Intel is launching their Calpella quad-core notebook chips in the third quarter, according to DigiTimes’ sources. Knowing that Apple always nicks their chips first, we probably can expect new MacBook Pros around that timeframe.
If you’re looking into getting a new laptop, you should probably hold off until after the holidays for an extra boost in processing power. According to sources at AppleInsider, Intel’s planning a refresh of its Montevina Core 2 Duo processors for Spring 2009. The update will give notebooks two new variants of chips, a P88000 running at 2.66GHz and a T9900 with 3.06GHz. These next Montevina chips will be the last ones Intel produces before it turns to its Core i7 architecture – but that switch-up is at least a year down the line, and who’s going to put off laptop buying for that long? [Apple Insider]
The Intel platform in notebooks hitting shelves at this moment is Montevina, the first to go by the Centrino 2 moniker. Though it’s fresh out the door, Digitimes supposedly has some details on Calpella, the one that’ll follow it next summer.
One of the more eyebrow-raising rumours in the scramble of them about Apple’s upcoming MacBooks is that they will switch from Intel chipsets to someone else’s. It seemed odd on its face, since Intel and Apple are fairly tight, and there’s not a very apparent reason to switch. Jon at Ars lays out a fairly solid case for why Apple is sticking with Intel though.
If your head’s spinning from the buckets of chip splooge that’s shot out over the past couple days, we don’t blame you. There’s been a new mobile chip launched or announced by every major player in the biz (Intel, AMD, Nvidia and Via), so no wonder it’s all sticky and running together. Don’t worry, here’s a quick guide to what matters, who makes it, and what kind of stuff you’ll see it in.
Intel’s Senior Technical Marketing Engineer for Corporate Demonstrations Craig Raymond had his lucky hands all over the new ASUS M51VA Centrino 2 (“Montevina”) portable at a pre-Computex demo session today, and—delay or no delay—he came away loving the freedom of Intel’s new chip and WiMAX. Sure, he’s an Intel guy talking about an Intel-equipped laptop, but he sounds like he put the thing through the paces, starting with a highly scientific test using World of Warcraft.
Yesterday’s report that Intel’s highly anticipated Centrino 2 chipset was being delayed by issues with the integrated graphics and a wireless certification boo-boo was right on the money. Intel confirmed it today, with a soft launch July 14 of the Centrino 2 sets using discrete graphics and their new mobile processors, followed by a full rollout of the whole shebang in August. [PCMag]
TGDaily is reporting that Intel’s next-gen Centrino 2 platform (aka Montevina) has hit a series of snags and won’t launch until July 14 at the earliest. Aside from delaying new Centrino 2 notebooks generally (duh), it also significantly quashes the chances of new MacBooks at WWDC—particularly since one of the issues is with the integrated graphics chipset, which is causing serious failures in OEM notebooks.
On the surface, the new iMacs just look like a speed bump, there’s actually something pretty interesting under the number splooge: It’s the first system we know of to use Intel’s Montevina chipset, which actually isn’t due until June. Even though the release doesn’t namedrop Montevina, the 1066MHz front-side bus with processor speed up to 3.06GHz tells us it’s the case, since Santa Rosa’s FSB only hits 800. Which you means you should see a solid performance boost in these babies, not just better efficiency. Wonder how Apple swung getting their hands on the chipsets before anyone else. Update: TGDaily says they’re not quite Montevinas, but they are unreleased chips no one else has, with the only difference from actual Montevinas being these run 11 watts higher on thermal power design. [New iMacs on Giz]
Four of Intel’s mobile chipsets—including its most recent and well-known, Santa Rosa—have been Centrino as far as your mum is concerned. To help us keep things a little straighter and make it obvious they’re actually updating stuff, Intel’s upcoming Penryn-oriented mobile chipset, Montevina, which’ll be pushing Santa Rosa aside, will be branded Centrino 2. Thanks, Intel, for bringing just a little bit of logic to chip branding. Core 2 Duo is still a mouthful, though. [Digitimes]
