Intel"s anticipated notebook-oriented 45nm Core 2 Duo processors, derived from the "Penryn" core, have begun to appear on the chip giant"s roadmap, debuting in Q1 2008, according to the latest leak. Some versions may incorporate 6MB of shared L2 cache.Penryn"s arrival in the mobile market will see the release of 45nm incarnations of existing or soon-to-exist 65nm parts, including the upcoming Core 2 Extreme mobile gaming chips. These are due to debut in Q3 with the 2.6GHz X7800, followed in Q4 by the 2.8GHz X7900, according to roadmap data published by Japanese-language site PCWatch. Penryn will provide an updated X7900, the report suggests.
What"s surprising is that the Penryn version has the same model number as the 65nm model, suggesting no performance increase. If that proves to be the case - Intel has a year to change its mind on the matter - the chip company will presumably be pitching the part"s power-consumption advantage rather than the higher performance it delivers. Similarly, the roadmap lists Penryn versions of the 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo T7700 and the 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo T7800, due to appear in 65nm forms this year in Q4 and Q3, respectively. Q2 will, of course, see the arrival of new versions of existing Core 2 Duos that support "Santa Rosa", the next generation of Intel"s Centrino platform, expected in May.