Intel Centrino 2 mobile chips hit resellers

Intel's upcoming mobile processors are making a sneak preview at resellers.

HP's 6930p (photo) and Toshiba's Qosmio G55, among other laptops, are expected to use new Intel mobile processors.

(Credit: Hewlett-Packard)

Though the initial roll-out of the Intel "Montevina" Centrino 2 mobile platform was scaled back by Intel last month, processors are still slated for July 14.

Last month, Intel said that only "processors and some of the chipsets" will be available initially. Technical and certification issues with Intel's integrated graphics and Wi-Fi silicon, respectively, will delay other Montevina silicon.

The delayed silicon includes the "GM" chipset that includes Intel integrated graphics. This will be released in early August. WiMax silicon is also slated to come out later, though Intel is not saying when exactly.

But mainstream processors are expected to appear on schedule.

The 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo T9600 can be found at select resellers. This 45-nanometer processor has 6MB of cache memory and a 1066MHz front-side-bus (FSB), beating the current crop of processors that have an 800MHz FSB. The front-side bus carries data between the processor and the chipset.

This part will become Intel's fastest mainstream (non-Extreme) Core 2 Duo mobile chip. Pricing ranges between $570 and $615 at resellers. Intel list prices will be different.

Intel's new P series is also showing up at resellers. The P9500 has been posted on reseller Web sites for some time. The 2.53MHz chip has a thermal envelope (Thermal Design Power or TDP) of 25 watts, making it more energy efficient than current mainstream Intel mobile processors, which have a TDP of 35 watts.

The P9500 has 6MB of cache and a 1066MHz FSB.

The P series chips in general are expected to have lower TDPs than the T series.

The 2.4GHz P8600 is also appearing as "backordered" at resellers.. The 2.26GHz P8400 is also listed at resellers.

The Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme X9100 "Extreme" mobile processor can be found at only a couple of resellers. It has a clock speed of 3.06GHZ and, because of its high clock speed, a high TDP of 44 watts.

New ultra-low-power processors will be released later this year, Intel said.