Japan gears up for Pentium D launch

Dual-core desktop CPUs appearing in store displays

Intel's upcoming dual-core Pentium D chip has started to appear in Japan's computer stores ahead of its formal introduction.

According to Japanese-language site Akiba PC Hotline, at least one shop has a Pentium D demo based on a Gigabyte 945 chipset-based motherboard. The display claims two CPU models, the 2.8GHz 820 and the 3GHz 830, are on their way, though we were expecting a 3.2GHz 840 to ship too.

Alas, the store does not provide prices, the report claims.

The Pentium D - aka 'Smithfield' - comprises two 'Prescott' cores, each with HyperThreading turned off. If you want HT, you'll need the recently released dual-core Pentium Extreme Edition 840, clocked at 3.2GHz.

The Gigabyte mobos on display are the GA-81945G Pro, the GA-81956P Pro and the GA-81945G-MF. The 'G-class' boards contain Intel's GMA 950 graphics core, which was first mentioned in public briefly during Spring IDF last February. The 'P-class' mobo is based on Intel's discrete chipset. ®

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