Volume 2, Issue 3

 Downloadable Version (.pdf format)

March, 2003
In this edition:
Featured Article!
INTEL CENTRINO – The New Mobile Technology Platform
Officially announced on March 12th 2003 by Intel Corporation, Centrino is a new platform brand name you will likely hear more and more about this coming year.  Centrino is not the name of a single product but rather the brand name that defines the Centrino Mobile Technology Platform for notebook computers.  With Intel Centrino mobile technology, three components work together to deliver a breakthrough in freedom and capability. These components include:
  • Intel® Pentium® M Processor  (formerly code-named “Banias”)
  • Intel® 855 chipset family (855PM with discrete graphics and 855GM using integrated Intel graphics)
  • Intel® PRO/Wireless network connection (initially 802.11b)

Intel's "4 Vectors of Mobility"

Currently there is a strong growth in notebook market, about 17% a year, and Intel has the solutions people want.  This platform is composed of products that are designed, optimized and validated to work together by Intel.  All this will lead to the next generation in notebooks and mobile experience.  In short, Centrino achieves the following “4 Vectors of Mobility”  

1)       Higher Performance

2)       Longer Battery Life (Less Power Consumption)

3)       Thinner and Lighter Form Factors

4)       Built in Wireless (802.11 wireless networking – AKA “WI-FI”)

[1] Higher Performance

The new Pentium-M processor has been built from the ground-up as a mobile CPU, unlike previous mobile processors which were basically modified desktop processors.  This gives it specific design advantages.  In addition it is 34% faster than the last PIII and 12% Faster than 2.4 GHz mobile P4.  Key performance features.

•          Mobile optimized micro-architecture

•          Micro-Operation Fusion (Merges operations so that fewer instructions pass through the CPU)

•          1MB Level 2 cache

•          Scaleable chipset solutions

•          USB 2.0

[2] Longer Battery Life

One of the biggest challenges is to make notebooks run longer on batteries.  Current notebook technology has real practical limitations to the time you can freely use you notebook before having to run to then nearest AC outlet and get recharged.   They are doing this in part due to the smaller transistor size of the.13 micron Pentium-M mobile processor.  Intel is also using a special power management scheme called EBL (Extended Battery Life Initiative).

•          Mobile optimized micro-architecture

•          Support for Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology  (Dynamic voltage & frequency switching based on power source, user preferences and CPU demand)

•          Power optimized processor bus (powers down portions of the bus which are not being used and operates at a lower voltage to reduce the power consumption)

[3] Thinner and Lighter Form Factors

Another major advantage of the Centrino platform is it allows for the design of much thinner and lighter notebook form factors, achieving unparalleled combination of power and portability.  This is achieved by:  

•          Improved thermal solutions

•          Thin micro FCPGA/BGA packaging

•          Increased integration

[4] Built in Wireless (802.11 wireless networking – AKA “WI-FI”)

Intel is also committed to bring the freedom of wireless networking to all mobile users.  The Centrino Platform is based on 802.11 standard and will be able to take advantage of many wireless access points, such as those for internet connectivity (“Hot-Spots”) found in some airports, cafes and other public places (of course additional software and services will need to be purchased).  The built in wireless features will insure greatly compatibility and less set-up hassles.  

•          Integrated Intel® PRO/Wireless Network Connection

•          Extensive verification

ź         Wi-Fi compliant 802.11b single band and 802.11a/b dual band support

ź         Industry standard and extended wireless security support to enable enhanced network security support compliant with evolving standards (LEAP*, 802.1x, WEP, TKIP – at launch; CKIP, WPA – future support)

Summary

Intel® Centrino™ mobile technology is based on new mobile processor architecture, designed specifically for mobile to provide breakthrough mobile performance, integrated wireless LAN capability, enable extended battery life, and thinner, lighter designs.  Look for the Centrino logo on future products!
Thermaltake Xaser III Case Review

A new case that has just hit the market has some interesting and new features that have not been seen on cases before.

Thermaltake has improved on their Xaser II design and come out with the Xaser III. The case is almost completely tool less except for the mounting of the internal 3.5" devices. One of the new design features lies in the way the hard drives mount in this system; the drives do not mount like normal cases facing the motherboard.

 The hard drive bays in this case face towards the side panel for easy installation. The drive bays themselves are tool less in that the drives use a new rail system to hold the drives in place with no screws; this is one feature that has not been seen on cases in the past. For all of the techs out there that are using this case with more than one drive remember to sell your customer  a IDE cable that is longer than the standard 18”,  If you don’t you will find yourself not being able to install both drives because of the position and the extra size difference from the Xaser II. This is a very minor thing and should not stop you from selling this to your customers.

