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Intel Shipping New 1.7GHz-1.8GHz MacBook Air-Class Processors

Monday June 20, 2011 4:11 pm PDT by Arnold Kim

CNet reports that Intel has added new MacBook Air-class processors to their price list yesterday.
The processors, which appeared Sunday on Intel's updated processor price list, are faster than current power-efficient Sandy Bridge chips used in skinny laptops such as the Samsung Series 9.

Apple is expected to use this type of Intel chip in its upcoming MacBook Air refresh. The Air, to date, has used older-generation Intel Core 2 Duo chips.
We previously covered the rumors about these new processors which could be used in Apple's upcoming MacBook Air. The specs for the new chips are listed here:

• Core i7-2677M: 2 cores, 1.8GHz (turbos to 2.9GHz), 4MB cache, 17 watts, $317
• Core i7-2637M: 2 cores, 1.7GHz (turbos to 2.8GHz), 4MB cache, 17 watts, $289
• Core i5-2557M: 2 cores, 1.7GHz (turbos to 2.7GHz), 3MB cache, 17 watts, $250

The new MacBook Air is rumored to launch in June or July, but Apple may be holding its release for OS X Lion to ship.

Related roundup: MacBook Air
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awer25
47 months ago
How much you wanna bet it won't be a $67 upgrade to go from the lower 1.7GHz chip to the 1.8GHz ;)
Rating: 10 Votes
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ratzzo
47 months ago
Excellent! I can see these becoming the most sold Apple laptop over the MBP. They are just amazing.
Rating: 6 Votes
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Icaras
47 months ago

Not really. It's missed sales opportunity. Anyone buying now would get a free upgrade anyway.


Missed opportunity? You mean Apple not making a high profit margin off the current Core 2 Duo MBAs is missed opportunity? :confused:

Seriously, what average consumer walking into your local Apple store even know what a "Sandry Bridge" is? Forum dwellers on the internet dabbling in tech talk is such a tiny minority in the grander scheme of things.
Rating: 6 Votes
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kdimitt
47 months ago

Wow these are more powerful than the Sandy Bridge processors?


They are still Sandy Bridge, just newer, and better.
Rating: 4 Votes
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jdechko
47 months ago
Man I want one of these Airs.
Rating: 4 Votes
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42streetsdown
47 months ago

Maybe a Thunderbolt, but at the expense of one of the USBs of course.


You won't have to trade a USB port for ThunderBolt! ThunderBolt supersedes the mini DisplayPort
Rating: 4 Votes
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Tootles
47 months ago
Fast is good but do they run cool enough that the fan runs silently during non-gaming usage?
Rating: 3 Votes
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Esquire1
47 months ago
Can someone discuss the differences between these processors? Any benchmarks?

They seem relatively the same, except for the i5 with its 3MB cache compared to 4MB. What does that mean, layman wise?
Rating: 3 Votes
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beangibbs
47 months ago

I was holding off from the new MBP 15"! I am currently use 2010 MBP 13" and Lightroom is a bit slow. Anyone think the new MBA i7 going to be ok for Lightroom and sometime iMovie editing? The thing is its still only a Dual Core and not Quad!


So what? So what it's a dual core and not a quad core?
It just makes you sound like someone who's just listened to everyone else talk about how great the quad core processor is-not everything in the world needs a goddamned quad core processor.

If you're really that serious about editing in iMovie or Lightroom, and you're not a professional, but you still really want the power, you can buy the MacBook Pro and have the quad core processor. That will do the job.
That or the supercomputers they have that crunch numbers to predict the weather.

I'm sorry, I'm just tired of hearing people gripe about how the Air isn't super powerful. You can only do so much with it.
Would I like it to have a massive SSD and be able to run AutoCAD and Sketchbook Designer 24/7, and actually last for a few years without burning out? Yeah. I'd love to have an Air. But I realize what it's limitations are.
Rating: 2 Votes
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42streetsdown
47 months ago
So based on my old (a week ago) guesses, and these new processors here is what I expect to find in the new Airs. These choices are based on prices relative to the current CPUs.

11" MBA Base CPU:
Intel® Core™ i5-2557M Processor (Dual Core, 1.7 GHz(2.7GHz turbo) 3M Cache)Price:$250.00.

11" MBA BTO CPU:
Intel® Core™ i7-2677M Processor (Dual Core, 1.8 GHz(2.9GHz turbo) 4M Cache)Price:$317.00.

13" MBA Base CPU:
Intel® Core™ i7-2629M Processor (Dual Core, 2.1 GHz(3.0GHz turbo) 4M Cache)Price:$311.00.

13" MBA BTO CPU:
Intel® Core™ i7-2649M Processor (Dual Core, 2.3 GHz(3.2GHz turbo) 4M Cache)Price:$346.00.
Rating: 2 Votes

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