Centrino
Centrino ( Centrino Mobile Technology) is a brand that is all Notebook and Mobile Internet Device includes platforms that include hardware from Intel: the processor, motherboard chipset, combining Wi-Fi for notebooks based on Intel products.
Besides the actual Centrino platform, there are the variants Centrino Duo for systems with dual core processors and Centrino Atom with an Intel Atom processor. There is Centrino Pro for business systems.
As the Intel Pentium M on which the Centrino platform originally built, this development of Intel's research and development center dates in Haifa, Israel. The brand name Centrino is a portmanteau composed of the English terms "center " and " neutrino ".
- 2.1 Carmel
- 2.2 Sonoma
- 2.3 Napa
- 2.4 Santa Rosa
- 2.5 Montevina / Centrino 2
Concept
When the Centrino processor, the motherboard chipset and the WLAN module from Intel itself originate and are identical or at least completely within a generation of the platform compatible with each other. Thereby, the number of performance-relevant technical variables on a notebook system is significantly reduced.
Processor
The processor was first used in the Centrino Pentium M, which was developed especially for notebooks. Newer versions are based on the Core Solo ( actually a renamed Pentium M) or the newer Intel Core 2 Solo. As a Centrino Duo marketed systems are based on the Core Duo or Core 2 Duo. For the Centrino Atom Atom processor is provided.
Otherwise identical notebooks ( for cost reasons, but mostly to other WLAN modules ) with Intel Celeron processors receive no license to use the Centrino brand.
Chipset
The main component of any generation is the chipset used. This changed in the generation not, but there are sometimes several versions for different requirements on energy consumption as well as variants with and without integrated graphics unit.
Wi-Fi
The WLAN modules used are also from Intel itself, but are not tied to a generation. So there are notebooks with according to the local information not matching wireless modules.
Graphic unit
At all Centrino generations also includes a built- in chipset graphics unit, but this is not necessarily part of a Centrino system.
Generations: Centrino / Centrino Duo
Carmel
The first Centrino generation was introduced in 2003 and carries the code name Carmel. The chipset used here is the intel 855 This allows a Front Side Bus ( FSB) of 100MHz (FSB 400), because of its mostly a Pentium M Banias used on base. Last but were also special FSB400 versions of the Dothan core in use, which has a larger L2 cache. As WLAN module usually come Intel PRO / Wireless 2100B (IEEE 802.11b) or rare PRO / Wireless 2100AB (IEEE 802.11ab ) with 11 Mbps transfer rate used, which Intel brought some criticism at the end, as the competition already IEEE 802.11g chips ( ie 54 Mbps) could offer.
Due to their high energy efficiency, particularly with a dynamic processor overclocking, new standards were set with Carmel in terms of battery life.
Sonoma
The in 2005, the second generation Centrino codenamed Sonoma. It consists of the Intel 915 Express chipset with 133 MHz FSB (FSB 533), the Pentium M mobile processor from the Dothan series and Intel PRO / Wireless 2200BG or 2915ABG wireless adapter. The Intel 915 chipset supports many new standards, such as DDR2, PCI Express and SATA. The optional integrated graphics GMA 900 can branch to 128 MB of system memory as graphics memory. In addition, the 802.11g standard is supported by the new wireless adapter next to the 802.11b standard.
Napa
The third generation Centrino in 2006, code-named Napa. Among other things, the Intel Mobile 945 Express chipset is now used, which drives the mobile processor Intel Core Solo Yonah on - base or Core 2 Solo on Merom - based. The Napa platform also allows the use of dual core processors Core Duo or Core 2 Duo, this combination is then marketed as Centrino Duo. With this platform, the FSB was increased to 166 MHz (FSB 667) and virtualization technology Intel VT was introduced. The GMA 950 graphics can work with up to 256 MB shared memory. As WLAN module serve Intel PRO / Wireless 3945ABG or 3965abg.
Santa Rosa
The fourth generation, just as Centrino Duo, is known under the name of Santa Rosa. It was presented on 9 May 2007. First notebooks with the new platform came in late May 2007 in the trade. As chip but is used here for Intel Mobile 965 Express chipset, a front side bus of 200 MHz (FSB 800 ) has, this low on CPU load to 100 MHz ( FSB400 ) reduce costs. As a processor, the Core 2 processors are codenamed Merom and Penryn. As a graphic unit of the GMA X3100 is used for Wi-Fi is used for Intel PRO / Wireless 4965AGN IEEE 802.11 a / b / g / n mini - PCIe WiFi adapter.
A key innovation is developed under the name Robson flash memory, which is to serve as a large and fast hard disk cache.
The " Santa Rosa " platform is in turn marketed in two versions: The business line is called Centrino Pro and provides additional security and network management functions. The normal, mainly for home users imaginary line continues to bear the familiar name Centrino Duo.
Montevina / Centrino 2
Under the name Centrino 2 (formerly: Montevina ) started on 15 July 2008, the fifth - generation Centrino. It includes the acceleration of the FSB to 266 MHz (FSB 1066), support for DDR3 SDRAM with up to 1,066 MHz, reduced power consumption ( by production of the chipset in 65 nm), a WiMAX module ( codenamed " Echo Peak " ) and the GMA X4500 graphics unit.
First notebook came with PM45 chipset and then on 5 August 2008 by the chipsets GM45 and GM47 were added, which then included X4500 HD graphics units.
Stripped down version of the GM45:
- DDR2/DDR3 667- MHz
- A maximum of 4 GB of RAM
- Internal Graphics Card 380 MHz
- No support for: DisplayPort, Intel VT, Intel TxT, TPM
- DDR2 667 -, 800 - MHz
- DDR3 667 -, 800 -, 1066 - MHz
- A maximum of 8 GB of RAM (256, 512, 1GB, 2 GB modules)
- 2 x SDVO ports, 2 x HDMI / DVI ports, 3 x DisplayPort ( 1, 2, 4 lanes)
Enhanced version of the PM45:
- 533 MHz X4500 graphics card
Enhanced version of the GM45:
- Low -Power & High -Power Configuration
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