The case itself is made of Aluminum which provides a little better heat dissipation than your standard metal case, and is considerably lighter. Like the previous models of this line they do not come with a power supply which gives you plenty of different options in regards to power. The design of the case is a bit larger than its predecessor in the fact that they have added 2 inches of depth to the case; this gives techs a lot more room to work with. The case construction is very well done and will not cause your techs to get out the band aides.

One of the other nice features to this case is that it has an exhaust fan that is placed on the top of the case to get rid of the rising heat that usually accumulates on the top of most case designs. Also they have placed with the fan at the top a USB2.0, 1394 fire wire port, headphone and line in jacks. 

The case comes with 2 rear exhaust fans, 2 front intake fans, 2 side exhaust fans and 1 top exhaust fan. The front door panel is unique also on this case. The case uses a 2 door method, by turning the key a certain distance you can open the first door that will give you access to your cd-roms and other external devices. When you turn the key a different way you can open both doors and are given access behind the drive panels to remove drives or also to clean the fan filters that are in the front of the case.

The case also comes with a front panel device, similar to the HardCano 9, that can control and keep track of the temp and fan speeds inside the case. It allows you to set alarm temps to keep your system from over heating and shows you the temp in either Celsius or Fahrenheit and also has a 4 channel speed adjusting for fan speeds.

                                                                 

I hope that the following has showed you some new things that will help us techs in the future with easy to use items that make are jobs much more of a pleasure.

 Images shown were taken from the Thermaltake web site at http://www.thermaltake.com
USB Flash Drives

A keychain drive, also known as a USB drive or flash drive, is a plug and play portable storage device that uses flash memory and is lightweight enough to attach to a key chain. A keychain drive, which looks very much like an ordinary highlighter marker pen, can be used in place of a floppy disk, Zip drive disk, or CD. When the user plugs the device into their USB port, the computer's operating system recognizes the device as a removable drive. Unlike most removable drives, a keychain drive does not require rebooting after it's attached, does not require batteries or an external power supply, and is not platform dependent. Several keychain drive manufacturers offer additional features such as password protection, and downloadable drivers that allow the keychain drive to be compatible with older systems that do not have USB ports. Keychain drives are available in capacities ranging from 8 MB to 2 gigabytes, depending on manufacturer, in a corresponding range of prices.

Flash memory (sometimes called "flash RAM") is a type of constantly-powered non volatile memory that can be erased and reprogrammed in units of memory called blocks. It is a variation of electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) which, unlike flash memory, is erased and rewritten at the byte level, which is slower than flash memory updating. Flash memory is often used to hold control code such as the basic input/output system (BIOS) in a personal computer. When BIOS needs to be changed (rewritten), the flash memory can be written to in block (rather than byte) sizes, making it easy to update. On the other hand, flash memory is not useful as random access memory (RAM) because RAM needs to be addressable at the byte (not the block) level.

Flash memory is used in digital cellular phones, digital cameras, LAN switches, PC Cards for notebook computers, digital set-up boxes, embedded controllers, and other devices.                                                                                     

Advantages of Flash Drives

  • Saves and backs-up documents presentations, downloaded music and videos, high-resolution photographs and virtually any file
  • Provides an excellent solution for mobile professionals
  • Comes in 16, 32, 64, 128MB, 512MB, 1GB, 2GB capacities
  • Requires no mechanical drive; plugs into your computer’s USB port, for plug-and-play functionality
  • Detects as a removable disk by your system, automatically
  • Features write/delete protection switch
  • Requires no separate power supply or battery
  • Provides reliable data retention

ThumbDrive SMART - small in size

 

USB FLASH DRIVES
SKU # Size Description Manufacture
16242 16MB Handy Drive Apacer
16245 32MB Handy Drive Apacer
16246 64MB Handy Drive Apacer
16247 128MB Handy Drive Apacer
16248 256MB Handy Drive Apacer
16249 512MB Handy Drive Apacer
16250 1GB Handy Drive Apacer
14187 32MB AI Flash ASUS
16087 64MB AI Flash ASUS
20098 32MB Cigar Drive Soyo
19354 64MB Cigar Drive Soyo
19355 128MB Cigar Drive Soyo
19533 256MB Cigar Drive Soyo
19639 512MB Cigar Drive Soyo
19170 64MB Thumb Drive Trekstor
19171 128MB Thumb Drive Trekstor
19172 256MB Thumb Drive Trekstor
CHASSIS / CASE REQUIREMENTS FOR 3.06 GHz (and higher) P4
Intel Pentium® 4 processors operating at 3.06 GHz require minimum power supply and thermal cooling solutions in order to meet Intel specifications.  Intel calls these “Thermally Advantaged Chassis.”  Using cases that do not meet these specifications may lead to an unstable system or thermal (heating) problems.  Another advantage to choosing a case that meet these specifications is greater ability to upgrade as new faster processors and bus speeds come onto the market.

