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ASUS debuting two ultrathin laptops with 45nm Intel Penryn chips next week?
Those 45nm Intel Celeron 743 and SU2300 CPUs we've been seeing on spreadsheets and roadmaps may have found themselves a home with ASUS, if this DigiTimes report has any weight to it. According to the outlet, two new ultrathin portables powered by the aforementioned processors are set to launch on September 7th, with the first markets to get shipments being Taiwan, China, and Europe. Details are scarce beyond that and there's no mention of price, but we wouldn't be surprised to see it hit the $700 mark up to maybe even $1,000. Other sources say MSI and Acer will be making announcements of their own ultrathin laptops not too long after. September 7th is mighty soon, so part of us wonders if "launch" here is simply an unveiling, but in either case if there is something going on in a week, we can't imagine we'll get through the next few days without new factoids trickling out in the open.
MSI X-Slim X600 reviewed: an 'attractive choice'
MSI's X-Slim X600 may not be the quickest, most nimble or most powerful 15.6-inch laptop on the market today, bit with a thickness of just 0.75-inches, it's definitely got the ultrathin motif down pat. The kind lads and ladies over at Laptop Mag recently secured one of the machines for review, and they seemed adequately impressed with the combination of a low-power CPU (1.4GHz Core 2 Solo SU3500) and a multimedia-friendly discrete GPU (ATI's 512MB Radeon HD 4330) -- a tandem that's hard to find anywhere, let alone for $799. All told, the machine performed satisfactorily across the board, notching decent scores in a wide array of benchmarks and looking good all the while. Still, critics noted that Sony's VAIO NW would be more suitable for those with a Blu-ray craving and that Gateway's $599 NV is probably better for those looking for raw horsepower. If style is atop your list, though, it'll be tough to dodge the "buy" button on this one.
Intel to officially refresh laptop chips next week?
We had a hunch this refresh was coming, and according to information gathered by CNET, it's all going down on Monday. The 2.53GHz SP9600, complete with its 6MB of cache memory and $316 sticker, will reportedly be revealed alongside the 1.6GHz SU9600, which will be pegged at $289. Furthermore, we should see a single-core 1.4GHz SU3500 ($262) with a thermal envelope of only 5.5 watts, which will obviously cater to those really, really low-power applications where horsepower isn't a concern. Interestingly, these newfangled pieces of silicon won't be those rumored CULV chips we heard about in January, as those won't be good and ready 'til summertime. There's also a slight chance that we'll hear a bit more on Intel's reemergence in the GPU field, but we're not holding our breath quite so much on that. Dig in below for lots more, or just be patience and wait for the 30th. Totally your call.Read - Intel CPU detailsRead - Intel GPU details
Intel's upcoming mobile chips to squeeze 3GHz out of Penryn, bring high-performance ULV to the masses
Yeah, we've had just about all the Atom we can handle, and it looks like Intel's just about ready to help us back away from the difficult choice of sexy form factors for low prices and sexy form for exorbitant prices. Intel is working on Montevina Plus, which will push Penryn laptop chip technology past the 3GHz mark, while subsequently sending ULV chips into the mainstream, showing up in laptops ranging from $599 to $1,000, instead of the $1,500+ premiums they currently usually command -- great news for ultraportable lovers that actually want to get a few things accomplished on the road. Intel also sees 2009 as the year of the nettop, at least in emerging markets, and will naturally be pushing Nehalem all over the place -- with the way chip roadmaps are planned, the economic downturn naturally won't be messing with any planned rollouts for the time being.
New Mac mini revealed in video?
Look, we'll level with you: we don't know exactly what we're looking at. After seeing that Mac mini pic yesterday, we were about 140 percent sure it was a classic Photoshop disaster. Now we don't know what to think. One thing is for sure -- this isn't done with Photoshop. The above video was offered up by the original poster of the first pic to back up his or her claims of a "2009 Penryn" mini. Something feels fishy about this, but it's hard to write off the video as pure sleep-deprivation-induced fantasy. So what do you guys think? Crazy mod, new mini, shared hallucination? Fire back in comments![Thanks, Blake]
Intel: MacBook Air sheds custom CPU for 45-nm Penryn "S"
We can finally bring an end to all the fuss made about the custom, 65-nm processor dusted-off special for use in the MacBook Air -- it's gone, although still available inside the Voodoo Envy if you're feeling nostalgic. Intel confirmed its replacement by the smaller, off-the-shelf, 45-nm Penryn-class 1.6GHz and 1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo procs which go by the product names SL9300 and SL9400, respectively. So while those clock speeds are identical to the first generation MacBook Air, the bump from 4MB to 6MB of L2 cache in the new Core 2 Duo "S" processor should give the processor access to more information, faster, while providing less drain on the battery thanks to a drop in TDP from 20W to 17W. For the record, while Intel laments the loss of Apple's laptop graphics business to NVIDIA, an Intel spokesperson says it'll "work hard to win back the business." Hmm, we talking Larrabee by any chance?
