We’ve seen Pine trail platforms (Intel Atom N450) sported on several modern netbooks and nettops. However, as geeky as it sounds, it isn’t the end of the line for Intel’s domination on microprocessor industry. AMD must have been ‘crying in its pants’ every time Intel releases a new processor model. But, perhaps now the Phenom-maker would become ‘suicidal’ as Intel unveils its newest core processors both for mobile and desktop. Meet Arrandale and Clarkdale.
These new core processor brands will be showcased during the CES event on Jan. 7. There are several gadgets to watch out on that event so be sure to tune in to our hub. CES for us is the ultimate ‘gadget haven’ for techie and gadget freaks.
Basically, the two processor brands have similar features, the main difference however lies on its end product, Arrandale will be used in mobile/portable PCs (netbooks, nettops) whereas Clarkdale processor brands will be used for desktops. See spec list for more info on the two Intel microprocessors.
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The main ingredient for both is the inclusion of both Processor and GPU on a single package! However, don’t be surprised to see if the die isn’t monolithic (similar with previous Intel processor family). Instead, Intel infused the processor and GPU in two separate dies and were processed differently. For the Processor part, it was manufactured with the special 32nm (nanometer) technology while the GPU part was processed using the 45nm fabrication process. See photos below (processor has smaller die compared with GPU).
There’s a lot to spill about these two core processor brands. However, we don’t like to smash your brains (or ours) with two much technical jargons. If you’re interested to view more technical reviews about the Arrandale and Clarkdale processors, you could google it out.
Intel did a great job on combining Processor and GPU in a single package. Before, a L3 cache was included in the microprocessor package which AMD and Intel infused successfully. The goal of that of course was to improve performance (faster and more powerful) by reducing latency between RAM and the core. We have to give a little credit to AMD for conceptualizing the combination of processor and graphics in a single package. However, no doubt here, Intel is the MAN! They brought to life what AMD had conceptualized. It was simply a masterpiece.
The main objective of this fusion is mainly to achieve 3 goals (lower power consumption, lower cost and higher performance). With the advent of Arrandale and Clarkdale, all 3 were accomplished. The price however remains a big question mark (?) although Intel assures us that it will be reasonable ( otherwise, their 2nd goal will not materialize!).
For average technical readers, you can grasp the difference between the Nehalem processors (“i” series processors) and previous ones by viewing the comparison chart of Intel’s processors at wikipedia. It’s also good to point out that Arrandale and Clarkdale processors will be released on i3, i5 and i7 series. The main difference between the 3 are the L3 cache size and thermal design power. The smallest L3 cache is placed on i3 while the largest is on i7. On the other hand, i7 has the lowest thermal design power rating while i3 has the highest. Besides those, all three are similar on Frequency, socket and fabrication specs.
See this video for a more indepth look on the new Intel core processors. Here, the clarkdale i5 was discussed.
What to look forward to?
The CES event happening on January 7 what else! More exciting and new gadgets will be unfolded on that show. Never before seen and futuristic gizmos will be examined. Again, stay tune for more. As for the new Arrandale and Clarkdale processors, we can’t wait for these ‘babies’ be sported in upcoming netbooks and nettop models. Remember the saying “small is powerful”? Well, Intel made an astounding proof for ya!
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Tags: arrandale, arrandale review, arrandale specs, CES, clarkdale, clarkdale review, clarkdale specs, desktop PC, i3, i5, i7, intel, intel processors, laptops, microprocessor, nebooks, nettops, pine trail platform, pineview processor, processor and GPU
