Maximum PC Centrino 2 RSS Feed

Intel Demos Its "Calpella" Notebook Platform, the Follow Up to Centrino 2

Paul Lilly — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 08:14:36 -0500

No sooner do you fill up your credit card purchasing the latest components, new technology emerges rendering your parts obsolete. Welcome to the world of computers. This fact of computing isn't limited to just the desktop sector, and even though Intel's Centrino 2 platform has just recently manifested in the market place, the company offered onlookers a glimpse of its next generation mobile platform at this year's Intel Developer Forum in Taiwan.

The new platform, currently code-named "Calpella," will include processors based on Intel's upcoming Nehalem architecture, due out in desktop form next month. As with every subsequent generation of notebooks, part of the focus on Calpella will be on preserving battery life and you can expect a number of new features aimed towards this goal. These include power switches capable of shutting down individual processing cores, and independent voltage for memory and I/O.

"It's a very different platform than anything they've done to date," said Nathan Brookwood, an analyst at research firm Insight 64. "When Calpella shows up, everything inside that laptop will be brand new."

No specific release date has yet been set, but rumblings point to sometime in Q3 2009.

Image Credit: Intel

Dell Infuses Fresh Life into Studio 15 Notebooks with Centrino 2

Pulkit Chandna — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:48:01 -0500

Dell has infused fresh life into its swanky Studio 15 notebooks. It has begun shipping Studio 15 notebooks with Intel Centrino 2 technology. The Studio 15 notebooks will be slightly more power-efficient with the introduction of the Centrino 2 platform. The basic Studio 15 model features a 2.20 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB of DDR2 memory, a 320 GB 5400 RPM HDD, a ATI Mobility Radeon 3450 graphics card, a DVD burner, 802.11a/n, finger print reader and Windows Vista Home Premium. The refreshed Studio 15 range begins at $999, which is reasonable considering the fact it occupies the middle ground between ultra-portables and high-end notebooks.

HP Eyes the Ultralight Business Notebook Market

Paul Lilly — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:56:53 -0500

What weighs 4 pounds and measures 12.1 inches? The answer has nothing to do with John Holmes and everything to do with Hewlett-Packard's updated "ultralight" business notebook line built around Intel's Centrino 2 platform.

Cost of entry for the HP-Compaq 2230 series will start at $999 and include an Intel Core 2 Duo T5670 (1.80GHz) processor, 1GB of DDR2-800 RAM, a 120GB 5400RPM hard disk, 802.11n wireless, a LightScribe DVD burner, and Intel's GMA 4500MHD graphics. For $1,649, users looking for a bit more power can move up to an Intel T9400 (2.53GHz) processor, 3GB DDR2-800 RAM, and a 320GB hard drive. Several other configurations fill in the pricing gap, and all of them will come equipped with three USB ports, an HDMI port, and a 4-cell lithium-ion battery.

Centrino 2 notebooks have been slow to trickle into the market, but HP is accepting orders now for its 2230 series.

Image Credit: HP

MSI Launches New GX620 and GX720 Gaming Notebooks

Paul Lilly — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:41:51 -0500

Laptops built around Intel's Centrino 2 platform are on the verge of marching into the market place en masse, and MSI appears ready to go with a pair of new gaming notebooks. The top-tier motherboard maker has launched the GX620 (15.4" WSXGA+) and GX720 (17" WSXGA+) Centrino 2 notebooks with each one sporting Nvidia's GeForce 9600M GT graphics with 512MB GDDR3. Other features include:

Intel PM45 Chipset
Up to 4GB DDR2
2.0M Webcam
802.11 b/g/n
320GB SATA Hard Drive
Blu-ray DVD Player
HDMI port
Windows Vista Home Premium

Quick launch sensors above the keyboard will give gamers the ability to activate MSI's Turbo Drive Engine Technology, which "overclock the GX620/GX720, increasing the speed of the Intel Core 2 Duo processor by as much as 15 percent." Users can also utilize MSI's ECO Engine and alternate between 5 different operating modes -- Gaming, Movie, Presentation, Office, or Turbo Battery -- to optimize battery life.

No word yet on pricing or availability, but don't be surprised to see more paper Centrino 2 notebook launches in the coming days/weeks.

Image Credit: MSI

MSI Launches Centrino 2-Based Notebook

Paul Lilly — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:05:27 -0500

The floodgates have opened and you can expect to see plenty of manufacturers rolling out new notebooks built around Intel's Centrino 2 platform in the coming weeks. Leading the charge, MSI jumps on board with its GX620, a Centrino-2-based notebook equipped with the company's exclusive Turbo Drive Engine Technology; when in AC mode, pushing the turbo button ramps up the CPU clockspeed.

