A notable inclusion of perhaps every processor-in-box product, apart from the processor, cooler and documentation, is the case-badge for the processor. The case-badge is a small sticker that shows the company logo for the processor installed in the PC. Intel is reportedly designing new logos (in effect case-badges) for at least 14 of its products. The logos, most of which are rounded-rectangle shaped seem to have been designed to give the processor box a new look, also indicating perhaps that the company is designing new packaging material as well, that use the new logos.

Intel has large volumes of Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad and Xeon processors in the making, that Intel feels need new clothing. Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad, get the distinct chrome-blue colour that one can find in the Core i7 (non-XE) logo. Core 2 and Core i7 logos look similar at the first glance. Core 2 Extreme gets the chrome-black colour the Core i7 XE logo has. All Centrino series badges stick to the silver-white colour scheme. The logo designs have small inlets on the top-right corner that have small portions of the die-shot. Core 2 and Centrino logos have die-shots of a portion of the Penryn core, while the Core i7 logos use those of the Bloomfield core. Interestingly, Xeon keeps its current logo, as well as a new one with chrome-slate colour, and design of the current Core i7 logo, perhaps making it clear the Xeon processor is based on the Nehalem architecture. The new logos will be effective from Q2 2009.

Fujitsu PC Asia Pacific unveils the fashion forward Fujitsu LifeBook A1120 with replaceable lids for expressing your personality and complementing your style. Not just a good-looker, the Fujitsu LifeBook A1120 is also better in performance and higher in display brilliance than its predecessor, making itself a reliable and all-rounded performer.

The LifeBook A1120 is faster and lets you multi-task painlessly as it is powered by the Intel Core 2 Duo processor T6400 and can support up to 4GB memory. Together with the Mobile Intel GM45 Express Chipset and a mega storage capacity of up to 250GB on a 5400rpm SATA hard disk, the Fujitsu LifeBook A1120 endows users with maximum productivity with minimum effort.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today announces the enterprise-grade TS-809 Pro Turbo NAS-the new high performance and high volume NAS (network attached storage). The TS-809 Pro is powered by Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz CPU and 2GB DDRII memory, supports 8 SATA drive bays that accommodate up to 12TB storage capacity (16TB possible when 2TB hard drives are available), and offers advanced RAID features, e.g. RAID 0/1/5/6/5+spare, Online RAID Capacity Expansion and Online RAID Level Migration. Other advanced business features include iSCSI with Thin Provisioning, AES 256-bit volume-based encryption, automatic policy-based IP blocking, instant SMS and email alert etc.

"The TS-809 Pro adopts Intel Core 2 Duo high performance CPU which brings extremely high speed experience for multiple business applications. It is an excellent choice for storage-hungry enterprises who demand for outstanding system performance in an intensive data access environment," remarked by Laurent Cheng, Product Manager from QNAP. According to the IOmeter test in QNAP lab, the read/ write performance of the TS-809 Pro reaches more than 126MB/s and 111 MB/s respectively. The TS-809 Pro can also be used as a mass data storage center, especially for SOHO and home users, to store and share millions of multimedia files.

Silicon giant Intel, has reportedly decided to lay to rest, seven of its popular CPUs, under the Core 2 Extreme and Core 2 Quad series, by Q3 2009. The process of phasing these models out takes place in two stages: issuing product discontinuation notices (PDNs) to channel vendors and other key distributors, and to declare the product end of life (EOL) shortly after. Likely to face the axe are Core 2 Extreme models QX9770 and QX9650; Core 2 Quad models Q9450, Q6700 and Q6600.

As of now, Core 2 Quad Q9450 has already been phased out, while the older Q6700 is awaiting EOL declaration within this month. For Core 2 Quad Q6600, one of Intel's most popular offerings, and perhaps the most successful quad-core desktop processor SKU at the markets, PDNs will be issued in February, and it will reach EOL sometime in Q2 2009. Meanwhile, for the Yorkfield-based Core 2 Extreme models, PDNs will be issued in February, and they will be reach EOL in Q2. In related news, Core 2 Duo E7200 and Pentium E2200 will be phased out by Q3 this year, with no word on the specifics of their PDNs.

