Forward Thinking

[http://www.pcmag.com] Reviews News & Opinions Downloads Business Daily Deals Login Register Subscribe Top Categories See all » Trending Tags See all » Follow About Michael J. Miller Michael J. Miller is chief information officer at Ziff Brothers Investments, a private investment firm. Miller, who was editor-in-chief of PC Magazine from 1991 to 2005, authors this blog for PC Magazine to share his thoughts on PC-related products. No investment advice is offered in this blog. All duties are disclaimed. Miller works separately for a private investment firm which may at any time invest in companies whose products are discussed in this blog, and no disclosure of securities transactions will be made. Read full bio » More Blogs AppScout 'Lord of the Rings: Legends' Begins Its Quest on iOS, Android Security Watch Shut Down the Dark Web? Survey Says ...Yes, Please AMD Pivots to ARM on Servers Jun 19, 2013 2:50 PM EST Comments By Michael J. Miller AMD has been hinting at major changes to its server strategy for a while now, but with its announcements of new server chips yesterday it has firmly pivoted away from a focus on the traditional two-processor and four-processor servers that drive most enterprise servers and toward lower-power, single-processor servers typically used in Web servers and cloud applications. More interestingly, it plans to take this even further next year, replacing the x86 cores in its extreme low-power server chips with new ARM-based cores. This represents an enormous shift in direction. Read More » Categories: Architecture, Chips Tags: Intel, architecture, AMD, processors, ARM AMD and Intel Open Up Graphics Front in Processor Battle May 08, 2013 10:53 AM EST Comments By Michael J. Miller In a series of recent announcements, Intel and AMD have separately unveiled several important changes in the architectures of their x86 processors, which promise to transform the way that x86 processors will be used over the next few years. Read More » Categories: Architecture, Chips Tags: Intel, architecture, AMD, Haswell, x86 Low-Power x86: AMD's Hondo Vs. Intel's Clover Trail Oct 09, 2012 10:00 AM EST Comments By Michael J. Miller Do we need low-power x86 processors? To date, the market is pretty much split between Intel- and AMD-based notebooks that mostly run Windows or Mac OS, and ARM-based tablets like the iPad and Android versions. But with Windows 8 making a bigger push for tablets and hybrid computers, both AMD and Intel are introducing x86-compatible processors that require much less power than their notebook versions. Effectively, the companies are trying to fight back against the threat of ARM-based tablets running Windows RT by providing chips that are lower-power that previous x86 chips but that still provide compatibility with full Windows 8. This enables the existing legacy of Windows applications, which won't run on Windows RT. Read More » Categories: Architecture, Chips Tags: Intel, AMD, core processors, Clover Trail High-End Server Chips Debut at Hot Chips '12 Aug 30, 2012 2:39 PM EST Comments By Michael J. Miller While Intel and AMD account for most of the volume, a fair number of servers (which make up a substantial part of revenue) run other chip architectures. At the annual Hot Chips conference yesterday, representatives from IBM, Oracle, and Fujitsu discussed the architectures their organizations will use in creating high-end microprocessors, typically used in applications ranging from mainframes to high-performance computing. All of these are large processors and tend to use the most advanced techniques. In addition, Applied Micro showed off what is likely to be the first 64-bit ARM server chip to ship, while Intel detailed its existing Xeon E5 processor. (I wrote about other AMD and Intel's offerings yesterday. Read More » Categories: Architecture, Show Reports, Chips Tags: Intel, architecture, Fujitsu, AMD, ARM, Oracle, microprocessor, Hot Chips, Applied Micro AMD's First 28nm Graphics Chip Ushers in 2012 Graphics Roadmap Dec 22, 2011 11:20 AM EST Comments By Michael J. Miller AMD and Nvidia both enter 2012 poised to compete with a 28nm process for graphics chips that will, as usual, only make chips faster and consume less power. Read More » Categories: Architecture, Chips Tags: graphics cards, Graphics AMD's FX-Based Processor Ships: Bulldozer for the Desktop Oct 12, 2011 2:34 PM EST Comments By Michael J. Miller Today, AMD announced that its long-awaited FX processor, code-named Zambezi, is shipping. This chip is the first of the company's desktop processors to use the new Bulldozer core and targets high-end desktops, where it will be combined with discrete graphic cards, as opposed to the company's A-series processors, known as Llano. Read More » Categories: Architecture, Chips Tags: architecture, chips, AMD Llano vs. Sandy Bridge: No Contest on Spreadsheets Oct 12, 2011 10:23 AM EST Comments By Michael J. Miller When it comes to business applications, I expected Intel’s current second-generation Core family to perform faster than AMD’s Fusion A-series, known as Llano. However, when I tested spreadsheet performance recently, the numbers were worse than anticipated. Read More » Categories: Architecture, PC Hardware Tags: Intel, AMD Subscribe // Most Popular Articles 17 Secret Gems Inside Facebook Messenger The Eerie World of Abandoned Arcade Games 5 Reasons to Play Quantum Break Everything Coming to Netflix in April Black Markets and Secret Thumb Drives: How Cubans Get Online Tax Tips for Last-Minute E-Filers » See More // Discover... Hotspots and Secret Drives: How Cubans Get Online 12 Things You Can Replace With a $38 Tablet How Close Are Robots to Making Humans Unnecessary? How to Build the Ultimate Smart Home » See More ABOUT CONNECT ZIFF DAVIS SITES SUBSCRIBE SOCIAL About Us Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Use Advertise PCMag Digital Edition Newsletters RSS Feeds Encyclopedia Contact Us AskMen Computer Shopper ExtremeTech Geek IGN TechBargains Toolbox Offers.com PC/Mac Apple iOS Amazon Kindle B&N Nook Google Android Sony Reader Customer Service Facebook Twitter Pinterest Google+ © 1996-2016 Ziff Davis, LLC. PCMag Digital Group unused