New PC - 2009

It's been a long time I'm surviving with the same PC at home. May be it's time to buy a new one...

Requirements

• Main requirement: silence!
• Form-factor: Laptop would be a nice-to have. Would free some space on the desk, reduce cable clutter. But more expensive
  • On battery time is secondary. I'll mainly use it as a desktop anyway
• Resolution: laptop, min. 1440x900, ideally 1920x1200. Desktop, min 1920x1200 mandatory.
• Ports: IEEE 1394 interface mandatory to acquire DV Video from digital handycam
• OS: PC must be Linux compatible. Let's get a Windows license for ease. Windows 7 english 64-bit Professional minimum.
  • Ultimate + Media center would be nice-to-have
• CPU:
  • 2 cores mandatory + Intel VTx instruction (or similar)
  • 4 cores ideally
• Graphic cards:
  • NVidia used to have good Linux compatibility, but I heard many troubles with these cards nowadays. This constructor builds Ubuntu laptop, and includes a NVidia GeForce GTX 460M card (1.5GB).
  • Intel' GMA series work perfectly well on my DELL E6500 with Lucid 10.04.
• Bluetooth
• Wifi 802.11 n

Hardwarde information

Intel

• Intel branding and CPU names is very confusing, and full of exceptions. We have
  • the microarchitecture,
  • the codename (variants of that microarchitecture), and
  • the brand name (the name under which the CPU is sold on the market)
• First, look at Westmere architecture. Westmere is the latest architecture from Intel, with the most powerful features. That page gives the best overview of what CPUs to look for, both for desktop or laptop.
• For desktop, 2 codenames provides the Westmere architecture:
  • Gulftown codename (for server and performance PC) — basically all CPU branded Xeon 36xx / 56xx and some branded Core i7.
  • Clarkdale codename (for value/mainstream PC) — basically some Core i3 and i5 (and Pentium / Celeron).
• For laptops, there is only one codename, Arrandale, sold under the brands Core i5 and Core i7.

Intel microarchitecture

Nehalem

The successor of the Core architecture.

Westmere

A 32nm shrunk down version of Nehalem, which features some improvements like:

• AES accelerated instructions
• Better virtualization support (Intel VT-d...)
• Integrated graphics (laptop)

All CPUs with the westmere architecture should have the same features, however with some differences like # cores, cache size, CPU speed, etc.

Note also that there are differences between laptop & desktop. For instance laptop integrates Intel VT-d in the CPU, whereas this feature is actually provided by the chipset (5500/5520) for desktops.

Intel Chipset

(Desktop) Intel 5500 and 5520 Chipset

Supports the Intel Xeon processor 5500 / 5600 series.

Provides QPI, Intel VT-d (Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O), Intel TXT (trusted execution)

See also Wikipedia article

Intel Codenames

The 3 following codenames are based on the Westmere architecture:

Gulftown (32nm)

Includes the Core i7-9xx, Core i7-9xxX, Xeon 36xx (all with 6 cores) and Xeon 56xx (4-6 cores).

Clarkdale

Closely related to mobile Arrandale, originally sold as Core i5 and Core i7.

Arrandale

Mobile version of Clarkdale, sold as Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7.

Intel Brands

Intel Xeon

Intel Xeon is an Intel brand targetting performance / server desktop PC. We limit ourselves to those based on the Westmere microarchitecture:

• Xeon 36xx (6 cores), only for uniprocessor motherboards
• Xeon 56xx (4-6 cores), support multiprocessor motherboards

Summary below, see wikipedia for details:

Brand	Codename (desktop)	Arch	Brand name	Cores
Xeon	Gulftown	Westmere	Xeon 36xx Xeon 56xx	6 4-6

Core i5 / Core i7

Core i5 / i7 is an Intel brand, both targetting desktop and laptop markets. Summary below, see the pages on wikipedia (Intel Core, Core i7 list, Core i5 list):

Brand	Codename (desktop)	Arch	Brand name	Cores	Codename (laptop)	Arch	Brand name	Cores
Core i5	Lynnfield Clarkdale	Nehalem Westmere	7xx / 7xxS 6xx	4 2	Arrandale	Westmere	4xxM / 5xxM / 5xxUM	2
Core i7	Bloomfield Lynnfield Gulftown	Nehalem Nehalem Westmere	9xx 8xx / 8xxS 980X	4 4 6	Clarksfield Arrandale	Nehalem Westmere	9xxXM / 8xxQM / 7xxQM 6xxQM / 6xxLM / 6xxUM	4 2

NVidia

See this post on GuruHT:

FX 3800M	128 cores	1GB DDR3	256-bit mem itf	100W
FX 2800M	96 cores	1GB DDR3	256-bit mem itf	75W
FX 1800M	72 cores	1GB DDR3/DDR5	128-bit mem itf	45W
FX 880M	48 cores	1GB DDR3	128-bit mem itf	35W

DELL

Mobile Workstation

Model	Code	Price	OS	CPU	RAM	HD	Monitor	GPU	Other
Precision	M6500	2759€ HT 2939€ HT	Win 7 Pro 64	i7-840QM 1,86GHz	4GB 8GB	500GB	1920x1200 17" RGB	NVidia FX 2800M 1GB	802.11n + DL DVD+/-RW slot-in + Base service
Precision	M4500	2249€ HT 2429€ HT	Win 7 Pro 64	i7-840QM 1,86GHz	4GB 8GB	500GB	1920x1080 15.6" LED	NVidia FX 1800M 1GB	802.11n + DL DVD+/-RW + Base service
Precision	M4500	2014€ HT 2194€ HT	Win 7 Pro 64	i7-840QM 1,86GHz	4GB 8GB	500GB	1920x1080 15.6" LED	NVidia FX 880M 1GB	802.11n + DL DVD+/-RW + Base service

TBC:

• Alienware
• Z600
• Latitude

HP Desktops

HP Essential

Nothing to see there...

