14 DAY TRIAL // I love the end of the year. And it's not just about presents. Ok, actually it is. But the word "presents" could mean a lot of things. For example, INTEL has just published its latest roadmap and it features a 3GHz 1333FSB Conroe on top of the list. Now how about that for a present?
The roadmap also holds some surprises. Core 2 Duo E6390 is gone and so is the E6650. Actually, the later has been renamed, INTEL decided to call its newest CPU Core 2 Duo E6550. Aside from the naming changes it still has a 1333 MHz front-side bus and the clock is the same 2.33 GHz. The 3GHz top of the line CPU (E6850) still holds the number one position in this roadmap. For now.
New to this roadmap are Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 and E6320 processors that come clocked at 2.13 GHz and 1.86 GHz like the Core 2 Duo E6400 and E6300. However, the Core 2 Duo E6420 and E6320 spot 4MB of L2 cache instead of the 2MB found on their oldest brothers. The two processors are expected to come out in the 2nd quarter of 2007. Pricing for the Core 2 Duo E6420 and E6320 will be set at $183 and $163.
The roadmap also contains information regarding the value Core 2 Duo E4x00 series. The Core 2 Duo 4400 and 4200 were going to replace older NetBurst parts. However it seems that the Core 2 Duo E4200 has left the building. Instead of the Core 2 Duo E4200 is a new E4300 clocked at 1.8 GHz on an 800 MHz FSB. It's expected to enter the market in January with a price tag starting at $163. The price will probably go down ($113) after the launch in order to keep the product from competing with the faster E6300/6320 and later with E4400.
The Core 2 Duo E4400 is the fastest CPU to feature the 800MHz FSB. It is expected to arrive later in 2007 and it will have a 2.0 GHz clock speed. The price will be $133 in 1,000 unit quantities.