Intel To Debut 400-MHz Celeron

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December 18, 1998 (12:00 AM EST)

By Mark Harrington,

Intel has accelerated the introduction of the 400-MHz Celeron by several months and plans to release the chip in January, sources said.

The 400-MHz Celeron will join the previously planned launch of the 366-MHz Celeron, sources said. Both CPUs are expected to be formally introduced on Jan. 4. Intel declined to comment.

The 400-MHz Celeron had been scheduled for introduction as late as April, according to an Intel road map. The early introduction could mean Intel is ahead of the production curve, or that it is concerned rival chip makers AMD and Cyrix are getting a longer lead at the low end.

As previously reported, the 366-MHz Celeron will carry a price of around $160 in 1,000-unit quantities. The 400-MHz will have a price of around $180 in similar quantities, sources said.

Although Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel already markets considerably faster Pentium II chips, its introduction of the 366-MHz follows by several months AMD's introduction of a 366-MHz K6-2 chip.

Celeron processors also will get a big boost from Intel starting late this year, when the company implements a new cost-efficient method to mount the chip on motherboards in a 370-pin design called PPGA, sources said.