HP Advanced Desktops

Nothing to see there...

HP Elite Desktops

Nothing to see there either...

HP Workstations

Z200

Core i3 / i5, too small.

Z400

• Many Xeon W35xx CPU, based on old Nehalem architecture

Model	Code	Price	OS	Chipset	CPU	Freq	Cores	RAM	HD	GPU	Other	Comment
EliteBook HP Z400	KK657EA	4313€ HT	Win 7 Pro 64	Intel X58 Express	Xeon W3680	3,33GHz	6	12GB		NV Quadro FX 3800M 1GB	DL DVD+/-RW	No Intel VT-d in chipset
EliteBook HP Z400	KK717EA	2455€ HT	Win 7 Pro 64	Intel X58 Express	Xeon W3670	3,20GHz	6	6GB		None	DL DVD+/-RW	No Intel VT-d in chipset

Z600

Model	Code	Price	OS	Chipset	CPU	Freq	Cores	RAM	HD	GPU	Other	Comment
EliteBook HP Z600	KK691ET	2249€ HT	Win 7 Pro 64	Intel 5520	Xeon E5630	2,53GHz	4	6GB		None	DL DVD+/-RW	Good, a bit expensive
EliteBook HP Z600	KK643EA	1983€ HT	Win 7 Pro 64	Intel 5520	Xeon E5620	2,40GHz	4	3GB		None	DL DVD+/-RW	Not enough RAM
EliteBook HP Z600	KK712EA	2186€ HT	Win 7 Pro 64	Intel 5520	Xeon E5630	2,53GHz	4	6GB		None	DL DVD+/-RW	Best choice, 2,645.06€ incl VAT.

Z800

Targetting multi-CPU system. Too expensive.

HP Laptops

Cfr laptops for small & medium businesses.

HP EliteBook NoteBook

Model	Code	Price	OS	CPU	RAM	HD	Monitor	GPU	Other
EliteBook 8540p	WD921EA XN715EA	1915€ HT 1786€ HT	Win 7 Pro 32	i7-620M 2,66GHz	4GB	320GB	1600x900 15.6"	NVidia NVS 5100 1GB	802.11n + BD ROM + DL DVD+/-RW + 3G telephony
EliteBook 8440p	VQ667EA	2048€ HT	Win 7 Pro 32	i7-620M 2,66GHz	4GB	500GB	1600x900 14"	NVidia NVS 3100 512MB	802.11n + BD ROM + DL DVD+/-RW + 3G telephony
EliteBook 8440p	XN710EA	2025€ HT	Win 7 Pro 32	i7-640M 2,80GHz	4GB	SSD 160GB	1600x900 14"	Intel HD Graphics	802.11n + BT + BD ROM + DL DVD+/-RW + 3G telephony incl. GPS

HP EliBook Mobile Workstation

Model	Code	Price	OS	CPU	RAM	HD	Monitor	GPU	Other	Comment
EliteBook 8740w	WD760EA laptopshop	2199€ HT 2439€ TC	Win 7 Pro 64	i7-640QM 2,80GHz	4GB	500GB	1920x1200 17"	NV Quadro FX 2800M 1GB	802.11n + BT + BD ROM + DL DVD+/-RW	Best
EliteBook 8740w	WD762EA	2789€ HT	Win 7 Pro 64	i7-740QM 1,73GHz	8GB	500GB	1920x1200 17"	NV Quadro FX 2800M 1GB	802.11n + BT + BD ROM + DL DVD+/-RW	Not Westmere
EliteBook 8740w	WD939EA Trilands Bechtle	1649€ HT 1768€ TC 1810€ TC	Win 7 Pro 64	i7-620M 2,66GHz	4GB 3GB? 4GB	500GB	1920x1200 17"	NV Quadro FX 2800M 1GB	802.11n + BT + BD ROM + DL DVD+/-RW	Good!

Model	Code	Price	OS	CPU	RAM	HD	Monitor	GPU	Other	Comment
EliteBook 8540w	WD740EA Trilands	2284€ HT 2544€ TC	Win 7 Pro 64	i7-640M 2,80GHz	8GB 4GB?	500GB	1920x1080 15.6"	NV Quadro FX 880M 1GB	802.11n + BT + BD ROM + DL DVD+/-RW	A bit expensive
EliteBook 8540w	WD742EA Trilands	1899€ HT 2125€ TC	Win 7 Pro 64	i7-640M 2,80GHz	8GB	500GB	1920x1080 15.6"	NV Quadro FX 1800M 1GB	802.11n + BT + BD ROM + DL DVD+/-RW	Best
EliteBook 8540w	WD743EA	2199€ HT	Win 7 Pro 64	i7-740QM 1,73GHz	8GB	500GB	1920x1080 15.6"	NV Quadro FX 1800M 1GB	802.11n + BT + BD ROM + DL DVD+/-RW	Not Westmere

HP ProBook NoteBook

Looks too cheap to be good.

Essential NoteBook

None (Old CPU's, like C2D, pentium, celeron)

HP Mini

None (out of scope).

HP Mobile Thin Client

None (out of scope).