Intel is now offering its fastest dual-core Core i3 laptop processor to PC makers including Dell and Hewlett-Packard, which are selling laptops with the chip.
The Core i3-370m will run at 2.4GHz and include 3MB of cache. HP's Pavilion dv6t is selling with the new chip inside.
Dell is offering the processor in the Studio 15 laptop in Mexico. Some other Dell stores in Asia-Pacific were listed as offering the chip with laptops, but the processor listing has been pulled from the Web.
The new processor is the fastest in the Core i3 group of entry-level chips in the line of new Core microprocessors announced by Intel in January. Intel also sells the 2.13Ghz Core i3-330m and 2.26Ghz Core i3-350m processors, and faster Core i5 and Core i7 chips.
The new chips offer quicker application and graphics performance compared to earlier Core 2 models because of technological improvements. The chips integrate the graphics processor and CPU into a single package, which helps improve graphics performance while consuming less power. The chip are capable of running two threads per core, which helps improve application performance.
Intel did not immediately respond to questions about when it shipped the chip.