Intel Centrino Duo and Centrino Pro (Santa Rosa) have Arrived

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The release was by no means a secret, but today Intel officially announced their new Centrino Duo and Centrino Pro line of processors. The pre-launch codename for these two platforms was &quot;Santa Rosa&quot;. The new Centrino platform brings a faster front-side bus, new graphics solution, 802.11n wireless chip and in the case of the Centrino Pro added security and management features.

The Core 2 Duo processor is still pretty new and so it is not being updated as part of this refresh. This makes things a little confusing as in most cases the Core 2 Duo clock speeds and core architecture remains the same, you just get a faster Front Side Bus speed of 800MHz, up from 667MHz. The Intel GMA 950 integrated graphics is updated to the Intel GMA X3100 and there's a new Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN to support 802.11n. In addition, the Centrino Pro moniker means that the Intel 82566MM and 82566MC Gigabit Network Connection are part of the mix and required for the Centrino Pro sticker to be placed on a laptop. Note: Centrino Duo will be what to look for in consumer laptops and Centrino Pro is more targeted towards business as it also has some extra security features via Intel's AMT 2.5 security for remote management of laptops (IT guy stuff).

To find out if your newly purchased laptop has the new Santa Rosa Chipset the trick will be to look and see if it's an odd numbered one, such as T7300 (2.00GHz), T7500 (2.20GHz) or T7700 (2.40GHz). To be honest it would have been nice if Intel had come up with an easier method to help customers determine if the technology inside is the latest or not, but they've never really seemed to be big on doing that...

The Centrino Duo is of course being advertised as faster and having battery battery life. That being faster part is true, the battery claim remains to be seen. The processors draw more power, so it's hard to imagine Intel can have done much to improve battery life, and based on first reports it does seem that the new platform is hotter and worse performing in terms of battery life. Manufacturers will need to do something to their systems to counter this. To read more about the Centrino Duo from the source, visit Intel's site here.

Here's a breakdown of some of the new &quot;officially&quot; announced notebooks with Centrino Duo, feel free to contact us or respond in the forums to add to this list so we can keep track!

Acer

• Aspire 5290 &quot;Gemstone&quot;

Asus

• G1S and G2S
• F3SC
• F3SV
• A8SC
• A7S

Dell

• Latitude D630
• Latitude D830

Fujitsu

• LifeBook E8410
• LifeBook E8310
• LifeBook A6030
• tc4400 Tabet PC

HP

• HP Pavilion HDX
• HP dv9500t (purchase dv9500t at HPShopping.com and use coupon code NB6444 to get 15% Off)
• HP dv6500t (purchase dv6500t at HPShopping.com and use coupon code NB6444 to get 15% Off)
• HP dv2500t (purchase dv6500t at HPShopping.com and use coupon code NB6444 to get 15% Off)
• HP Compaq 2710p
• HP Compaq 2510p
• HP Compaq 6510b
• HP Compaq 6710
• HP Compaq 6910p
• HP Compaq 8510
• HP Compaq 8710

Lenovo

• ThinkPad T61 (purchase Lenovo ThinkPad T61 at Lenovo.com)
• ThinkPad R61 (purchase Lenovo ThinkPad R61 at Lenovo.com)
• 3000 N200

Sony

• Sony VAIO FZ

Toshiba

• Satellite P205
• Qosmio G45
• Tecra M9
• Tecra A9

 

 

didn't acer also release the new "profile" series for the travelmate line, and there are some lg notebooks that have been mentioned by link, though who knows when they will arrive in na.

and since there is no update in the processor....are they just using the same processor and giving it a different name to show that it's on the santa rosa chipset?

 

That's the last thing notebook manufacturers need...even hotter systems to cool.

Bad news indeed.

 

Intel has introduced a couple of more technologies into the Core 2 Duo to compensate for the extra heat; for one, the processor can dynamically adjust its FSB speed (Intel FSB Frequency Switching).

You can find more info on the Intel Core 2 Duo for notebooks here:
http://www.intel.com/products/centrino/compare.htm

 

Yes, I've also read that it can shut down one of the cores if it needs to, although I'm not sure if that is new with santa rosa or not, but that's what my impression is.