MacBook Air to get 'imminent' speed bump?
PhoneNews claims they can "confirm" that Apple will speed-bump the MacBook Air with a Penryn-class Intel Core 2 Duo processor, increasing the clock speed to 2 GHz and up. The story also notes that, since the processor requires more power, the Air will ship with a higher-capacity battery and 60-watt power adapter. Engadget goes further, noting that clock speeds could (theoretically) reach 3.06GHz. Also, they speculate that the Air could feature improved integrated graphics if it adopts the Intel Centrino 2 chipset. Alternatively, Engadget notes that Intel plans to release several flavors of low-voltage Penryn chips in September, which might indeed be slated for the MacBook Air. Using these chips, however, would decrease the power requirements noted by PhoneNews, not increase them. PhoneNews says national retailers have been alerted "to be prepared for the upgrade." This may be part of several laptop announcements rumored to be happening in September. [Via IGM.]
MacBook Air with Penryn launch imminent?
File this rumor under the "sure, that makes sense" category. Granted, PhoneNews may not be the go-to source for Apple rumors, still, the site's reputable enough to at least give this one a listen. It claims that national retailers have been alerted to an imminent announcement of a new revision to the MacBook Air. More specifically, PhoneNews claims that the MBA will move away from the stop-gap, 65-nm Intel processor dusted-off special for Apple (and now Voodoo's Envy 133) in favor of Intel's latest "standard" 45-nm Penryn processor. If true, then we're talking about possible clocks ranging from 2.26GHz to 3.06GHz (up from 1.6GHz or 1.8GHz), a 1,066MHz FSB (up from 800MHz), and appreciable increase in CPU power draw to 29W (up from 20W). We can also expect better GMA X4500 integrated graphics assuming Apple adopts the Centrino 2 chipset. To offset the potential degradation in mobility, PhoneNews asserts that Apple will beef-up the battery and replace the 45W MagSafe adapter with a 60W version like those found with existing MacBooks. With this rumor and all the others related to Apple's lineup of MacBooks, we wouldn't be surprised to see Apple announce some kind of special media event sometime soon.Update: It's worth noting that Intel also plans to release a few low and ultra-low voltage Penryns in a 22-mm package (same as now) around the September timeframe. Though these would decrease, not increase, the power draw as described by PhoneNews.
Intel's 2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme Mobile X9000 gets tested
Who says you need a desktop chip packed within a 3-inch thick, 15-pound beast of a "laptop" to get decent FPS while at a LAN party? Intel's speedy Core 2 Extreme Mobile X9000 checks in at 2.8GHz (prior to overclocking, of course), and promises to punish today's latest games while sipping less power and generating less heat than the aforementioned alternatives. The gurus over at HotHardware were able to sit down with said chip and put it to the test; overall, the Mobile X9000 "proved itself to be as fast as its desktop counterparts in many scenarios, all the while consuming less power as a complete system in the Dell XPS M730 notebook testbed." If you're the type that gets all hot and bothered by benchmarks and graphs, there's plenty of those in the read link below.
