Next generation Latitude

Hi,

Do we have any information at all about the next generation latitude notebooks?

 

They will use dual core Arrandale processors, DDR3 ram, LED screens, maybe switchable graphics.

 

Sounds very nice. Do we have any indication of a release date?

 

No release date or even range is known.
The E series just came out last year, and has been around for perhaps 8 months. The D series was first announced in 2003, and the last "new" model came out in 2007. So, the next gen with arrandale, etc, will be just a minor specification refresh (to the tune of E6410, E6510, etc.), and not a whole new (F?) series.

 

i think ddr3 will be very necessary if they believe the E series work as thinkpad competitor, especially true for e6400/6500

 

How so? DDR3 has no real life benefits and is actually not as good as DDR2 due to higher costs...

 

We can expect the benefits to start showing up in the next generation hardware. The memory bandwidth of the current Intel chipset is less than the bandwidth of DDR2-800.
DDR3 costs are coming down as the memory manufacturers produce more of it.

John

 

2GB DDR3 Crucial sodimms have been availaible for $20 lately.

 

DDR3 is limited by the the CPU and/or it's Bus system. To see the benefit of DDR3 we have to wait for a new generation of CPU.

On the desktop level, DDr3 memory only show it's speed with the Core i7. Intel Core 2 Duo/Quad motherboard that support DDR3 shows no improvement over a DDR2.
Intel will discontinue soon the Core i7, and present a new processor on a different socket (slower too, and no more triple channel memory support), in about September. My guess is they have done that as it uses less power, heat less, and perhaps opens door for them to make a mobile version in the years to come. Until then, DDR3 on laptop and desktop with the current desktop (ie: not server), processors (expect for the Core i7) does not show any advantage even under memory intensive applications.

The only advantage of getting DDR3 motherboards is in the long run, when DDR2 is completely drop by AMD and Intel, you can still find (without paying a premium price for the reason of rarity) DDR3 memory to upgrade your system.

 

I'm interested in seeing a redesign...I have never liked the looks of the E-series from he get-go. I'm glad the D630 is still available...I know for sure that corporations will continue to purchase them.