 

The new release in very exciting, but there isn't much difference to the previous generation platform yet.

Will that slighltly faster FSB make a lot of difference?

I believe this is a function of the old CPU as well.

 

Can anyone make a guestimate as to when the older platform laptops will start to drop in price? I checked out HPaq and prices are still pretty much the same.

 

Will probably take some time for more santa rosie's to hit the market, but honestly I think the prices are already really low with some of the deals out there. Once they are out of stock they won't be available anymore.

 

Yes, but the new platform won't be out until next year. And besides, the processing power Santa Rosa is offering right now is more than enough.

 

Thanks Andrew.

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know about the gaming performance of the Intel X3100? I don't suspect it's any better than the Intel 900 series, but I am just curious as always...

 

Actually, it is a new function that comes with the Santa Rosa platform.

 

every Intel GMA has been about twice as fast as the previous one, so it should be about 4x the performance of the GMA900 or 2x the GMA950

 

Dustin covered that in an article here

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=1844334

 

Yeah, the X3000/3100 has quite a bit of potential just waiting to be unlocked by some half decent drivers.

Even on early drivers, you can see the shader potential. On the downside, there's typically a few rendering issues with the integrated Intel graphics.

http://techreport.com/reviews/2007q2/intel-g965/index.x?pg=9

 

I have heard the GMA 950 is about 20% faster than the GMA 900 and the X3000 is an even bigger upgrade, still won't be used for serious gaming but its still a step in the right direction, especially when these can only be used in ultraportables and whatnot.

I know my requirements sorta hard to fill, I'm looking for a Santa Rosa 11.1" notebook to come out, wish Asus could update their S6Fm with the L7300 or L7500 and put GMA X3000 graphics.

Does anyone know what notebooks are slated to use Intel's L7300 and L7500? Thank you.

 

X3100 has hardware T&L. that is one of the biggest improvements.

 

Oh ya... where's AMD at?

 

Review at Anandtech!

I must say that those results are very disappointing. The Santa Rosa isn't that powerfull compared to the Merom.
And Robson wasn't even working in this test! And no news about the X3100, so Anandtech concludes that it is not so impressive as they thought, or else they would ship a model with the X3100 for the review.

The only thing that makes Santa Rosa new is its WLAN and DX 10 support I guess (nVidia 8600Go for example).

 

the asus line looks quite promising and if you would like to read more about it its here
http://www.asus.com/news_show.aspx?id=6716

but the A8SC series has only a 8400 which is quite dissapointig
whereas the sister business line model F3SV sports a 8600GS which is onl beaaten by the 8600GT which the G2 sports

 

I wouldn't conclude that just yet. I can't say anything for the Turbo Memory (seems quite an oversight on Intel's part to ship a non-performing review sample) but as for the graphics, I imagine they wanted to show off discrete graphics more than integrated...

We need more than 1 review.

 

Yes, but IFAIK there atre no T&L hardae support with current drivers

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=122025

 

Ooh...Thanks Guys! I never had so many responses to a question!

Seems like although Oblivion doesn't run at the moment, driver updates could be the key to gaming success on the X1300. In any case, it's an exciting upgrade.

 

Go Me! I gladly accept the gratitude, but take no responsibility =P

 

Here's a demonstration of Intel Turbo Memory:

http://www.hexus.tv/show.php?show=78

 

anyone know when Asus would tell us prices for thier new line up

 

How about the chipset? It using intel new 965s isnt it? Is it working in 64bit platform? I thought the combination of processor, motherboard chipset and OS in 64 bit natively will boost performance?

 

I am looking to buy a laptop for the summer, Is it smart for me to wait these next two months to save money.
OR are there Santa Anna installed computers out there already.

 

I ALWAYS wondered what santa rosa was - now I know. Thanks.

 

Thanks for the information.

 

So is Santa Rosa like 2x a normal processor? And shouldn't the new Inspirons and XPS 1330 be listed here?

 

You should add the Sony Vaio CR.

Thanks,
Peter

 

Is the T7100 also part of the santa rosa? The first two digits are odd numbers but it wasn't mentioned in the first post.

