TechInsight Magazine

Multi-core processors completely changed the way software scaled on the PC, enabling massive performance increases thanks to parallelism—the simultaneous execution of instructions and data. Three dimensional graphics had a similarly profound impact on the desktop market. Now, as you likely already know, storage is undergoing is own little revolution thanks to solid-state drives. While it’s true that the first SSDs were expensive, and thus generally aimed at enterprise applications dependent on I/O performance, many of today’s offerings are very affordable, making the technology (and it’s compelling performance benefits) available to your desktop customers.

Take Intel’s X25-V Value SATA SSD as an example. The 40GB drive centers on 34nm NAND flash memory, giving Intel the flexibility to cram lots of capacity into a 2.5” form factor at a price point competitive with many of the 3.5” desktop drives you sell today. Granted, at 40GB, the X25-V probably isn’t large enough to serve as the one and only repository inside your whiteboxes. However, is does make a great “boot drive,” used in conjunction with a conventional mechanical disk. A boot drive stores your operating system and a handful of most commonly-used applications. Everything else goes on the larger drive. Software that stands to gain most from the responsiveness of an SSD sees a phenomenal performance boost, while leaving plenty of room for user data on the conventional storage. It’s a standard tiered storage arrangement, adapted to the desktop and optimized for value.

In applications where your customer needs more capacity and performance, try slinging a pair of X25-V drives together in a RAID 0 array. Featuring a combined 80GB, the configuration serves up even more aggressive performance—and 80GB is enough space for many business workstations leaning on networked storage for user data, too.

Of course, Intel’s family of second-generation X25-M drives continues serving up unprecedented I/O throughput and almost-instantaneous response time. Available in 80GB and 160GB capacities, both models employ 10-channel flash architectures capable of up to 250 MB/s sustained sequential reads and up to 100 MB/s sequential writes. What do those numbers mean? In essence, the X25-M is nearly able to saturate a SATA 3 Gb/s interface, given the right workload. Windows boots faster. Outlook fires up immediately. Game levels load up in a fraction of the time.

And don’t forget that SSDs offer incredible benefits in server applications dependent on I/O operations per second. Whereas the fastest 15,000 RPM SAS disks are rated in hundreds of IOPS, the enterprise-class X25-E (built using SLC NAND flash memory) is instead measured in thousands of IOPS.

Although Intel debuted its solid-state product family showcasing the fastest, highest-profile models, today’s X25 family runs the gamut, addressing customers with just about any budget and storage need. You’re already well-acquainted with the desktop X25-M and enterprise X25-E. Now you’re able to upsell Intel’s value-oriented X25-V, enabling the experiential speed-up of solid state storage at a price point more typical of mechanical disks.

Imagine a business-class platform built on the very latest technology (so you know it’s fast, modern, and feature-complete), and yet armed with rock-solid stability. It gets better. This perfect SMB-oriented PC centers on hardware guaranteed to be around for the next 15 months. Sounds too good to be true?

Intel recently announced its 2010 Professional Platform for the company’s Stable Image Platform Program, which not only locks down a consistent combination of hardware that’ll be available during the next year, but also validated drivers, simplifying support for resellers. There is flexibility built into the Professional Platform, so you do get to pick from six different processors, for example. However, Intel’s Q57 Express chipset is the sole piece of core logic qualified for the program. And Intel sells one motherboard based on Q57: its DQ57TM. Naturally, that makes the DQ57TM an incredibly notable channel offering.

The microATX board is clearly suited for compact office desktops. It sports an LGA 1156 interface compatible with any of Intel’s Lynnfield-based Core i5/Core i7 and Clarkdale-based Core i3/Core i5 processors. But if you’re looking to use it in a SIPP-based machine, you’ll need to choose between the Core i7-870, -860, -860S, Core i5-670, -660, and -650 CPUs. Four slots support up to 16GB of DDR3-1333 memory, while a single 16-lane PCI Express 2.0 slot, two x1 slots, and a conventional PCI slot take almost any combination of add-in expansion you can dream up (including discrete graphics). Intel’s Q57 platform controller hub enables six-channel HD Audio, up to 14 USB 2.0 ports, five internal SATA 3 Gb/s connectors, and a single eSATA interface. Should you pair the DQ57TM to one of the Core i5 processors on Intel’s approved 2010 Professional Platform hardware list, all of which sport integrated graphics, the board’s built-in display outputs become accessible as well. DVI-I, DVI-D, and DisplayPort—use any two connectors at the same time for productivity-oriented desktops spanning multiple monitors.

