Intel Releases Processor Details for Next-Gen MacBook Pro Notebooks
23 October 2008 01:51 EST
Chris Barylick
If there's a set rule about technology, it's this: the notebook you almost love more than your own children is going to be outpaced by something cooler and faster within a year.
That being said, Intel has released details regarding its next-generation mobile processors. According to DigiTimes, the company will refresh the current Montevina-based Core 2 Duo offerings found in the late 2008 MacBook Pro notebooks with two new variants: a P8800 running at 2.66GHz and a T9900 clocking in at 3.06GHz.
Per an article over on VR-Zone, the chips could arrive anytime from mid-to-late second quarter, which runs April through June.
Once in place, Apple would have the option of bumping its 15" MacBook Pro notebook configurations up as high as 2.66 GHz and 2.8 GHz with a 3.06 GHz build-to-order option. The company could also offer 2.53 GHz and 2.66 GHz configurations and may be able to offer a 17" unibody MacBook Pro that could potentially run as fast as 2.8 GHz.
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Mobile Version of Nehalem Chip May be Due in Late 2009
20 October 2008 12:05 EST
Chris Barylick
If you were excited about Intel's desktop offerings, next month should be fun.
If you were waiting for their mobile offerings, it might be time to learn some patience.
According to Macworld, Intel will unveil its next generation of desktop processors, known as "Nehalem", next month, releasing the Core i7 units. Per the article, the mobile version of the processors, codenamed "Clarksfield", will "be in production beginning in the second half of 2009,", the company said on Monday. The company has yet to verify when the chips will be available commercially and did not elaborate as to whether the reference to production means full volume production or limited pilot production of the processors.
Clarksfield will be produced using the same 45-nanometer production process that’s used to make Intel’s current chip lineup. The upcoming chip will be at the heart of the next version of Intel’s Centrino laptop chip package, called Calpella.
The Nehalem line uses a different design than any of Intel's current processors, the most significant change being a move to combine the processor with its memory controller hub, thereby connecting the processor to the unit's main memory. This feature is currently used on processors from rival AMD and should offer much faster access to data than is currently seen with Intel's present chip line.
The Clarksfield is expected to include more advanced power-management features than Intel’s current mobile chips.
Stay tuned for more details as they become available and if you're heard anything from your end, let us know in the comments of forums.
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Intel Cites Better Graphics, Power Management for Future Notebook Technologies
20 August 2008 08:00 EST
Chris Barylick
On Tueday, Intel representatives stated that the company's next-generation platform for notebooks will provide more visually stunning graphics as well as better power management features.
According to Macworld UK, company officials laid out details regarding a project code-named "Calpella", Intel's next mobile platform, at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco. The platform, which will succeed the current Centrino 2 mobile platform, is slated for release in 2009 and will include chips based on Intel's upcoming Nehalem microarchitecture.
Nehalem, which is expected to reach consumers in the second half of 2009, will offer two to four cores on a chip (up from the current Core 2 chips) and cut bottlenecks from the Core microarchitecture to help deliver better speeds and performance-per-watt.
The new architecture will integrate the memory controller and graphics core into the CPU for Nehalem-based laptops, thereby boosting system and graphics performance, according to the company. This should also reduce the need of integrated graphics capabilities, though gamers may need a discrete graphics card for high-end graphics performance.
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Intel May Offer System-On-A-Chip, Dual-Core Atom Processors for Apple Products
25 July 2008 12:01 EST
Chris Barylick
Intel may offer Apple and other customers interested in ultra-portable devices some expanded options thanks to the company's official launch of an all-in-one processor as well as a dual-core version of its Atom processor.
On Thursday, the semiconductor firm revealed its EP80579 Integrated Processor as its first chip to build in every feature of a mobile chipset into one package.
According the AppleInsider, while the company's earlier technology demanded both a discrete processor as well as separate chipsets for video or interfacing with peripheral devices, the Integrated Processor includes all of this in a single component. The unit itself is relatively speedy with a Pentium M unit as its processor equipped with a recent graphics core capable of drawing pixel effects seen in software in recent years.
Though fast for a system-on-a-chip device, the unit is small and thrifty where power usage is concerned. Compared to a normal system, which would require four chips to achieve the same effect, the Integrated Processor's mainboard takes up about 45% less space and uses 34% less power, requiring only 11 watts for the entire design.
