Z-06

That seriously sucks. I guess there is not enough market for those and if they created a processor, Intel would lose the hoards of enterprise profits. I have had great experience with Xeons since my school time, I will be happy to own one despite being expensive.

This is amazing stuff. I never knew how the processors were created. Those are some grueling details and precisions. Thanks for the info. As with the overclocking, I am not going to go that route, considering the calculations will require extended periods of full CPU usage, I do not want to bust the computer up too soon. I was just wanting to confirm what I read and heard. But you did not answer my question of existence multiprocessor capability of consumer Core I7.

Cappy, the main thing I have heard about Core I7 used for consumer applications is the inability to communicate on a multi processor platform. While Core I7 and Nelahem are based on the exact architecture, multi-processor capability exists only in the Xeon siblings. If the core I7's are indeed multi-processor capable, then I can see your point and get myself to build me a system. Till then, I have no choice but to get the Xeons. Is it also true that Xeons because of better heat dissipation capabilities have better overclocking capability than the consumer siblings? I totally understand the enterprise editions are bitchily expensive because of one reason - the cost of business not failing because of a faulty system - a blackmail the tech companies use. The same is the case between Quadro FX cards and their consumer siblings, the Quadros are expensive as hel compared to GTXesl. I love the idea of Velo Raptors, they are solid stuff. I want SAS too, but I think I will hold my horses there, since, harddrive speed is not ultra critical for me.

Rendering in Civil 3D totally uses GPU power than a CPU power. But if you are modeling and creating 3D surfaces, the calculations involve CPU power and mega memory. Like I said I think a single quad core with 8GB DDR3 can handle 3-4 drawings opened at once. But my main concern is chess games analyses. The software that analyze these games use something called Tablebases, which help the computer chess programs such as Shredder or Fritz analyse multiple scenarios. While they do not use much memory (1 GB at most) the programs need to go through the Tablebases only with raw power of the processors. Typically a grandmaster has a rack workstation with quad processor capability, while I am not a grandmaster, I think single CPU will not cut those computations. Faster HDD helps only to access the Tablebase thread, once the program catches the thread it is raw computing from that point on. I hope I explained my situation. I will not build it, I will possibly go the Dell route, which is almost the same price for the system including warranty.

Shhh... Ferrari F430 has a CD of 0.34 (With Reference). And given its more than three decades of continuous F1 racing and testing it has no knowledge of Aerodynamics and is poor at it.

+1

Honeymoon with BMW ended with abortion? I kinda knew you would come back here considering your wife bought a GXP. Too good a car to lay in a garage in Delaware. Welcome back PCS.

[source: Inside Line] Chevrolet Volt's Design Director Snipes at the Aerodynamic Qualities of the Competition Date posted: 07-29-2009 DETROIT — The war of words between the creators of the Chevrolet Volt and its competition are getting ugly. In a Web chat on Tuesday on the corporate GM FastLane blog, the Volt design director accused the competition of "grossly exaggerated aero figures that are not repeatable when we test their vehicles in our tunnel." Bob Boniface, the Volt design director, did not name names. But he made the remark in response to a question by Lyle Dennis from GM-Volt.com, who mentioned that the Tesla Model S is said to have a coefficient of drag of 0.27. Drag coefficient is a measure of the aerodynamic qualities of a vehicle, a critical component for fuel saving. Boniface refused to issue a CD number for the Volt, however. "People may think we are skirting the aero issue by not quoting our tunnel figures," he wrote. He added: "If I quote an actual GM-derived tunnel figure, it may not look impressive to you when, in fact, it is superior to most, if not all our competition. "It is very much like the horsepower race back in the '60s. The Volt aero performance is second only to the EV1 in GM history." Boniface said GM plans to test the 2010 Toyota Prius "this week." "I expect the Volt to stand up to the competition," he added. The Web chat revealed that Goodyear has sourced a "unique, low-rolling-resistance" tire for the Volt that Boniface said "may find its way onto other GM vehicles." However, each vehicle has its own mission and own set of tradeoffs," he noted. "For instance, I would not put this tire on a Corvette or Camaro." As for the the big picture, Boniface said: "Volt design is done. Still a bit of work to do on Opel Ampera. Working on some other (secret) projects now." When asked how the Cadillac Converj would look compared to its concept version should it ever make it into production, Boniface said the transition would be easier than moving the Volt from concept to production form. He said the Converj would have an easier time "because it was based off the production Volt architecture." In terms of interior features, Boniface said Volt designers have "added features such as dual LCD screens in the interior, as well as fully touch-sensitive controls for the center stack." He described those controls as "an industry first." He also clarified that there will be separate ports on opposite sides of the Volt for fuel and electricity.

