MSI is planning on making a version of its 13.4-inch X-Slim notebook available with a faster Pentium chip than the current 1.33GHz Intel Atom CPU. The current X320 lightweight, sub-3lb laptop is meant to compete with the MacBook Air, and the faster chips would extend the range to make it more competitive with the Air, which is offered with Intel's 1.6GHz and 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo CPUs.

MSI will ship the Pentium-based X-Slim laptops with Microsoft's Vista Premium OS, while the Atom-based CPU runs on XP. According to MSI, the Pentium notebooks will cost over $1,000.

The MSI X320 measures in at under 0.8 inches at its thickest and comes standard with a 4-cell battery, and an 8-cell optional. Connections include Ethernet, three USB ports, an SD card reader and VGA output. At CES, MSI representative said the Atom-powered X-Slim 320 netbooks will be released in the US in May, with prices ranging from $799 to $999. [via Yahoo!]