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Intel to Offer Smaller Form Factor-Based Centrino 2 Processors for Thinner Notebook Designs
15 July 2008 09:16 EST
Chris Barylick
In recent comments, processor manufacturer Intel stated that it will be releasing a version of its Centrino 2 chip package for notebooks which should occupy less space, thereby allowing for the creation of more ultra-thin notebooks such as Apple's MacBook Air.
According to Macworld UK, Intel's Small Form Factor (SFF) version of the Centrino 2, which is slated for an August release, will take up less space than the Centrino 2 version released this week. The SFF version will use the same chip-packaging technology Intel developed for the Core 2 Duo processor used in the MacBook Air, which shrinks the processor size significantly.
"We will launch Small Form Factor [chips] in the third week of August," said Sujan Kamran, regional marketing manager of client platforms at Intel in Singapore.
Intel executive declined from offering further details of the upcoming release, but stated that the smaller Centrino 2 units would arrive in several processor models, suggesting a variety of ultra-thin laptop models based on the chips will hit the market.
Cool stuff and there may be something good in the works for a second generation MacBook Air. Let us know what you think over in the comments or forums.
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Intel to Scale Down Nehalem Chip Architecture for Notebooks
18 March 2008 08:34 EST
Chris Barylick
On Monday, semiconductor manufacturer Intel announced that its upcoming Nehalem chip microarchitecture, initially designed for servers and high-end desktops, will later be scaled down for notebooks.
According to Macworld UK, the Nehalem architecture will function as a substantial upgrade to Intel's current Core 2 architecture and pack between two and eight cores. Though plans to bring the architecture to notebooks, a company spokesman stated that the company will touch on the subject at the Intel Developer Forum in Shanghai this April.
As far as the design itself is concerned, Intel has stated that each Core in the Nehalem chips will be able to execute two software thread simultaneously, allowing a server to run up to 16 threads at the same time. Each core will have 256 kilobytes of L2 cache and a shared eight megabyte L3 cache while Intel's QuickPath Interconnect technology boosts communication between system components.
The Nehalem architecture will also feature an integrated DDR3 memory controller allowing for up to three times the memory performance of a top of the line Xeon processor. According to company representative Pat Gelsinger, nn optional integrated graphics controller will also be available. The chips are slated for desktop and server release in late 2008 and will be created with a 45 nanometer manufacturing process.
Intel has also stated that it will follow the Nehalem design with the Westmere microarchitecture in 2009 and Sandy Bridge in 2010. The new chips will be manufactured with a 22 nanometer manufacturing process by 2011.
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Intel to Release Quad-Core CPU in Third Quarter
14 March 2008 12:42 EST
Chris Barylick
If you want your laptop to become thoroughly awesome, just wait until the third quarter. According to DigiTimes, Intell is planning to launch its first quad-core processor for notebooks. The unit, known as the Core 2 Extreme QX9300, will be released later this year with pricing set at US$1,038 for thousand-unit tray quantities.
The Core 2 Extreme QX9300 will be manufactured at 45 nanometers and run at a core frequency of 2.53GHz. The CPU will come in a socket P package and support front side bus speeds up to 1066 MHz. The chip will include 12 megabytes of L2 cache and operate at 45 watts of electricity.
No comment has been released from Apple as to whether these units will find their way into upcoming generations of MacBook, MacBook Pro or MacBook Air notebooks.
As always, let us know what you think over in the comments or forums.
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Intel Looking to Provide Processor for 3G iPhone
13 March 2008 08:30 EST
Chris Barylick
Getting back to the iPhone, Intel is apparently looking to provide the processor for Apple's upcoming 3G iPhone. According to Macworld UK, the company is working on creating a processor for mobile devices known as "Moorestown", which would be the second generation processor after the recently-announced Atom chip.
The Moorestown processor, which was recently discussed at the CeBit technology conference, was shown in a slide with an Apple iPhone as the icon for the smartphone category Intel would like to see its processor used in.
No official comment has been released from either company regarding the slide or Intel's incorporation into future iPhone models.
The comments and forums are your friends. Use them.
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Intel Announces Atom Hardware Lineup for Ultramobile Device Lineup
03 March 2008 09:07 EST
Chris Barylick
On Monday, processor manufacturer Intel announced that its Silverthorne and Diamondville processors for its upcoming line of ultramobile computers will be renamed "Centrino Atom" when the products hit the market.