Beyond its advanced I/O suite, the Q57 Express chipset is also an enabler of Intel’s vPro technology, which of course includes Active Management Technology. This is a particularly important value-add for resellers, who can capitalize on AMT 6.0’s ability to take remote control of client systems over an encrypted connection to monitor, maintain, and secure SMB customers. An embedded VNC server (new to this generation’s graphics-equipped Core i5 CPUs) even gives you full KVM access throughout the power cycle.

Now, more than ever, it’s possible to service your customers remotely with complete control over the hardware you’ve deployed, as if you were on-site. And thanks to Intel’s Stable Image Platform Program, you can standardize the business workstations you build in 2010 using the DQ57TM motherboard. Consistent hardware and drivers make your job easier, while support for the latest technology guarantees great performance over a long useful life.

Harder. Better. Faster. Stronger. That’s how we’re accustomed to describing the latest technology to our customers. In fact, sometimes it feels like the name of the game is simply delivering more speed. But Intel’s new D510MO and D410PT motherboards serve as a jarring reminder that low power consumption, compact enclosures, and silent computing are all very real selling points incredibly applicable to home and office environments alike.

Both boards center on Intel’s next-generation Atom processor, which furthers the company’s quest to integrate as much platform logic into the CPU as it can. Memory control and graphics—two subsystems you would have formerly found in a chipset’s northbridge—are now part of the processor die itself. The result is twofold. First, the latest Atom models are more complex, and thus use a bit more power. Conversely, however, the supporting chipset is no longer a two-component affair. Instead, there’s a single piece of core logic attached to the Atom.

By simplifying the platform, Intel effectively cuts overall power use, makes it easier to design compact motherboards, and improves performance—perhaps the most sensitive subject when you’re talking about energy-efficient systems. Both of the new CPUs—Atom D510 and Atom D410—don’t have any problems there. Both models include Hyper-Threading technology, first of all, improving the utilization of available compute resources. The former is also a dual-core model (giving operating systems access to four logical processors), while the latter is a single-core chip (enabling two logical CPUs). The pair runs at 1.66 GHz, includes a Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 engine, and a single channel of DDR2-800 memory support.   

And yet, both the Atom D510 and Atom D410 are efficient enough to be cooled by a passive heatsink. That makes them great power plants for the D510MO and D410PT motherboards. The two platforms are members of Intel’s Essential Series, populated by budget-conscious boards that enable attractively-sized configurations. Both based on the mini-ITX standard, the D510MO and D410PT are equally at home in phonebook-sized office desktops and diminutive common-area PCs at home.

Given its dual-core, quad-threaded processor, it’s no surprise that the D510MO is a flagship Atom-based offering. Six-channel audio, gigabit Ethernet, and a pair of SATA 3 Gb/s ports are all enabled by the complementary NM10 chipset. Additionally, lots of USB 2.0 connectivity, a PCI slot, and a PCI Express mini-card (perfect for wireless networking) are included as standard features. The D410PT is very similar, only it sports four-channel sound, 10/100 Ethernet, and a single-core, dual-threaded CPU.

Regardless of the Intel Atom-based platform you choose, they’re both value-sensitive boards with an efficient, embedded processor that doesn’t require active cooling and merely sips power. Because they center on the mini-ITX form factor, VARs have the flexibility to build extremely small PCs using the two boards.  

 

Desktops, servers, and workstations. Those are the three staple segments that every VAR needs to master in order to address the needs of small- and medium-sized businesses. At least, they’re are the areas where you should be focusing, given Intel’s campaign to enable its Nehalem micro-architecture across the company’s broad product portfolio. But covering the bases doesn’t necessarily mean you’re hitting every opportunity out there for margin, upsells, and service. There are a couple more markets to which we think you should cater: mobility and small form factor computing.

The buzz surronding Intel's Nehalem micro-architecture has escalated over the past year and a half, beginning with an excited murmur and crescendoing into a more frenzied roar after the recent debut of its 32nm mainstream CPUs and Xeon 5600-series refresh in Q1. It’s understandable, then, that resellers have their eyes on that prize, focusing on building the best desktops, servers, and workstations for their SMB customers.

However, don’t let Intel’s other channel-friendly gems slip through the cracks. Advancements in manufacturing technology are paving the way for VARs to compete more aggressively in a couple of markets traditionally dominated by larger builders with the resources to build with an eye for aesthetics: ultra-thin laptops and phone book-sized SFF PCs.

The Channel Goes Mobile
Beyond the company's presence in more conventional business markets, remember that Intel is also the driving force behind mobile processors, chipsets, and wireless networking technology. Its Centrino brand is one of the most widely recognized. And although it’s no longer a platform marketing initiative encompassing the pieces that go into a notebook, you’ll still find Centrino in Intel’s Wi-Fi and WiMAX adapters.