Intel or Nvida? You decide. An upcoming Sony notebook will be one of the first to have the capability to switch between Intel Centrino 2 and Nvidia graphics.
Sony Z series
(Credit: Sony)Intel's new Centrino 2 technology features what the chipmaker calls "switchable graphics" to save power. When the laptop is plugged in, it uses the higher-performance--and more power-hungry--Nvidia or AMD-ATI graphics. On battery, the system runs on Intel's 4500 series integrated graphics, which uses less power.
Sony lists the graphics system as "Hybrid Graphics" with a "Dedicated Hybrid GPU Switch" based on the Nvidia 9300M GS graphics chip and Intel 4500MHD integrated graphics silicon. What makes this unique is that the switch can be done on the fly.
The 13-inch Sony Vaio Z570, due later this summer in retail, will use an Intel P9500 (2.53GHz) processor that has a power envelope of only 25 watts compared with the 35 watts for mainstream Intel mobile processors on the market today. Other P series low-power Centrino 2 processors include the P8400 and P8600. These will both be offered in Hewlett-Packard's EliteBook 6930p, for example.
The Z570 also comes with 3GB of DDR3 memory, a 13.1-inch (1366 x 768) screen, a 320GB hard disk drive, an optical drive, built-in mobile broadband high-speed EVDO WAN, and 802.11a/b/g/n wireless.
The Z570 weighs 3.3 pounds--putting it into ultra-light notebook territory--and is between 1.0 and 1.3 inches thick.
One reseller also lists a Vaio Z591 that has similar specifications but adds 4GB of memory and a "BluRay Combo DVD±RW Optical Drive."
Though pricing may ultimately change, a reseller lists the Z570 at $2,249 and the Z591 at $3,399.
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.
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