Intel Introduces One Gigahertz Mobile Pentium III Processor
Leading Computer Makers Ready to Ship
Intel New Zealand today introduced the mobile Pentium® III processor at 1 Gigahertz (GHz) featuring Intel SpeedStep™
technology. The new processor is the world’s fastest mobile PC processor and is designed for full size and
thin-and-light notebooks, the most popular categories of mobile PCs.
Intel also introduced the mobile Pentium III processor at 900 MHz with Intel SpeedStep technology and the mobile Intel®
Celeron™ processor at 750 MHz.
“This introduction marks ten years of Intel mobile innovations, progressing through five processor generations, dramatic
power saving technologies, and a 50-fold leap in speed from 20 MHz to 1 GHz,” said Scott Gilmour, General Manager, Intel
New Zealand. “We’ve crossed a major performance threshold that provides users with uncompromising performance and great
battery life for anytime, anywhere computing. This level of performance makes mobile PC’s more attractive now than
ever.”
Performance with a Purpose
Intel’s mobile division was created in 1989 with three goals in mind: to develop lower power processors that are smaller
than their desktop counterparts, to build a leadership mobile PC chipset business and to continually find new ways to
add value to mobile PCs. In 1990, Intel announced its first mobile microprocessor, the Intel 386SL. This processor ran
at 20 MHz, operated at 5 volts, had 855,000 transistors and was based on 1 micron process technology. Mobile PCs of this
time typically had 20 MB hard drives, 8 inch screens with 2 colour text, weighed between 8-13 pounds and cost as much as
$8,000.
Since then, Intel has developed numerous mobile processors with industry-leading performance and innovative mobile
processor technologies. These include: Intel QuickStart technology to instantaneously start-up or power-down the
processor to its lowest power levels, voltage regulating technology, clock gating, deep-sleep states, state-of-the-art
packaging and the Intel SpeedStep technology to dynamically switch clock frequency and voltage, providing two modes of
operation for maximum performance while conserving power.
By way of comparison, the mobile Pentium III processor at 1 GHz is 50 times faster than the first mobile processor,
operates at 1.35 volts in Battery Optimised Mode, has 28 million transistors and is based on 0.18 micron technology for
industry leading performance and lower voltage operation. Today’s leading-edge mobile PCs commonly have 20 GB hard
drives, 128 MB memory, 15 inch colour screens, weigh between 4.5-6 pounds and some are priced lower than $2500. Intel
has continually delivered innovative technologies to maximize performance and minimize power consumption, which over
time has helped grow the mobile market.
Notebooks based on Intel’s mobile Pentium III processor at 1 GHz provides users with performance to take advantage of
media-intensive Internet sites and advanced applications such as digital photography, video encoding and decoding,
digital music, voice recognition, 3D gaming and emerging wireless technologies such as 802.11 and Bluetooth wireless
technology.
Specifications and Pricing
Intel’s new mobile Pentium III processor at 1 GHz featuring Intel SpeedStep technology delivers the best performance and
lowest power consumption for full size and thin-and-light
mobile PCs. In Maximum Performance Mode the processor runs at 1 GHz and operates at 1.7 volts. In Battery Optimised Mode
both clock frequency and voltage are scaled down and the processor runs at 700 MHz, at 1.35 volts, while consuming less
than 2 watts of average power.** The processor is based on the 0.18 micron process technology, features a 100 MHz system
bus, 256 Kilobyte full-speed Advanced Transfer Cache, Advanced System Buffering, and Streaming SIMD extensions for
higher system performance.
Additionally, Intel will offer boxed versions of its mobile Pentium III processor at 1GHz featuring Intel SpeedStep
technology to enable system integrators who configure build-to-order mobile PCs. Build-to-order mobile PCs based on
Intel’s mobile Pentium III processor at 1 GHz will be available from the notebook manufacturers including Asus, FIC and
Mitac.
In 1,000-unit quantities, in Ball Grid Array (BGA) and Pin Grid Array (uPGA) packaging, the mobile Pentium III processor
at 1 GHz and 900 MHz featuring Intel SpeedStep technology, and the mobile Intel Celeron processors are priced at US$722,
US$562 and US$170, respectively.
Mobile Intel® Pentium® III Processor featuring Intel SpeedStep™ technology 1 GHz
US$722, <2 watts in Battery Optimised Mode, 1.35 volts in Battery Optimised Mode
Mobile Intel® Pentium® III Processor featuring Intel SpeedStep™ technology 900 MHz US$562, <2watts in Battery Optimised Mode 1.35 volts in Battery Optimised Mode
Intel Mobile Celeron™ Processors 750 MHz, US$170, <3.5 watts 1.6 volts
Intel, the world’s largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer,
networking and communications products. Additional information about Intel is available at
www.intel.com/pressroom.