Further power management duties come courtesy of MSI's new ECO Engine. An ECO quick launch touch sensor gives users the ability to switch between five different modes - Gaming mode, Movie mode, Presentation mode, Office mode, and Turbo Battery mode - with each one automatically adjusting the brightness and distributing power where it's needed most to prolong battery life, the company claims.

Under the hood, MSI's new GX620 will sport a 15.4-inch LCD monitor powered by Nvidia's Geforce 9600M GT with 256MB GDDR3 memory. Utilizing Intel's Centrino 2 platform, the GX620 will feature a Core 2 Duo processor on Intel's PM45 Express chipset. Configurations will come with up to 4GB DDR2, a 160GB, 250GB, or 320GB hard drive, and a DVD burner. Also look for a bevy of I/O ports, including HDMI, eSATA, three USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, audio, D-Sub, and a 4-in-1 card reader. The GX620 will also come with an independent numeric keypad to the right of the keyboard, just like your desktop plank - groovy!

No word on pricing, but at least one site claims to have already spotted a few GX620 models in stores.

Image Credit: MSI

Toshiba's Cell-Powered Laptop Lets It Talk to the Hand

Paul Lilly — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:41:24 -0500

Flip someone the bird and they'll know just what you're telling them. But wave your hand in front of your monitor all you want, and no matter how many times you've watched Obi-Wan use the Force, you're just not going to manipulate your PC. At least not yet.

Toshiba's Qosmio G55-Q802 looks to the change the way you interact with your PC by reading hand signals. Make a fist and move it around to control the mouse pointer, or flip your thumb up like Fonzie to select an object. Force-push won't work, but raising an open palm will tell the system to stop or resume video playback, giving you hands-free media control.

Built around the Centrino 2 platform, an Intel processor performs most of the tasks on the G55, but to read hand signals the laptop will use a quad-core HD processor powered by the same Cell processor found in Playstation 3 consoles. The Cell also lets the PC scan videos and index every new face it finds.

Between hand gestures controls and gadgets like OCZ's Neural Impulse Actuator, will anyone be using a mouse 5 years from now?

Image Credit: LaptopMag.com

Intel's Centrino 2 Platform Released

Paul Lilly — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:24:28 -0500

Intel's long anticipated Centrino 2 platform (previously codenamed Montevina) makes its official debut this week, and a number of top-tier vendors will begin selling configurations to Centrino 2 specifications. Montevina chips are manufactured using high-k metal gate technology on a 45nm die, and Intel promises faster performance, improved mobility features, and support for high-definition graphics on the Centrino 2 platform.

Centrino 2 chips include Intel's second generation Core 2 Duo processors (Penryn) with speeds expected to range from 2.26GHz to 3.06GHz on a 1066MHz frontside bus. Sipping just 29W, the low power draw should result in both a cooler running chip and longer battery life.

The new platform moves away from the GM965 chipset and now uses Intel's Mobile 45 Express chipset. Other goodies include integrated GMA X4500 graphics, Intel's 5000 series wireless chip with support for WiFi and WiMax, flash memory caching (Intel Turbo Memory), and support for DDR3 memory, the first mobile platform ever to do so.

The release of Centrino 2 might also spark tantalizing price cuts as vendors look to clear out old inventory. Know of any good deals? Post them below!

Image Credit: Intel and HP

OCZ Readies DDR3 Notebook Modules in Preparation for Centrino 2 Platform

Paul Lilly — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:13:42 -0500

Intel's upcoming Centrino 2 mobile platform will finally push DDR3 memory into the notebook market, and OCZ already has a pair of kits ready to go. OCZ's DDR3-1066 modules will feature latencies of 8-8-8-27, while its higher frequency DDR3-1333 SO-DIMMs will come timed slightly higher at 9-9-9-24. Both kits sip 1.5V and are backed by OCZ's lifetime warranty. "The Centrino 2 platform is a logical extension of Intel's efforts spearheading DDR3 acceptance in the enthusiast segment in the desktop sector, " commented Dr. Michael Schuette, VP of Technology Development at OCZ.

Memory makers continue to lament weak memory pricing, and while they anticipate strengthening demand in the second half of 2008, vendors are hoping Centrino 2 will kick-start sales for DDR3 modules. DDR3 currently commands a higher markup than DDR2, and while that might be groovy for memory makers, are buyers ready to make the switch?

Image Credit: OCZ