Intel sheds light on plans for CES

New Intel chips will establish the Nehalem architecture throughout the market

Intel has revealed its plans for new products to be unveiled at next month's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The company said at a special event in San Francisco on Thursday that it will debut 27 new components, including 17 new processors.

Intel director of marketing Uday Marty told reporters that the new chips are designed to cover the entire spectrum and bring the Nehalem architecture throughout the company's product line.

Among the new products will be new Core i5 and Core i3 chips to complement the high end Core i7 line.

The Core i3 chips will provide the basic advantages of the Nehalem architecture for low-end users, while the Core i5 chips will feature the Turbo Boost feature and focus on users who perform more demanding tasks such as video or photo editing.

Marty said that the new chips will round out the Nehalem offering, and officially establish the architecture throughout the market.

Intel is also planning to update its onboard graphics and sound platforms. The GMA graphics platform will be rebranded as Intel HD Graphics, and will be offered on all of the company's new dual-core systems along with improved onboard sound systems.

Onboard graphics systems have long been lamented by users for their low power and limited abilities, but Intel claims that the latest systems are far more advanced, and capable of running more demanding tasks and supporting new standards such as Blu-ray playback.

Marty said that, while users such as graphics professionals and high-end games enthusiasts will still favour discrete graphics cards, the company feels that its new onboard chips and graphics will be able to meet the needs of as many as 90 per cent of users.