Intel Corp. and its partners are set to launch the 3.8-GHz Pentium 4, aka the Intel Pentium 4 570, on Nov. 15, sources said.

An Intel spokesman declined to confirm the launch date, saying only that the chip was due "real soon now".

In any event, the single-core Pentium 4 will be the fastest on Intel's roadmap for the near future. Intel said it would place the 4.0-GHz Pentium 4 on hiatus. On Nov. 1, Intel released the 3.46-GHz Pentium 4 Extreme Edition, a pricey $999 chip aimed at the top of the enthusiast niche.

In the second half of 2005, Intel will begin shipping its dual-core Pentium 4 chips, which are expected to be clocked at a lower speed than the single-core Pentium 4s, so they can be used with a similar cooling solution and power supply. In some early estimates of dual-core performance released last month, AMD indicated that it might clock a dual-core Athlon 64 chip at three and five speed grades less than the fastest single-core chip at the time. If Intel follows suit, then its first dual-core chips would be clocked at 3.2-GHz and 2.8-GHz.

In 2006 and 2007, Intel is expected to shift its desktop line to use more of the features of the mobile Pentium M, which consumes less power than its desktop cousins.


Source : ExtremeTech