Intel has launched a new flagship dual-core processor under its Core 2 Duo series: the E8700. As the number suggests, the new chip will have its FSB multiplier value increased by 0.5x. Based on the Wolfdale core, the new model has already made it to Intel's ARK information system on its official webpage (found here).

The new chip comes with a clock-speed of 3.50 GHz, with an FSB of 1,333 MHz. The FSB multiplier value on this chip is 10.5, which gives it a 167 MHz increment over the E8600. Despite the high clock speed, it continues to hold a rated TDP of 65W. It features 6 MB of L2 cache and supports all features listed for the Core 2 Duo E8000 series processors. Intel claims that the chip will be available from its end for at least the next two years. It is yet to be listed by popular computer hardware stores, so we could know its availability and pricing. In most likelihood, it could displace the E8600 from its price-point, looking at the way Intel has been dealing with its lineup lately.

If the Chinese HKEPC is to be believed, Intel is planning on slashing the prices of six Core 2 Duo processors, including the Core 2 Quad Q8200 (down from $193 to $183), the Core 2 Duo E7400 (down from $133 to $113), E5300 (down from $86 to $74), E5200 (down from $84 to $64), E2220 (down from $74 to $64) and E1400 (down from $53 to $43). On January 18th, Intel will also come out with two low-cost dual-core processors - the Core 2 Duo E7500 (2.93GHz@1066MHz FSB, 3MB L2 cache, 65W TDP) and E5400 (2.70GHz@1066MHz FSB, 2MB L2 cache, 65W TDP). This month will see the release of several energy efficient Intel Core 2 Quads as well. Here are their models and specs:

• Core 2 Quad Q9550s - 2.83GHz@1333MHz FSB, 12MB L2 cache, 65W TDP, $369
• Core 2 Quad Q9400s - 2.66GHz@1333MHz FSB, 6MB L2 cache, 65W TDP, $320
• Core 2 Quad Q8200s - 2.33GHz@1333MHz FSB, 4MB L2 cache, 65W TDP, $245

MSI today unveiled the EX625 performance notebook. MSI EX625 features Cinema Pro Technology, which offers consumers the finest movie viewing experience. With a simple touch of the exclusive Cinema Pro button; you may immediately switch to Movie Mode. The quality on screen will be more detailed, the richness in sound and the subwoofer as well as Dolby sound will be activated, providing the finest sensory of the theaters. Furthermore, the embedded high performance subwoofer design can create shocking effects.

Combing Color Film Print Technology with ocean wave patterns in design, the EX625 has been injected with a brand new texture to personal notebook computers. The most advanced ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4670 graphics card with GDDR3 512MB VRAM, for a more fluid, more detailed, more realistic 3D high-definition viewing experience. In the other hand, EX625 selects the brand new ECO Engine Technology, the outstanding and unique power saving function by MSI Notebook, as the power management function to extend the battery running time while performing different tasks.

Intel has released a total of five new mobile processors over the holidays, including one quad-core CPU and four dual-core models:

• Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000 - 2.0 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 6MB of L2 cache, TDP 45W - $348
• Intel Core 2 Duo T9800 - 2.93 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 6MB of L2 cache, TDP of 35W - $530
• Intel Core 2 Duo T9550 - 2.66 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 6MB of L2 cache, TDP of 35W - $348
• Intel Core 2 Duo P9600 - 2.66 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 6MB of L2 cache, TDP of 25W - $316
• Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 - 2.53 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 6MB of L2 cache, TDP of 25W - $241

After outlining the phase out schedule for its Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor, Intel today reported that it is retiring two more CPUs - the 2.66GHz Core 2 Quad Q6700 Kentsfield (65nm) quad-core and the 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo E4700 Allendale (65nm) dual-core. Intel will be taking orders for both processors until March 24, 2009 and shipping them until June 4, 2010 in trays, and until July 3, 2009 boxed.

The launch of Core i7 processors may have kicked off in great fanfare, given that the industry has been preparing rigorously for its launch since the turn of Q2 2008, but sources at motherboard vendors tell DigiTimes that it might be as long as Q3 2009, by the time sales and shipments really pickup. Intel on its part, has already claimed to have shipped over 100,000 Core i7 units. The odd thing about Core i7's launch is its timing. It comes at a time when Intel's desktop processors are successful in the market, and that Intel didn't stall its related technology development to pave the way for it.

