Six Intel Yonah dual core processors cooking in fabs

INTEL HAS TOLD its motherboard customers and OEM partners that it will release six versions of its 65 nanometre Yonah dual core notebook chip in the first quarter of next year.

As yet, they don't have numbers, but are codenamed the X50, the X40, the X30, and the X20. The X48 and X39 low voltage versions of the Yonah processors.

Intel hasn't decided yet what clock speeds they will run at either, but they will have 667MHz front side buses and have 2MB of level two cache, Enhanced Speedstep and support the XD bit to reduce the risk of viral infection.

The Yonah dual core processors will support Vanderpool technology, the i945GM, the i945PM and the i955XM Express chipsets, and Intel's "Golan" Pro Wireless 3945 abg.

In between now and then, Intel will continue to roll out Dothan Pentium Ms - the fastest clocked of these will be the 780, a 2.26GHz/533MHz/2MB chip. Further frequency upgrades will likely appear towards the end of the year.

Intel will also introduce a number of Celeron Ms - these chips only operate at 400MHz front side bus speeds, and have 1MB of level two cache. The 380 clocks at 1.60GHz and is expected in the third quarter, while the 1.70GHz 390 is expected to be released in Q1 of next year. There will also be low and ultra low voltage versions of Celeron Ms.

When the 780, its 2.26GHz Dothan is released, prices of the existing Pentium Ms will fall. Prices of the firm's Pentium 4M Celerons will also be reduced in late February on the 345, the 340, the 335, the 330, and the 325. µ