Essential Linkage: Even Intel is feeling the pinch of the waning economy.
Announced quite a while back, Intel's Fusion CPU was intended as the budget-oriented answer to AMD's chip along very similar lines.
Consisting of two hyperthreaded cores with a 4MB shared pool of L3 cache, individual 256KB L2 caches (undisclosed L1 cache) and the standard Nehalem memory controller, these CPUs also include an onboard GPU core. By moving these two parts together it not only cuts down on cost, but also should prove to reduce overall power consumption.
Auburndale is the codename for the mobile/laptop version of this chip, running on the mPGA-989 socket, while Havendale is the desktop and uses the LGA-1156 socket. The former is 35W/45W, latter being up to 75W.
Originally intended to be released in late 2009 these chips are being pushed back into mid 2010. Our guess is that while 45nm returns a decent amount of chips per 300mm wafer, that it makes more sense economically to wait for the 32nm versions of these same chips.
All is not too troublesome when you realise that AMD's offering isn't even going to be out until 2011 - Intel will have a big headstart and most likely a smaller process.
Focusing more on the hardcore aspects of the chip we're not too sure how well it'd overclock with a built-in GPU potentially holding it back, but we can definitely see the uses in budget/office systems and who knows - maybe you can even pair it up with Larrabee?
Head on over to theovalich to get the scoop.
Issue: 133 | February, 2012