Updated on October 24 at 10:20 a.m. with corrected image of Intel laminar jet technology.
Intel wants a laptop to live up to its name.
A computer that sits comfortably, coolly on your lap. The world's largest chipmaker expects a crush of ultrathin laptops from PC makers in 2009 and unveiled cooling technology this week to make sure these svelte air-flow constrained designs stay cool.
To date, cooling technology has focused on keeping the internal components from getting too hot but not the outside of the computer, according to Mooly Eden, general manager of Intel's Mobile Platforms Group, speaking at the Intel Developer Forum in Taipei this week. Eden's keynote was streamed from the event.
Intel uses laminar jet technology to cool a laptop's skin (corrected image)
(Credit: Intel)"When you design a very thin system, cooling the skin is a very big challenge," said Eden. "If you put (a laptop) on your lap, it can feel very uncomfortable. Very hot." This is one of the biggest hurdles to designing an ultrathin laptop like the MacBook Air or HP Voodoo Envy 133.
If this problem isn't solved, laptops "can't be made thinner and thinner," he said.
Eden showed an animation of a jet engine to prove his point. The inside of a jet engine can get as hot as 1,000 degrees centigrade. But the jet engine's wall must be kept cool because it is connected to the wing where the fuel is. To keep the engine heat away from the wing, laminar air flow cooling is used.
A laminar flow occurs when a fluid--or air in this case--flows in parallel layers.
Intel demonstrated a system using the same laminar air flow technology to move the heat off a laptop's skin. "We are licensing it to our customers so they can keep making thinner and thinner laptops," Eden said.
Intel demonstrated laminar jet cooling at IDF.
(Credit: Intel)Intel also revisited the next-generation Calpella laptop platform (due in the second half of 2009) based on its Nehalem technology. Eden reiterated that the graphics and memory controller would be integrated onto the same piece of silicon as the processor.
He also discussed how additional transistors in Nehalem can switch cores on and off, depending on how processor-intensive the application is. This will be critical in a quad-core Calpella laptop to deliver acceptable battery life. (Eden intimated that Calpella quad-core laptops would be common.)
For instance, three of the cores can be shut down to save power when the user is doing tasks that don't require a lot of compute power. Then more cores can be turned on depending on the need.
This is done "automatically on the fly. It is transparent to the operating system," Eden said.
He also talked about "Hyperthreading" or simultaneous multithreading on Nehalem--the ability to run two program threads simultaneously per each core, doubling the number of threads and, Intel claims, obviating the need for eight cores. "We could have done eight cores. We know how to do it. But it would have been too hot," he said.
Eden showed a concept Calpella laptop on stage during his IDF keynote speech.
Hewlett-Packard will launch a 4-pound "ultralight" business notebook line based on Intel's Centrino 2 silicon this month.
HP 2230s business notebook starts at 4 pounds.
(Credit: Hewlett-Packard)The 12.1-inch HP-Compaq 2230s series packs Centrino 2 processors and Intel's newest GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics, which HP lists as "Microsoft DirectX 10 capable."
The weight is listed as starting at 4.07 pounds. By comparison, the Via processor-based HP 2133 Mini-Note (8.9-inch screen) is listed at 2.63 pounds.
Models start at $999 with a T5670 (1.80GHz) Core 2 Duo processor and range up to $1,649 for a model with a T9400 (2.53GHz) processor, 3GB of memory, a 320GB hard disk drive, 802.11n wireless, DVD+/-RW drive, and Intel's 4500MHD graphics.
A model priced at $1,449 comes with a P8600 (2.4GHz) processor, 2GB of memory, and a 250GB hard disk drive.
HP lists other available processors, including the P9500 (2.53GHz) and P8400 (2.26GHz). The "P" prefix indicates a thermal envelope of only 25 watts, compared with the 35 watts spec'd for mainstream Intel mobile processors to date.
Other specifications include three USB ports, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port, a 4-cell lithium-ion battery, and a Marvell Ethernet (10/100/1000) network connection.
An HP spokesperson confirmed the upcoming product line.
