David Flynn05 January 2010, 5:02 AM
Intel’s new entry-level processor finally makes its debut, completing the 'good-better-best' lineup beneath the Core i5 and Core i7.
Of all the chips in Intel’s 2010 bag of tricks, few would be more anticipated than the Core i3.
This all-new processor is aimed squarely at the entry level or ‘value’ segment of the market and should present a compelling budget-friendly upgrade option for the owners of desktops and notebooks which are past their use-by date.
The base model Core i3 desktop processor will sell to PC builders for the same US$113 as today’s cheapest Core 2 Duo desktop chip.
And while both are dual-core chips clocking at 2.93GHz, the Core i3 will be faster due to the efficiencies of its 32nm Westmere-class design (compared to the Core 2 Duo’s 45nm scale) and also boast superior graphics.
Intel says its integrated HD Graphics core can access up to 1.7GB of shared memory, is optimised for Windows 7, has image sharpening and DVD upscaling to 1080p, and includes native support for smooth 1080p HD video playback (including Blu-Ray) as well as multi-channel HD audio.
The Core i3 slides into a good-better-best scenario beneath the Core i5 and the Core i7.
“We’ll see the advent of the three Core brands into the market” explains Philip Cronin, General Manager of Intel Australia & New Zealand, “and the Core i3 will evolve into what will be the entry-level brand.”
“One of the single most interesting advances we’ve made is that we’re taking the Nehalem architecture and taking it right across Core i7, Core i5 and Core i3” Cronin told APC.
“The entry-level Core i3 is if you need power but are on a bit of a tight budget. The mid-level Core i5 is when you want solid performance and capability, with good multitasking and Turbo Boost. If you’re a real power-user you go for the Core i7”.
The Core i3 arrives in two versions for desktops (the i3-530 and i3-540) and two for notebooks (the i3-330M and i3-350M), and both are pitched closely behind their Core i5 siblings.
Yet it has to be remembered that the Core i3 and Core i5 are absolutely 100% identical in architecture – this is nothing like the early days of Celeron vs Pentium.
The Core i3 and Core i5 are built from the exact same blueprint (Clarkdale for desktops and Arrandale for laptops). Each includes the same dual-core hyperthreaded 32nm processor core coupled with an integrated 45nm graphics core.
They even have equal amounts of Level 3 cache – 4MB for the desktop Core i3 and Core i5, and 3MB for their mobile counterparts.
The only real difference is the Core i3’s lower clock speed and’s lack of Intel ‘Turbo Boost’ technology. Turbo Boost lets the Core i5 and Core i7 processors temporarily increase their speed to power through a heavy application load while keeping within the chip’s overall thermal ceiling.
For example, the desktop Core i3-530 clocks at 2.93GHz, with the i3-540 at 3.06GHz. Not only does the most basic Core i5 (the i5-650) run at 3.2GHz but it can burst to 3.46GHz if all the work is channeled through a single processor core.
The prices aren’t much of a spread – PC builders can buy the 3.06GHz Core i3-540 for US$133, or pick up the 3.2GHz Core i5-650 for US$169. The entry-level 2.93GHz Core i3-530 desktop comes in at just US$113, which is the same as the cheapest Core 2 Duo desktop processor today (also a 2.93GHz dual-core chip, but built on the 45nm scale).
In the notebook market, vendors can choose between the 2.13GHz Core i3-330M and the 2.26GHz Core i3-350M. The cheapest Core i5 mobile processor is the i5-430M, which has a nominal speed of 2.26GHz but can turbo-boost to 2.53GHz.
Also on the roadmap for the April-June timeframe is an ultra-low voltage Core i3 ‘UM’ mobile processor for the mainstream ‘ultra-thin’ market, to complement today’s launch of Core i5 and Core i7 ‘UM’ chips for the ‘performance’ ultra-thin’ market.