[source: Car and Driver] 2011 Buick Regal - Spied The Chinese-market Regal has been caught testing in America. What does that mean for U.S. sales? Buick is on the rebound in its home market, with the successful Enclave crossover and the appealing 2010 LaCrosse leading the charge. Could it continue with the reincarnation of the Regal? Spied on American soil was a camouflaged Chinese-market Buick Regal, itself a re-grilled and rebadged European 2010 Opel Insignia. Just what the covered-up Regal was doing here is anyone's guess, especially considering that it's already fully exposed on Buick's Chinese website. But speculation has been ongoing for some time about whether a Regal would reemerge to flesh out America's Buick/Pontiac/GMC dealerships, and that possibility is even more likely now that one of those brands will soon evaporate, taking a huge quantity of mid-size sedan sales with it. Now, whether it makes sense to sell what is essentially a short-wheelbase LaCrosse alongside the LaCrosse is a marketing question we can't fully answer. But if it is markedly less expensive than the $27,835 Lacrosse, it could play well to Camry/Accord/Fusion buyers. Factor in GM's pending divestiture of Saturn—which was due to get a copy of the Insignia as its next Aura sedan—and the Buick version makes even more sense. Could a Grand National Be On the Docket? At a recent dinner with Buick executives, we were regaled with the typical marketing jibber-jabber about the "incredible" stuff that's coming next, and when we asked specifically about performance-oriented Buick models, we saw sparkles in their eyes and got one of those typical "just wait 'til you see what's coming next" lines that usually prompts a collective rolling of the eyes. But with the Regal redux looking like a real possibility, it would seem quite natural for Buick to bring back the vaunted Grand National (or Grand Sport) name, too—powered by, say, a turbocharged V-6, just like the beloved original that was sold in the mid-1980s. Of course, rear-wheel drive would be out of the question and a front-drive GN would be absolute heresy, but all-wheel drive could perhaps prove a somewhat amicable compromise. On one point, however, we will not give ground: it must be all black. [spy Photos]

<< Speechless.

Z-Henderson Happy Birthday. Sincerely working for you, Z-Lutz .

Congrats sir. I think it was a wise decision.

This is morbid. Talk about death of beloved cars which were replaced for appliances.

Well you have a chemistry anyways. Veep post is a all-show-no-go. Why don't you make him vice-admin of our website and not give any powers?

Oops forgot that Z28 is more like your BIH.

What is rebadging?

:rotflmao: That makes me Lutz. Oh BTW it would have been more fitting if it would have come from Drew.

Where is the mouse/rat? Good one.

As usual a bill with lot of potential that ended up being a dud and heartbreak.

No offense to Walt. [Joke] We reemerge from Chapter 11. Hopefully it won't be Government and Gears. Under new ownership and administration, we will reach profitability, sustainability, integrity and membershipity like we have never seen before. [\Joke] [serious] Walt thanks for the idea and Drew thanks for keeping it from dying. [\Serious]

Case closed.

For time being let us forget coal as once CC hit it will be more expensive. What is the wattage of the $20,000 solar system? It is not going to be 10kwatts - more like 1-2 KW. Besides that average lifetime of solar panels is 20 years while nuke plants are estimated to be 75 years. Don't get me wrong, you know my affinity about solar energy. But just like you said about ICE, I cannot see solar panels at around 25% efficiency completely offsetting a nuke plant with efficiency close to 65% any time soon. Supplement yes, offset no. We need large plants and small house plants too.

