Intel has just officially announced new Atom processors that should be seen running next year’s batch of netbooks. Codenamed “Pine Trail”, the new processors are based on a 45nm process that’s listed to offer 20% less power consumption than the previous generation of Atom CPUs, which translates to less heat (and a reduced need for cooling) in a smaller package.
Dell has just revamped their Studio line of performance notebooks–the Studio 15, Studio 17, and Studio XPS 16—with an option to add Intel’s new quad-cored Core i7 mobile processors. The three models include options for adding either the i7-720QM (1.6GHz) or i7-820QM (1.73GHz). Alienware (also owned by Delll) has also launched the first notebook to ship with a mobile Core i7 processor, the 15-inch m15x.
Intel has officially introduced the first Core i7 processors for notebooks during the IDF. Previously known as “Clarksfield”, the new mobile processors come with a feature set that’s similar to the existing quad-cored Core i7 processors for desktops—including Intel’s Nehalem platform and 45nm process—but run on less power to prolong battery life.
Intel’s Paul Otellini has shown the world’s first working chips built on 22nm process technology during the Intel Developer Forum today. Production for 32nm chips that integrate graphics with the CPU have just begun production, but the 22nm process—able to fit 2.9 billion transistors into an area the size of a fingernail–means that more powerful, more efficient processors (as well as the architecture that supports them) are on the way.
AMD has just announced two new quad-core 45nm Athlon II X4 processors, the sub-$100 Athlon X4 620, and the X4 630.The new processors form a part of an affordable mainstream desktop platform that also includes AMD’s 785G chipset that comes with ATI Radeon HD 4200 graphics for powering HD video playback on Windows 7.
The X4 620 is a 2.6GHz processor, while the X4 630 features a faster 2.8GHz clock. Both CPUs come with a 2MB L2 cache and support for DDR2 and DDR3 memory. Aside from the X4 620 apparently targeting a below-$100 price point, further pricing and availability info isn’t available yet.