The most important chassis specifications:

  • Air Guide – Chassis Air Duct and Air Guide (see picture)
  • Ambient Case temperature less than 38 Celsius
  • 15A current on the 12V line of the Power Supply

Air Guide – Chassis Air Duct and Air Guide

The Air Guide is the actual side opening grill, the Air Duct is the plastic “tube” that funnels the air to the vent.  The Air Duct may be made of multiple interconnected pieces and has adjustable length.  Together these form the necessary cooling system.

Examples from Apex TU-124

Air Guide on Side of Case Assembled Air Duct Lower Air Duct Upper Air Duct

Ambient Case Temperature less than 38 Celsius

The internal chassis temperature for systems based on Pentium 4 processors 3.06 GHz (and above) should be maintained at 38°C (or lower) for chassis in the maximum expected external ambient (which is typically 35°C).

Systems based on the Pentium 4 processor in the 478-pin package must use chassis that comply with the ATX specification (revision 2.01 or later) or micro-ATX specification (revision 1.0 or later), depending on the motherboard form factor. Intel recommends system integrators using ATX form factor motherboards to choose a chassis that complies with the ATX specification (revision 2.01 or later).  

15A Current on the 12V line of the Power Supply

Power supplies should be ATX 2.03 compliant and have a minimum 15A current supplied on the 12volt rail of the power supply.  You can see this specification printed on the power supply itself.  A lot of “lower-end” P4 power supply may only have 12A.  As mentioned before is you do not meet this spec the system may not be stable.

3.06 GHz Ready PC Cases

ASI has cases that are designed to support the 3 GHz Pentium 4 processors.  The best case solution now is offered by Supercase because they meet all the specifications.

Apex Tech Supercase (www.apextechusa.com)

SKU # 18054 - Supercase TU-124

SKU # 18964 – Supercase TM-124

SKU # 19023 - Supercase TU-150 (Black mid-tower)

SKU # 19390 – Supercase TM-163 (Black Mini-tower)

In-Win (http://www.in-win.com.tw)

The In-Win cases which have been stocked by ASI since December 2002 have the 3GHz side panel for thermal solution and are completely screwless (this is a free spec upgrade, older SKU numbers have been modified by In-WIN with new specs). These In-Win cases are equipped with "air-guide" but w/o air-duct. *The air-duct can be purchased separately, to make the cases truly 3G compliant, under ASI SKU# 20025.

Available models include

Old version New SKU Brand Model Thermal Solution Power Supply
10673  19931 IN-WIN S500G Medium Tower Air Guide Only* 250W
14934  19932 IN-WIN S500G Medium Tower Air Guide Only* 300W
15128/ 15129 19933 IN-WIN S506G Medium Tower Air Guide Only* 300W
12922 19935 IN-WIN J508G Medium Tower Air Guide Only* 300W
14953 / 14954 19937 IN-WIN V500G Mini-Tower Air Guide Only* 250W
15006 / 15007  19880 IN-WIN V700G  Mini Tower Air Guide Only* 180W
15791 19939 IN-WIN V523G Black Mini Tower Air Guide Only* 250W
15132 19936 IN-WIN S523G Black Mini Tower Air Guide Only* 300W
15133 19941 IN-WIN J523G Medium Tower Air Guide Only* 300W
Hard Clearing the Motherboard CMOS


Every now and then you run into a motherboard problem which necessitates the clearing of the CMOS settings. Maybe you have received a motherboard which has factory settings that do not quite match up with your components, or you have gotten a little over-zealous with your over-clocking ambitions, in either case, it is important to know how to recover in the event of such a problem.

Most motherboards and their manuals make you aware of a jumper which can be used to short the CMOS battery and clear the CMOS... unfortunately, in most cases, this does not effectively work. The manuals tend not to advise that the connector from the power supply should be unplugged from the motherboard and that the battery should be removed, (if possible), from the motherboard as well. Common sense would dictate that if the battery and the power cord are removed from the motherboard, then the CMOS should be reset. The reality is that the motherboard is littered with capacitors which will hold a charge long after the power has been removed.

Here are the steps that should be taken in order to assure that the CMOS is getting completely cleared.

