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Intel adds to ULV processor line with 1.8GHz Core i7 and i5 options, one of them to star in ASUS UX21
Intel's so-called Ultrabooks may be a little way off into the distance at the moment, but the company isn't making you wait until its Ivy Bridge rollout to get a taste for ultraslim laptops with some real power inside them. A trio of new ultra-low voltage CPUs, each rated with a TDP of just 17W, has been added to the company's catalog, starting with the top-tier Core i7-2677M, whose pair of cores run at 1.8GHz by default but can be sped up to 2.9GHz when duty calls. Then there's the i7-2637M, which looks to only differ in clock speeds (1.7GHz default, 2.8GHz under Turbo Boost), and the i5-2557M that makes do with a 3MB L3 cache (1MB less than its i7 brethren) and a 1.7GHz / 2.7GHz speed range. All three 64-bit, 32nm processors also integrate a GPU (350MHz base clock, maxes out at 1.2GHz) within their walls, which is what makes their ascetic power consumption all the more impressive. OEMs should soon start splicing these new options into their next generation laptops, and while the obvious speculation centers around a MacBook Air refresh, CNET tells us the Core i5-2557M has already found a home in ASUS' upcoming UX21, a (purportedly) sub-$1,000 11.6-inch featherweight contender.
Leaked Intel roadmap reveals six new notebook CPUs for 2010, better battery life in 2011
We love the smell of silicon in the morning -- especially when it emanates from one of Intel's legendary leaked roadmaps. Today, we've stumbled across one with specs for Chipzilla's entire fall collection of mobile chips, and a couple new details about that desiccated overpass the execs keep talking about. First up, it appears sources were spot-on about the Core i7s and Core i5s we heard about last week, but the 2.66GHz / 3.33 GHz Core i5-580M won't be the only dual-core CPU to look for in Q4; it will be sandwiched between the 2.8GHz Core i7-640M (which turbos to 3.46GHz) and the 2.66GHz / 3.2GHz Core i5-560M -- all of which peak at a conservative 35 watts. True juice sippers will want a 15W CULV, however, and it seems more of those exist than Intel initially let on; Q4 will see a high-end Core i7-680UM that starts at 1.46GHz and turbos up to 2.53GHz and a 1.33GHz / 2.13GHz Core i5-560UM, plus a 25W 2.26GHz Core i7-660LM low-voltage chip will also join the fray. All these new dual-cores will have on-die Intel HD Graphics in one form or another, but all are also stopgaps until Intel's 32nm "Huron River" platform debuts in the first quarter of 2011. Then, we'll get WiMAX, WiDi and Intel Bluetooth alongside an intriguing new concept dubbed Zero Power ODD, which promises a power-saving sleep mode for our noisy optical disc drives (see more coverage link) and the promise of enough battery life to play two full Blu-rays on a single charge. Don't believe us? See the slides below for more. %Gallery-93924%
Kingston trumpets ultra-low voltage HyperX DDR3 memory
It may not mean much to your grandmother, but performance hounds are sure to jump all over this one. Kingston has just rolled out a few new slices of DIMM deliciousness, and it's claiming that the new HyperX DDR3 modules are the world's fastest low-voltage memory sticks. The dual-channel kit ships with two XMP-ready profiles already baked in, with the 1.35 volts at 1866MHz being hailed as "a world's first for speed matching higher frequency with a lower voltage." All told, the company is debuting a trio of products in the LoVo line -- the dual-profile kit, a mainstream low voltage 1600MHz, 1.35 volt kit and an ultra-low voltage 1333MHz, 1.25 volt kit. -- and you can pick 'em up soon in 4GB bundles for between $154 to $203. These guys did, and they're stoked.
Gateway's E-100M / NX100X with ULV Core Solo chip ships
Remember Gateway's new hotness late last month, the E-100M / NX100X? Well, now they're shipping those things, if you're interested. Intel's also finally admitting to the new 1.2GHz U1400 Core Solo chip the Gateways are running (which they announced alongside their new 1.06GHz U1300 Core Solo in Beijing today). Both their new chips are Core Solo equivalents of the Pentium M ULV series, sipping a paltry 5.5w -- still more than the 5 or so watts consumed by 1.1GHz Pentium M ULV chips now, though.[Via MobileWhack and CNET]
