Consumer Electronics Show 2005: AT's Coverage
by Anand Lal Shimpi on January 10, 2005 3:49 AM EST- Posted in
- Trade Shows
Intel's Sonoma Platform
Intel's Sonoma Platform, the codename for the soon to be released Centrino update, was also talked about quite a bit at Intel and the show.
Sonoma incorporates the following:
- Intel's Alviso chipset (mobile 915 chipset)
- 533MHz FSB Pentium-M processors
With the new chipset comes improved integrated graphics (thanks to the 915G's integrated graphics core), dual channel DDR1/DDR2 support, 533MHz FSB support, PCI Express support and HD Audio support.
The chipset offers both PCI Express x16 and x1 support for graphics and peripherals, identical to the desktop 915.
The inclusion of dual channel DDR1/DDR2 support is tremendous for performance as the previous generation 855GME chipset was still only a single channel platform for Centrino. Intel stated that going forward the split between DDR1 and DDR2 Sonoma designs is about 50/50, given that the power requirements of mobile DDR2 and mobile DDR1 are quite similar. The platform supports up to DDR2-533, but we'd expect that fewer companies would use the speed just yet. We asked some memory manufacturers and they seemed to think that a 50/50 split between DDR1 and DDR2 Sonoma platforms (based on their shipments of DDR2 to Intel's customers) would be definitely possible by this summer.
Intel will also be releasing a smaller form factor version of the Alviso chipset with a much smaller package for use in very tiny ultra portable laptops. The smaller version of the chipset will lack a PCI Express x16 interface to reduce pin count and may only be single channel.
None of the Sonoma platforms on display were too impressive, but we did see units from ASUS and ECS among the usual suspects.
ASUS' Sonoma platform
ECS had a large footprint but cool-looking Sonoma notebook:
Reasonably thin considering its footprint
...and interestingly textured
Battery life is expected to be similar to current Centrino designs.
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dderidex - Monday, January 10, 2005 - link
About that SN25P....nice Envy24 chip on it - but do we know anything about the DAC used?24/192 internal precision is useless if they pair it with a 16/48 DAC. If their was a Wolfson chip on that motherboard by the Envy24 chip...I would be *drooling*.
Reflex - Monday, January 10, 2005 - link
#36: I am not debating that. I am saying that you need to pay attention to his statement about 'a way that you won't expect'. For one, it won't be a nVidia developed solution. That I can guarantee you since there is NO DESIGN TEAM anymore. But you can choose to believe what you wish I suppose....shinotenshi - Monday, January 10, 2005 - link
SAN JOSE — Here at NVIDIA's Editor's Day event today, NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang addressed questions about the company's plans for a possible second spin of its popular but ill-fated SoundStorm audio solution. Apparently, a reprise of SoundStorm will happen. Huang told the assembled press types, "We're gonna build SoundStorm 2. It's gonna be awesome." He was less clear on what form the next SoundStorm would take, saying that NVIDIA was still trying to figure out how to deliver SoundStorm as a product. Huang said, cryptically, that the new SoundStorm "will come in a way that you won't expectshabby - Monday, January 10, 2005 - link
14: the way our living room is arranged we needed a display that allowed viewing from an angle and needed to be thin, and this is where the dlp fell flat on its face. It was too dark and too thick, at least compared to a plasma.While plasma's do wear out over time, thraxes just proved that it takes a long long time.
Reflex - Monday, January 10, 2005 - link
SoundStorm is completely dead. The group is disbanded and its members have found jobs in other parts of the company. This is a fact.Sound in nVidia's chipset solutions is not dead, however. From what I have heard though its just a license of Intel's Azalia spec. In other words: No different than the integrated sound that you get on any Intel chipset board nowadays.
The SoundStorm solution that you all know from the NF/NF2 days is completely gone however, and it will NOT be making a comeback.
shinotenshi - Monday, January 10, 2005 - link
Well As i said, as being part of chipset its dead. but nvidia knows it can make a killing makeing add in sound boards. creative makes weak products let get real. The orginal soundstorm needed too much bandwidth to be done on pci. with PCI-E they have enough bandwidth to produce the card. Nvidia will be able to fund SS2 development becuase of its deal with the Ps3. The PS3 will need a high end sound chip because im sure sony is going to use it as means of spreading blu-ray introduction.bob661 - Monday, January 10, 2005 - link
I think the CEO of Nvidia is just trying to keep customers. He would lose a few by announcing that SS is totally dead. I would string you guys along until it didn't make a difference whether you bailed or not.bob661 - Monday, January 10, 2005 - link
The Inq isn't lying. They are reporting what's been told to them. That's they're job. Sometimes it's bum info.knitecrow - Monday, January 10, 2005 - link
On the soundstorm issue, I personally wouldn't believe AMD, Intel, Nvidia, or ATI... they have been known to lie when it suits their interests.**cough** 6800GT/ultra hardware mpeg2/WMV decoding **cough**
There are conflicting reports to be sure, but I am more likey to believe those from close partners. I am sure the next soundstorm is going to be an intel azilla rehash to appease the masses.
shinotenshi - Monday, January 10, 2005 - link
Soundstorm is not dead, the chairman of nvidia confirm this himself. however i think its dead as far as being apart of a chipset. the chairman remarked that it would return in a suprising form.this has to the belief that either it will return as a seperate chip sutitable for add in sound boards, or interagrated in graphics cards. my bet is that it will return as a PCI-e card capable of encoding some the advance audio codecs that are apart of the blu-ray spec. I don't think it was a coincidence that the chairman of nvidia made the announcement shortly after it was revealed that nvidia would be doing the PS3's GPU.