Whoa, Nelly! Just weeks after Intel came clean with its new Pine Trial nettop and netbook platform, the company is today cutting loose with a few more. This go 'round, we've got the 32nm Arrandale (which consists of the Core i5 Mobile and Core i3 Mobile) heading for the laptops and the 32nm Clarkdale chips over on the desktop front. Starting with the former, most reviews found the CPU + GPU solution to be faster than rivaling Core 2 Duo + integrated GPU options, with the Core i5 being particularly potent in highly threaded applications. Better still, battery life didn't seem to take a hit even with the extra performance, though high-end, high-res gaming was still a lesson in futility when working without a discrete graphics card. Overall, the chip was a welcome addition to the fold, but we got the feeling that the first wave was priced too high and offered too little of a performance increase on the gaming side to really warrant a wholehearted recommendation. As for the Clarkdale? The Core i5 661 that everyone seemed to snag was found to be blisteringly fast, with most folks deeming it the outright champion in the dual-core realm. Unfortunately, the integrated GPU was -- again -- not awesome for hardcore gaming, and the questionable pricing didn't exactly thrill some critics. Do yourself a favor and dig into the benchmarks below -- we get the feeling we'll be seeing oodles of machines hit the wires this week with these chips within.
Update: Check out the Arrandale in action after the break!
@jayayess1190 How fast are they? Really fast, obviously, and apparently totally worth the upgrade. Clarkdale is fastest that anything dual core out there, while both mobile chips are faster than their Core 2 Duo counterparts, with the extra performance having no impact on the battery life.
@v4npro this is true. AMD is still the best bang for the buck. Intel will have to severely drop their prices for me to convert. sorry but i am not spending twice as much money for 25% more performance.
The AMD Phenom X4 965BE TDP is 125W. The comparable Intel Core i5 660 TDP is 73W.
And the mobile Intels are half that again.
This is like P4 versus Athlon 64 all over again. No matter how cheap the chip is up front you're going to pay on the back end if you buy the chip which is burning through much more power.
At stock speeds yes, the i5 uses less power but who keeps it at stock speeds? 965BE is clocked at 3.4GHz. So if you overclock the i5(which you can do easy over 3.4GHz) you won't see much price difference in power usage.
They sign a non-disclosure agreement, then get the samples to test, just so they can release their article on the exact moment they are 'allowed' and get most visitors and most money from the ads because of high number of visitors. And signing NDA papers and, your independance away, for money, well I think you get the drift right? And once they are slaves of intel, since intel and other companies can refuse them the next time, doesn't it follow that they also make sure they aren't 'too negative about the boss'? Because what if intel takes you of the list of getting those pre-release samples and won't allow you to sign an NDA and your 'review' will be 2 weeks later when people aren't that interested anymore and all read NDA-'powered' sites already? When you lie down with dogs you wake up with fleas as the saying goes.
@Wwhat I see that you have never been in any of these positions before, otherwise you would have a different view. Also, releasing things "at an exact moment" does NOT mean more readers than normal. These sites would get 10x the traffic if they didn't all release at the same time.
Keep in mind as well that engadget does get information under embargo as well to be released at specific times. The entire industry works this way.
@Teslanaut Crysis is still the game that taxes every piece of hardware thrown at it. I would consider that Hardcore. By comparison COD: Modern Warfare 2 is a light weight game as far as graphics go.
@smartmouth if you plan on doing video editing on your laptop - yes, wait. If you are browsing the web and using outlook, excel, word etc - you won't notice any real change from a 2.6 or above Core2 vs an i5. But remember Core Duo is really old - core 2 duo is relatively current. BIG BIG difference between a Core Duo and a Core 2 Duo.
The battery life won't be of any signficance between the two processors either. You might be able to get a discount in a month or two as some companies might phase out the current generation of Core 2 duoss on some models of laptops.
32nm this fast? Nice. I didn't know that 32nm was gonna be bnchmarked so damn soon in 2010. Especially after reading a random article elsewhere that said no 32 in 2010
Ya, I think so too. I hope they add more stuff or reduce hte price or something though because just the new chip isn't compelling enough. There is no reason for a laptop that sells for over a grand to not include a blu ray drive.
@poematik14 I can see the mobile Core i5/i7 series being in the next MacBook/MacBook Pro computers but not the Core i3 series.
I would buy a new MacBook Pro tomorrow if Apple were to release one that used the Mobile Core i7 and ATI Radeon HD 5XXX mobility graphics. Until then my Core2Duo/nVidia 8600M GT 17" MacBook Pro will have to do.
