Intel's transition to 32nm is well under way - and we've already seen its 32nm Clarkdale CPU-and-GPU chip benchmarked - but there's plenty more in store from the world's largest semiconductor manufacturer.
According to a recent roadmap leaked by Japanese website Impress, the chip giant will be rolling out a bevy of new processors in the first quarter of 2010 as part of its Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 brands.
At the lower-end of the scale, Clarkdale CPU-and-GPU chips will encompass both the Core i3 and Core i5 brands, with Turbo Boost acting as the differentiating factor.
The roadmap suggests that a 2.3GHz Core i3 530 and a 3.06GHz Core i3 540 will occupy the value segment, with both chips carrying a 73W TDP. Moving up a notch, the 3.2GHz Core i5 650 and 3.33GHz Core i5 660 will retain a 73W TDP and both feature Turbo Boost technology, allowing for single-core speeds of up to 3.45GHz and 3.6GHz, respectively.
Of interest to self-builders are the revamped Lynnfield parts. Designed to be more efficient, they carry a TDP of 82W - comfortably lower than the current 95W crop. Like Intel's power-efficient Core 2 range, the new Lynnfield chips - branded as both Core i5 and Core i7 - will carry an "s" suffix to highlight their low-power credentials.
The reduction of a chip's power envelope is usually achieved by a die shrink, but Intel's Lynnfield parts aren't moving to 32nm just yet. Instead, the "s" models will seemingly lower power usage by dropping clock speeds. Intel's 82W Core i5 750s is said to be clocked at 2.4GHz, comfortably lower than the 2.66GHz 95W variant. Similarly, the Core i7 860s will be clocked at 2.53GHz - lower than the 2.8GHz frequency of the existing 95W model.
There's no sign of movement in the Core i7 Bloomfield range, but at the top-end of the scale, Intel's six-core Gulftown chip - presumably productised as Core i9 - remains on course for Q2 2010.
With so much new-year movement, it really makes you think twice about any Christmas PC purchases.
