Ready for more rumors of processor delays? This time, it's Intel (not AMD) in the spotlight according to DigiTimes' sources at Taiwan motherboard makers. Intel is said to be delaying volume shipments of their quad-core QX9770 CPU for high-end desktops until February or March instead of January as earlier believed. Worse yet, the proc is now rumored to cost $1,399 (in 1,000 unit quantities) when it ships -- not $1,200 as thought back in November. Hey Intel, if this move has anything to do with an intent to monopolize the market in lieu of AMD's inability to compete then let us remind you of something -- the EU and a certain Attorney General are watching you.

Chalk this one up to wild unsubstantiated rumor, but Digitimes is reporting that Intel may hold off on launching its 45nm quad-core Yorkfield chips -- which were supposed to hit on January 20th -- because it's not facing any threat from AMD's delayed Phenom chips, and launching now would just eat into existing 65nm chip sales. That means we wouldn't see the Core 2 Quad Q9300, Q9450, or Q9550 until Intel feels the heat from AMD, which seems like a pretty timid strategy for a company whose former CEO's motto was "Only the paranoid survive." Add in the fact that a certain fruit company is rumored to be launching new Mac Pros with some version of 45nm Penryn chips next month, and we're really not feeling this one, but only time will tell.

[Via The Inquirer]

Hot on the heels of NVIDIA's 3-way SLI system hitting all sorts of test benches comes word that the outfit is cranking out its brand new nForce 780i SLI MCP (media and communications processor). That's right kids, the self-proclaimed "must-have gaming platform for Intel Yorkfield CPUs" is finally out in the open, and aside from playing nice with Intel's QX9650, it also supports PCI Express Gen 2.0, 3-way SLI and the new Enthusiast System Architecture specification. Apparently, a number of "motherboard partners" including Asus, Falcon Northwest, HP, Gigabyte, Hypersonic and Voodoo PC are already planning to offer nForce 780i SLI MCP-based products, and judging by NVIDIA's holiday themed press release, we'd wager that you'll see the aforementioned items seeping out sooner rather than later.

[Via HotHardware]

If the rumor mill is to be believed, Intel's about to have a pretty busy January -- first delivering Penryn on the sixth, and then shipping the first dual-core Celeron processors alongside those long-rumored Yorkfield and Wolfdale chips on the 20th, according to Digitimes. The new Celeron E1000 will apparently run at 1.2GHz and sit on an 800MHz bus with 512K of cache. The report also lays out specs on the 45nm Yorkfield and Wolfdale chips that are pretty similar to what we'd already heard: quad-core QX9000-series Yorkfields at from 2.5 to 2.83GHZ, and Core 2 Duo E8000-series Wolfdales from 2.66 to 3.16GHz. Hmm, the 20th seems pretty close to a certain keynote, doesn't it?

[Via TG Daily]

Intel's first 45-nm processors have just rolled off the assembly line in the form of the quad-core QX9650 desktop CPU. This 3.0GHz Yorkfield-class proc based on Intel's Penryn microarchitecture brings a 1,333MHz front side bus to Intel's Core 2 Extreme family of processors. Sounds a lot like Intel's 65-nm 3.0GHz Core 2 Extreme QX6850 Kentsfield-class processor launched in July, eh? Not so. According to benchmarks already announced by Bit-tech, Hot Hardware, PC Perspective, and more, the new processors are smokin' fast while consuming "much less" power in the process. With final thoughts like, "the new Core 2 Extreme QX9650 is simply the fastest processor for gaming, media encoding and just about anything else you could do on your PC," really, what else does the average consumer need to know? Overclockers, silencers, and enthusiasts: these links are for you:

[Via I4U News]

Read -- PC World review
Read -- Hot Hardware review
Read -- Bit-tech review
Read -- PC Perspective review

According to a report from TechARP that includes benchmarks of all the chips mentioned, Intel could have nailed a release date for its 45nm Yorkfield and Wolfdale CPUs. Q3 2007 now translates to November 11th, if this report is to be believed, for the launch of the first, the most powerful, and the most expensive -- $999 -- of the Yorkfields: the Core 2 Extreme QX9650, a quad core, 3GHz clocked, 2 x 6MB L2 Cache chip. Later on in January next year will come the Core 2 Quad Q9550, Q9450 and Q9300, with progressively lower clock speeds, and only (hah!) 2 x 3MB of L2 Cache for the Q9300. The Core 2 Duo E8000 series -- the Wolfdales -- will hit around the same time as the slower Yorkfields, hitting speeds of 3.16GHz and L2 Cache sizes of 6MB in the E8500, going down to 2.66GHz in the E8200.

