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Intel Boosts Celeron Speeds

Low-cost CPUs now run at up to 700 MHz.

By Reuters   

Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel introduced its fastest processors so far for personal computers that cost less than $1,000 and run at 700, 667, and 633 MHz. The chips are built using the 0.18 micron technology introduced last year that allows more processing power to be put on a single chip.

The new Intel Celeron processors chips are now available for volume shipments and are priced at $192 for 700-MHz chips, $170 for 667 MHz, and $138 for 633 MHz in volumes of 1,000 chips.

The new chips are built to fit in with existing PC designs, Jeff McCrea, director of Intel Desktop Products Group, says.

"All these products fit into today's existing infrastructure," McCrea says. "The infrastructure is there. The motherboards are there, so this can ramp very quickly in the marketplace."

McCrea says it was the first time that Intel had introduced three of the new Celeron processors at one time.

Asked about competition from Advanced Micro Devices' low-cost Duron family of microprocessors, McCrae says Intel is leading in the lower cost PC market where the Celeron chips are targeted.

"Intel Celeron products are actually the number-two selling products in the marketplace, and that's behind our Pentium 3 products," McCrae says. He declines to give any sales projections for the new chips.