More Details Trickle in on Intel's New Atom Platform, the Pine Trial-D Based Nettop

Wednesday, January 21st 2009

Following the story which we covered just a few days ago, Expreview has got more information on the new Intel Atom platform, codenamed Pine Trail-D. From the new information, we see that the CPU, IGP and MCH will in fact all be integrated into one chip, as opposed to just being moved onto the same die. The CPU has also been listed as at least 1.6Ghz, double that of the current entry level Atom processor. Despite the platform having no need for a northbridge, with it all moved into the CPU, Intel have managed to keep the die size at 484 sq. mm. On that note however, it seems that the IGP is still DirectX 9 based, though further details on the graphical capabilities are still not yet known. We also see, that the new Tigerpoint southbridge, will support 8 USB devices, 4 PCI-E x1 lanes, 2 PCI ports, 2 SATA ports and HD audio.

Intel Plans to Release 320GB Solid-state Drives in Q4 2009

Bloomberg reports that Intel is planning on releasing a new, higher-capacity solid state drive, which will provide users with up to 320GB of storage capacity. In Q4 this year, the company will begin selling a total of eight new drives with capacity of 320GB, that will be part of Intel's Extreme and Mainstream SSD series. The chips used for these drives will be build using 32-nanometer production technology, Intel’s most advanced manufacturing method for the time being. The source also clamins that Intel has already contacted its partners and informed them for the new drives.
The world's largest chipmaker also plans to introduce a new product called "Braidwood" that's slated for Q4 2009 too. It will include as much as 16GB of flash memory that will create “better responsiveness and boot-up time.” Though it's unclear whether this solution will be integrated into Intel based motherboards or it will stand for an optional separate storage drive, made only for installing operating systems.

Intel to Release Three New Quad Core LGA775 CPUs with a 65W TDP

Tuesday, January 20th 2009

The guys over at Hexus.net, have got hold of information that shows details of three new quad core processors with a thermal design power (TDP) of only 65W. The interesting thing is that it seems Intel have still not yet given up the LGA775 socket despite it being superceded. These are the lowest TDP quad cores from Intel to date, based on a 45nm manufacturing process, and in theory using up to 30W less power than current quad core processors, it shows a step in the right direction. Unfortunately it cannot be all good news, as it seems that the expected prices for these are approximatly $100 more than the similarly clocked 95W counterparts.

Intel Plans to Integrate Graphics onto New Atom CPU

Monday, January 19th 2009

According to VRZone, Intel is planning to launch the next generation of Atom CPU's in Q4 2009 with a 45nm single core version, codenamed Pineview, a dual core CPU will shortly follow in Q1 2010. It seems Intel are gearing up to a single chip solution and with this particular generation of Atom, the CPU will be joined by the IGP and memory controller and is based on Lincroft Architecture. There also appears to be a new southbridge in the works to accompany this new chip. No longer do we have ICH-XX variants, but instead this new piece of silicon has been called Tiger Point. Between the two the platform will be known as the Pine Trail-D and will support memory speeds of upto 800Mhz DDR2. Intel claims there will be a 70% reduction in total kit package size and a 50% reduction in total kit TDP.

More info on Intel's "Pineview" Atom chips surfaces

We already reported on the fact that updated Intel Atom chips are expected to arrive sometime by mid-2009, with just a slightly speedier core frequency of 1.66GHz, but also with new HD-capable graphics via the GN40 chipset and memory support boosted from DDR2 533 to DDR2 667. Additionally however the company is planning to launch its 45nm successor, codenamed Pineview, with an on-chip memory controller and integrated graphics processor.

According to DigiTimes, the switch to a smaller process will cut the amount of necessary mainboard space by 60 percent compared to Atom N270 CPU platforms, shrinking the overall footprint. It should also be available clocked faster than the current chips, and while onboard video processor will remain the GMA 950, clock frequency will increase from 133MHz to 200MHz. Moreover, the new southbridge will be codenamed Tigerpoint-M and will be replacing the ICH7M.

Despite these performance improvements, TDP will go down from 8W to 7W, while the average power consumption will be only 2W. The Pineview Atoms should also be cheaper to make, which could see lower netbook prices down the line, and both single core and dual core version will be available in the second half of this year – though sadly the dual-core variants will be reserved for nettops only.

Phenom II X4 In For Price-Cuts?

Barely a month into its launch, AMD's newest processors, the Phenom II X4 920 and Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition, are already in for global price-cuts, of as much as 20%, in the days to come. Sources close to the company indicate that the price-cuts are in view of the recent announcement by Intel to significantly lower the prices of certain models of its Core 2 Quad lineup, which pose direct competition to AMD's new chips.

Once implemented, the Phenom II X4 920 would sell for US $195, down from its launch-price of $235, and a whole $50 would be waived off the $275 price-tag of the Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition, sending it down to $225. These price-cuts are not yet officially confirmed or announced by AMD, and so it isn't known as to when exactly they get officially implemented. All prices in 1000 unit tray quantities.