Intel unveils new class of Pentium 4s | CNET News.com

Intel introduced a line of Pentium 4 desktop chips Sunday that
contain 2MB of secondary cache, twice as much as current Pentium 4s, as
well as technology from its notebook line that’s designed to cut power
consumption. Larger caches, a pool of memory located on the processor,
generally improve performance.

 

  The four chips included
in the new 600 series of Pentium 4s range in speeds from 3GHz to
3.6GHz, and all of them feature an 800MHz bus. The top-of-the-line 660
Pentium 4 sells for $605 in quantities of 1,000, while the 630 sells
for $224.

Intel also unveiled "another member of the Pentium 4 Extreme Edition processor family, which
runs at 3.73GHz and contains a 1.066GHz bus. These chips are used
inside computers for gamers and serious hobbyists."

InfoWorld has reported that –

The new Pentium 4 processors will give Intel and its PC customers some
breathing room before the launch of its first dual-core desktop
processors, expected by the end of June, IDG News Service said. The
Smithfield dual-core chips are expected to arrive with new chipset
technologies that will support new technologies such as virtualization.

The new processors will support the upcoming Microsoft Windows XP
Professional x64 Edition operating system and will enable users to
experience the benefits of 64-bit computing, Intel said.

"Microsoft is excited to work with Intel to help lead the industry’s
transition to 64-bit computing," said Brad Goldberg, general manager of
the Windows Product Marketing Group at Microsoft. "We are working
closely to deliver a ro-bust 64-bit client platform that will help
customers realize powerful new 64-bit capabilities while maintaining
their investment in 32-bit applications."