Intel to release 32nm Core i5 on January 3rd

Intel is set to release the first 32nm desktop CPUs on 3rd January 2010. Releasing first are the Clarkdale CPUs - part of the Westmere, or 32nm Nehalem die shrinks. A total of four models are expected; Core i5 650, 660 and 670, clocking in at 3.2, 3.33 and 3.46 GHz respectively. They will be priced at the $176, $196 and $284 respectively.

All Clarkdale CPUs come with an IGP on die, and fit into the LGA1156 socket that currently powers Lynnfield CPUs. The branding is quite a mess - further complicated by Core i5 7xx series, which are quad core Lynnfields. One might have suggested a simpler Core i7 for Bloomfield, Core i5 for Lynnfield and Core i3 for Clarkdale, but Intel did not want to differentiate them this way.

A further model, Core i5 661 is also expected. The only difference between this and the 660 is that the IGP will be clocked higher.

Once the Core i5/i3 Clarkdale CPUs hit market, it will effectively phase out the entire Core 2 range.

The other Clarkdale CPUs are the Core i3 530 and 540 covering $123-$150. The Core i3 CPUs will not feature Turbo mode. A budget Pentium G6950 is also expected at $84, without turbo, HT and 1MB less L3 cache.