New iMacs running an overclocked Penryn chip, not Montevina
Following this morning's iMac introduction, speculation has been rampant as to whether Apple got an early shot at Intel's upcoming Core 2 Duo Extreme X9100 chip. The X9100 is meant to usher in the "Montevina" Centrino 2 era, and boasts significant less power consumption than its forebears, in addition to those spiffy new clock speeds. Well, it turns out the new iMacs aren't Montevina, but instead a special-made 45nm Penryn 3.06GHz chip with a 1066MHz frontside bus. That means most of the juice of the X9100, but at 55 watts instead of 44. This chip exclusivity has been a bit of a pattern with Apple, and one which we're sure its competitors are quite appreciative of. Read - Electronista Read - TG Daily
Apple updates iMac as expected
Yup, another Apple store outage reveals yet another bump in product specs. This time, it's the iMac getting the treatment just as Geeksugar and our own sources predicted -- on a Monday though instead of Apple's customary Tuesday morning approach. So what's new? Well, for starters you're now looking at the latest Core 2 Duo Penryn processors. For the same starting price of $1,199, you now get a 20-inch iMac with 2.4GHz proc, 128MB of ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT graphics, 1GB of memory and a 250GB 7200RPM disk. The top of the line 24-inch model now sports a 3.06GHz processor, 512MB of NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS graphics, 2GB of memory, and a 320GB 7200rpm disk for $2,199. Rounding out the specs across the lineup are Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 802.11n WiFi, Gigabit Ethernet, built-in iSight cam, and 5x USB 2.0 (which includes the 2x on tethered keyboard) and 1x Firewire 400 and 1x Firewire 800. Same size, same weight and available now... yes, right now.
Toshiba unveils Satellite X205-SLi5 and X205-SLi6 laptops
Back in February, Toshiba saw fit to dish out the Penryn-powered X205-SLi2 and X205-SLi4 laptops; fast forward a couple months, and here we are yet again with two more updates in the X205 series. The latest duo of 17-inchers -- the X205-SLi5 and X205-SLi6 -- each pack the same pair of 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT GPUs and a 1,440 x 900 resolution panel, but the latter ups the ante with a more powerful 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo T8300 processor. Furthermore, you'll find room for up to 4GB of RAM along with dual 160GB HDDs, Harman Kardon speakers, 802.11a/g/n WiFi, dual-layer DVD writer, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and a 1.3-megapixel webcam. As for the X205-SLi6, you'll find a potent 2.5GHz T9300 under the hood along with 400GB of total HDD space, but basically everything else remains identical to that found on its lower-spec'd sibling. Check 'em out right now for $1,999 and $2,499, respectively.
Epson pops Penryn in 13.3-inch NA801 laptop
For those wondering when you'd see an all new Endeavor from Epson (yes, all six of you), the time has finally come. Astonishingly enough, the outfit's latest 13.3-incher actually isn't half bad, and comes equipped with such niceties as a WXGA panel, your choice of Windows XP / Vista, Intel's 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo T8100, NVIDIA's 256MB GeForce 8600M GT, up to 3GB of DDR2 RAM, between 80GB and 250GB of HDD space, a dual-layer DVD burner and integrated Bluetooth. You'll also find gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, a trio of USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, VGA, an ExpressCard slot, a multicard reader and a battery good for around 3.4-hours on a full charge. Reportedly, the 4.4-pound NA801 is set to ship later this month and start at ¥149,940 ($1,503), but you can drive that figure right on up if you're the CTO type.[Via Impress]
HP Compaq adds Penryn to 8510p, 8510w, 8710p and 8710w laptops
We've already witnessed Intel's Penryn family filter into a select few of HP Compaq's business-minded lappies, and similar to Dell's update-as-we-go mindset, the firm is refreshing four more models today (while leaving others to age further). As of this very moment in time, the 8510p, 8510w, 8710p and 8710w laptops can be configured with the 2.1GHz T8100, 2.4GHz T8300, 2.5GHz T9300 or 2.6GHz T9500, depending on machine. Granted, you'll pay a pretty penny for those smaller, cooler processors, but we're sure the corporate card won't even notice the added weight.[Thanks, Christopher]Read - HP Compaq's 8510pRead - HP Compaq's 8710pRead - HP Compaq's 8510wRead - HP Compaq's 8710w
ASUS reveals 15.4-inch M50 multimedia laptop, Blu-ray / Penryn included
Just a week after we laid hands on a pair of new multimedia powerhouses from Acer, along comes ASUS to keep things interesting. Announced today, the 15.4-inch M50 packs quite the punch, with options for Intel's latest smattering of Penryn processors, an optional Blu-ray drive and an available ATI Mobile Radeon HD3650 with 1GB of VRAM. The unit also comes with your choice of WXGA, WXGA+ or WSXGA+ panels, any Vista flavor you like, WiFi, up to 4GB of RAM, HDMI and a built-in hybrid TV tuner. Also included is a dual-function trackpad, which enables users to flip through tracks or playlists and adjust the volume of the Altec Lansing speakers when not mousing about. Regrettably, ASUS has yet to dole out any accompanying pricing information, but we doubt this bundle of joy will be anywhere close to a bargain.