AMD thriving in Intel Centrino 2 notebooks? At Hewlett-Packard, the world's largest PC maker, the answer is "yes."
HP 17-inch 6830s is offered with the AMD-ATI HD 3430 graphics chip.
(Credit: Hewlett-Packard)Although consumer notebooks get most of the press, business notebooks get most of the sales. "The prime purchaser of notebooks still remains, as a segment, business," Intel CEO Paul Otellini said during the Intel earnings conference call earlier this week.
Among Hewlett-Packard's slew of upcoming business notebooks (HP Compaq 6730s, 6830s, 6530b, 6930b) with Centrino 2 processors, Advanced Micro Devices' ATI graphics chips figure prominently. And notebooks such as the HP Compaq 6830s and EliteBook 6930p are offered with comparatively high-end AMD-ATI mobile graphics.
"It reflects new design wins," said Dean McCarron, principal at Cave Creek, Ariz.-based Mercury Research.
"Those design wins were locked down last year," new AMD CEO Dirk Meyer said in the company's earnings conference call Thursday, referring to AMD graphics-chip design wins on the Centrino 2 platform. "So, now is when they will start to pay off. (We're) getting 60-plus percent design win share on (Centrino 2)."
The Centrino-2-based EliteBook, for example, packs an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3450 with up to 256MB of memory. This kind of robust graphics configuration for a business notebook was almost unheard of a year ago when Intel's integrated graphics garnered most of the design wins.
Though Intel's new and improved GMA 4500HD Centrino 2 graphics is offered alongside AMD-ATI graphics in many new HP business notebooks, HP is also selling AMD-only business notebooks based on its Puma platform--AMD's answer to Centrino 2. The upcoming HP Compaq 6735s, for example, offers the AMD Turion X2 Ultra (2.2GHz) with integrated AMD graphics.
Overall, AMD-ATI graphics dominate HP's mainstream business notebook line-up. Out of 16 models listed on HP's "Balanced Mobility" notebook page, a whopping 10 systems are offered with AMD-ATI graphics. And five AMD-only systems appear in the line-up using AMD Turion and Athon X2 processors.
Here are the Intel and AMD processors used in new HP mainstream business notebook PCs:
Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 (2.8GHz, 6MB L2 cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Intel® Core 2 Duo T9400 (2.53GHz, 6MB L2 cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Intel® Core 2 Duo P8600 (2.4GHz, 3MB L2 cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Intel® Core 2 Duo P8400 (2.26GHz, 3MB L2 cache, 1066MHz FSB)
AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core ZM-82 (2.2GHz, 2MB L2 cache)
AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core ZM-80 (2.1GHz, 2MB L2 cache)
AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core RM-70 (2GHz, 1MB L2 cache)
AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core QL-60 (1.9GHz, 1MB L2 cache)
AMD Sempron SI-40 (2GHz, 512KB L2 cache)
There was relatively little said Monday at the Centrino 2 launch about new processors. Almost as little as was said about side shows such as a "Montevina" desktop design. The main attraction was the Centrino 2 chipset.
HP 6730b Centrino 2 business notebook
(Credit: Intel)Why? There's not a whole lot that's new about the processors other than faster speeds and improved power efficiency: the new "P" series chips have a thermal envelope of 25 watts versus 35 watts for the previous generation.
The focus of the Centrino 2 launch returned repeatedly to the chipset and accompanying silicon: namely, the Intel 4 Series Express chipset and 802.11n and WiMax wireless chips. And if Intel can be believed, shipments of the Centrino 2 integrated graphics silicon--"GM" chipsets--have already begun and systems may be available as early as the end of this month.
"We are already shipping integrated graphics and you will see integrated graphics on the shelf in the coming weeks," said Mooly Eden, general manager of Intel's Mobile Platforms Group, speaking at the Centrino 2 launch in San Francisco. This is a departure from previous Intel statements.
Intel chipsets with integrated graphics and other chipsets that support separate "discrete" graphics chips will ship in as many as 250 laptops, Eden said.
