Intel Corporation has quietly started to sell an unannounced Pentium M 705 microprocessor to a number of its customers in an attempt to popularize its new mobile chips lineup marked with processor model numbers.

The new Intel Pentium M 705 chip operates at 1.50GHz, but unlike its higher-end brother, Intel Pentium M 715, packs in only 1MB of L2 cache. According to News.com, the central processing units that is now offered by leading computer makers, such as Dell and HP, the chip is based on the “revamped” Banias core that has been available since early 2003.

“The new chip is nearly identical, but it is not exactly a duplicate. There are minor architectural differences, which do not affect performance, and the chip is sold under a model number,” News.com reported presumably citing sources at Intel Corp..

It is not clear which architectural differences are between the “new” and the “old” Banias processors.

The initial 130nm implementation of the Pentium M – the chip code-named Banias – has some important advantages over the previous generation P6 architecture, such as support for SSE and SSE2, Advanced Branch Prediction, Micro-Op Fusion, Power Optimised Processor Bus, Dedicated Stack Manager technology as well as Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology for optimized power consumption

The second 90nm silicon implementation of the Pentium M processor is code-named Dothan that enhances the array of Banias’ innovations with improved pre-fetch mechanisms as well as revamped system of access to CPU’s registers. Additionally, Dothan integrates 2MB L2 cache, two times larger on-die memory compared to Banias.

Previously only Pentium M “Dothan” microprocessors were sold under 755, 745, 735, 725 and 715 model numbers at $637, $423, $294, $241 and $209 price-points respectively. According to the report, the model 705 costs less than $209.

Later in the year Intel will launch Celeron M processors produced using 90nm process technology that will function at 1.30GHz, 1.40GHz and 1.50GHz, contain 1MB of L2 cache and sell at affordable price-points, sources familiar with Intel’s plans said.

Intel representatives did not comment on the story for X-bit labs.