  1. Remove power cord from motherboard, (this includes 4-pin 12V CPU lead if present)
  2. Remove CMOS battery
  3. Short terminals for battery together using a small flat piece of conductive metal, (a screwdriver blade works great)
  4. Leave terminals shorted for at least 1 minute
  5. Remove shorting device
  6. Reinstall battery
  7. Re-connect power cords
  8. Power up and enter BIOS
Our sample platform ASUS A7V8X Verify original BIOS settings
Find and remove power plug Find and remove battery (note CLR RTC jumper next to it)
Use screwdriver or other conductive metal
to short battery connectors		 Verify reset BIOS settings

Now you should be able to verify that all CMOS settings have been reset back to default. Set up your personal preferences / requirements, save and exit and your done!
AMD Releases new Athlon XP with "Barton" core
 
While dealing with the difficult news of the delay of the Athlon 64, (Hammer), until September, AMD has released an improved version of their current Athlon XP CPU. The new CPU which uses the "Barton" core, has been improved by increasing the L2 cache on the CPU to 512kb, up from the previous model of CPU which had only 256kb. While keeping the clock speed the same between the XP 2700+ CPU and the newly introduced XP 3000+ with the Barton core, AMD has increased it's performance rating by 300 points, which is claimed to have been done by simply increasing the cache amount on board.

The Barton core is almost identical to the Thoroughbred core with the exception of the larger L2 cache, the L1 cache remains unchanged. With the increased cache, the Athlon XP with the Barton core offers more surface area to contact with the heat sink which could result in better cooling and more system stability. The new Athlon has been released at 3 different speeds, 3000+ (2.167GHz), 2800+ (2.083GHz), and 2500+ (1.83GHz), all running at a respectable 333MHz. FSB.

This version of the AMD CPU is classified as "Model 10" and can be identified on it's labeling by it's L2 cache labeling of "4" (512KBytes) and it's Max FSB labeling of "D" (333MHz.)
Please see our AMD CPU Identification Guide for more info.

AMD has just announced that the Barton core Athlon XP will receive a FSB increase to 400MHz. starting in May.


AMD's Features listed for this new processor include:

  • QuantiSpeed™ Architecture
  • 640K Total High-Performance, Full-Speed Cache
  • Advanced 333 Front-Side Bus
  • 3DNow!™ Professional Technology (72 instructions, full SSE compatibility)
  • Support for Double Data Rate (DDR) Memory
  • Established Socket A Infrastructure
What is Zero-Channel RAID and how is it different from one and two channel RAID?

ZCR is an implementation of RAID designed to reduce the cost and size of the RAID card. The card takes advantage of the systems onboard SCSI chip. Instead of using SCSI connectors on the RAID card, the systems onboard connectors are used. This unique approach frees up space on the RAID card, allowing for more compact designs. The lack of a SCSI chip on the card also reduces the cost of the RAID card. ZCR implementations provide the flexibility of an add-on card at a more affordable price than one- and two-channel RAID cards.
 
ASI SKU#  Model Speed Bus Type  I/O
13278 Adaptec 2000S Ultra160 SCSI 64-bit/66MHz PCI Intel RAIDIOS logic/ EMRL
13277 Adaptec 2005S Ultra160 SCSI special SO-DIMM style connector Intel RAIDIOS logic/EMRL
17972 Adaptec 2010S Ultra320 SCSI 64-bit/66MHz PCI EMRL
17973 Adaptec 2015S Ultra 320SCSI special SO-DIMM style connector EMRL
19517 Intel SRCZCR Ultra 320SCSI 64-bit/66MHz PCI  Intel RAIDIOS logic

What is the function of Adaptec EMRL?

the Adaptec SCSI RAID 2015S and 2010S controllers -- feature Adaptec's EMRL (Embedded RAID Logic) technology and other advanced logic that allow the controllers to leverage the Adaptec SCSI channels on the motherboard, eliminating the need for channels on the cards themselves to reduce size and cost. The cards combine the cost advantage of a built-in RAID on the motherboard solution with the flexibility of an add-on card, and their small form factor designs and power-efficient microprocessors are ideal for high-density servers.

What is RAIDIOS and what is it used for?


RAIDIOS is a specification used to enable an embedded I/O controller, embedded on the motherboard, to be used as just an I/O controller or to be the I/O component of a hardware RAID subsystem. The RAIDIOS circuit allows an I/O Processor (either embedded on the motherboard or on an add-in card) to configure the I/O controller and service the I/O controller's interrupts. The I/O controller and the I/O Processor together are two of the primary components of a hardware RAID subsystem.

What RAID levels do these Zero Channel RAID cards support?

RAID 0, 1, 10, 5, 50, and JBOD.


What management utilities are included with the Adaptec 2000S and the 2005S cards?

  • Adaptec Storage Manager client/server software management utility
  • Adaptec Storage Manager Pro Java-based management utility
  • RAIDUTIL text-based command line interface
  • SMOR BIOS-based configuration utility

 

What management utilities are included with the Adaptec 2010S and the 2015S cards?

  • Adaptec Storage Manager client/server software management utility
  • RAIDUTIL text-based command line interface
  • SMOR BIOS-based configuration utility

What are the supported Operating Systems?

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
  • Microsoft Windows XP
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
  • Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
  • Redhat Linux 7.3

See You Next Month!