[source: Wall Street Journal] EU Penalizes China Steel Bloc's Switch to Pre-Emptive Import Tariffs Signals Growing Protectionism By JOHN W. MILLER BRUSSELS -- European Union trade officials approved pre-emptive penalties on imports of steel pipe from China, a precedent-setting move that suggests the trading bloc is growing more protectionist in the face of the economic downturn. Tuesday's vote by trade officials from the EU's 27 member states is significant, say trade experts, because they accepted an argument from steel producers -- including the world's largest by volume, ArcelorMittal -- that punitive tariffs are needed to protect them from the threat of underpriced imports from China. Previously, complainants have had to prove the imports had already hurt their business. The case also concerns one of the steel sectors' most important finished products. Seamless steel pipes are key ingredients in housing construction, gas and oil plants and the automotive industry. The vote was close, according to EU officials familiar with the matter, although they declined to reveal the final tally. The duties, which will range from 17.7% to 39.2%, are expected to take effect in October and last five years, EU officials said. Temporary duties of up to 24.2% have been in place since April. Chinese officials say they are preparing a case at the WTO against the EU and U.S. over steel tariffs. On Monday, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce issued a statement saying it was "gravely concerned" about antidumping duties on Chinese imports in the U.S. and EU. "If they impose the tax, that means we will lose the EU market," says Tan Ling, a manager for Hengyang Valin Steel Tube Co, which exports to the EU. The EU currently accounts for 5% to 10% of the company's sales, says Ms. Tan, who has been to Brussels several times to plead her case with EU officials. The company will try to compensate by exporting more to the Middle East and Africa, she says. European consumers of Chinese steel imports are also upset at the new tariffs. "Consumers have to pay more because the market is protected," says Jan van Meever, the owner and CEO of Jan van Meever BV, a Dutch company that buys steel pipes from China and resells them in Europe. "It's just the way it is these days." Chinese exports have flooded the EU ever since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001. Total shipments to the EU from China were $357 billion last year, up from $67 billion in 2000. The EU's steel sector, a $250 billion-a-year business with 420,000 employees, has been vulnerable to imports because of Europe's high labor and environmental costs. Eurofer, the lobby group that represents European steelmakers, has lobbied hard for higher tariffs. In the U.S., the steel industry has also been on the front lines of demanding more protection from Chinese imports. China came into Europe's seamless pipe market only recently. In 2005, it exported only 35,000 tons to the EU. Last year, it shipped 552,368 tons. The surge came at the same time as EU imports of steel pipes from Russia and Ukraine were declining, following the imposition of antidumping duties on imports from those countries in 2006. But in those years the global economy was booming. The German export machine was firing on all cylinders, easily gobbling up the extra imports from China in 2007 and 2008. That made it difficult for European producers, when they filed their complaint in May 2008, to say they had been "injured" by dumped Chinese imports. An import is considered to have been "dumped" when it is sold in a foreign market at or below cost, in order to gain market share. Under WTO rules, the importing country may retaliate by applying "antidumping" duties. The country must demonstrate that goods have been dumped, and that its companies have lost substantial sales as a direct consequence. As the slowdown gathered steam last year, Europe's steel-pipe producers and their lawyers decided to try another tack. They argued that while they couldn't prove past losses, the threat of future injury, in an economic downturn, was so overwhelming that higher tariffs were essential. "It is likely that low-priced imports will become even more attractive in a market which is increasingly seeking out cost reductions," the EU trade commission wrote in its final report. Basing a claim on the threat of injury "is a perfectly legal strategy, but it has simply not, until now, been used as a matter of EU policy," says Nikolay Mizulin, a Brussels-based trade lawyer with Hogan & Hartson LLP. This case "is a sign of growing protectionism and could open the floodgates to many more industries who believe they deserve protection." Mr. Mizulin and other trade lawyers say they expect a host of industries to ask the EU for protective tariffs in August. The number of overall antidumping duties grew last year to 208 from 164 in 2007. Another increase is expected this year. —Sue Feng in Beijing and Bai Lin in Shanghai contributed to this article. Write to John W. Miller at [email protected]

What power generation rates are you talking about for the nuclear plant and the solar panels you are using in your example? The unit price consumption of a solar panel plant comes close to 15c/kilowatt hour, which is much more expensive than about 7c/kilowatt hour for a coal plant (9-10c/kilowatt hour for nukes) and that is after federal and local subsidies and not counting infrastructure.

Are you talking about smaller plants spread around the country or larger plants which yet dispersed can be "concentrated" because of being fewer in number? If former is the case, while true, due to economy of scales it is cheaper to concentrate having bigger power plants in fewer locations rather having smaller power plants in lot of locations. Because: The amount of engineering, design involved in small or big plants is almost the same. What is different is probably adding more drawings, designs for larger capacity. But overall the plan drawings will have same basic design effort. The regulatory process and time required for a small or a large plant is the same. In fact having smaller plants in different locations than a bigger one in one location would mean dealing with regulatory authorities from different areas, which may have different laws, thus causing different design and permit modifications. Having centralized plants helps making universal grid easy and cheap rather than creating a cluster of cables intersecting each other from smaller plants. Yes, infrastructure is a serious problem in this country, which has been constantly overlooked. Everything was almost pushed to threshold by the boom and this current situation gave infrastructure a breathing room.