[Via Slashdot]

It's been quite a while since we've heard anything from Intel on the Yorkfield front, but that looks to have changed in a hurry, with the company now busting out a whole slew of specifics on the forthcoming processors. First up is news that Intel will be releasing an "Extreme Edition" of the 45nm quad-core processor on November 12th, well ahead of the January 2008 launch for its decidedly less-extreme counterparts. Helping the processor (dubbed the QX9650) earn that designation is its top of the crop 3.0GHz clock speed, along with 12MB of L2 cache, and an extremely hot 130W TDP rating, not to mention a price just shy of $1,000. If that's all a bit too extreme for you, you'll also be able to get your choice of 2.5GHz, 2.66GHz, or 2.88GHz models, each of which scale the TDP rating down to a more manageable 95W, with prices running $266, $316, and $530, respectively. Even further on down the line, Intel's announced details on three dual-core Wolfdale desktop processors, which clock in at 2.66GHz, 3.0GHz, and 3.16GHz. No word on a price for the low-end model just yet, but the 3.0GHz and 3.16GHz are apparently set to run $183 and $266, respectively, with a mid-range 2.83 GHz version expected to eventually round out the lot, according to DailyTech. As if that wasn't enough, Intel's will also apparently be slipping out a 65nm 2.4 GHz dual-core Conroe processor dubbed the E4600 on October 21st, although there's no word on what it'll cost.

Just to keep us all guessing, Intel has announced that it will be "launching" 45nm chips across all of its main processor categories in Q1 2008. This would seem to run counter to prior roadmap plans that call for Penryn to start shipping near the end of 2007, but apparently those plans are still on, Intel just won't be busting out the ticker-tape until 2008. Alongside this confusion, Intel has also fleshed out info 'bout its first two Penryn-based products, the quad-core Yorkfield and dual-core Wolfdale desktop processors. Wolfdale packs a 1333MHz front-side bus, with up to 6MB L2 cache, while Yorkfield is essentially a pair of Wolfdales glued together, though the front-side bus is reduced to 1066MHz. The chips also mark the return of Hyper-Threading of some sort, but according to Intel: "The official company policy is that our engineers have left the door open for Hyper-Threading, but we cannot confirm or deny any future plans for the technology," so it sounds like we won't know exactly what Intel is planning to do with that dubious technology it killed off when building its Core and Core 2 products until we get a bit closer to launch time.

If you're desperate for some positive Intel news after hearing those less-than-inspiring margin forecasts earlier today, the chipmaker is once again keeping itself on track in regard to pumping out its forthcoming 45-nanometer processors. While we were briefed on the dual-core Wolfdale and quad-core Yorkfield just a few weeks back, Intel is now claiming that its Penryn-based chips are "complete" and will play nice with Windows Vista, Mac OS X, and Linux operating systems when they hit the shelves. Both chips are (still) slated to hit production during the second half of this year, with manufacturing to hit full stride during 2008. Penryn is supposed to "extend the Core 2 architecture" by playing host to the next set of Intel's Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE), and will also lend a hand in the future development of Montevina, and just in case you're the (way) forward-looking type, you can expect Penryn's successor -- dubbed Nehalem -- to roll out in late '08.

It looks like those playing along with Intel's roadmap at home have a bit of updating to do to their scorecards, with HKEPC Hardware revealing a few new details on the chip maker's plans for the new year. The biggest bit of news this time around concerns Intel's new 45nm dual-core desktop processor, now codenamed "Wolfdale," which will have a thermal design power rating (TDP) of 65W, in line with current Core 2 Duo processors. Look for it to launch sometime in the fourth quarter of this year. Intel has also firmed up a few more details on its quad-core Yorkfield processor, with it clocking in with a 95W TDP and apparently still on track for a (late) Q3 release this year.

[Via Reg Hardware]

With the rampant delays swarming nearly every aspect of consumer electronics, it's understandable to approach "release dates" with a certain level of skepticism, but Intel's Mark Bohr has stated that the company is already "processing the first samples of the Penryn design," which is good news for Intel fans everywhere. The 45nm, quad-core successor to its Core 2 Extreme QX6700 was previously scheduled to be released "sometime during Q3 2007," and just as Intel nailed their November target on its latest Kentsfield chip, it just might be safe to put a little stock in this date as well. Dubbed the Core 2 Quad, this next generation processor will seek to increase power, consume less energy, and primarily outgun AMD by releasing its 45nm CPUs only months after AMD launches its 65nm Barcelona. Additionally, Penryn could play a role in the part of Montevina, which according to Intel's roadmap, would be the successor to Centrino Pro. Nevertheless, Intel's done a fair job of keeping its promises as of late, so we're banking on them keeping this one as well, which means the first batch of Yorkfield-derived wafers should hit motherboards "in the second half of next year."

[Via RegHardware]

If nailing down the specs to Intel's Classmate PC wasn't thrilling enough, and you were left neck deep in transistors after wading through all those CPU announcements, how about a taste of next year, only right now? DigiTimes has it that Intel's roadmap (which has been surprisingly accurate thus far), already has plans for the next, next quad-core processor, dubbed Yorkfield. Slated to hit motherboards in Q3 2007, the Yorky builds on the forthcoming Kentsfield chip by operating in a "more efficient" manner. Whereas the Kentsfield rocks two separate L2 caches, shared separately by each pair of processors, the Yorkfield sports just a single L2 cache shared directly by each pair of chips, enabling more streamlined quad-core operation with less front side bus bandwidth. Manufactured on 45nm process technology, next year's quad-core CPU will be paired with the impending Bearlake chipset family (which will support a 1333MHz FSB and a PCI Express 2.0 interface), and will target that oh-so-lucrative "high-end gaming" market when it drops.

[Via TGDaily]