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INTEL ANNOUNCES SL ENHANCED INTEL486TM MICROPROCESSOR FAMILY
FOR ENERGY-EFFICIENT COMPUTERS
SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 17, 1993 -- Intel Corporation today announced
that its entire Intel486TM microprocessor family is now available with
energy-efficient technology. This is the same technology as in the Intel486 SL microprocessors. These improved microprocessors enable PC manufacturersto design energy-efficient desktop systems that can exceed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Energy Star program requirements.*
o Additionally, expanding SL technology throughout the Intel486 CPU product line allows notebook manufacturers to develop a full range of
energy-efficient systems with the same performance capabilities as desktop systems, including Intel486 DX2 CPU-level performance.
o Available at no additional cost, the Intel SL power management technology allows PC manufacturers to implement a broad range of power management solutions. With SL technology being built into all future Intel CPUs -- including the PentiumTM processor family -- computer makers will be assured that their power-management design efforts will be compatible with their future systems, from handhelds, notebooks and desktops, to workstations and servers.
o "The SL Enhanced Intel486 CPU family allows computer makers to develop Energy Star-compliant systems that provide continuous energy efficiency
with no impact to performance," said Paul Otellini, senior vice president, Intel's Microprocessor Products Group. "By adding SL technology to the entire Intel486 CPU product line at no price premium, we have enabled computer manufacturers to build upon their existing designs and extend their product lines to meet emerging end-user computing needs."
Enabling Energy Efficiency in the Desktop
o Intel's SL technology delivers superior power management. Intel's system management mode (SMM) reduces overall system energy consumption with intelligent power management capability. SMM allows computer manufacturers to design power management features into the hardware, making power management transparent to any operating system or application--thereby maintaining full compatibility. SMM enables efficient handling of power-hungry periphirals to ensure energy is consumed by the subsystem on an "as-needed" basis only.
o The SL Enhanced Intel486 microprocessors have a fully static CPU core,
which means the clock can be reduced to a 0-MHz "sleep mode." This CPU
sleep mode is achieved using the CPU's stop clock or auto halt features,
which helps reduce CPU energy consumption to 0.2 milliamps, saving an
additional three watts over today's standard CPUs. For the SL Enhanced
Intel486 DX2 microprocessor, CPU power management is enhanced with an auto idle feature that reduces the clock frequency when the CPU is waiting for a memory cycle or I/O read or write.
o The SL Enhanced Intel486 microprocessor family gives computer manufacturers the design flexibility to exceed the EPA's Energy Star program requirement that PCs or monitors operate at less than 30 watts in their powered down state. The SL Enhanced Intel486 CPU's power management capabilities enables energy savings by more than 75 percent over existing systems. Actual energy savings will depend on a variety of peripheral technologies employed by a given desktop system.
Intel486 DX2-Powered Mobile Computing
o With the same power management as the Intel486 SL CPU, the SL Enhanced
Intel486 CPU family now enables the high-performance, speed-doubling DX2
notebook systems with long battery life to become standard. The SL
Enhanced Intel486 CPU product line gives computer manufacturers the added flexibility to develop a top-to-bottom family of high-performance,
energy-efficient notebooks based on Intel's SL technology. Intel is currently shipping 3.3 volt, 33-MHz Intel486 SL CPUs to customers. Intel
is now offering a 3.3 volt, 40-MHz version of the Intel486 DX2 CPU.
o SMM is compatible with the Intel386TM SL CPU and Intel486 SL CPU. This
compatibility allows computer manufacturers to build upon their existing
power management BIOS. Chip set support for the SL Enhanced Intel486 CPU family is provided by third-party vendors, allowing computer manufacturers the flexibility to choose chip sets that best support their notebook design efforts.
Performance/Compatibility
o The SL Enhanced Intel486 microprocessors deliver true Intel486 CPU
performance. By using the same instruction set found in all Intel486 CPUs, these energy-efficient processors achieve the same high-performance levels without compromising software compatibility. The optimized design contains a burst bus for faster data transfer and a high-speed on-chip 8K cache to produce single-cycle execution of core instructions.
Available in both 5 volt and 3.3 volt versions, the energy-efficient
microprocessor family gives computer manufacturers the flexibility to
design desktop and notebook systems.
The SL Enhanced Intel486 CPU family includes the Intel486 SX CPU at 25
and 33 MHz, the Intel486 DX CPU at 33 and 50 MHz (5 volt only), and the Intel486 DX2 at 40 (3.3 volt only) and 50 MHz (5 volt only) and 66 MHz
(5 volt only).
OverDriveTM Processors for Energy Star Systems
o OverDrive Processors which support Energy Star systems based on SL Enhanced
Intel486 microprocessors will be available in Q4 '93. End users will be
able to upgrade their Energy Star desktop systems while maintaining
continuous power management. These OverDrive Processors for Energy Star
systems will provide an identical boost in performance as the current
OverDrive Processors.
Pricing and Availability
o The SL Enhanced Intel486 microprocessor family is priced at the same level as today's Intel486 CPUs. Production units are shipping now, with the exception of the 5 volt 66-MHz Intel486 DX2 CPU and the 5 volt 50-MHz
Intel486 DX CPU which will be in production in Q3 '93. (See attached list for packaging options and pricing).
o For additional information on these products, contact your Intel sales
representative or call 1-800-628-8686 for additional information. For
literature, contact the Literature Center at 800-879-4683, in the U.S. and Canada, or write for: Intel Literature, P.O. Box 7620, Mt. Prospect, IL 60056-7620.
Intel, the world's largest semiconductor company, is an international
manufacturer of microcomputer components, modules and systems.
* The EPA Energy Star program is a partnership effort between the EPA and
the computer industry to promote energy-efficient personal computers,
monitors and printers.