Faster Mobile Pentium 4 CPU Due

Intel is set to roll out a faster version of its Pentium 4 processor for notebook users on Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the company's plans. In addition, on Sunday the chip maker cut prices by as much as 27 percent on some existing mobile chips, apparently in preparation for the launch.

New processors on tap for Tuesday include a mobile Pentium 4 Processor-M running at 1.8 GHz, the source said. That is an improvement on that family's existing speeds of 1.7 GHz and 1.6 GHz. Intel also will introduce slower versions of the chip to round out the product line, the source said.

Mobile Strategy

It wasn't immediately clear which notebook makers would offer the chips in new systems, but at least a handful of major system makers typically climb on board for an Intel speed upgrade. The company plans to make sure the new chips are available at U.S. retail outlets, where they were sometimes hard to come by after the first mobile Pentium 4 processors were launched in March, the source said.

An Intel spokesperson declined to comment on Monday on products that have not yet been announced.

The chip maker competes with Advanced Micro Devices in the market for PC chips. Their battles have spread across desktop and mobile markets, but Intel clearly considers the mobile chip market a major opportunity. At its annual developers' conference in February, Intel executives described ever-smaller mobile chips that will power appliances and very portable tools.

For example, Intel wants to put an entire radio in the corner of one of its CPUs, said Pat Gelsinger, vice president and chief technology officer. That capability will make it easier to create seamless wireless networks, he said.

Intel reinforced its commitment to increasing the speed and shrinking the size of chips as recently as last week, in a presentation at Microsoft's Windows Hardware Engineering Conference. There, Intel previewed Banias, the first chip Intel designed for mobile use from its origin. Banias, which integrates 802.11 support, is expected to ship in 2003.

Prices Trimmed

On Sunday, Intel cut prices of its mobile Pentium III-M Processor family, which is based on an older chip architecture than the mobile Pentium 4 Processor-M. The price of the 1.2-GHz version fell 21 percent to $401, while the price of the 1.13-GHz version was cut by 27 percent, to $294. The 1.06-GHz and 1.0-GHz versions each fell 18 percent in price, to $241 and $198, respectively, Intel said. (Prices are for chips bought in 1000-unit quantities.)

The Pentium III Processor-M comes with a 133-MHz or 100-MHz system bus and uses Intel's P6 microarchitecture. The Pentium 4 Processor-M comes with a 400-MHz system bus and uses Intel's newer NetBurst microarchitecture.