Liliputing reports that Zotac has released two new ultra-thin PCs, the ZBOX Edge MI648 and MI668, both equipped with Raptor Lake-P chips. The ZBOX Edge MI668 is a compact computer measuring 149.5 x 149.5 x 28.5mm and features a 28-watt Intel Core i7-1360P processor with support for up to 64GB of DDR5 memory. The ZBOX Edge MI648, on the other hand, comes with an Intel Core i5-1340P processor and offers similar features.

Both models include two SODIMM slots for DDR5 5200 MHz or 4800 MHz memory and two M.2 slots for storage. The ports available on the PCs include HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, Thunderbolt 4, USB 3.1 Type-A and Type-C, 2x Gigabit Ethernet, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The computers feature a fan for active cooling, but the chassis has a honeycomb-style vent for heat dissipation, making them “whisper quiet.” The 2x Gigabit Ethernet ports could make it interesting for a variety of networking applications.

Zotac has not yet announced pricing and availability details for both models. For those looking for a silent computer, Zotac has also introduced the ZBOX Edge CI343, a fanless PC with an Intel Processor N100 chip, although it offers lower performance compared to the MI648 and MI668 models.

Source: Liliputing.

Intel announced at their Innovation 2023 conference that they are collaborating with software vendors such as Red Hat, Canonical, and SUSE to provide Intel-optimized Linux distributions, Phoronix reports. This is part of Intel’s push for “optimized performance” in the Linux world.

The collaboration aims to provide Intel-optimized distributions of enterprise software releases, ensuring optimized performance for the latest Intel architectures. This is an extension of previous collaborations, such as Canonical and Intel’s work on Ubuntu optimized for select Intel CPUs.

In addition to the collaboration on Linux distributions, Intel and Red Hat announced an expanded collaboration with Intel contributing to upstream RHEL through CentOS Stream. Intel will also continue contributing performance optimizations to tools and frameworks in the AI space, such as PyTorch and TensorFlow.

These collaborations are expected to bring new optimizations for performance and power efficiency. Intel’s Clear Linux platform will continue to be maintained with aggressive performance optimizations. The enterprise Linux distributions, such as Red Hat and SUSE, are exploring raising their baseline requirements and implementing optimized libraries based on the CPU in use.

Phoronix promises to report on the results of these collaborations, including benchmarking.

Source: Phoronix.

The Linux 6.6 kernel version seems to be delivering significant performance improvements for AMD EPYC server CPUs according to Phoronix. Tests conducted on Genoa and Genoa-X processors as well as Intel Xeon Scalable “Sapphire Rapids” processors showed that the performance of AMD EPYC servers was greatly enhanced with Linux 6.6 compared to Linux 6.5 stable. The improvements were especially notable for certain workloads.

The Linux 6.6 kernel introduces the EEVDF scheduler and workqueue enhancements that benefit chiplet-based CPUs with multiple L3 caches, such as those used by AMD. Overall, the new features in Linux 6.6 seem to be positively impacting AMD server CPU performance.

Source: Phoronix.

Intel has recently announced Thunderbolt 5, the latest iteration of their high-speed connectivity technology. With up to 120 Gbps bandwidth when using “Bandwidth Boost,” Thunderbolt 5 offers significant improvements over its predecessor.

The key features of Thunderbolt 5 include:

• 80 Gbps of bi-directional bandwidth, with the option to boost it to 120 Gbps for video-intensive usage.
• Double the PCI Express data throughput, resulting in faster storage and external graphics performance.
• Compatibility with USB4 V2, DisplayPort 2.1, and PCI Express Gen 4.
• Double the bandwidth of Thunderbolt Networking for high-speed PC-to-PC connections.
• PAM-3 signaling technology that enhances performance with existing circuit boards, connectors, and passive cables up to 1 meter.

Thunderbolt 5 is aimed at meeting the needs of content creators, gamers, and professionals who require high-speed connectivity. While it may take some time for Thunderbolt 5 to become prevalent in mini PCs, its adoption is expected to increase as the demand for faster storage and high-performance eGPU grows.

Premium PCs and laptops are likely to integrate Thunderbolt 5 soon, as Intel’s controller, codenamed Barlow Ridge, is set to be available in 2024.

For storage enthusiasts and those building home servers, Thunderbolt 5 offers an exciting prospect. Its increased bandwidth and compatibility with USB4 V2 make it a suitable choice for high-speed data transfer and storage solutions. Additionally, Thunderbolt 5’s ability to support multiple 8K monitors opens up possibilities for multi-display setups in server or network environments.

It’s worth noting that Thunderbolt 5’s potential for storage extends beyond traditional setups. For instance, AWS has adopted Thunderbolt for their Apple Silicon Mac mini datacenter offering, utilizing its capabilities for high-speed storage.

For more detailed information on Thunderbolt 5, refer to Intel’s press release and the product page.

Source: CNX Software – Embedded Systems News.