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Processors Topic Center

Keep up with processor news, reviews, trends, opinion and more

Wall Street Beat: Earnings, spending forecasts highlight tech sector strength

Recent market research reports and earnings this week from tech bellwethers including Lenovo and Cisco Systems underscore underlying strength in IT even as the global economy continues to experience significant turbulence.
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Rambus, Nvidia settle lawsuits, sign IC patent deal

Rambus and Nvidia have settled past lawsuits and signed a patent agreement covering a broad range of integrated circuit products, Rambus said on Wednesday.

AMD execs tout firm's tablet plans

With new CEO Rory Read at the helm for about six months, Advanced Micro Devices has turned its attention to the lucrative and burgeoning tablet market.

Spending on chips for mobile devices outpaced computers in '11

Spending on microchips used in smartphones, tablets and related wireless devices surpassed spending on chips for computers in 2011, according to IHS, formerly iSuppli.

For Sony's new CEO, a big challenge is in your living room

Sony's new CEO faces a myriad of problems -- stemming massive losses, snatching the momentum back from deep-pocketed rivals, unifying his firm's diffuse businesses across the globe -- but one of his main priorities is your living room.

Obama confronted on H-1B use during Google+ hangout

President Barack Obama faced perhaps his toughest and most direct question ever on the H-1B program by a Texas woman during an online town hall Monday.

Oracle handed setback in HP Itanium case

A court in California rejected Oracle's bid to use a fraud claim to undo an agreement to support the Itanium processor, that it is said to have made with Hewlett-Packard.

Intel's new Core i5 chip qualifies for protection plan

Intel has rolled out a handful of new Core i5 desktop processors, including one that raises the clock speed and qualifies for a new protection plan under which CPUs can be replaced.

Tilera targets Intel, ARM with 36-core server chip

Tilera on Monday announced availability of its new 36-core processor, which the company says can trump traditional x86 server chips from Intel in performance-per-watt.

Wall Street Beat: Tech shines as earnings come in strong

This week's tsunami of tech earnings, led by Apple's jaw-dropping quarterly report, has given market watchers something to cheer about and also points to industry shifts around tablets and cloud computing.

How to set up Intel Smart Response SSD caching technology

We show you how to set it up and what kind of performance you can expect.

First look: Dell Opteron server cranks up the cores with AMD 'Interlagos'

New 16-core AMD Opteron 6200-series CPUs in the Dell R715 bring huge bang for the buck to wide virtualization workloads, but not until your OS supports it

3D chips: The next electronics revolution

Stacked silicon is being hailed as the wave of the future. Experts expect volume production in two years. Insider (registration required)

QuickPoll: Can Microsoft and Intel's marriage be saved?

Microsoft and Intel may be ready to split up after a long marriage. That's thanks to the new hottie in town: tablets. Does 'Wintel' still have a future?

5 tech breakthroughs: Chip-level advances that may change computing

From flexible printed circuits to chips that can change abilities on the fly, these technologies could be the building blocks for a plethora of new and innovative products.

QuickPoll: Will ARM chips provide a shot in the arm to laptop sales?

Industry observers say that a stagnant laptop market could be reinvigorated by the energy-efficient ARM chips that power today's tablets. What do you think? Will ARM chips provide a shot in the arm to laptop sales, or has the post-PC era already arrived?

Upgrade Your CPU

Upgrading your CPU can be a frustrating experience, even though the physical acts of removing an old processor and installing the new one are pretty easy. The more difficult questions to answer are these: When is the right time for me to upgrade a CPU? What processor will give me the best bang for the buck?

Overclock Your CPU, GPU, and RAM

You want the best performance possible from your computer, but you can't afford any hardware upgrades. No problem--we'll show you how to safely overclock your existing desktop PC's CPU, GPU, and RAM and give it an extra shot in the arm.

The Need for More than Speed: CPU Tips for PC Buyers

One the heels of Intel's new "Sandy Bridge" chips, here are six questions you should ask yourself about microprocessing power when shopping for a new computer.

QuickPoll: Can Intel beat ARM in the mobile chip wars?

Intel is throwing its might into the mobile market against ARM, but analysts note that the PC chip giant might have a fight on its hands. Can Intel ultimately unseat ARM?