Intel will announce a second mobile quad-core processor when it kicks off its Developer Forum next week, according to a report. While the Santa Clara, California-based company is commonly known to be preparing a 2.53GHz Core 2 Extreme destined for high-end mobile workstations and gaming systems, a second model under the more mainstream Core 2 Quad name will also reportedly be available. Known under a Q9100 model name, the processor will run at a lower 2.26GHz clock speed and have its speed multiplier locked to encourage gamers to adopt the more expensive 2.53GHz part.

The processor will otherwise be functionally equivalent to the higher-end device, with 12MB of Level 2 cache as well as a 1,066MHz system bus common to all of Intel's newest processors. It's not yet known whether the processor will consume less power, though Intel typically uses only the Extreme label for high-powered mobile chips it doesn't expect to see in thinner notebooks.

Costs for the 2.26GHz processor will be significantly lower than the $1,036 Intel is believed to be charging resellers per chip, but will still be reserved for higher-end systems at a price of $851 per processor in batches of 1,000. Systems based on quad-core chips, such as HP's new EliteBooks, will start shipping before the end of the month.