Dueling Dual-Cores: 2006 Mobile CPU Forecast

Intel "Yonah" Makes Its Debut
With one new processor technology already released, and a potentially monumental new CPU architecture coming in the second half of the year, it's clear that Intel is looking for a knockout punch in the mobile category in 2006.

Early in January, Intel fired the first shot in the 2006 mobile processor campaign when it released the first-ever dual-core mobile processor: the Core Duo.

Formerly code-named "Yonah," the Core Duo is a highly efficient 65nm processor. (See the following page for more on the 65nm fabrication process.) One of the key developments of this CPU is the presence of a shared 2MB L2 cache. Named SmartCache, this feature (which the first-generation Pentium D dual-core processors lacked) allows for improved communications between the two CPU cores and faster data processing.

		Mobile CPUs In 2006
		•  Introduction •  Intel Fires First: Core Duo •  Intel Ups The Ante: Merom •  AMD Retaliates: Turion 64 •  What And When To Buy

Early online tests comparing the Core Duo to a Pentium M (Intel's previous mobile CPU line) of the same clock speed have indicated performance gains of 30 percent with a simultaneous 15-percent increase in battery life. That's impressive.

Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that Apple Computer is using Core Duo processors in its new MacBook Pro laptops. This is a tremendous advantage for Intel because it allows the chipmaker exclusive domain in a massive new market. In fact, demand for Apple's new Core Duo-powered notebooks has been so high that company representatives have warned of possible shortages.

Intel has also released a lower-cost single-core version of this same Yonah CPU architecture known as the Core Solo.

One disadvantage of the Core Duo and Core Solo processors is the absence of 64-bit processing. It's no big deal now, but when Windows Vista debuts later this year, experts expect 64-bit processing to play a more prominent role in system performance.

One other concern is a recent report from Tom's Hardware Guide about a possible Microsoft driver bug sapping up to one hour of battery life off of Core Duo-based systems. Early adopters beware. (Update, 2/23/06: Microsoft has confirmed the existence of the battery-draining bug and announced that it is working on a fix.)

The following Core Duo and Core Solo CPUs are currently or soon-to-be available:

• Core Duo T2600: 2.16GHz
• Core Duo T2500: 2.00GHz
• Core Duo T2400: 1.83GHz
• Core Duo T2300: 1.66GHz
• Core Solo T1300: 1.66GHz
• Core Duo L2400: 1.66GHz
• Core Duo L2300: 1.50GHz

In this naming scheme, the first letter denotes power consumption: "L" indicates a super-low-voltage processor; "T" means higher power consumption. The number indicates relative clock speed and performance, so the T2600 Core Duo is faster than the T2400.

Centrino's New Platform
In tandem with the release of the new Core processors, Intel has also released — actually, specified is a better way to put this — the brand new Centrino Duo mobile platform (known by the code name "Napa" prior to its release). For a laptop to qualify as a Centrino Duo system, three Intel components must be present: the Core Duo processor, Intel's 945 Express chipset, and Intel's 3945ABG wireless chipset for wireless connections.

While the 945 Express was also in last year's Centrino platform, Intel has made a number of changes in the chipset, starting with a faster 667MHz frontside bus, which aids performance, given the presence of a dual-core processor. The 945 Express chipset also allows the support of DDR2-667 memory, over last year's DDR2-533. The chipset also boasts a marked decrease in power consumption.

Exciting as it sounds, the Core Duo processor will take a back seat to a potentially even more powerful processor in the second half of 2006.