Advanced Micro Devices would chime in here and say that it has doubled the number of "all AMD" (AMD processors, chipsets, and graphics) laptops with its Puma platform. "The key thing is we're in market today via Puma," said Pat Moorhead, vice president of Advanced Marketing at AMD. (More counterpoints here at Moorhead's blog.)
Though Eden touted 1.7X better 3DMark performance, and a host of other improved benchmarks over the previous Centrino platform, he spent most of the time Monday talking about features of the Centrino 2 chipset, including hardware accelerators for playback of Blue-ray video (the ability to view a two-hour Blue-ray movie on a typical laptop battery), faster transcoding (converting, for example, audio from one format to another), and Intel "Switchable Graphics," which allows the turning off and on of a discrete graphics chip. The latter is a power-saving feature because integrated graphics uses less power than a higher-performance discrete graphics chip from Nvidia or AMD-ATI.
AMD has something very similar already called "ATI PowerXpress Technology" that provides high-performance discrete graphics when plugged into a power source, then dynamically switches to integrated graphics when unplugged, saving up to 90 minutes of battery life, AMD claims.
Intel Switchable Graphics
(Credit: Intel)Then there's WiMax. A sore subject with Intel--Eden referred to "vicious rumors" about WiMax. Though Intel is still a bit cagey about the launch of the WiMax infrastructure, Eden brought out Barry West, chief technology officer of Sprint Nextel and president of the company's new WiMax division, Xohm Networks, to talk about the upcoming WiMax launch in Baltimore, Maryland in September with "150 plus sites."
The Intel WiMAXWiFi Link 5350 silicon will be available for Centrino 2 laptops "in the second half of 2008," according to Intel.
On the gaming front, Intel announced that in addition to a new X9100 Extreme mobile processor (3.06GHz) shipping now, the first quad-core mobile processor will be available within 90 days.
Finally, Intel showed a desktop "Montevina" design. that wasn't much bigger than a cigar box.
Intel Centrino 2 processor pricing as follows*:
--X9100** (3.06GHz): $851.
--T9600 (2.8GHz): $530
--P9500 (2.53GHz): $348
--T9400 (2.53Ghz): $316
--P8600 (2.4GHz): $241
--P8400 (2.26GHz): $209
*The P prefix indicates a 25-watt thermal envelope, T series is 35 watts, and X "Extreme" series is 45 watts.
**X9100 will be followed by the first quad-core mobile processor "within 90 days."
Update July 11, 8:40 a.m. PDT with additional information on Toshiba notebooks and correction of integrated graphics chipset shipment date.
With Intel's rollout of Centrino 2 processors due Monday, Hewlett-Packard is not wasting any time in readying new notebooks, including a 17-inch model offering at least four of the new processors and 64-bit Windows.
HP DV7-1000 uses the Centrino 2 processor
(Credit: Hewlett-Packard)Intel will roll out "Montevina" Centrino 2 processors including the P8400 (2.26GHz), P8600 (2.40GHz), P9500 (2.53GHz), and T9600 (2.80GHz). The 3.06GHz X9100 Extreme processor is also expected to debut.
P7XXX series processors, such as the 2.0GHz P7350, are also spec'd with upcoming notebooks. (See Toshiba Satellite M305 laptop below.)
The lower-speed processors have 3MB of level 2 cache memory, while the faster processors integrate 6MB.
Correction (7/11 8:40 a.m.): While the GM integrated graphics chipset and the PM chipset for discrete (stand-alone) graphics have both been shipping to PC makers, only notebooks with the PM chipset will be available immediately. Consumer notebooks with the GM chipset will be available in early August.
The HP DV7-1000 series uses the P8400, P8600, P9500, and T9400 processors. The "P" prefix on Centrino 2 processors indicates a thermal envelope of 25 watts, less than the 35-watt TDP (Thermal Design Power) on mainstream laptop processors Intel has offered to date.
The laptop features 4GB of memory, a 640GB hard disk drive, an NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics chip, a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connector, and an eSata connector--the latter allows hookup of external Serial ATA devices.