Intel recently issued a list of the processors it will be phasing out in favour of the new and faster Core i7 CPUs. The list includes several 65nm, 45nm and some laptop processors:

• Q9450 (2.66 GHz 1333 MT/s, quad-core, 95 watt, LGA775, Yorkfield 45nm)
• E8200 (2.66 GHz 1333 MT/s, dual-core, 65 watt, LGA775, Wolfdale 45nm)
• E8190 (2.66 GHz 1333 MT/s, dual-core, 65 watt, LGA775, Wolfdale 45nm)
• E6850 (3.00 GHz 1333 MT/s, dual-core, 65 watt, LGA775, Conroe 65nm)
• E6750 (2.66 GHz 1333 MT/s, dual-core, 65 watt, LGA775, Conroe 65nm)
• E6550 (2.33 GHz 1333 MT/s, dual-core, 65 watt, LGA775, Conroe 65nm)
• E6540 (2.33 GHz 1333 MT/s, dual-core, 65 watt, LGA775, Conroe 65nm)
• E4600 (2.40 GHz 800 MT/s, dual-core, 65 watt, LGA775, Allendale 65nm)
• T7400 (2.16 GHz 667 MT/s, mobile dual-core, 34 watt, Socket-M, Merom 65nm)
• Celeron-M 530 (1.73 GHz mobile, 533 MT/s, single-core, 30 watt, Socket-M, Merom-1024 65nm)

You will still be able to get these items until 2010, but Intel is already taking measures to slowly phase them out from the market.

According to industry observer DigiTimes, Intel would be giving its Montevina mobile computing platform an update, with the introduction of new processors and core logic (chipsets). The update, for the most part, revolves around the mid/high range products. Intel would be introducing Core 2 Duo models T9900 and P8800. The T9900 would be Intel's flagship mobile dual-core chip, with the P8800 leading the performance mainstream range.

Intel also plans new chipsets. The Intel GM47 Express would be the company's next high-end mobile chipset, and is slated for Q1, 2009. Intel will also launch GM43 and GS43 Express chipsets for entry-level notebook and small form-factor (SFF) PCs. In other news, it is also expected that the company gets ready to launch the GM55 (Mobile Ibex-Peak) chipset between July and August, 2009. GM55 would be Intel's Nehalem processor supportive chipset for the Auburndale dual-core and Clarksfield quad-core processors, with the platform itself being codenamed Calpella.

MSI has invited leather craftsmen with decades of experience in order to select the finest leather, determined with the highest standards in every detail, taking over 2 months to produce the very limited amount of the MSI PX600 Prestige Collection with real handmade craftsmanship, the warm and tender leather in texture offering the most unique quality of the PX600 Prestige Collection.

The PX600 Prestige Collection is the primary example for the combination of classic leather with modern brushed aluminum thread, demonstrating exquisite classic and simplistic modern. The NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS DDR3 256MB VRAM provides a more fluid, more detailed, and more realistic 3D high-definition viewing experience. Never a moment of delay to occur, feel the excitement.

Industry sources tell DigiTimes, that Intel would be launching a fleet of mid-thru-high end mobile processors on December 28, later this year. These processors fall under the 35W Core 2 Duo range, for use in notebooks. The processors include Core 2 Duo models T9800, P9600, T9550 and T8700. It also includes Core 2 Quad Q9000. The dual-core chips are priced (in above order) US$530, $348, $316 and $241, while the Q9000 will sell for $348, in thousand-unit tray quantities.

Around the same time, Intel would give the desktop Core 2 Duo E8600, a much needed price cut sending its price from $241 to $209. In other news, the P55 PCH chipset for LGA-1160 socket, would be available in the third quarter of 2009, note sources at motherboard manufacturers.

Toshiba made two new additions to the mainstream notebook scene, with the 15.4" Satellite Pro S300, and 14.1" Satellite Pro S300M. These notebooks are largely business-class, with features aiding business applications. They feature built-in business card readers, face-recognition systems, a USB Sleep-and-Charge/eSATA combo port, built-in support for docking and the fourth-generation EasyGuard technology, which is a preventative maintenance utility that keeps check on the performance and functionality of the notebooks's critical hardware components.

