Intel Launches Centrino 2 Mobile Platform

Intel today has announced a major upgrade to their Centrino platform, which first debuted in 2003. Hard to believe it was that long ago, isn’t it? Between then and now, countless technology advancements have been made, so we were in huge need of such an upgrade. What’s new? Faster and more power efficient 45nm processors, upgraded WiFi connectivity and a whole lot more.

Let’s start with the six new processors. On the low-end, there is the P8400 2.26GHz, which features 3MB of L2 cache. It shares the same specs and TDP of 25W as the P8600, at 2.40GHz. For the higher-end mid-range (contradiction? nah) parts, there is the T9400 and T9600, at 2.53GHz and 2.80GHz, respectively. Both feature 6MB of L2 cache and a 35W TDP.

The biggest processor launch is the X9100, a 3.06GHz Dual-Core offering, featuring the same general specs as the others, but with an unlocked multiplier. All six of the processors have (finally) been upgraded to a 1066MHz front-side bus.

Processors is not the lone upgrade, of course. DDR3 support has been added, which is not-so-surprising since we’ve seen announcements from memory companies for well over a month now. S-ATA 3.0Gbps, eSATA and even ATI Crossfire support is added. Wait… Crossfire support? Yes, Crossfire support. Found deep within the press materials is mention of this, and given recent performance from the latest ATI GPUs, this is worth getting excited over.

Also on the graphics front, “switchable graphics” is a technology similar to Hybrid Crossfire, where one integrated GPU can be paired with a discrete one. This isn’t only to provide increased gaming performance, but also add to the power-saving aspect. This should really come in handy on large notebooks that generally eat up a battery like there is no tomorrow.

On top of all that, vPro has also been updated, along with the WiFi (450Mbps!) and products will be available soon. What we have to look forward to later this year are both Quad-Core offerings (though in small doses at first) and also a dual WiMAX/WiFi support, which would provide both kinds of support from the same module. The notebook forecast is looking good. Very good.