FYI on Centrino 2

In this article we take you through the growth of the Centrino family, explaining how the current Centrino 2 came to be and where we might be headed in the future.

Ever wonder exactly what gives a Centrino computer the Centrino label?  Would it surprise you to learn that Centrino is not just a processor?  Let us at LaptopLogic take you on a wild adventure through the world of Intel’s mobile technology.  We’ll explore what it means to be a Centrino computer, from the original model right on through to the Montevina Centrino 2 of today.  We’ll tell you how it compares with competing technology and show you which laptops are currently making the best use of it.  And if you hold on tight, we might even make it into the world of tomorrow.  Centrino 3?  Wait and see.

Let’s start with the basics – what does it mean to be a Centrino?  Although marketing slogans such as “powered by Intel Centrino” may have led you to believe that the Centrino is a processor, it is actually a combination of three separate pieces of hardware.  Yes, one is the special mobile CPU, but there is also a matching mainboard chipset and wireless network interface which a notebook must have to be considered a Centrino.  If you hear a computer called a Pentium M or Intel Core 2, its only got the first two.  But nowadays you don’t see much of that anymore.

The Centrino model was designed specifically for laptops, with Intel claiming that systems outfitted with its technology would produce longer battery life, better wireless networking and superior overall performance.  The first platform was codenamed Carmel and came out in March 2003.  The speed was similar or better than the previous Pentium 4M mobile technology, and still delivered on its promise of better battery life.   Not only that, but the fact that the components did not produce that much heat allowed for laptops to become trimmer and lighter since large cooling systems could be left out.  Mobile computing was taking a great step towards being actually… mobile.

There have been four other Centrino platforms to hit the market since that day, for a grand total of five so far.  After riding the success of Carmel for almost two years, Intel released number two with Sonoma in early 2005, introducing PCI Express and SATA among other features.  Twelve months later Intel unveiled Napa, the first platform to support Core Duo (and later Core 2 Duo) processors.  Napa supported units were the first to wear the label “Centrino Duo”.  In the middle of 2007 the fourth platform, Santa Rosa, came out.  With Santa Rosa Intel began really experimenting with the two cores and figured out how to switch between multi-threading and single-threading when necessary, allowing for better gaming, and it also featured improved power saving features.

And that brings us to July, 2008, with the advent of the fifth and current platform, Montevina.  Montevina supports the newest and tiniest Intel Penryn chip, and is the first platform to sport the new “Centrino 2” label.  Montevina is still being developed and just recently we reported on laptopical (http://www.laptopical.com/intel-plans-to-revamp-montevina-chip-this-spring-6509.html) that in the Spring of 2009 Intel will be releasing 2 new chips for that platform.  This is in addition to the six chips already on the market.  Ready for a rundown?

The following are currently on the market:
P8400 2.26GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 3MB Cache, 25W
P8600 2.40GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 3MB Cache, 25W
P9500 2.53GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 6MB Cache, 25W
T9400 2.53GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 6MB Cache, 35W
T9600 2.80GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 6MB Cache, 35

The P8800 2.66GHz and the T9900 3.06GHz are coming in the spring.  It should also be noted that Intel does have 3.06GHz capabilities for the Centrino 2 now, in the form of the expensive and high voltage Core 2 Extreme X9100, for those who need it. If you’re looking to buy a notebook right now, the Centrino 2 family of laptops are state of the art for consumer laptop hardware.  However there is some competition and far and away the most notable of the competitors are AMD and their Puma platform.  AMD has been bickering with Intel for years, and while Intel typically comes out on top, we decided to do a little research for you and make sure you don’t make any wrong assumptions.

You can stay seated, Intel came out on top again, but not in every category.  Centrino 2 chips run cooler, using less power and achieving higher overall performance than the Puma, particularly in the field of HD transcoding.  But the integrated graphics on the AMD processor are actually far superior, and it’s arguably slightly more exceptional at wireless networking (they’re both great).  Laptops with the Centrino platform have also been known to be consistently more expensive than Puma, but again, that generally comes with overall superior performance.  We’ll leave the call up to you.

So where do we go from here?  Intel has already made plans for a sixth Centrino platform, this one continuing the places-in-California theme and codenamed Calpella.  Plans for the platform include improving on the already stellar HD performance and upgrading the CPU to a quad core unit.  It’s expected to be released in the third quarter of 2009, before the Montevina refresh has a chance to gather much dust.  Will the label for this new platform be Centrino 3, or will Intel decide to get a little more creative with its label?  Maybe Centrino Quadro?  It’s not known now, but with the pace Intel is producing new technology it seems we’ll find out more quickly than we might expect.

Oh, and if you’re looking for a review of a Centrino 2 notebook, we just happen to have one right over here – the HP HDX16t.

By Henrik Stigell