According to information from TG Daily, Intel should launch the Havendale and Auburndale CPUs starting in the second quarter of 2009.
You may recall, these processors engraved in 45nm are Intel’s response to AMD’s Fusion project and therefore integrate a GPU in addition to a memory controller and PCI-Express lane. The 2 cores are based on Nehalem architecture and have SMT (Simultaneous Multi-Threading), a concept similar to HyperThreading. The GPU will theoretically be based on the G45’s successor and so we shouldn’t expect miracles in terms of 3D. This information seems coherent because the Larrabee isn’t expected before the end of 2009.
The Havendale is a desktop processor which fits into the Socket LGA-1160 and whose TDP is around 75W. The Auburndale is its mobile version, conceived for the mPGA-989 with a TDP between 45W and 55W.
If what our colleagues say is true, this is bad news for AMD because the first
Fusion, the White Swift (a single core) and Black Swift (dual core), which will have a GPU derived from R700 architecture, will only arrive in the second half of 2009.
Note that given the advance of the Athlon’s creator on the GPU level, Fusion should be faster in all applications that make use of Direct3D or OpenGL. So it’s in Intel’s best interest to arrive first on this market. Either way, in the end an APU from either Intel or AMD will probably not be best adapted solution for gaming for some time...
