14 DAY TRIAL // Intel is munching on the idea of delivering a 2GHz dual-core Celeron processor during the first half of the year. The current Celeron E1200 parts are priced $15 less than the Pentium Dual Core E2140 CPUs, so the new dual-core Celeron family might just fit into the picture.
The E1400 model of Intel's Celeron is somewhat similar to the current E1200 model that is already on sale, but it features a higher clock speed, with a higher thermal design power. The 2GHz version, also known as E1400, seems to be a weird jump from the current E1200, so it is supposed that there is another "secret" model of Celeron, the E1300 running at 1.8 GHz.
According to Hong-Kong website HKEPC, the dual-core Celeron E1400 will hit the retailers' shelves at an estimative selling price of $53, which is the same list price for the older E1200 when sold in quantities of 1,000 units. It would seem reasonable for Intel to either drop the E1200 pricing in favor of the newer 1400 counterparts, or to completely phase them out, since there is no astounding performance difference.
Sources say that Intel expects the new line of dual-core Celeron processors to account for about three percent of its shipping processors in the first quarter of the year, and up to more than ten percent during the next. Single-core Celeron processors are expected to be completely replaced with the new E1400 model until 2009.
This year was a good start for the chip manufacturer, who has already announced 15 45-nanometer processors during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and intends to spit some other 15 45-nanometer CPUs as part of the upcoming Montevina lineup. Not to mention the hot deal the company has closed with Apple and that will bring Intel some serious revenue from the Low Voltage Core 2 Duo Merom-based CPUs used inside the MacBook Air.