Under the hood, these notebooks feature a Centrino 2 class 45nm Core 2 Duo processor, 2~4 GB of memory, up to 250 GB of hard-drive space, DVD SuperMulti drive. The integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD IGP handles graphics. As for the software, Windows Vista Business is the standard OS, users could opt for Windows XP Professional. The S300 starts at US$ 829, with the S300M at $899.

PC major Acer made additions to its notebook lineup, with the introduction of four new Aspire Gemstone series notebooks. It includes Aspire Gemstone 8930-6448, an 18.4" model, along with a 16" Aspire Gemstone 6930-6809, the 15.6" 5735-4624 and the 14.1" 4730-4374. The Aspire Gemstone 8930-6448 is the flagship model, it comes with a CrystalBrite TFT LCD display, with a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. At the heart of it, is a Core 2 Duo T9400 processor, clocked at 2.53 GHz. It includes 4 GB of memory, a 320 GB hard drive, and NVIDIA GeForce 9700M GT graphics with 512 MB of memory. The laptop also boasts a DVD writer, a 6-in-1 card reader, a webcam, is pre-loaded with Windows Vista Ultimate and costs about US $1700.

The rest are downscale models of essentially the same design, albeit come of them not featuring a full-sized keyboard and those special media control feather-touch buttons. The 16" Gemstone 6930-6809 comes with a native screen resolution of 1366x760 pixels. It is powered by a Core 2 Duo T5800 at 2.00 GHz, with 3GB of RAM, a 320GB 5400 RPM HDD, DVD writer and Intel GMA 4500HD integrated graphics. It is priced at $700, and comes with Vista Home Premium installed. The 5735-4624 offers the same screen resolution as the 6930-6809. It features the 2 GHz T3200 processor, 2GB of RAM, 160GB 5400 RPM hard drive and integrated graphics. Windows Vista Home Premium is bundled. It sells for $550. At the very same price point, the 14.1" Gemstone 4730-4374 sports a native resolution of 1280x800 pixels, it is powered by a T3200 CPU, 2GB of RAM and a 120GB SATA hard drive.

New reports suggest that on October 19th (on my birthday) Intel is planning to cut the prices of several Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors. According to the report on that date prices of the 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 and the 2.3GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 will drop from $193 to $183, and from $224 to $193 respectively. Intel's dual-core 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo E7300 will fall from $133 to $113. In addition the company plans to introduce a new 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo E7400 part on that date too.

The Intel Core 2 Duo E7000 series has brought in great performance at a low price point. They are basically current 45nm Wolfdale core based processors with 3 MB of L2 cache and 1066 MHz FSB. What it also means that it comes with higher FSB multiplier values to achieve the designated clock speeds. For applications that aren't cache intensive, and for users with appropriate tweaking skills, the E7000 series is a boon. Sources claim that on October 19th, Intel will release the Core 2 Duo E7400 processor, a successor to the current E7300. The release also affects prices across its segment.

The E7400 comes with a 2.80 GHz clock speed. It comes with a FSB multiplier of 10.5x for and 3 MB of L2 cache. Coming to its price, it displaces the E7300 from its current price of US $133 and pushes it down to $113, the E7400 will be priced at $133. In its segment, the E7400 will compete with AMD's Phenom X3 8750 and Phenom X4 9550, though it is expected to perform better than AMD's offerings in that price-range given today's applications.

Intel launched three budget processors that include the Core 2 Quad Q8200, Core 2 Duo E5200 and Celeron D 450. The Q8200 quad-core chip comes with a clock-speed of 2.33 GHz. This processor is based on the newer 45 nm silicon fabrication process and comes with a total of 4 MB L2 cache. Owing to a front-side bus frequency of 1333 MHz, it comes with a FSB multiplier of 7x. This part is priced at US $224 in thousand-unit tray quantities.

The Core 2 Duo E5200 is clocked at 2.50 GHz, comes with 2 MB of L2 cache and 800 MHz FSB with a multiplier of 12.5x. It is priced at $84. This one is based on the 45nm process as well. The Celeron D 450 is clocked at 2.2 GHz with 800 MHz memory and features 512 KB of L2 cache. It is priced at $53 per piece. This however, is based on the older 65nm process.

