Three GHz is significant because if you look at the usage models that consumers are doing today... a lot with digital audio, video and imaging, you need a lot of processing power. In addition, it's one GHz more than we were offering just a year ago. So Intel continues to deliver high performing products that help the users take advantage of the latest and greatest software that's out there."
Intel and PC makers hope the higher speeds will spur sales. The problem they have faced has been that many consumers and businesses seem satisfied with the capabilities of PCs that are three or four years old. Fravel says new technology called Hyper-Threading in the new processors will make the differences more noticeable...
"It's really developed to take advantage of multi-tasking environments. Any time you run two programs simultaneously, everybody's experienced that annoying hour glass waiting. The Hyper-Threading technology will turbo boost your PC so it's going to be more responsive. You'll see less of that hour glass and you'll get more done than you ever did before."
PCs with the 3 GHz processor are typically selling for 15 hundred dollars and up... without a monitor. Bloomberg Boot Camp, I'm Fred Fishkin