliver on promises, it's good for tech-morale. Two, I want to see the industry shaken up. Third, I want POWER!

Intel hasn't let me down with its CPUs for the past 4 years or so, now they have to prove themselves graphically capable. If not, I'm sure I'll be content using the latest HD5850 for $120 (not adjusted for 2010 inflation).

One thing that strikes me about Larrabee is that since it's a whole mess of tiny x86 cores, I wonder what power consumption will be like? What a suprise that would be if Larrabee consumed no more power than a conventional CPU?

RE: Larrabee

By pauldovi on 8/4/2008 12:27:47 PM , Rating: 1

It looks to me like Intel approached the graphics market like a CPU maker and not a GPU maker. I don't think this is going to work too well.

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RE: Larrabee

By Master Kenobi

(blog) on 8/4/2008 1:12:55 PM , Rating: 2

Maybe, Maybe not. Really depends on how well this performs in realworld benchmarks.

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RE: Larrabee

By iFX on 8/5/2008 7:20:55 AM , Rating: 2

quote:
Maybe, Maybe not. Really depends on how well this performs in realworld benchmarks.

Does not compute.

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RE: Larrabee

By therealnickdanger on 8/4/2008 1:16:15 PM , Rating: 2

Well, if you want to get real about it, GPUs are really nothing but specialized CPUs designed to run according to specific code (OGL/DX). Intel is coming at this from a very good position, I think, because they can "emulate" OGL/DX, but also run any x86 code. All that it's going to come down to is how well Larrabee stacks up against GPU-specific competitors. So really, it comes down to the hardware... and Intel makes damned fine CPUs.

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RE: Larrabee

By HsiKai on 8/4/2008 1:21:25 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
It looks to me like Intel approached the graphics market like a CPU maker and not a GPU maker.

No, Intel approached the GPU market like someone who owns the IGP market and is finding competition to their Server-CPU market from GPUs. Intel is the biggest player in IGP right now, so no wonder we don't see as much innovation and competition with their on-board graphics.
[See: http://media.arstechnica.com/news.media/graphics.p... note that Intel doesn't make discrete graphics solutions so the entirety of Intel's share is IGP; while not all of IGP is Intel's share, it is the majority of it.]

What they are finding now is that while for specific functions GPUs massively outclass a room full of their highest-end CPUs, they are hard to program for in parallel, and do it efficiently, but people are beginning to do it. The GPU version of Folding@Home puts any CPU-based folding to shame and so to counter that Intel is hitting back with a processor based on x86 architecture but with the functionality of a GPU.

At worst this will allow for easier low-level programming to be accomplished while using proven instruction sets. That in addition to an Intel compiler should make the programming experience on Larrabee not only more cost effective (less re-training/easier hiring), but also allow it to be accepted into the mainstream more rapidly.

It should be interesting to see how parallel these become when in a multi-CPU/GPU environment potentially paired with an interconnect technology like QPI (or PCI-E v2).

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RE: Larrabee

By ChipDude on 8/4/2008 5:19:15 PM , Rating: 2

Can of Whoop Ass is coming!

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RE: Larrabee

By rollakid on 8/4/2008 7:47:00 PM , Rating: 2

That's nVidia.

Intel is preparing a whole keg.

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Forgot link

By oTAL on 8/4/2008 11:17:54 AM , Rating: 1

Hey brandon, you forgot the link for the Asus Eee Box.
I'd say it's probably somethin like:
http://hothardware.com/Articles/Asus%5FEee%5FBox%5...

RE: Forgot link

By oTAL on 8/5/2008 5:32:20 AM , Rating: 2

What the hell is wrong with people rating at DT? A helpful post making an important correction - a lot easier to get to the article with a link - and it gets to be down rated?

The only sane justification I can think of is that some people are too stupid to realize that when I posted there wasn't a link and it was only added later...

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OCZ Alchemy Elixir Gaming Keyboard

By ZaethDekar on 8/4/2008 10:30:32 PM , Rating: 2

It looks like they looked at Razer and just dumbed it down a bit. Even the programming software looks the exact same.

Intel moving into discrete/amd pushing tricore/hybrid and DX10 igps

By junaidmhd on 8/5/2008 4:28:20 AM , Rating: 2

i think expanding in igps and having more robust/feature rich chipsets would be more profitable than entering an entirely new market (Discrete GPUs).

AMDs is definitely gaining market share in igps and nvidia is already feeling this.

with growing support from motherboard manufacturers and Box makers, i think feature rich igps is the next big wave.