Intel Core i3 530 arriving on January 4, now on pre-sale at PC Hub Gilmore

First listed on the price list of local computer parts reseller Enigma Technologies, Intel's Core i3 530 processor is now on pre-sale at PC Hub Gilmore. The asking price may still be a bit steep for some -- 5,999 Pesos -- especially for a dual-core CPU with a 133MHz FSB. This new Core i-series processor will be compatible with LGA1156 socket motherboards, which are available for as low as 5,000 Pesos. So perhaps there is a point to having a CPU this affordable and, ahem, underpowered (compared to even the i5 750). Expect the first batch of i3 530s to arrive by January 4th.

Source: [PC Hub]

Dave Explains: Intel's new Pinetrail Atom platform detailed

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Today we had a total of five different netbook models announced with Intel's new Pinetrail Atom N450 processor (the Fujitsu LifeBook MH380, Asus Eee PC 1005PE, MSI Wind U130 and 135 and the Dell Inspiron Mini 10). But what exactly is this new processor all about, and how does it differ from the N270/N280 Atom CPUs that we've been hearing about in netbooks for the past year? In a way, Intel's Pinetrail platform of CPUs heralds a new age for the company's aging x86 processors. And things can only get better. Continue reading for a more in-depth explanation.

Scythe Mugen 2 Rev. B CPU cooler with LGA 1156 mounting kit now available

Scythe has finally announced the availability of the Mugen 2 Rev. B CPU cooler, complete with LGA 1156 socket compatible mounting kit, for those who have been waiting for it with bated breath since the new Intel socket's official announcement.

The company is also showing some love for owners of the original Scythe Mugen 2 CPU cooler by offering a separate Mugen 2 LGA1156 Conversion Kit. Of course, support for Intel's LGA 775 and LGA 1366 sockets remain, as well as for AMD sockets 754, 939, AM2(+) and AM3.

The Scythe Mugen 2 Rev. B CPU cooler with LGA 1156 mounting kit is available for $49.80 USD or about 2,200 Pesos while the conversion kit sells for just $7.95 or a little over 350 Pesos.

Source: [TechPowerUp]

Upcoming Intel Core i3 and i5 CPU prices revealed by Enigma Technologies

A local computer parts reseller (which also happens to be an Intel Channel Partner Premier Member) called Enigma Technologies has just listed three of Intel's upcoming LGA1156 desktop processors in their latest online price list. The said processors are the Intel Core i3 530, Core i3 540, and the Core i5 650; all of which fall under Intel's Clarkdale family of processors done on a 45nm process and have a 133 MHz FSB.

The local prices, according to Enigma Technologies, are going to be 5,900 Pesos, 6,900 Pesos and 9,100 Pesos respectively. With all of these being dual core Clarkdale processors clocked at 3.2GHz and below, the pricing is a bit ridiculous--especially when you consider than the quad-core Intel Core i5 750 processor sells for just 9,500 Pesos these days. But anyway, prices are probably subject to change, and of course you're free to look elsewhere for possibly lower prices. Still, it sort of makes you wonder: why did Intel even bother?

Source: [Enigma Technologies Philippines (PDF pricelist)]

Intel working on 32nm Cedarview-D Atom platform with sub-10W TDP

Think the Atom processor is small enough? Well apparently, Intel does not. The Atom processor is going to get smaller and smaller, and consume less power as the months go by and we enter into 2010. Based on information picked up by Fudzilla, Intel is set to launch a new Atom platform codenamed "Cedarview-D" possibly some time in late 2010. We'll bear witness to the Pineview-D nettop platform's launch when next year arrives, but then it will make way for the new 32nm Atom CPUs with sub-10W TDP which are part of the Cedarview-D platform. So it offers less power consumption with a smaller TDP, less cost due to being part of Intel's 32nm process, and better reliability... or so we are told. One can only hope, though, that this doesn't result in an even weaker processor that bogs down the entire system as the biggest bottleneck as with most Atom-powered mobile devices these days.

Source: [Fudzilla]

Intel's Gulftown Core i9 hexa-core CPU previewed with set of benchmarks and overclocking

The fabled Intel Core i9 processor, codenamed Gulftown with its six physical cores and support for multi-threading, sounds like a pretty promising piece of hardware, doesn't it? Polish hardware site PClab.pl has gone through the trouble of showing its potential through a series of benchmarks, as well as monitoring power consumption and performance when overclocking. The result? It is indeed something to watch out for. It's not going to be very useful for gamers with the limited multi-threading support in games these days, but for desktop servers and workstations, Intel's hexa-core 32nm Gulftown CPU should shine, able to overclock easily up to 4.3GHz and providing six additional virtual cores to go alongside the six physical ones it already has. Check out the full hands on review for more.

Read - Intel Core i9 (Gulftown) - 6 cores, 32 nm: hands-on review

Sources: [PCLab, NordicHardware]

Intel to launch Core i5 and Core i3 processors in mainstream notebooks on January 2010

While having Intel's top-of-the-line Core i7 processors on notebooks might not sound like a very good idea to some (taking power consumption and heat generated into account), having Intel's Core i5 and upcoming Core i3 processors on notebooks seem like a much more interesting proposition. And this will become a reality soon as Intel is expected to launch a total of four 32nm dual-core Arrandale CPUs during the first half of January 2010, which are the Core i5-520M, Core i5-430M, Core i3-350M and Core i3-330M. This is according to notebook players being cited in a recent report by DigiTimes. The Chinese news site adds:

The Intel Core i5-430M runs at a clock speed of 2.26GHz, but with Intel's Turbo Boost technology, it can run up to 2.53GHz for a single core. The Intel Core i3-350M also runs at 2.26GHz, but does not support Turbo Boost technology; Intel Core i3-330M runs at 2.13GHz and also does not support Turbo Boost technology.

Core i5 CPUs will feature a graphics clock that runs at a base speed of 500MHz but can also run at speeds up to 766MHz. The Core i3 also runs at 500MHz but can also run at speeds up to 667MHz. Both series support DDR3 memory up to 1066MHz and feature 3MB L3 Cache with a TDP of 35W.

This is definitely good news and is worth waiting out for. Do not buy new notebooks come Christmas time is what I'm trying to say.

Source: [DigiTimes]