[title]Intel 600 Series Processors Sampling[/title]
Intel has sampled one of its 600-series CPUs to some of its clients in Taiwan and has also given more details of technology support for its 945/955 chipsets for the dual-core Smithfield CPUs, which are slated for launch in the second quarter of next year, according to sources at Taiwan motherboard makers. Intel will use a codename, the P4P, to distinguish its 600-series chips that feature support of Intel¡¯s Speedstep technology, Enhanced Memory 64-bit Technology (EM64T) and Execution Disable Bit (EDB) capability, the sources noted.
Intel also informed local makers that its 945/955 northbridge would support a system bus running at 1066MHz and DDR2-667 memory, while the ICH7 southbridge will come with four ports for Serial ATA2, Matrix RAID and HD audio support.
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Intel¡¯s rival, seems, however, to be still one-step ahead of chipmakers in the development of dual-core CPUs, with market reports saying that AMD has already sent samples of its dual-core Opteron chips to a number of select clients.
