14 DAY TRIAL // Intel, the world's leading vendor of computer processors, is said to be preparing the launch of three new Lynnfield processors on the 7th of September, according to recent reports on the Internet. The Santa Clara, California-based chip maker is expected to make these new chips available after the launch of its next-generation platform, featuring the P55 chipset and the LGA 1156 socket. It is yet uncertain if the new chips will be launched as the much-hyped Core i5 family or processors, as Intel previously said that the new branding scheme was an indication of performance, rather than a new microarchitecture.
According to a recent article on Tech Connect, the world's leading chip maker is planning to launch its P55 platform prior to the debut of the new LGA 1156-compatible processors, providing motherboard makers with some time to release their P55-based designs in time for the launch of said processors. Sometime next month, Intel will officially take the wraps off the new platform, which will be preceded by the launch of the much-anticipated Lynnfield processors.
Intel's first bunch of Lynnfield chips will be made available in three variants, each one delivering a different clock speed, as well as some differences in supported technologies. The lowest-performance model, sporting a core speed of 2.66GHz, won't support Hyper-Threading, a feature that will be enabled on the other two, featuring clock speeds of 2.8GHz and 2.93GHz. Additional details include a dual-channel DDR3-1333 memory controller, 8MB of L3 cache and a TDP of 95W.
As far as pricing goes, these new chips will be cheaper than the company's current line of Nehalem-based Core i7 CPUs, with prices starting at $196, $284 and $562 respectively. The new platform should provide system vendors with a choice for a new line of Windows 7-supporting desktop PCs, ready to hit the market in time for the Christmas shopping season.