Recently, Intel announced that it was boosting its mobile Celeron processor to 466 MHz. At least temporarily, this puts Intel in the somewhat odd position of having its value processor running at a faster clock speed than its performance processor (the mobile Pentium II currently tops out at 400 MHz). Though we don't expect this situation to last for long, this is good news for notebook buyers because you can now get a high-performance notebook PC at a value price.

Although the two new notebooks reviewed here share the same fast Celeron processor, they are two very different beasts. Both appeal to SOHO and individual users, but the Dell Inspiron 7500 is the definition of desktop replacement, delivering top-notch performance, while the IBM ThinkPad i Series 1480 is a value notebook offering a great deal for the money.

Intel is due to launch nine more versions of its Pentium III chip this quarter.

The chip giant is on track to add 733 and 667MHz versions of the processor, with SECC2 Package, .18 micron process technology, supporting 133MHz system bus, by the end of 1999. They will come with 256KB on-Die full speed L2 Cache.

These will have the same specifications as the 600EB and 533EB versions of the Coppermine family, which is due to launch on 24 October.

Sources have revealed that there will be 700, 650 and 600E versions of the PIII using a 100MHz system bus. They will have the SECC2 Package, .18 micron process technology and 256KB on-die full speed L2 Cache.

Itanium--think "Titanium" with a slight regional accent--will be the official name of Intel's Merced processor, and the company will provide more details on the chip's microarchitecture at the Microprocessor Forum in San Jose, California, tomorrow.

The name Itanium was chosen to "reflect the strength and performance of the processor," said Jami Dover, vice president of marketing at Intel. Sausalito, California-based Lexicon, which also coined the chip names Celeron and Xeon, came up with the name, she said.

Itanium, due toward the middle of next year, will be the chipmaker's first 64-bit processor, which means that the chip can process information in 64-bit chunks. Current Intel processors work with 32-bit hunks.

The processor will allow Intel to provide the building blocks for servers that compete against the expensive "big iron" servers currently sold by Sun and others. Itanium-based systems will largely be targeted to e-commerce applications and to Internet service providers.

Advanced Micro Devices today released a 700-MHz version of its Athlon chip, a move that will be followed by new computers from IBM and Compaq Computer.

As first reported by CNET News.com, the new chip means that AMD will continue to enjoy a speed and performance advantage over Intel's top chips, according to analysts and other sources.

Intel won't be far behind, however; it is slated to come out with 700-MHz and 733-MHz Pentium IIIs on October 25, sources said. The fastest Pentium III now tops out at 600 MHz. Overall, Athlon achieves a higher level of performance than the Pentium III at equal speeds, leading to crisper, more realistic graphics, according to testers.

But Athlon optimism will likely be tempered by availability of new PCs, or the lack thereof. Released last month, Athlon-based computers remain a relatively scarce commodity at stores because of a lack of motherboards and other internal components for these computers, sources said. Supply will likely improve, but the process will take time.

IBM would not comment on unannounced products, and AMD would not comment on the new chip or the PC supply issue, citing the "quiet period" mandated by the Securities and Exchange Commission.