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Intel is expected to disclose June 6 its launch plans surrounding its next-generation Core 2 microprocessors, as well as a new low-voltage Core Duo chip that will be featured in thin-and-light notebooks from Dell and Hewlett-Packard.
Of longer-term importance, however, will be the introduction of the Intel P965, or “Broadwater,” chip set, which marks the end of older parallel ATA disk drives and IDE storage within the PC.
The introductions are scheduled to be made in a speech delivered by Anand Chandrasekher, Intels senior vice president and general manager of its marketing group, at the Computex show in Taipei.
While Intels Core chips, including its Core Duo, continue to outsell Advanced Micro Devices own Athlon64 and Athlon64 X2 components, AMDs Athlon line has traditionally outperformed Intels chips. However, early benchmarks of Intels Core 2, or “Conroe,” processor have impressed reviewers, and may widen Intels lead in the marketplace.
Intel plans to begin shipping server, desktop and laptop processors based on the companys new Core microarchitecture in June, July and August, respectively, Chandrasekher is expected to announce.
Initially, Intel will ship the Intel Core 2 Duo desktop chip at 2.93GHz in July, and a faster 3.2GHz version will ship later in the year.
The Broadwater chip set, which will be paired with Intels new Core 2 Duo processors, eliminates both parallel ATA connections and the IDE interface, which have been traditionally used for hard drives and optical storage, respectively. An Intel spokeswoman confirmed the change. Sources indicated that motherboard manufacturers could include third-party chips to re-establish the legacy connections. However, Intel will push Serial ATA, a technology initially introduced as an interface for hard drives, as a solution for both storage interfaces, the Intel spokeswoman said.