The system also comes with the 64-bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium.
The U.K. market version is listed with a starting price of 899 pounds or about US $1,778.
HP posted the most complete specifications for the DV7-1000 here at its U.K. Web site, though a listing can also be found on its U.S. site (dv7-1070ee).
Some online resellers are also posting information on the HP Pavilion dv5-1000us "Entertainment" 15.4-inch notebook.
This uses a Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz P7350 processor and includes 4GB of memory, a 250GB hard disk drive, and Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500 with up to 1759MB shared graphics memory.
Toshiba is also getting ready to offer the Satellite M305-S4835 with the P7350 chip.
Specifications include a 14.1-inch screen, 4GB of memory, a 320GB hard disk drive, Intel GMA 4500MHD (graphics), and Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1, 64-bit version.
Germany-based Cizmo is offering an Intel Centrino 2-based gaming laptop that shows what's in store for mobile gamers this summer.
Intel's newest crop of Centrino 2 Montevina mobile processors are slated for a July 14 rollout and will include the Extreme X9100 processor: the first Penryn-class mobile processor to break the 3.0GHz barrier.
Cizmo CX1730M packs an Extreme X9100 mobile processor
(Credit: Cizmo)The Cizmo 17-inch CX1730M can be configured with an Intel X9100 Extreme processor running at 3.06GHz. A key feature of Intel X-class mobile processors is that they are designed to be overclocked.
The CX1730M can also take an Nvidia GeForce 8800M GTX graphics chip.
Memory based on the new DDR3 standard is also offered. DDR3 SDRAM can be hooked up to Intel's faster 1066MHz front-side bus. Currently, Intel's front-side bus--which carries data between the processor and other silicon--runs at 800MHz.
Other specifications for the CX1730M include Intel's newest PM45 chipset. Intel stated last month that initially only the PM chipset--for discrete (standalone) graphics chips--would be available. The GM version with Intel integrated graphics will arrive in August.
... Read moreSony is set to refresh its notebook lineup with upcoming mobile chips from Intel. Specifications posted on some reseller sites and leaked in Sony documents show a major refresh potentially in the offing.
Sony Vaio laptop
(Credit: Sony)This may be good news for Advanced Micro Devices, too: its mobile graphics processors look to figure prominently in the new lineup.
A post on Laptoping says some model will come with 16.4-inch screens. Other models include ultraportables "featuring a 13.1-inch screen," Laptoping said. This series, as well as other Sony notebooks, will have a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI).
One reseller lists a Sony Vaio VGN-FW198U/H laptop with a 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 processor, 4GB of memory, a 320GB hard disk drive, and a Blu-Ray disc drive. A price of $2,149.99 is given.
The T9400 is not yet listed on Intel's processor pricing page, but logically slots in below the T9500 (2.6GHz) listed at $530.
This document posted on notebookreview.com shows a VGN-FW100 series image. One model (Vaio VGN-FW160E/H) posted on notebookreview.com is spec'd with a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo P8400, 4GB of memory, a 250GB hard disk drive, and Blu-Ray Disc drive.
The P8400 is part of the P series of upcoming Intel processors that uses less power than current mainstream mobile processors.
The Vaio FW series is expected to pack AMD-ATI HD 3470 graphics as well as other graphics processors.
A consumer notebook line with 13.3-inch LED backlit LCD is also cited with an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470 graphics chip on various sites. Models listed here specify an Intel Core 2 Duo P8400.
Sony said it would not comment on speculation.
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.
As a Computex preview, Intel is showing off its "delayed" Centrino 2 platform via an Asus notebook.
Asus M51VA with a 2.4GHz P8600 processor
(Credit: Intel)A chunk of the Centrino 2 roll-out has been delayed until August 5--and WiMax even beyond that. Intel, however, is slated to do a Centrino 2 processor refresh on July 14.
"Today I've got my privileged hands on a brand spanking new Asus Centrino 2 ("Montevina" for us nerds) system," according to a pre-Computex Intel blog.
