Intel readying ULV 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo
updated 08:40 am EST, Wed February 25, 2009
1 6GHz ULV Core 2 Duo
Intel reportedly plans to release a pair of significantly faster ultra low-voltage processors for ultraportable notebooks within the space of a month. Sources at PC builders tell Digitimes that the company will introduce a 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo, the SU9600, that represents a significant boost in performance over the older 1.4GHz chip but should still consume just 10W of power. It should also be accompanied by a similar jump with a Core 2 Solo SU3500 chip that upgrades the single-core chip speed from 1.2GHz to 1.4GHz.
Both of the processors will also be comparatively affordable, according to the report, as the SU9600 will cost $289 in batches of 1,000 for system makers while the SU3500 will cost $262 in the same volumes. Intel is believed to be shipping the processors in late March.
The two components are also characterized as part of a new reorganization of Intel's low-power line that will split it into three distinct categories, with a single ultra low-voltage Celeron chip as the budget model, Core 2 Solo processors at the mid-range, and Core 2 Duo as the high end. While reasons for this shift are unclear, the company is heavily rumored as developing a new Consumer Ultra Low Voltage processor designed for systems between $699 and $899 that would trigger such a shift.