After reading a few of the linked articles I can say without a doubt that I am waiting for Gulftown, preferably in a Dual Socket LGA-1366 so that I can have 12 cores pushing 24 threads. I can really care less about games and more about the amount of time waiting on Photoshop to finish applying filters to large image files. It would be extremely nice to see more applications become highly multi threaded especially for transcoding video.
@Cg006 Intel launched the i7-640UM as their next mainstream ULV to replace the Core2Duo SU, but for some reason all of the Arrandale reviews dont mention it, they only focus on the i3/i5. I guess Intel is gonna ship the i7 review units later
@Cg006 oh also there don't seem to be any plans of an i3 ULV, but there is an i5 ULV planned, the i5-520UM. though Intel's gonna be pushing the i7-640UM to OEMs much harder, hence thats probably all we're going to see for the most part
@Cg006 well no since its still the ULV version of i7 that I speak of. it only has 2 cpu cores clocked at 1.2ghz and 1 gpu core clocked at 500mhz. a full blown i7 has 4 cores. most analysts expect prices to be very comparable to current core2duo ULVs
While the i5 offers some advantages if you do a lot of video editing on your laptop, it doesn't have enough of an upgrade at current speeds to make me want to replace my current core 2 laptop. I guess when an i5-560m or i5-580m become available provided they don't draw too much more power I'll consider an upgrade. The power difference between a 540m and my current Core 2 aren't of any note nor is the performance for boot up, office apps etc. Hopefully they will allow for lighter laptops though.
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posted January 4th 2010 1:09AM
Do want! :D
@jayayess1190 How fast are they? Really fast, obviously, and apparently totally worth the upgrade. Clarkdale is fastest that anything dual core out there, while both mobile chips are faster than their Core 2 Duo counterparts, with the extra performance having no impact on the battery life.
Imagine combining a GPU and a CPU in one processor? Z-omg: More details: http://bit.ly/arrandale-clarkdale-indepth-details
Excellent!
Should add the guru3d review as well. http://www.guru3d.com/article/core-i5-650-660-661-review-test/
Phenom II X4 965BE is a better buy look's like it for same or just few bucks more. The over all system would be cheaper too.
@v4npro this is true. AMD is still the best bang for the buck. Intel will have to severely drop their prices for me to convert. sorry but i am not spending twice as much money for 25% more performance.
@kojo87
The AMD Phenom X4 965BE TDP is 125W.
The comparable Intel Core i5 660 TDP is 73W.
And the mobile Intels are half that again.
This is like P4 versus Athlon 64 all over again. No matter how cheap the chip is up front you're going to pay on the back end if you buy the chip which is burning through much more power.
@spin cycle
At stock speeds yes, the i5 uses less power but who keeps it at stock speeds? 965BE is clocked at 3.4GHz. So if you overclock the i5(which you can do easy over 3.4GHz) you won't see much price difference in power usage.
@spin cycle
Intel and AMD define TDP at different ways:
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/opinion/1050824/amd-talks-acp-vs-tdp
@spin cycle im running a Phenom II X4, 3 HDDs and 2 ATi HD4870s off an 850W PSU. like i care about a 52W difference.
If you see how many sites are NDA hookers you feel much better about using adblock..
I should have said "NDA whores" I guess, excuse me for soiling the terminology.
@Wwhat Why does holding an embargo for a product make someone an "NDA whore" exactly?
They sign a non-disclosure agreement, then get the samples to test, just so they can release their article on the exact moment they are 'allowed' and get most visitors and most money from the ads because of high number of visitors.
And signing NDA papers and, your independance away, for money, well I think you get the drift right?
And once they are slaves of intel, since intel and other companies can refuse them the next time, doesn't it follow that they also make sure they aren't 'too negative about the boss'? Because what if intel takes you of the list of getting those pre-release samples and won't allow you to sign an NDA and your 'review' will be 2 weeks later when people aren't that interested anymore and all read NDA-'powered' sites already? When you lie down with dogs you wake up with fleas as the saying goes.
@Wwhat
Never thought of it that way. Intriguing.
@Wwhat I see that you have never been in any of these positions before, otherwise you would have a different view. Also, releasing things "at an exact moment" does NOT mean more readers than normal. These sites would get 10x the traffic if they didn't all release at the same time.
Keep in mind as well that engadget does get information under embargo as well to be released at specific times. The entire industry works this way.
So what passes for Hardcore games nowadays?
@Teslanaut Crysis is still the game that taxes every piece of hardware thrown at it. I would consider that Hardcore. By comparison COD: Modern Warfare 2 is a light weight game as far as graphics go.
Being nitpicky today: Pine Trail not Pine Trial.
@Woodley
Hey, cut them some slack, it's a tricky word to type. I always get messed up with dose.
@daytripper
Crap, I mean DOES.
@daytripper Do you mean "those"?
