AMD Dual Core Better Deal Than Intel for Windows Virtual PC Testing
The still-in-beta Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC for Windows 7 needs hardware virtualization assist. However, many (most) Intel's low-end processors (even quad core models) do not support Intel VT-x. I recall spending a lot of time checking various comparison tables before buying my Dell quad-core PC last year to make sure its CPU supported VT-x.
When I thought my old PC running Windows XP died (or so I thought - see previous blog for its revival) a few weeks ago, I went to Costco and bought the cheapest PC they had - an eMachines (yes, I know I swore off them a while back, but $340 is a good price) PC with an Athlon X2 4050e processor. Generally speaking, none of the sub-$400 PCs with Intel Core Duo or Core 2 Duo processors I looked at a year ago supported Intel VT-x. So, I didn't expect this ultra-cheap AMD based one to provide AMD-V hardware virtualization. But, a quick check of its BIOS configuration shows that it does have that feature and that it is turned on by default.
I still haven't gotten around to installing Microsoft's in-beta virtualization products under Windows 7 RC yet. But, it is nice to know that I can since I didn't expect to do be able to test it for a long while.
CPU Heatsink Fan Died: A First for Me
I've been using PCs for more years than I care to admit. And, while the early PCs didn't need or have cooling systems, I'm fairly sure that most PCs for the last decade have had a combination of heat sinks and fans on the processor to cool it down. An old PC running Windows XP started acting oddly a couple of weeks ago. Then, it started spontaneously rebooting after, I think, less than 10 minutes of use. I assumed it was bad RAM and opened up the cover to do a little diagnostic work. After removing 1 of the 2 DIMMs, I turned on the PC and noticed the fan on top of the CPU heatsink stuttered but didn't spin up. So, I rummaged around the remains of other dead PCs and found a fan that fit reasonably well, screwed it down and plugged it in. The PC seems to be running ok with the replacement fan now. But, I'm still surprised to have seen my very first CPU fan failure after all these years. It is not one of those parts that I expect to see go bad.