Intel has taken square aim at the value PC arena in announcing a new 800MHz Celeron processor featuring a 100MHz system bus, and a new chip set dubbed the 810E2. The new Celeron 800MHz processor will sell for ERP AU$315, and new systems based on the chip will ship from several manufacturers in February this year. The move is a direct salvo aimed at AMD, which has been making inroads in the value PC arena with its Duron chips.
Performance Boost
According to Intel executive Seth Walker, Intel's internal tests show a new 800MHz Celeron system with a 100MHz system bus outperforming a 766MHz Celeron system with a 66MHz system bus by 20 percent in benchmark tests. "This is a big day for value PCs," says Walker.
In addition to a system bus speed upgrade to 100MHz, the new Celeron processors include Streaming SIMD Extensions and a customised cache interface. The chips are based on a 0.18-micron manufacturing process.
The new 810E2 chip set from Intel features a next-generation I/O Controller Hub (ICH2) that allows system functionality such as extra USB controllers, integrated six-channel surround sound, and Fast IDE. System bus and I/O bottlenecks have emerged as some of the top performance challenges facing chip manufacturers.
Intel's Celeron chips are the second-highest-selling PC processors in the world behind their Pentium processors. However, the Celeron line has faced aggressive challenges from AMD's speedy Duron line of processors, and the game of performance leapfrog that has been going on between AMD and Intel in the value segment of the market is likely to remain hotly contested. The Duron processors have made good use of fast front-side bus speed.
Stay tuned for upcoming performance tests on the first systems to include the new 800MHz Celeron processor and 810E2 chip set, along with comparable performance numbers for Duron-based systems.
Intel 800MHz Celeron
Company: Intel
Ph: 1300 363 018
Price: ERP AU$315.
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