Intel's new Core i3 processor will be available soon

Jan. 4, 2010

Add to del.icio.us     Digg this

HP, Toshiba, Gateway, Dell and a few more computer makers are expected to start offering new laptops in the next few weeks that will feature Intel's new Core i3 CPU (central processing unit). Some of the netbooks are expected to be priced as low as $699, and the excitement is rapidly building.

At CES 2010 (the Consumer Electronics Show), which starts Thursday, these same computer vendors will launch new laptops using the new processor. Core i series processors are based on Intel's Nehalem microarchitecture. This year, Intel will move most of its CPU lines from the current Core 2 technology to the Core i design.

These new Core i3-based laptops are priced to go, according to some reports. These are systems using a brand new processor based on a new Intel microarchitecture. In the past, this kind of new technology usually commanded a hefty price premium, but not anymore.

For example, a new Core i3 laptop from HP now is posted at just $865 at online retailer eCost. And a Gateway laptop listed on Canadian retailer Future Shop is priced at $730 Canadian dollars (about $694 U.S. dollars).

There's also a Toshiba laptop (priced at $799 Canadian dollars or about $763 U.S. dollars). The Toshiba Satellite PSLS6C-00F005 features the same Core i3 processor but uses a 16-inch screen, according to a posting on the Future Shop website.

Here are some of the specs of the HP Core i3-based Pavilion laptop (WA786UA#ABA) as listed by eCost:

Processor: 2.13GHz Intel Core i3-330m

Display: 15.6" LED

Memory: 4096 MB DDR3

Hard disk drive: 320 GB 7200rpm

Optical drive: DVDRW

Operating system: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit

Video card: Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator HD

Price listed by eCost: $864.99

The $694 Gateway system has the same screen size (listed with a 1600 x 900 native resolution) and memory configuration as the HP laptop but also features a 500 GB hard disk drive and, most interestingly, uses an as-yet-unannounced ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 graphics chip instead of Intel's lower-end graphics silicon chip.

Overall, one of the most anticipated laptop technologies at CES this year is Arrandale, the codename for Intel Core i series mobile processors targeted at the mainstream laptop market.

The Arrandale-based Core i3 is the first mainstream Intel laptop CPU to combine two processor cores and a graphics function together in one single chip package. Previously, the graphics chip was in a separate chipset.

The new built-in graphics technology will offer better graphics performance than current technology, according to Intel, while at the same time will consume up to 10 percent less battery power. Intel says it will also try to prove this at CES with demos showing off Arrandale's graphics capabilities.

But not all PC makers are convinced that Intel's new graphics technology is the way to go, as evidenced by Gateway's decision to use a discrete ATI graphics processor from Advanced Micro Devices. Then again, this is not the first time Gateway does that.

Intel's new Core i3 won't have Turbo Boost technology however, which speeds up and slows down individual cores to meet processing and power-efficiency needs. This will only be offered in higher-end Core i5 and i7 processors (including Arrandale i5 models).

But the Core i3 will still feature Hyper-Threading, which can double the number of tasks a CPU can execute. This isn't offered in current Core 2 chips.

Here are the pros and cons with the Intel Core i3 mobile processor:

Pro: graphics built directly into the CPU, which means better overall power efficiency

Pro: improved graphics performance over current Intel 4500MHD graphics silicon

Pro: Hyper-Threading

Pro: Intel's newest 32-nanometer chip technology

Con: no Turbo Boost

Con: not four cores, just two

Con: relatively small cache memory size when compared to i2

With this week's CES show in Las Vegas starting Thursday, there is a lot of excitement in the air. Besides the launch of Intel's new i3 processor in many new laptops and notebooks, most major consumer electronics manufacturers are largely expected to also launch a whole slew of new electronic devices such as new cell phones, eBook Readers, HD TVs and high-end audio systems.

Add to del.icio.us     Digg this

Source: CES.

Bookmark this Tech Blog by clicking here.

         Tech Blog is hosted by Avantex