IDF CPU Report - Intel & AMD

Intel will shortly be introducing even higher clock speed Celerons manufactured on the 0.18-micron process with the same 128KB of L2 cache we’re used to.  Contrary to what we’ve been told in the past, these Celerons will be 66MHz FSB CPUs only, meaning that they will most likely be the next big overclockers for us to enjoy.

If the yields on these 66MHz parts are as high as the yields on the Coppermines, then it shouldn’t be too out of the question to see a Celeron 566 running at 100MHz x 8.5 instead of its default 66MHz x 8.5 setting.  Since these CPUs are targeted at the low end market you can expect them to be quite affordable as well. 

The continuation of the 66MHz FSB Celeron line may mean a new upgrade option for older BX/LX motherboard owners, but the processors would admittedly have to have BIOS support in order for this wish to come true.  Imagine being able to use a board you bought over two years ago with a 700MHz processor…

The Celeron line will eventually welcome the Timna processor which, as we mentioned in Part 1 of our IDF coverage, is the first chip to boast Intel’s “Smart Integration.”

Smart Integration essentially takes the memory controller and the graphics controller and moves them off of the motherboard and actually integrates them onto the CPU.  This will definitely be a poor gaming solution compared to the dedicated 3D graphics accelerator solutions that will be available around the release of the Timna, but for the entry level market the Timna should be quite successful. 

According to Intel, the Timna’s integrated graphics should be an extension of the i752 graphics core, and not an entirely new design.

As a notebook solution, if it ever makes it into that market, the Timna should also be an interesting solution.