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Intel Preps New “Extreme Edition” Chips for Socket 478, Socket 775.

Category: CPU

by Anton Shilov

[ 07/31/2004 | 02:43 PM ]

In an attempt to strengthen product lineup Intel Corporation has included a number of new chips into its plans. The new microprocessors to be introduced later this year will sharply modify the family of Intel’s central processing units, as the new chips do not fit into the general roadmap submitted by the Santa Clara, California-based chipmaker earlier this year.

Intel on Friday sent its partners a document informing them about implementation of a new packaging system for Intel’s tray processors. In an enclosure to the document the company indicated product codes of the chips to be supplied in the new packaging. Among the list of products a number of unannounced central processing units were mentioned.

The main message Intel sends to its clients with updated chip plans is that the company wants to continue offering 90nm products for older generation Socket 478 infrastructure, but also to introduce a number of 130nm processors for the emerging Socket 775 infrastructure.

Apparently, Intel’s slightly outdated Socket 478 infrastructure will see a number of fresh high-end processors, something that Intel did not want to introduce initially, such as, Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition 3.60GHz, Intel Pentium 4 “Prescott” 3.60GHz and even Intel Pentium 4 “Prescott” 3.80GHz processors. Furthermore, the company will also introduce Celeron D in mPGA478 packaging at up to 3.46GHz speeds in addition to a yet another entry-level Pentium 4 chip with 2.26GHz clock-speed, 533MHz processor system bus and 512KB of cache.

New SKUs for older platforms are likely to prolong the lifespan of Socket 478 mainboards and chipsets, such as i875P and i865PE or core-logic products from third-party makers like VIA or SiS, that support such processors.

In a rather surprising manner Intel also seems to move a number of 130nm chips into its new Socket T infrastructure: the firm plans to release Pentium 4 2.80C, Pentium 4 3.00C and Pentium 4 3.20C processors with 800MHz processor system bus and 512KB of L2 cache. For higher-end market segment the company will offer Pentium 4 Extreme Edition processors at 3.20GHz and 3.46GHz with 1066MHz Quad Pumped Bus and 2MB of L2 cache along with “officially planned” Pentium 4 3.80GHz with 800MHz bus and 1MB of cache and also Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition in LGA775 packaging with 2MB of cache made using 90nm fabrication process and featuring Prescott micro-architecture.

It is not clear whether the “unexpected” central processing units will be supplied into retail market, or will be available in limited quantities to selected computer makers. Intel is known for releasing certain products tailored for requirements of a particular client; for instance, recently the firm released its Pentium M 705 chip that has the same characteristics as the Pentium M 1.50GHz, but features "slightly different micro-architecture" and is available only from a number notebook makers.

Intel did not comment on the news-story.