According to Macworld, the new processor brand sets the stage for a concerted effort by Intel to push ultramobile computers as a mainstream product segment.
Company spokesman Danny Cheung cited that that several versions of the Atom processor are on track to be delivered to device makers in the first half of 2008. The processors will be created using Intel's current 45 nanometer process and deliver clock speeds up to 1.8 GHz. Although pricing has yet to be announced, the chips will measure less than 25 square millimeters and operate between 0.6 and 2.5 watts.
While Intel has yet to announce a specific date for the Atom line's release, Cheung mentioned that mobile Internet devices based on the Centrino Atom will begin hitting the market in the second quarter.
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Intel's Montevina Notebook Chips to Exceed 3 GHz
18 February 2008 12:24 EST
Chris Barylick
As spiffy as your MacBook or MacBook Pro is, there's better stuff around the corner.
According to DigiTimes, Intel will launch its next-generation Centrino notebook platform alongside six new 45-nanometer chips this spring. The new platform, code-named "Montevina", will be officially dubbed Centrino 2 when it debuts at the Computex Taipei 2008 conference, which will be held this June.
The six new 45-nanometer processors, which will run between 2.26 GHz and 3.06 GHz, will all sport a 1066 MHz front-side. The current generation of Intel chips scale up to 2.6 Ghz and operate on an 800 MHz front-side bus.
DigiTimes has also reported that Intel will launch seven new 45-nanometer small form factor processors, similar to the ones used in the MacBook Air, in the third quarter of 2008.
For current MacBook Pro owners, Intel's just-released 45-nanometer Penryn processors -- the last of the Santa Rosa generation -- are expected for release at any time within the next few weeks.
If you've heard anything new or want to throw your two cents in, let us know in the comments or forums.
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Intel Announces Penryn-Based Core 2 Duo, Updated Xeon Processors
08 January 2008 08:47 EST
Chris Barylick
On Monday, processor manufacturer Intel released its long-anticipated Penryn-based dual-core processors for notebooks while indicating that quad-core mobile processors may be pushed back while power consumption issues are resolved.
According to Macworld UK, the updated Core 2 Duo processors, known as the T8100, T8300, T9300 and T9500 models, sport clock speeds between 2.10 and 2.60 GHz and feature three to six megabytes of onboard shared L2 cache.
The announcement makes it more likely that Apple will announce updated MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops at next week's Macworld Expo. Penryn-based Mac Pro units may also be likely, though a quad-core MacBook Pro seems to be a more likely possibility later in 2008.
The company's Core 2 Duo processors will be delivered to laptops based on the Centrino mobile platform. Manufactured using the 45-nanometers process, the new CPUs (central processing units) will provide laptops with better performance and improved battery life, said Mooly Eden, vice president and general manager, Intel Mobile Platforms Group.
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Intel Takes Step Towards 45 Nanometer Chip Production
25 October 2007 02:59 EST
Chris Barylick
On Thursday, processor manufacturer Intel is expected to open its new "Fab 32" factory in Chandler, Arizona in order to help bring production of its upcoming 45-nanometer Penryn chips online. According to Macworld News, these chips, once released, will allow the firm to produce processors for servers, PCs, mobile phones and consumer devices.
“The opening of this fab means that we’ve now moved into high-volume production of our 45nm chips,” said Kari Aakre, an Intel spokeswoman. For the past year, Intel been making 45-nanometer chips in a development fab in Hillsboro, Oregon, which isn’t high-volume, Aakre said.
Last month, Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini stated that Intel plans to introduce 15 new 45 nanometer processors to the market by the end of 2007 and 20 in the first quarter of 2008. The computer will introduce new servers and workstations come November 12th of this year.
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Intel Debuts New Penryn Chips for Next-Gen MacBook Pro Laptops
20 September 2007 08:23 EST
Chris Barylick
Last week at Intel's IDF forum event, CEO Paul Otellini announced the next generation of Intel Penryn processors. Centered around the same underpinning as the current Santa Rosa-based chips found in the current MacBook Pro laptops, the company will shrink the manufacturing size from 65 nanometers to 45, thereby allowing for better processor cooling, higher clock speeds and additional on-chip features.
According to AppleInsider, the new processor line should provide up to a 20% performance boost over the current models as well as use halogen-free packaging, which should yield more energy efficient and environment-friendly chips.
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