 

Yes it is!

 

Yeah it is, I was confused (and p-offed) when my machine came with a normal "core 2 duo inside" sticker so i went and looked it up to make sure lol

Dell... >.<

 

Hi guys...im new here.....this place can be more knowledge for me......is there any significant Centrino duo with centrino pro?.....thks

 

um can you type clearly?
Centrino Pro is the Business oriented version of Santa Rosa (officially Centrino Pro).

 

Cut him/her some slack Jack, English may not be his/her primary language, at least in the form that we know it here in the U.S.!

Oh, and "um" is not exactly good English either!

Let's be kind and considerate to one another, especially to the newbies. All should feel welcome and comfortable to ask questions here.


Please note,

"sylar
Newbie

Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: indonesia
Posts: 1"

A little forethought and consideration goes a long way!

 

I understand that, but it's really hard to help someone if you can't understand what they're trying to ask you. While we always welcome new members, if you have a really hard time with English, this may not be the site for you. The Internet is a very large place, so I'm sure you can find a website from your own country that can help you.

As per the question, if you're asking if there's any major difference between Centrino Duo and Centrino Pro, the answer is maybe. Centrino Duo has been in use since the original Core Duo processors back in 2006. So if a laptop is labeled as "Centrino Duo," it may or may not be a Santa Rosa laptop. However, if it is a Santa Rosa notebook, then there really isn't much of a difference between Centrino Duo and Centrino Pro. I think Centrino Pro pretty much gets you Robson, and is usually reserved for business notebooks.

 

Hi sylar, welcome to the forum!

The information at these links should answer your question; if not post back and let us know.

http://www.intel.com/business/centrinopro/index.htm

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=7114


Basically the Pro version enables the IT staff of a corporate business to maintain security policy more easily, and also to perform some related tasks remotely and securely. The Pro platform really has nothing much to offer to the home user, but it won't cause any problems either.

I hope that helps!

 

hola...schroeber.....i mean.....is there any different for performance with Centrino duo and Centrino Pro?

I would like buy a note book,but i dont know what is the good one...i only have $900....im thinking HP/Compaq,NEC,Acer.......do you know what should i choose.....?....Tks all....

 

If both have the same CPU, graphics card, HDD & RAM...then no there wont be any difference in terms of performance. Centrino Pro offers some extra features which is mostly aimed at businesses. Thats the only difference between the Santa Rosa Centrino Duo & Pro.

 

"miner" has made the point well in the above post. All things being the same, there should be no difference in performance, so weather your notebook has the standard Duo or Pro will not matter for you.

As for your research, I'm looking for a new notebook myself, and have found a lot of good deals within your price range. I'll PM you some deals I've found that you may be interested in. I think you will find something you like among them. I'm busy right now, so I will have to get them to you later on today.

Are you in Indonesia now? I'm not sure how that will effect availability for you.

I sent you a PM the other day, check it so I know that you recieved it, OK?

 

so is the santa rose better, or worse?

 

Better then what, the previous Centrino?

Yes!

 

so if santa rosa supports core 2 processors it means its the latest technology? also wat platform is core 2 duo processor on currently?

 

Yes and yes!

 

i meant, in laptops that are not santa rosa platforms yet, what platforms are they on?

im planning on getting a laptop for schoool and i dont know if i should wait for the santa rosa, its not on many laptops in stores and they are really expensive..

thanks for ur help

 

Actually by the end of this month I expect most of the notebooks in stores to be Santa Rosa, except for the very bottom level.

Sony, Gateway, and Toshiba, have all just released budget priced, well equiped, Santa Rosa notebooks with X3100 IGP. They range anywhere from as little as $549 to $699.

The best thing for you to do right now is to fill out this FAQ, and post it so that others can join in and help along the way.

As an example, take a look at the one I filled out not too long ago here, My FAQ.

That should do it!

 

to add to the list

Dell Inspiron 1420 and 1520 which support T7100, T7300 etc can be included in the list of notebooks under Santa Rosa list.

If you feel its quite a lot , the entry level models in the either two notebooks provide a fair deal.

For more crunching of bytes, the new Santa Rosa models are quite a good bargain