Intel's Core i5 is arriving early - not late

Earlier this week, a certain Taiwanese site ran a story that the Core i5 processor is delayed. But the problem was that Intel Core i5 is actually not late, not on time - but early.

If you go back a few months, Intel brought the decision to cancel the 45nm CPU+GPU parts known as Auburndale / Havendale and focus exclusively on the 32nm Core i5 processors for mainstream. The 32nm "Fusion" CPUs were originally scheduled to debut in Q1 2010, but the same thing was for the 45nm Lynnfield, quad-core processor known as Core i5. Core 2 was still supposed to hold down the fort until the beginning of 2010.

To make the matters clear, the Intel Core i5 line-up consists out of the 45nm quad-core processor [Lynnfield] and a combined 32nm Dual-core plus 45nm GPU processor [Arrandale/Clarkdale - notebook/desktop parts]. Both Lynnfield and Arrandale/Clarkdale parts are brought early, not late.When Intel saw the backlog of unsold Core 2 Duo dies, that either end up as Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad with two dies on each CPU package - the beancounters pulled the only logic thing to do: cancel the 45nm dual-core part and bring the 32nm forward.

So, the Core i5 that was supposed to debut in the summer disappeared from the roadmaps at the back end of 2008, and we got 45nm Lynnfield being brought forward from November to September 2009, and the integrated graphics part was brought forward from March 2010 to September/October 2009. That is not late, that is five-six months EARLY.