Intel goes to "Extreme" to outshine its arch-rival AMD

Intel Corporation, the world's largest computer chipmaker, on Monday jumped into fast-growing notebook PC market with a new Core 2 Extreme Mobile processor, named X7800, in order to regain the market share and reverse the plunging profit.

Intel’s move comes as part of its continuous efforts to defend its stake in the market, which the chipmaker gradually losing to one of its major competitors in the processor manufacturing market, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).

The Extreme X7800, Intel’s first Core 2 Extreme mobile dual-core processor, is intended for hardcore gamers, artists and media enthusiasts, who currently use notebooks powered by Intel’s Core Duo T2600, said the leading chipmaker, Intel Corp.

Running at 2.6GHz, both cores of the Extreme brand of processor for notebooks enhance the performance for the game fans, who would like to get desktop-like gaming performance out of a mobile computer.

The X7800 features 4MB of L2 cache and an 800MHz front-side bus (FSB) and several new features that make it 28 percent faster than the previous mobile chips offered by Intel. It has mobile-specific power-saving features that encourage Intel’s computer-maker customers deliver more energy-efficient and higher-performing designs.

In order to make the newly launched processor more impressive, Intel has removed bus ratio locks (overspeed protection) of the Intel Core 2 Extreme mobile processor, allowing vendors to push even faster performance by opening the chip's speed protection locks. They are allowed to overclock the processor for even faster operation, but at their own risk, Intel said.

“Due to our innovative technology and design capabilities, we can offer world-class, power-smart performance for the most demanding mobile users and are proud to offer it under our Intel Core 2 Extreme brand – a name that has become synonymous with ultimate performance,” said Mooly Eden, Intel vice president and general manager, Mobile Platforms Group.

Intel has also added some cool energy saving features to this high-end mobile chip, which also happens to be Intel's second product in the Core 2 Extreme series. Thses features include a couple things called “Enhanced Deep Sleep”, and a “low frequency mode”.

Intel on Monday also unveiled a faster quad-core desktop processor, named Core 2 Extreme QX6850, which is less expensive than its previous top-end chip. Intel’s latest quad-core offering for desktops comes a week after AMD announced significant price cuts for its highest end desktop processors, the Athlon 64 FX-74 and FX-72.

The Core 2 Extreme QX6850 has 1333MHz of FSB bundled with a clock speed of 3.0GHz that will be embraced by game developers looking to deliver new features and performance levels.

The Core 2 Quad Q6700, which has got 1066 MHz of FSB coupled with a clock speed of 2.66GHz, is another quad core model in the string of new offerings.

The Intel Core 2 Extreme X7800 mobile processor is available to OEMs now at a cost of $851, while the systems having these processors are scheduled to hit the market within the next two weeks.

The Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850 with 8 MB of L2 cache will retail for $999 per 1,000 units, which is $200 less than the company's previously fastest desktop processor, QX6800. The Q6700, which is faster than the earlier model Q6600, with the same memory size, will sell for $530.

Intel also has plans in hand to offer three new additions to its Core 2 Duo processor series, including the E6850, the E6750 and the E6550, clocked at 3.0GHz, 2.66GHz and 2.33GHz respectively.

Intel, which has lost more than 5 percent (as of January 2007) of the overall computer chip market to its chief rival AMD, is still the world's largest computer chip maker. It began losing the market share several years ago when customers began attracted to AMD-made more energy-efficient chips.