Intel, not surprisingly, is trying to build enthusiasm for Centrino 2 and WiMax. But, with chipset and WiMax delays, all this euphoria comes with qualifiers.
The Intel blogger, Craig Raymond, senior technical marketing engineer for Corporate Demonstrations at Intel, is--not surprisingly--ebullient about the "new mobile powerhouse"--An Asus M51VA with a Penryn P8600 2.4GHz processor. The P8600 is part of the upcoming Centrino 2 processor refresh.
But he quickly qualifies the euphoria with: "Oh Montevina...You broke our hearts with the launch delay."
He cites one of the best features as testing "World of Warcraft over the live Fitel WiMax here in Taipei."
"That's right. You heard me correctly. Montevina, WiMax; live in Taipei. Kind of strange to say it all in one mouthful, but it's finally here."
This statement has to be qualified too since WiMax won't ship with Centrino 2 until later this year. "When WiMax ships with Centrino 2 later this year, no add on card required, the Echo Peak mini-card hidden under the hood (like the one inside this Asus) promises the 'always on' connection we've been lusting for."
"Online gaming over a live carrier network has long been my holy grail around WiMax. Here from my outside park bench, after downloading my Warcraft client, I'm able log into the game world to slay all manner of goblins and over sized gerbils," he gushed. (More here).
Intel will delay the introduction of its highly anticipated "Montevina" Centrino 2 mobile chips due to technical and certification problems, the chipmaker said Tuesday.
The initial rollout won't take place until July 14. The next phase will take place in August.
Intel had recently been saying that the Centrino 2 mobile platform would launch after Computex, toward the end of June. Centrino 2 features upgraded integrated graphics, high-speed WiMax wireless silicon, and native support for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP), among other features.
"Initially what will be available on July 14 are the (Centrino 2) processors and some of the chipsets," Intel spokesperson Connie Brown said. These processors include the "T" and "X" (Extreme) series. Other Centrino 2 silicon will come later.
The two principal problems concern, one, the certification (on the Centrino 2 platform) of the Wi-Fi wireless standard and, two, technical issues with the Centrino 2 chipset.
Wi-Fi is "not a technical issue. It's paperwork," Brown said. "There were mistakes made while filing and testing our wireless antennas." The paperwork involves both the FCC and other government organizations like Canada's IC, she said.
The second problem is centered on technical issues with the Centrino 2 "Cantiga" chipset and the Intel graphics that is integrated into the chipset. In short, Intel will not release a chipset initially with Intel integrated graphics.
Instead, on July 14, Intel will offer a "PM" version for discrete (stand-alone) graphics chips only, Brown said. The July 14 version of the chipset can be used with discrete graphics chips from Nvidia and AMD-ATI, for example, but will not have Intel integrated graphics.
The "GM" version that includes the Intel integrated graphics will not be available until early August. "It will be ramping by August 5," Brown said. The two initial versions of the chipset with Intel integrated graphics are the GM45 and GM47. Intel will also make available its updated Wi-Fi technology called "Shirley Peak" in August, she said.
Brown said the chipsets must be "re-screened." This means basically that some chipsets need to be rechecked to see if they have "an issue," she said. Intel is not specifying, however, what the issue is.
WiMax silicon is also slated to come out later, though Intel is not saying when exactly. The Intel module that combines Wi-Fi and WiMax is called Echo Peak.
The delay of Centrino 2 also gives rise to a broader competitive issue: Advanced Micro Devices is set to announce its new "Puma" mobile platform in the near future that will feature both improved discrete and integrated graphics. For example, AMD's 780M-based integrated graphics is expected to be very competitive with Intel's integrated graphics.
Note: Intel Centrino 2 processors expected on July 14 include the T9600, P8600, and P8400, running at 2.8GHz, 2.4GHz, and 2.26GHz respectively. A high-end upgrade to the current Core 2 Extreme X9000, the X9100, is also expected. The X9100 is expected to run at 3.06GHz with a 44W thermal envelope. Pricing will range from $209 for the P8400 to $530 for the T9600 to $851 for the X9100.
