New Via chip sets gain Vista certification
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(InfoWorld) - Via Technologies announced that two of its PC chip sets have passed Microsoft Windows Vista Basic certification tests, ensuring trouble-free installation and driver upgrades. The certification testing confirms trouble-free installation of the Windows Vista Ultimate, Enterprise, Business, Home Premium and Home Basic editions, Via said in a statement. PC chip sets are the two chips, dubbed the Northbridge and Southbridge, that connect a PC's processor to main memory, graphics, audio and other chips inside a computer and regulate the flow of data between chips. The Via K8M890 chip set works with the full range of Advanced Micro DevicesÂ (AMD) Athlon64 processors and AMD Sempron processors, including processors made for the latest AM2 socket. The Via P4M900 chip set was made to work with IntelÂ processors up to the 1,066MHz front-side-bus speed, including the latest Intel Core 2 Extreme chips. Aside from trouble-free installation, the certification ensures users can expect the chip sets to support functions that take advantage of some of Vista's new features. For example, both the Via K8M890 and Via P4M900 chip sets carry integrated graphics processing cores, the Via Chrome 9 IGP, which provide DirectX 9.0 graphics support and other enhancements meant to optimize Vista's visual experience. The two chip sets also support for the latest PCI Express add-in graphics cards, giving PC makers the flexibility to add greater graphics power, depending on user requirements. Both chip sets are available now from all of the world's top motherboard makers, Via said.ADVERTISEMENTNEW IT SERVICES FROM IBM: EASIER TO BUY AND IMPLEMENTDiscover a simpler, more cost-effective way to get the solutions your company needs to grow more flexible and efficient.
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The keyboards, mice, Webcams and headsets sport features for the upcoming Vista operating system.
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Upcoming chips will lead to relatively inexpensive hardware, company says.
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Microsoft has released a new build of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 to about 15,000 testers, lending credence to recent speculation that the final code release is fast approaching.
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Customers who have purchased an HP Pavilion or Digital Entertainment Center PC, or a Compaq Pavilion PC - all desktop models only - on or after October 26, with Windows XP pre-installed, will be eligible for upgrade kits for corresponding editions of Windows Vista next month, HP announced this morning
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The chipmaker's 3 Series chipset promises computer users a serious performance boost.
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Market researchers say that production of 1G bit DRAM chips passed the 512G bit chips for the first time in October, indicating that most new PCs are sold with Microsoft's Vista software.
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The updated OQO Model 02 uses Via's new C-7M ultra low-voltage 1.6-GHz processor, runs Windows Vista.
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LicenseWise and Windows Vista Hardware Assessment help users navigate Microsoft offerings.
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The unveiling of Via Technologies Inc.&#39;s tiny Mobile ITX motherboard turned heads at last week&#39;s Computex exhibition in Taipei. But what the company didn&#39;t announce was that prototypes of the board are already running Windows XP.
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Microsoft Corp  said on Monday  its first update to the Windows Vista operating system has been  released for manufacturing.
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Improvements include new chips, support for a fourth operating system and new options for running multiple jobs on the same machine.
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A maker of software tools has made it possible to route lines diagonally for semiconductor chips, which will add to the speed, efficiency and performance of a generation of smaller chips.
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Dual-core processors to be considered single chip, company says.
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The first Vista service pack will address performance and reliability while adding support for new types of hardware and some emerging standards. Also on tap: a beta of the third and final service pack for Windows XP.
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DirectX 10 and other enhancements should seriously boost Vista graphics.
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The 1Gb DRAM (dynamic RAM) chip has replaced 512Gb DRAM as the mainstream memory capacity in the PC industry as of October, according to DRAMeXchange, a sign most PCs coming off production lines can now use Microsoft&#39;s Vista OS.All of the premium versions of Vista require&#160;more DRAM per PC&#160;to ensure smooth operation of the OS, which is more complex and requires more hardware than its predecessor, XP.The changeover in the DRAM market has taken longer than many companies expected. Several DRAM makers&#160;built new factories in anticipation&#160;Vista would take the PC market by storm this year and antiquate XP. That hasn&#39;t happened. Instead, the adoption of the new OS is moving along at a steady pace, albeit&#160;slower than the DRAM industry expected.The heavy investment in DRAM factories, however, has caused a massive oversupply.&#160;Prices of most DRAM chips have fallen&#160;by over 70 percent so far this year, and are currently near or below the cost of production for most companies.The contract price of 1Gb, DDR2 (double data rate, second generation) DRAM chips that run at 667MHz fell 12.5 percent from two weeks ago to $2.63 each, a new low for this year according to DRAMeXchange, which runs an online trading site for the chips. The most recent DRAM slump hit in early October, as prices fell by 25 percent. Analysts said the market may not turn around until late next year, and possibly later if companies keep building new production lines.&quot;We do not expect memory chip makers to show any improvement in profitability at least until [the second half of 2008] unless there is stabilization or a recovery in pricing,&quot; said Warren Lau, chip industry analyst at Macquarie Research.Samsung Electronics already increased its production line spending plans 23 percent this year, he said, and the aggressive stance will likely cause rivals such as Elpida Memory and Hynix Semiconductor&#160;to follow suit so they can protect or increase their DRAM market share.Increased spending amid a chip glut should keep DRAM cheap for a while. Market prices normally take about a month to filter down to users, according to one DRAMeXchange analyst, and users can benefit from lower prices in a few ways. PC vendors often increase the amount of DRAM per computer when prices are low, or offer additional DRAM as an incentive to buy a new PC. Also, the price of DRAM modules found in stores will fall as retailers clear out their older, more expensive inventory.Contract DRAM prices are renegotiated every two weeks between DRAM makers and PC vendors such as Hewlett-Packard&#160;and Dell. Around 80 percent of all DRAM is sold by contract, while the rest is sold on a spot market similar to commodities trading in oil and gold.&#160;