Intel Presler to clock at 3.4GHz, gets named 9XX series

INTEL ROADMAPS seen by the INQ show that when Intel introduces its Presler 65 nanometre dual core processors in the first quarter of next year, the chips will be named the 9XX series. Intel expects to launch several flavours of these processors, which will have 2 times 2MB of cache, and will initially aim them at the "performance" end of the market.

These Pentium Ds will come with Vanderpool VT virtualisation technology, use the Broadwater chipset, include Intel GbE LAN, and the next generation of AMT.

Clock speeds will be de-emphasised - the 95X will clock at 3.40GHz, while the other three members of this family will have clock speeds of 3.20GHz, 3GHz, and 2.8GHz. All will use the 800MHz front side bus.

The processors set for launch in the second quarter, that is to say the dual core 840, the 830 and the 820 will cost $530, $316 and $241 respectively. The 670 processor, a single core 3.8GHz Pentium 4 with hyperthreading will cost $850 when it's launched.

Intel is readying a series of price cuts on the 6XX family in mid-August, with the 670 falling to $605, the 660 to $400, the 650 to $273, the 640 to $224 and the 630 to $180. These have clock speeds of 3.8GHz, 3.6GHz, 3.4GHz, 3.2GHz and 3GHz.

Intel is now expected to launch the 351/350 Celeron at the end of June. This has a 533MHz bus, 256K of L2 cache, and clocks at 3.2GHz. It will cost $125 at launch. µ