Somehow I feel a simple word just whistled right over my head.
check the spelling in the link to the pine trail page guys. it's not pine trial...
"Benchmarked for your enjoyment" Always makes me feel a little dirty
i'm planning to buy a laptop. Should I wait for this one or go ahead and buy the intel core duo?
@smartmouth
Wait for the i5/i3. Core 2 is history.
@smartmouth if you plan on doing video editing on your laptop - yes, wait. If you are browsing the web and using outlook, excel, word etc - you won't notice any real change from a 2.6 or above Core2 vs an i5. But remember Core Duo is really old - core 2 duo is relatively current. BIG BIG difference between a Core Duo and a Core 2 Duo.
The battery life won't be of any signficance between the two processors either. You might be able to get a discount in a month or two as some companies might phase out the current generation of Core 2 duoss on some models of laptops.
Typo:
"most reviews found the CPU + GPU solution to be faster than ___rivaling____Core 2 Duo + integrated GPU options"
Intel's integrated GPU still sucks, go figure.
@daytripper
All integrated graphics suck.
From Anandtech's Arrandale review:
"It's also nice to see integrated Intel graphics that don't suck… or at least, they only suck as bad as the current AMD and NVIDIA IGPs."
32nm this fast? Nice. I didn't know that 32nm was gonna be bnchmarked so damn soon in 2010. Especially after reading a random article elsewhere that said no 32 in 2010
very nice to know this
That is the most beautiful heat spreader I have ever seen.
@ethana2
Then you must have not seen much. That thing is ugly as heck,
I think Apple's Jan. 26th event is going to be the macbook lines getting these new chips in them..
@poematik14
I wouldn't hold my breath.
http://gizmodo.com/5436465/whats-inside-the-next-macbooks
@poematik14
Ya, I think so too. I hope they add more stuff or reduce hte price or something though because just the new chip isn't compelling enough. There is no reason for a laptop that sells for over a grand to not include a blu ray drive.
@poematik14 I can see the mobile Core i5/i7 series being in the next MacBook/MacBook Pro computers but not the Core i3 series.
I would buy a new MacBook Pro tomorrow if Apple were to release one that used the Mobile Core i7 and ATI Radeon HD 5XXX mobility graphics. Until then my Core2Duo/nVidia 8600M GT 17" MacBook Pro will have to do.
nice!
From:http://www.discount-laptop-batteries.co.uk
Not bad for the laptop chips. But on the desktop front, I don't think I would settle for a dual core anymore.
I can has $400 i7 puter?
@pika2000 You probably can't find an i7 for that price, but i5 is 4 core and you might be able to do that for $400.
@spin cycle Nope. Cheapest Core i5 desktop I could find was at least $700 (CPU only, no monitor, etc).
Not interested really. We are just a few months away from Core i7 980X - 6 core CPU that will smack these i3/5 clowns. :D
After reading a few of the linked articles I can say without a doubt that I am waiting for Gulftown, preferably in a Dual Socket LGA-1366 so that I can have 12 cores pushing 24 threads. I can really care less about games and more about the amount of time waiting on Photoshop to finish applying filters to large image files. It would be extremely nice to see more applications become highly multi threaded especially for transcoding video.
Are ANY of these iCPU's Quad core? The chart at anandtech does not seem to point to that. For some reason I thought they were.
Cant wait to get my hands on an i3 laptop. So far everything is positive :)
Def would like to see a ULV version of an i3 stuffed into a Vostro V13
@Cg006 Intel launched the i7-640UM as their next mainstream ULV to replace the Core2Duo SU, but for some reason all of the Arrandale reviews dont mention it, they only focus on the i3/i5. I guess Intel is gonna ship the i7 review units later
@Cg006 oh also there don't seem to be any plans of an i3 ULV, but there is an i5 ULV planned, the i5-520UM. though Intel's gonna be pushing the i7-640UM to OEMs much harder, hence thats probably all we're going to see for the most part
@mtvis4luzers
Wouldn't a Mobile i7 be ridiculously expensive? I just want something that packs a punch while not mugging my wallet. lol
@Cg006 well no since its still the ULV version of i7 that I speak of. it only has 2 cpu cores clocked at 1.2ghz and 1 gpu core clocked at 500mhz. a full blown i7 has 4 cores. most analysts expect prices to be very comparable to current core2duo ULVs
While the i5 offers some advantages if you do a lot of video editing on your laptop, it doesn't have enough of an upgrade at current speeds to make me want to replace my current core 2 laptop. I guess when an i5-560m or i5-580m become available provided they don't draw too much more power I'll consider an upgrade. The power difference between a 540m and my current Core 2 aren't of any note nor is the performance for boot up, office apps etc. Hopefully they will allow for lighter laptops though.
Very nice!