AMD Ready to Launch New Opteron Processor Models

In the battle for the server market, AMD has reportedly started shipping faster CPUs on almost every front. Updated versions of its CPUs started to appear in the energy efficient line, the top line, the dual socket line and the quad socket versions.

For those that need a reminder, AMD’s Opteron CPUs, designed for the new C32 and G34 sockets, use a four digit numbering scheme. 

The first digit refers to the number of sockets that the platform supports.

4xxx Opteron CPUs support single processor and dual processor platforms and 6xxx Opteron CPUs are designed for dual or quad processors systems.

The second digit in the numbering scheme denotes the generation of the architecture that’s inside the CPU.

“1” means that the processor belongs to the K10 family of CPUs, like the "Magny-Cours" and "Lisbon" chips.

“2” refers to the newer processors, based on the “Bulldozer” architecture like “Interlagos” and “Valencia.”

The last two digits are related to the clockspeed of the server CPU: the greater the numbers, the higher the working frequency.

The HE or EE denominators refer to the TDP level of the chip. HE comes from high-efficiency and EE is short for energy-efficient.

The new server CPUs listed at online shops are the Opteron 4230 HE, the 6278 and the 6284 SE models.

The first one, the Opteron 6230 HE is a consumer version of the embedded processor with the same model number. It has a 2.9 GHz working frequency, 6 cores and comes with 8 MB L3 Cache while dissipating a maximum of 65 Watts when fully loaded.

The AMD Opteron 6278 and 6284 SE have sixteen cores, also sixteen megabytes of Level 3 cache and work at 2.4 GHz and 2.7 GHz respectively.

The rated TDP is 115W for the 6278 and 140W for the 6284 SE.

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MSI Unveils CX70 and CR70 Multimedia Laptops

MSI has just presented today its new CX70 and CR70 multimedia laptops powered by Intel’s new generation Ivy Bridge processors, on its official website. These are 17” notebooks with discrete graphics and new connectivity options like USB 3.0.

The new Ivy Bridge CPU has Turbo Boost 2.0 technology and the expected HD Graphics. Only the CX70 will sport a discrete graphics card while the CR70 buyer will have to be contempt with Intel’s HD Graphics. MSI says that these models are for the ones “Looking for the biggest bang for your buck in terms of multimedia performance and style,”. MSI’s notebooks have always been known for having lots of features for a good price or just the best price on the market with or without considerable features. When it came to the design, they’ve always had a Spartan look, completely blending with any ordinary laptops out there and lacking any kind of design or style effort.

The CX70 and CR70 notebooks are no different. They sport no special design, no special materials, finish or texture. Just the plain black or grey look most laptops have. The 17” screen is animated by a discrete graphics card from Nvidia. It’s powered by the GeForce GT640M GPU and comes with 2G DDR memory . MSI says it scores 7261 points in the 3D Mark Vantage test. To try and balance between the excellent performance of the discrete graphics card and a decent battery life, MSI touts its MSI GPU Boost technology. This may sound like some automatic overclocking of the graphics part of the laptop, but it’s just the technology that will switch between the processor’s iGPU  and the discrete graphics card as the 3D load varies. On the connectivity side, the new notebooks from MSI come with two USB 3.0 ports and BlueTooth 4.0 technology that is able to transfer data at up to 24 Mb/s. It also has an HDMI port and an D-SUB standard VGA connector along with a card reader. Pricing has not yet been announced.

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Script: BambooInvoice

BambooInvoice is a PHP and MySQL open source web invoicing app for freelancers and independent contractors.

The app is written on top of the CodeIgniter PHP framework and was specifically developed to be fast and easy to use.

After you install it, there's a no-nonsense feel about the interface. Freelancers can add customers, issue invoices and view past activity reports.

Invoices can be automatically sent by email, or generated as PDF files and forwarded manually along with other payment details. 

Nothing more, nothing less, just the tools needed to manage invoices with no extra settings or features that clog up the code and reduce the overall performance.

BambooInvoice development is handled via its GitHub page.

Download BambooInvoice here.

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