Intel Chips In to Power Larger Laptops

Intel added a third mobile processor line to its roster Wednesday with the launch of the Mobile Intel Pentium 4 CPU, designed for heavy desktop-replacement notebooks, the company said.

The new chip is optimized for a mobile environment but can still deliver desktop-caliber performance, said Shannon Johnson, an Intel spokesperson. It will launch at clock speeds of 3.06 GHz, 2.8 GHz, 2.66 GHz, and 2.4 GHz, and it can switch to a 1.6-GHz battery mode that uses less power.

Consumers have made desktop-replacement notebooks one of the hottest-selling products among PCs this year. Such notebooks aren't suitable for travel, but they can play movies or download Internet content at desktop speeds while offering a degree of mobility, even if it's just from room to room.

Heating Up

To reach that level of performance, many notebook makers have released notebooks with desktop processors, but those notebooks are susceptible to overheating. Toshiba is still involved in litigation over a notebook it released in 2002 with a desktop processor that couldn't run at its advertised speed due to processor overheating.

The new Mobile Intel Pentium 4 processors can run at higher frequencies and hotter temperatures than the Mobile Intel Pentium 4-M processors previously recommended by Intel for larger notebooks, Johnson said. Intel raised the maximum wattage from about 45 watts in the Mobile Intel Pentium 4-M to about 70 watts in the new chips, she said. As more power flows through a chip, power increases, but so does heat.

The new chips are essentially versions of Intel's desktop Pentium 4 processor that come with Intel's SpeedStep technology for reducing power in between processing tasks, and even keystrokes, she said. By applying power only when needed, this technology can help reduce the overall heat that the processor generates.

Product Plans

Dell Computer released a desktop-replacement notebook Wednesday based on Intel's new processor line. The Inspiron 5150 comes with a 3.06-GHz Mobile Intel Pentium 4 processor, and is designed to be used as a home multimedia machine, the company said in a release.

A base-configuration notebook with the 3.06-GHz processor, 256MB of DDR SDRAM, a 30GB hard drive, a 15-inch display, and a DVD-ROM drive costs $1549.

Intel now has a variety of similarly named mobile processors, including the Pentium M, the Mobile Intel Pentium 4-M, and the Mobile Intel Pentium 4. As part of Wednesday's announcement, Intel increased the speed of the fastest Mobile Intel Pentium 4-M processor to 2.6 GHz Wednesday, which will be the last speed bump for that processor line, she said.

The Mobile Intel Pentium 4-M will gradually be phased out over the rest of this year, subject to customer demand, Johnson said. Later this year, Intel is expected to launch Dothan, its first mobile processor built on its 90-nanometer process technology.

Prices for the new Mobile Intel Pentium 4 processors range from $417 for the 3.06-GHz chip to $186 for the 2.4-GHz chip, in quantities of 1000 units. The new 2.6-GHz Mobile Intel Pentium 4-M chip is priced at $562, also in 1000-unit quantities.