A new world record has been set today (technically yesterday). Shark OC Team Italy has published the undeniable evidence that their DFI DK P45-T2RS PLUS motherboard and Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 processor are the fastest computer combo to calculate Super PI 1M in just 6.875 seconds. This world record was achieved using the E8600 CPU clocked at the incredible 6562MHz (FSB 656MHz x 10 multi) with 1.968 volts! not the best imaginable core voltage for a 45nm processor. If you are interested at what today's technology is capable of doing, please head over the original thread at XtremeSystems.com.

Congrats team Italy!

Without much pomp, Intel expanded its laptop processor lineup with new variants of the Core 2 Duo, the S-Series. These chips use the same small package Intel used in making processors for the Apple MacBook Air and similar compact deployments of the Core 2 Duo. These chips run run at clock speeds between 1.20 and 2.40 GHz. Nomenclature includes a "SP" and "SL" prefixes to a model number of 9400 for the top model and 9300 for the lower one. There's a "SU" prefix for low-cost variants with 3 MB L2 caches and 800 MHz FSB speeds.

The S-series chips and platform core-logic are about 60% smaller than their conventional counterparts, Intel confirms that their transit to the 45 nm silicon fabrication process has made it possible to reduce the package size and also reduce their energy footprint. Lenovo, it seems has already started using the SU 9300 or 9400 parts in its Thinkpad X301 slim form-factor laptops that are aimed to compete with Apple's MackBook air updates. The first picture shows (left to right) the processor, northbridge and southbridge. An extract from the product page shows its models.

Following the release of two variants of dual and quad core processors (CPU) this Monday last (covered here), A new set of CPUs are lined up for release by the end of this month. Here's a quick round-up of things to come according to industrial sources:


Product Additions

• A cost-effective Core 2 Quad, model Q8200 with 4 MB of total L2 cache, 2.33 GHz of clock speed, price of US$224 in thousand-unit tray quantities
• A value segment Pentium Dual Core E5200, 2.50 GHz priced at $84
• Another value segment 65nm Conroe-L-based Celeron 450 CPU at 2.20GHz and price-tag of $53

Following the official name scheme confirmation of the Nehalem processors, Intel today also slashed the price of its Core 2 Quad Q9550 (2.83 GHz) CPU by a massive 40% from $530 to $316 in 1000-unit tray quantities. In addition Intel introduced today four new CPUs, confirming the Sunday information posted on our site here:

• Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 2.66GHz 3MB L2 cache - $133
• Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 3.33GHz 6MB L2 cache - $266
• Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 (45nm) 2.66GHz 1333MHz FSB 6MB L2 cache - $266
• Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 (45nm) 3.0GHz 12MB L2 cache - $576

Later on, Intel will release a third Core 2 Quad processor, the Q8200 CPU working at 2.33GHz.

Intel will release four mid-thru-high range desktop processors tomorrow. These CPUs will be based on the 45nm Yorkfield and Wolfdale cores. Two new Core 2 Quad models, the performance segment Q9650 and the mainstream segment Q9400 are dressed up. The Q9650 has identical parameters to the Core 2 Extreme QX9650 barring the locked FSB multiplier of 9x. The Q9400 is an improvement over the current Q9300. It has a 2.66 GHz core clock speed with a total of 6 MB L2 cache and an FSB multiplier of 8x.

With the Core 2 Duo, there is a top of the line dual core chip, the E8600 which comes with 3.33 GHz core speed, 6 MB of L2 cache and an FSB multiplier of 10x. There's also a mid-range offering, the E7300 that comes with 2.66 GHz core speed, 1066 MHz FSB and an FSB multiplier of 10x. It has 3 MB of L2 cache.

Andre Yang, a civil engineer doing his PhD. in the US obtained a high-performing Core 2 Duo E8600 processor, he succeeded in overclocking this chip to a stellar 6.70 GHz clock-speed (FSB 672.16 x 10.0). The processor uses liquid-nitrogen (LN2) cooling and surprisingly this processor was overclocked on a motherboard with the Intel X48 chipset, the ASUS Rampage Extreme when previous record-holders across several recent processors made use of either the Intel P35 or P45-based motherboards. The validation page for this overclock can be reached here