Intel Haswell processors set to power next generation of laptops

Stuart Miles | 2 June 2013

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Intel is set to dominate the news this week powering a bevy of new laptops, ultrabooks and other devices to be announced at Computex.

The chip manufacturer has announced further details of its new processors, dubbed Haswell, that promises enhanced performance and improved battery life.

The fourth-generation Core processors are the company's latest chips and will be finding their way into desktop and laptop computers in the coming weeks.

The new line succeeds the company's current Ivy Bridge processors already available in many of the leading laptops on the market from Dell, Lenovo, Apple and others.

Intel says the new Haswell processors will provide up to 9.1 hours of HD video playback on an Ultrabook Core i7 device as well as improvements to the general run time of the computer and standby times.

But the new processor isn't just about increasing battery life - although we are sure that will be welcomed by many - but also improving graphics performance. Intel says machines carrying the new processor should see a 40 per cent increase in graphics performance - handy if you play games.

Haswell-powered laptops have already started to show up, with more expected at computing trade show Computex that starts on 4 June.

Gaming company Razer on Thursday announced two versions of an ultra-thin gaming notebook called the Razer Blade.

Measuring just 0.66-inches thin, the new Razer Blade notably features an all-aluminium chassis and 14-inch LED-backlit HD+ display with a native resolution of 1,600-by-900, as well as a custom-designed trackpad and backlit gaming grade keyboard that has full anti-ghosting capabilities and Synapse 2.0 programmable keys.

The Windows 8 64-bit laptop also sports a Haswell fourth-gen Intel Core processor, the latest NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M GPU, 128 GB of total solid-state storage technology, 8 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3L memory, Dolby Home Theatre v4 audio output, and built-in 1.3 MP HD webcam.

Razer also unveiled details of the pro version. The 17-inch Razer Blade Pro uses a 2.4GHz Intel fourth-generation Haswell processor at 47W TDP and Nvidia GeForce GTX765M graphics card.

Pocket-lint is reporting live from Computex, so stay tuned for more news over the coming week.