Intel Readies New 90nm Dual-Core Processors

by Anton Shilov
07/19/2005 | 09:09 PM

Intel Corp. Tuesday posted a statement on its web-site for hardware designers claiming that this October the firm would roll-out new revisions of its dual-core Intel Pentium D and Intel Pentium Extreme Edition microprocessors. The chipmaker remained tight-lipped over changes in the chips.

Intel Pentium Extreme Edition 840 and Intel Pentium D processors 840, 830, 820, will undergo a number of changes for the A0 to the B0 core processor stepping change, including CPUID change from F44 to F47. The B0 stepping is pin compatible with A0, but new S-Specs will be introduced for converting products.

Intel does not note any changes it will perform to the processors originally code-named Smithfield, but advises its customers to refer to electrical, mechanical, and thermal specifications (EMTS) of the new processors for specifications update, which may indicate that electrical and thermal specifications of the B0 chips may be at least slightly different compared to A0 central processing units (CPUs).

Intel’s first family of dual-core chips for desktops originally code-named Smithfield consists of Intel Pentium D 800-series as well as Intel Pentium Extreme Edition central processing units. Initial Intel Pentium D 800-series central processing units use 800MHz Quad Pumped Bus, integrate 2MB (1MB per core) L2 cache and utilize LGA775 form-factor. The dual-core desktop processors are made using 90nm process technology, each processing engine use the same architecture with the current Pentium 4 “Prescott” chip and sport EM64T, EDB as well as Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technologies. Intel Pentium D processors will not enable Hyper-Threading technology leaving this as a prerogative of Intel Pentium Extreme Edition processor 840.

“It is recommended that application / system testing be completed on the new stepping. Testing should include verification that major operating systems continue to boot and run confidence tests,” Intel told its customers.

First samples of the updated chips are expected for August 5, 2005.