Intel's new Clarkdale and Arrandale processors launched, benchmarked, and judged from all angles

This year's newest dual-core Core i3 and i5 processors (codenamed Arrandale and Clarkdale) have just been officially launched by Intel and already Anandtech has put up data on performance, among other things. The new Clarkdale processors, which will fall under the desktop category, will run on Intel's LGA 1156 socket and all existing P55 motherboards will support them with a proper BIOS update (all seven of them, ranging from the high-end Intel Core i5-670 which will retail at nearly $300 USD and the entry-level Intel Core i3-530 which is already on pre-sale at PC Hub Gilmore).

Meanwhile, Intel also plans to launch entirely new motherboards with integrated graphics in the form of the H55, H57 and Q57 chipsets. Apparently, this is where Intel's new processors shine, giving integrated graphics a new leash on life both on the desktop as well as the laptop category, with Arrandale taking care of things in the mobile department (with no less than 11 mobile Arrandale CPUs, at that).

So, there's a slight increase in performance in terms of computing power and graphics processing with Clarkdale and Arrandale, but not enough to warrant their slightly ridiculous price tags, which I've already pointed out on several occasions. But why should you take my word for it? Go on and read Anandtech's review of the new processors for yourself, with two clear links as sources below.

Source: [Anandtech - Arrandale review, Clarkdale review]

Asus P7P55D EVO and PRO motherboard now available in the Philippines

Done buying up all the parts necessary for your new PC running on Intel's P55 Express chipset? If not, and you're still in the process of picking out a motherboard to use your new Lynnfield processor on, then add these two newly available Asus mobos into your list of options. The Asus P7P55D PRO and Asus P7P55D EVO are the two most affordable P55 motherboards from Asus with 2 PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots that run in x8/x8 mode when used with 2 GPUs.

I used to recommend the cheaper vanilla P7P55D and even the P7P55D LE motherboards from the same company, until I found out that the second PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots on those ones only ran on x4 mode with a second GPU. For those that don't know, this is very bad news if you want to run your GPUs in Crossfire, and at least x8/x8 is necessary to be able to experience the benefits of such a dual-GPU configuration. And so, the Asus P7P55D PRO and EVO are yours for the picking. Happy New Year!

Sources: [P7P55D PRO, P7P55D EVO]

Asus X77 laptop update to feature Intel Core i5 CPU, Radeon HD 5730 graphics

Gaming on a laptop is not something I enjoy doing personally, but I do know that there are a lot of people out there who do enjoy doing this. So I can understand why anyone would be excited over hearing that the Asus X77 laptop, a 17.3-inch screened monster that is currently available for anyone with a heart for gaming and a very deep pocket, will get an upgrade this coming January 2010 to include an Intel Core i5 430 processor and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730 graphics.

The particular GPU mentioned above has not yet been revealed by AMD and will likely be a less powerful version of the Radeon HD 5750 and 5770 GPUs. Other specs include two 500GB hard drives, 4GB of memory, eSATA, HDMI-out and a native resolution of 1600x900. Pricing info is not yet known at the moment, though it will probably be around 1000 Euros or about 66,500 Pesos.

Source: [Fudzilla]

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 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]