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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.
Intel lays out roadmap for Montevina-based Centrino 2 platform
We've already gotten wind of Intel's not-so-surprising branding choice for its Montevina platform, but it looks like the company's just now gotten a whole lot more specific about things, with it laying out its roadmap for the newly-named Centrino 2 product line. As Daily Tech reports, the new platform will make its debut in June of this year, and will include separate "Performance" and "Small Form Factor" lines. On that former front, you can expect processors ranging form 2.26GHz to 2.8GHz, with a TDP rating of either 25W or 35W and prices from $209 to $530. The Small Form Factor line, on the other hand, is considerably more over the map, boasting processor speeds from 1.2GHz all the way up to 2.2GHz, and TDP ratings ranging from a mere 5.5W to 25W (prices will be between $262 to $316). Needless to say, this bit of news has also already set the latest MacBook rumor mill into full swing, with DailyTech reporting that "Apple insiders" say the company will refresh its laptop line alongside the platform's launch in June, not that you likely needed "insiders" to tell you that.[Via MacRumors]
Intel branding Montevina platform Centrino 2?
Think you've mastered Intel speak? Impressive, it's no easy task keeping Intel's brand names and in-house silicon language straight. Now rumor has it that Intel's Montevina will carry a new Centrino 2 branding in hopes of clearing up any confusing amongst consumers. Probably a good idea what with Centrino providing the catch-all since the launch of those Carmel, Sonoma, Napa, and Santa Rosa platforms running Pentium M, Core Duo, Core 2 Duo branded Banisa Banias, Donthan, Yonah/Merom and Merom/Penryn processors. If true, a Centrino 2 sticker would indicate 5th generation, Montevina-class Centrino with support for 45-nm, Core 2 Duo Penryn CPUs, a 1066MHz FSB, DDR3 memory, and mobile WiMax. Still not clear? No worries, try the handy table after break.
Intel releasing 15 Montevina CPUs in May?
While rumors swirl of an impending Penryn delay, DigiTimes is reporting on a spate of new 45-nm Penryn processors set to launch in May. The new procs support Intel's 5th generation Centrino platform with optional WiMAX integration dubbed Montevina. Right, the 40% smaller successor to Santa Rosa. That lines up with earlier rumors mumbled back in August. Of the 15 new processors, 7 CPUs are destined for laptops while 8 of the procs feature a smaller 22-mm package size for subnotebooks and ultra-portables. Sorry, not MIDs, those are waiting for Intel's Menlow-platform based on the 45-nm Silverthorne CPU. Got it? Good. Now feel free to click-through for all the rumored techno-gore you can stomach this early in the morning.
Intel readying slew of 45nm Penryn mobile CPUs?
Hot on the heels of Intel's mobile Core 2 Extreme X7900 comes word that the chip maker has eleven 45-nanometer CPUs in the backroom just waiting to take the laptop scene by storm. DigiTimes has it that Intel will indeed launch the five Penryns we heard about recently "in the first quarter of 2008," and also notes that Q2 holds six more chips destined for the Montevina platform. More specifically, "sources at motherboard makers" suggested that the Q2-bound processors will consume between 25 and 35-watts of energy, sport a 1,066MHz front-side-bus, boast between 3MB and 6MB of L2 cache, and feature clock speeds ranging from 2.13GHz to 3.06GHz. As expected, no model numbers have been assigned just yet, and considering that Intel "declined the opportunity to respond to this report," we suppose you should tuck this all away in the rumor folder for the time being.[Via TGDaily]
Intel sez Penryn's done, lookout for 45nm Wolfdale / Yorkfield
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.
Intel's Penryn Core 2 Quad processor "on schedule"
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]
