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Intel Centrino 2 Demystified
Jayesh Limaye, Sep 11, 2008 1435 hrs ISTCentrino 2 - Intel's newest laptop platform is here and here s some gyaan on the same.
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Chipset
To support the new processors, Intel uses a new Mobile Intel GS45 and GM45 Express chipset with Intel Graphics. This chipset supports the new 1066 MHz FSB. This chipset supports not only DDR2 memory, but also the newer and faster DDR3, which has a better bandwidth. This will definitely bring about a dramatic performance improvement.
Graphics
As stated earlier, the new chipset will feature onboard graphics Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD featuring better power management as well as technologies such as Intel Clear Video to deliver enhanced video quality. People using newer operating systems like Windows Vista with Aero will benefit greatly here. It will also support HD and will have support for digital interface with integrated audio and HDCP content protection. There will also be support for HDMI and DisplayPort. According to Intel, the new chipsets save so much power that you can actually watch a 2 hour Blu-Ray movie on a Centrino 2 laptop with a single charge!
Centrino 2 has something known as switchable graphics. This is similar to the hybrid graphics technology seen in some of the desktop motherboards today - you can switch between integrated and discrete graphics either automatically or manually to conserve battery (with integrated graphics) or to maximize performance (with discrete graphics).
Improved network connectivity
Centrino 2 will offer the new 5000-series wireless options supporting the 802.11n standard. Supporting a wireless transfer speed of up to 450 Mbps, it is up to eight times faster than 802.11a/g solutions. This will extend the wireless range up to twice as much as the previous generation Wi-Fi controller allowed. It will also support EAP-based authentication and AES-CCM-based encryption for enhanced security. Dual-band support using FAT channels in 5 GHz spectrum will ensure that legacy devices working in the 2.4 GHz band will not cause any interference with the new network. Intel will also integrate WiMax/Wi-Fi with what is known as Echo Peak or 5150/5350 mini-PCIe adapter. Other variants are Intel Wi-Fi link 5100/5300 mini-PCIe adapter and an optional add-on card WiMAX (802.16) codenamed Dana-Point. As far as the wired connectivity is concerned, there is high-speed Gigabit Ethernet using the Intel 82567LM controller.
And some more
In addition to the above, Centrino 2 will optionally feature up to 2 GB Turbo Memory known as Robson 2, which is flash memory on the motherboard, that speeds up commonly used applications by minimizing hard drive access. This also results in a better battery life.
For business laptops, Intel offers Centrino 2 with vPro, which has a few additional technologies facilitating remote management and configuration, virtualization, trusted execution technology and TPM 1.2, which are, at this point, beyond the scope of this article. We might publish an in-depth article on this later. For now, let s see what all the gyaan was all about.
Summing up
What we ve seen from the specifications and Intel s claims is that the Centrino 2 laptops will bring you better performance, longer battery life, and better wireless connectivity. With a minimum of 3 MB Smart Cache, and 1066 MHz FSB, these laptops will perform up to 50% better than the previous generation. They can handle multimedia applications including HD content (encoding included using Intel HD Boost) at up to 90% faster. In addition to native Blu-ray playback, Centrino 2 laptops will also feature a much improved battery life. Centrino 2 platform seems to be the most versatile platform from Intel yet and there will be a huge range of laptops coming out.
Watch out for some Centrino 2 laptop reviews right here on Techtree.com soon.
We have summarized Centrino 2 and its advantages in the table on the next page.
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