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Seven 32nm Intel mobile Core ix CPUs queued for Q1 2010

But which one has the built-in GPU?

It's well known that 32nm Intel Nehalem-class mobile CPU+GPU goodness will debut in Q1 2010, but what notebook-oriented processors will the chip giant introduce?

We're anticipating around seven 'Arrandale' processors to be launched early next year with both Core i5 and Core i7 branding. Members of both families will target performance laptops in both the low-voltage, thin'n'light and more standard notebook designs.

ULV Core i7s will run at 1.06GHz and 1.20GHz with room to overclock to 2.13GHz and 2.26GHz if the thermal conditions are right - Intel's set the envelope at 18W - 10W at standard speed. They'll have 4MB of L3 cache and support 800MHz DDR 3 memory. HyperThreading will double their logical core count to four.

The two LV i7s up the TDP to 25W (17W standard) and the DDR 3 memory speed to 1066MHz. The two will run at 2GHz and 2.13GHz, clocking up to 2.80GHz and 2.93GHz, respectively, if needed. Again, HyperThreading will double the core count.

The standard i7 will be a 2.66GHz part capable of reaching 3.33GHz if pushed, in which case the power envelope extends from 25W to 35W. The presence of 4MB of L3 indicates a dual-core chip, though HyperThreading doubles that count. Memory runs at up to 1066MHz.

Two Core i5s will appear below this latter model, both with the same TDP range and memory clock frequency as the 2.66GHz i7. They'll have lower standard and overclocked core speeds - 2.4GHz and 2.53GHz, rising to 2.93GHz and 3.06GHz - and only 3MB of L3 cache.

Incidentally, at least one Arrandale-based dual-core mobile Celeron is expected to debut in Q2 2010.

Not all Arrandales will feature an integrated graphics core, but at this stage it's not clear which - if any - of those listed will have it. They all certainly have a PCI Express controller able to connect directly to an external GPU.

Laptop buyers looking for true quad-core mobile processors from Intel will be served in Q4 2009 with a trio of 'Clarksfield' parts: the i7-720QM, the i7-820QM and the i7-920XM, running at standard/overclock speeds of 1.6/2.8GHz, 1.73/3.06GHz and 2.0/3.2GHz, respectively. All have 8MB of L3 cache and HyperThreading to make them appear to be eight-core CPUs.

When equivalents of these three chips appear at 32nm rather than 45nm isn't yet known, but reading between the lines, Q4 2010 seems a likely timeframe. ®

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