Intel's 6-core Dunnington CPU coming this year, Nehalem gets official
Quad-core shmod-core Intel, we need 6 cores or more to keep our uh, web browsers snappy. While you're at it, how about tossing in some Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT) so that each core can process two threads at a time -- 16 simultaneous threads per 8-core processor or 32 for dual-processor, 8-core rigs. If that sounds good then you're in luck; Intel just went official with its near-term architecture plans which include the 2008 launch of a 6-core Dunnington-class server CPU platform based on Intel's 45-nm Penryn "tick" architecture. On deck is Intel's second generation Nehalem "tock" architecture with SMT and scalable from 2- to 8-cores. We're talking "dramatic" performance and energy improvements, according to Intel, from a microarchitecture bent on delivering an 8 MB level-3 cache, DDR3-800 memory support, 25.6GB per second Quickpath interconnects (so long Front Side Bus!), an integrated memory controller and optional integrated graphics to high-end servers and eventually laptops. Hear that AMD? Tick, tock goes the clock. P.S. That's Nehalem pictured. What, can't you tell?[Via BetaNews, thanks Mike O.]
Penryn sweeps across HP Compaq business laptops
Although HP has already stuffed Intel's latest Core 2 Duo chips into its Pavilion lineup, now it appears that some of its business-minded units are also getting the Penryn treatment. As of now, the 2.1GHz T8100 is an available option on the 6720s and 6820s, while the 2.4GHz T8300 becomes available on the 6510b and 6710b. Reportedly, the firm's 8700 lineup will be joining the club within "the next two weeks," but we won't blame you if you head elsewhere in the meantime.[Via CNET]Read - HP Compaq 6720sRead - HP Compaq 6820sRead - HP Compaq 6510bRead - HP Compaq 6710b
Dell's XPS M1530 gets Penryn treatment at long last
Sweet heavens, Dell hasn't forgotten that there's a 15-incher in between the Penryn-stocked M1330 and M1730! As we suspected it would, Dell really, truly went ahead and added options for a Core 2 Duo T8300, T9300 and T9500 to its XPS M1530 in short order after a mysterious message popped up hinting at as much on Friday. The 2.4GHz, 2.5GHz and 2.6GHz chips come at an upgrade cost of $75, $200 and $475 (respectively) and can actually be ordered right now. No, celebrating wildly in your cubicle wouldn't be overreacting.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Eurocom's M860TU Montebello 15.4-inch laptop rocks the Centrino 2
In case you missed it, it was Eurocom's Phantom-X that managed to swipe that "fastest tested laptop" mark from the MacBook Pro last year -- and totally ruin a perfectly good commercial. Now the company is back for more with the M860TU Montebello 15.4-incher. We'll have to wait for the benchmarks to see how this one stacks up against the recent crop of Penryn laptops, but what's new here is that the Centrino 2 "Montevina" chipset is under the hood, which should support faster Penryn processors, lower power consumption and some new fancy security features. Other specs on the M860TU include a 15.4-inch 1920 x 1200 LCD, 512MB NVIDIA 8800M GTX graphics (with a future option for 9xxxM GTX chips once they're announced), 4GB of RAM, HSDPA and external eSATA and HDMI plugs. Yeah, pretty hot. No word on price, but the laptop is slated to ship May 1st.
Dell US hints at bringing Penryn to M1530 -- what's the holdup?
Well, would you look at that? Oh wait, you can't -- because Dell just removed a teaser tagline from its USA webstore that totally gave away the impending release of a Penryn-based M1530. Earlier today, the "Select My Processor" page seen while building an M1530 showcased the following message: "Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, T7700, and T7800 require a selection of 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS as your video card. Intel Core 2 Duo T9300, T9500, and T8300 require a selection of 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT as your video card." Of course, said message has since vanished, but we'd wager that it's only a matter of days (hours?) before Dell finally gets with the program and gives its 15-incher the same treatment the M1330 and M1730 already received (not to mention the M1530 in other corners of the globe).[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]