Intels new Notebook-Platform Centrino 2 will be officially presented next month at Computex 2008. The first glimpse of it was seen at this years CeBIT. Here at Notebookjournal, we have an exclusive Pre-Sample and have tested the new GMA X4500 Graphic Chip as well as the new T9400 and X9100 processors.


Test System
- Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 (2,53 GHz) & Intel Core 2 Extreme X9100 (3.06GHz), FSB 1066MHZ
- 3072 MB DDR2 RAM
- Intel Media Accelerator GMA X4500
- 320 GB Hard Drive
- Windows Vista Home Premium

Intel have expanded their Centrino 2 Platform i.e 2 new Dual Cores - Intel Core 2 DuoT9400 (2.53GHz) and Intel Core 2 Extreme X9100 (3.06GHz). Both are here in the Test.

The new processors run with a front-side bus speed of 1066MHz. In addition to these, the new QX9300, the first mobile Quad-Core processor, will be available from the third quarter of this year.

Confusion with the naming lies ahead. There are 5 new prefix classifications in the midst with the Centrino 2 Platform.

Among the known prefixes "X", "T", "L", and "U" complement "QX", "P", "SP", "SL" and "SU". "QX" will represent the mobile Quad Core processors. In the future "P" will represent CPU`s with a thermal design power (TDP)between 20 and 29 watts and "S" refers to the so called "Small Package Processors" (22nm x 22nm as opposed to 35nm x 35nm) which above all come in small notebooks.

More innovation: The GMA X4500 Graphic Chipset. As well as support for DirectX 10 and Shader Model 4.0, there is a 100% increase over the existing GMA X3100.


On the next page can be seen whether the new GMA X4500 Onboard Graphic Chip really is double the speed of the older X3100.