Dell is getting ready to fit several of its Inspiron
notebooks with Intel
Corp.'s new 45-nanometer Penryn processors.
Dell spokeswoman Anne Camden said that consumers will be able to order Penryn-based
Inspiron 1420, 1525 and 1720 systems in the next few weeks. She also noted that
Dell also is adding Penryn to its XPS M1330 and plans to offer Penryn
processors to more XPS laptop models this spring.
"People want it because it's Intel's newest processor technology,"
Camden said. "The 45-nanometer technology delivers better performance,
and it also brings in better battery performance."
Last November, Dell was the first
PC vendor out of the gate to ship workstations with Intel's then brand new
45nm Penryn chips.
When the Penryn chips were released
earlier in November, analysts were quick to note that they expected that the
new microprocessors would give desktops and laptops a significant performance
boost.
News of Dell adding Penryn chips to its Inspiron and XPS laptops comes just
as Dell confirmed to Computerworld that is cutting back on online sales of consumer
systems based on processors from Advanced
Micro Devices Inc.
David Lord, a spokesman for Dell, said that while the company has cut back
on the number of AMD-based systems sold online, many are still available at
retail outlets like Wal-Mart and Best Buy. "Any stories about us backing
off AMD altogether are completely false," he added. "It's a merchandising
position."
AMD got some much-needed good news late last month when Gateway Inc. announced
that it would be going with AMD Phenom quad-core processors instead of Intel
chips in two new high-end desktop machines. Gateway, which has sold mostly Intel-only
systems for many years, unveiled AMD-based GM and GT series desktop systems.
And for AMD, a microprocessor company that has been struggling with missed shipment
dates, financial woes and a slide in mind share, this was welcome news, according
to industry analysts.
