Intel Santa Rosa - Wireless, graphics, Turbo Memory and the platform refresh

By David Fearon

Posted on 8 May 2007 at 17:43

Wireless, graphics, Turbo Memory and the platform refresh

New wireless module

For home use, the increased wireless support of the new platform is likely to be the biggest tangible improvement.

The complete platform will now feature the new 4965AGN wireless adapter, which is an 802.11n adapter with full MIMO (multiple-in, multiple-out) capability, with all the speed and range benefits that confers. Beware, though, you're not automatically guaranteed 802.11n; there's also a 4965AG adapter without N capability. Even at this stage the difference in price is, according to Intel, only $7, so it's unlikely there'll be too many non-N laptops released.

New graphics adapter

Reflecting its new-found enthusiasm for luring gamers, Intel is concentrating on graphics performance for the new platform. The integrated graphics option for the new Centrino adopts the relatively advanced X3000 series GPU, previously available only in desktop 965 chipset boards and now updated to form the GMA X3100. With its hardware T&L (transform and lighting) capability, it's a significant step up from the GMA 950 of the previous mobile generation. It falls short of DirectX 10 support, although that's promised in a mobile chipset next year, but it does have a 500MHz core clock and 128 shader units. Intel is unlikely to be challenging Nvidia and AMD/ATi for graphics prowess anytime soon, but our initial results aren't too positive (see On test, right ). That said, we've seen the new adapter running a convincingly fluid demo of Half-Life 2.

Turbo Memory

Previously known as Robson, Turbo Memory is a new feature of the updated Centrino platform. Much like Windows Vista's ReadyBoost, it speeds up the system with fl ash memory, with a choice of 512MB or 1GB modules. In fact, it's based on Vista's ReadyDrive technology (and this only works in Vista). ReadyDrive acts as an extra cache for the hard disk at a low level, where ReadyBoost is used as an extra cache for main memory. The fact that ReadyDrive/Turbo Memory sits between the main system and the hard disk means it can act as an effective buffer, reducing the need to spin up the drive. That means it saves some power as well as theoretically increasing system performance. It's a plug-in module with a PCI Express interface.

A little refreshment

Finally, Santa Rosa, like Napa before it, is due to undergo a "platform refresh" next year. The main change will be the move to a 45nm processor, based on the upcoming Penryn design due to appear in desktops in a couple of months.

Also worth noting is an optional WiMAX module, although that's fairly academic in the UK where there's no prospect of UK-wide coverage before at least 2010.