Intel Corp has revealed the first of its intended new brand names for the P6 architecture on which the Pentium II is based. Celeron is the name under which the P6 iteration for so-called Basic PCs will be known. The first Celeron processor, due out in April, is the one code-named Covington that Intel chairman Andy Grove began talking about last month (CI No 3,351). It will clock in at 266MHz, use cheaper Single Edge Processor packaging, and work with smaller motherboard form factors and low-cost core logic chipsets. Celeron is aimed at cutting down the costs of entry-level PCs priced between $800 and $1,200 that offer a base level of functionality but have limited expandability. Intel also plans to introduce a new brand name, yet to be decided, for enterprise server versions of the P6 due out later this year. Processors for what it now styles as enthusiast/professional and mainstream performance PC systems will remain under the original Pentium II brand name. Intel says the new brand names mark a change in its previous strategy of launching processors at the high-end of the market as previous generation chips migrate down to lower-end market segments. Now, it says, it will use core technology as a foundation for all segments, adding more cache at the high-end and creating cheaper packaging options at the low- end.
