Part I - 2010 Core Processors & Technologies

As Intel and P1 prepared to unveil WiMAX embedded notebooks today (29th June, 2010), the former took the opportunity to gather around 15 members of the media from the South East Asia region for a workshop. The aim of this was to update the media on Intel’s new product lines, some of which were unveiled at this year’s Computex Taipei, as well as conduct some technology demonstrations which highlight some advancements that have been incorporated into these products.

Intel has been busy indeed; WiMAX-embedded notebooks will soon occupy much of the attention of the local I.T. industry but the company doesn’t want anyone to forget some of its other technologies that have made its way onto current products. These include its Wireless Display technology, CULV (consumer ultra-low voltage) Core processors, a couple of unlocked Core CPUs and not forgetting its Sandy Bridge platform, which will bring a new CPU micro-architecture to the market.

Intel Wireless Display
The new mobile Core i3, i5 and i7 processors have, in a short span of time, taken over from the older Core 2 Duo processors. Most notebooks on sale now boast these new CPUs as well as its accompanying chipset. One of the new features introduced is the Intel Wireless Display (Wi-Di), which allows users to wirelessly send audio and video to a Wi-Di receiver which is hooked up to any flat panel display via HDMI. To do this, notebooks must be equipped with the latest 2010 Core mobile processors, an integrated Intel HD Graphics solution, as well as the Intel Centrino 6000 series of Wireless adapters. Of course, users will have to buy a Wi-Di receiver and Netgear is one of the earliest to market with their PTV1000.

Unlocked Desktop Processors
With the Intel Core i7 Extreme processors, Intel started shipping ‘unlocked’ CPUs which basically allows users to tweak their system’s performance. Taking this a step further, the company has introduced two new desktop SKUs (Core i7-875K and i5-655K) which allow the same flexibility as its (significantly) more expensive Extreme Edition siblings. Without the locked multiplier, enthusiasts can tinker with the system’s bus speeds to achieve maximum performance.

Sandy Bridge On Track
The successful migration from a 45 nanometre manufacturing process to the current 32nm suggests that a ‘Tock’ cycle is coming up fast. Intel’s ‘Tick-Tock’ model alternates between new processor microarchitecture and shrinking of the manufacturing process. Sandy Bridge will bring many new technologies such as improved on-die graphics, faster clock speeds, support for higher DDR3 frequencies and also better performance per-watt. Sandy Bridge is on track for a Q4 2010 release.

Stay tuned for Part II, which will touch on Intel's Atom processor and related technologies.