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SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Intel is going after PC gamers with a special processor called the Pentium 4 with Hyperthreading Technology, Extreme Edition, announced at the Intel Developer Forum here this week. Company executives say the new chip will begin shipping to PC vendors in 30 to 60 days, but didn't announce pricing.

The CPU will include a 2MB Level 3 cache, which should help boost its performance in demanding applications such as graphics-heavy games. Today's Pentium 4 processors include a 512KB L2 cache, but no L3 cache (in fact, none of Intel's desktop processors include an L3 cache). At launch the processor will run at 3.2 GHz, the same speed as Intel's current top-end Pentium 4.

Courting Gamers

The new chip will work with existing Pentium 4 motherboards, says Louis Burns, vice president and general manager of the desktop platforms group at Intel. Burns made the chip announcement during his keynote here Tuesday.

The new processor is aimed specifically at users who demand the best performance available, he says. "We're really targeting gamers. The performance boost is awesome."

That huge L3 cache should indeed improve performance, says Kevin Krewell, analyst and general manager at MicroDesign Resources. In the right system, with the right applications, you can probably expect a boost of up to 15 or 20 percent over today's 3.2-GHz P4 systems, he says.

You will, however, likely pay a hefty premium for that performance boost, he says.

"This is basically a Xeon MP processor, and that means it's going to be a pricey part," he says.

It's a good bet, however, that Intel won't charge the same amount for the new P4 as it does for a Xeon. Current Intel pricing (on quantities of 1000 to vendors) for the 3.2-GHz P4 is $637; the current price for a 2.8-GHz Xeon MP processor is $3692. Intel traditionally sells its Xeon MP processors for servers and workstations.

Prescott Problems?

The new chip announcement was a surprise move by Intel, apparently aimed at stealing some thunder from AMD's Athlon 64 launch, scheduled for next week, Krewell says. But it could also signify a problem with Intel's next-generation processor, due to ship later this year.

Intel continues to say that chip, code-named Prescott, will bring the company revenue in the fourth quarter of this year. But the company hasn't actually announced a launch date, Krewell notes.

If Intel is having problems getting Prescott ready for launch, it would make sense to ship this product instead, so the company has a new processor for the holidays, Krewell says. While the company has rolled out numerous new technologies this year, including new bus speeds, it has launched only a single speed jump for the P4 in 2003.

Intel's Burns, however, says Prescott is moving according to schedule, and he says the new chip is merely another way for Intel to target a specific market.

Intel has said Prescott will include 1MB of L2 cache, a new set of processor instructions, and improvements in Hyperthreading technology.

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