Joeychgo
05-08-2006, 12:49 PM
The Core 2 Duo represents a generation that will replace Pentiums.
May 8, 2006
Intel on Monday dubbed the next generation of its dual-core processors Core 2 Duo as it started to phase out the Pentium brand the chip maker has promoted for 13 years.
The chips should start appearing this summer. The Core 2 Duo names also will replace the code names Conroe for desktops and Merom for mobile chips.
Intel is rebranding its chips to emphasize the dual-core capability that was earlier seized by rival Advanced Micro Devices. They will be built using a 65-nanometer technology that Intel has been adding in its plants.
The desktop version will be available in July, and the laptop version in August. Intel also plans to market the chips at several power levels designated by different code letters that happen to match up with AMD’s designation for its own dual-core Athlon 64 X2 desktop chips.
They include U for ultralow voltage below 15 watts, L for low voltage between 15 to 24 watts, T for standard mobile computers between 25 to 55 watts, E for standard desktop computers between 55 to 75 watts, and X for extreme computers such as gaming machines above 75 watts.
The chips will also have numbers like the 4000 and 6000 series for the desktop processors and 5000 and 7000 series for the mobile CPUs.
The Santa Clara, California, chip maker plans to employ the same architecture on game machines, consumer PCs, notebooks, and business desktops. The chips can thus have further designations such as Centrino for notebooks, Viiv for home entertainment, vPro for business desktops, and Extreme for gaming.
Shares of Intel rose $0.55 to $20.06 in recent trading.
Building a Better Chip
The dual-core chips help conserve power by having two cores on the same chip instead of one, which also keeps them cooler. The 65-nanometer technology can also pack more transistors on a single chip than the older 90-nanometer process used by AMD (see Intel’s Plan of Attack).
AMD has also been building facilities that use 65-nanometer technology, but those chips are not expected to ship until the second half of the year.
But the various names and letter and number designations may not mean so much to the buyer as the underlying benefits. To be sure, Intel will need to emphasize what the new chips can do for customers more than the new name, especially compared to chips from AMD.
“Branding is a pretty small part of the total pitch,” said Gordon Haff, principal IT analyst with Illuminata, a research firm based in Nashua, New Hampshire. “It’s much more about having dual-core and multicore chips than about what they call them. The nomenclature is far less important than what the chips actually do.
“At the end of the day Intel is predominantly selling technology,” he added. “They’re not selling breakfast cereal. It’s not that names and such are totally unimportant, but compared to many other things out there, the chip’s capabilities are far and away the most important thing.”
The Core 2 Duo chips are likely to show up in Apple computers this summer as well. Apple began selling desktops and notebooks with Intel Core Duo chips in January (see Apple Fans Embrace Intel Macs).
May 8, 2006
Intel on Monday dubbed the next generation of its dual-core processors Core 2 Duo as it started to phase out the Pentium brand the chip maker has promoted for 13 years.
The chips should start appearing this summer. The Core 2 Duo names also will replace the code names Conroe for desktops and Merom for mobile chips.
Intel is rebranding its chips to emphasize the dual-core capability that was earlier seized by rival Advanced Micro Devices. They will be built using a 65-nanometer technology that Intel has been adding in its plants.
The desktop version will be available in July, and the laptop version in August. Intel also plans to market the chips at several power levels designated by different code letters that happen to match up with AMD’s designation for its own dual-core Athlon 64 X2 desktop chips.
They include U for ultralow voltage below 15 watts, L for low voltage between 15 to 24 watts, T for standard mobile computers between 25 to 55 watts, E for standard desktop computers between 55 to 75 watts, and X for extreme computers such as gaming machines above 75 watts.
The chips will also have numbers like the 4000 and 6000 series for the desktop processors and 5000 and 7000 series for the mobile CPUs.
The Santa Clara, California, chip maker plans to employ the same architecture on game machines, consumer PCs, notebooks, and business desktops. The chips can thus have further designations such as Centrino for notebooks, Viiv for home entertainment, vPro for business desktops, and Extreme for gaming.
Shares of Intel rose $0.55 to $20.06 in recent trading.
Building a Better Chip
The dual-core chips help conserve power by having two cores on the same chip instead of one, which also keeps them cooler. The 65-nanometer technology can also pack more transistors on a single chip than the older 90-nanometer process used by AMD (see Intel’s Plan of Attack).
AMD has also been building facilities that use 65-nanometer technology, but those chips are not expected to ship until the second half of the year.
But the various names and letter and number designations may not mean so much to the buyer as the underlying benefits. To be sure, Intel will need to emphasize what the new chips can do for customers more than the new name, especially compared to chips from AMD.
“Branding is a pretty small part of the total pitch,” said Gordon Haff, principal IT analyst with Illuminata, a research firm based in Nashua, New Hampshire. “It’s much more about having dual-core and multicore chips than about what they call them. The nomenclature is far less important than what the chips actually do.
“At the end of the day Intel is predominantly selling technology,” he added. “They’re not selling breakfast cereal. It’s not that names and such are totally unimportant, but compared to many other things out there, the chip’s capabilities are far and away the most important thing.”
The Core 2 Duo chips are likely to show up in Apple computers this summer as well. Apple began selling desktops and notebooks with Intel Core Duo chips in January (see Apple Fans Embrace Intel Macs).
