Intel this month started shipping its first Celeron laptop processor based on Sandy Bridge architecture. It is a cheaper and stripped down version of the new Core i3, i5 and i7 counterparts.
The dual-core Celeron B810 processor runs at a speed of 1.6GHz, includes 2MB of cache and draws up to 35 watts of power. The chip is priced at US$86 when purchased in quantities of 1,000.
Celeron chips have been used in low-cost laptops designed for basic applications such as word processing and Internet surfing. Over the last two years, single-core Celeron chips have been used in sub-$300 laptops with 15.6-inch screens. The Celeron chip usually competes with AMD’s V-series and Sempron processors.
PC makers have not yet announced laptops based on the Celeron chips.
According to product details on Intel’s website, the Celeron B810 includes integrated graphics capabilities just like the Core i3, i5 and i7 chips, which are being used in the recently announced business and ultraportable laptops from Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo. But the Celeron chip is missing some power saving and speed-enhancement features such as Turbo Boost 2.0, in which idle processing cores can be shut down or cranked up depending on the level of processing power needed.
The Celeron chip is also missing certain graphics features such as Quick Sync, which converts high-definition video into a format suitable for smartphones in just a few seconds. The Celeron will also not be able to wirelessly stream high-definition content from laptops to high-definition TVs, which can be done on some laptops with Core i3, i5 and i7 chips.