Intel sneaks out new stepping for Pentium 4

Intel has in the shadows of its new VIIV technology sneaked out a completely new stepping for for the Pentium 4 6X0 series. The new models will be called, obviously; 631, 641, 651 and 661. The new core Cedar Mill a.k.a. the C-1 stepping is improved mainly when it comes to power consumption and thus heat. Better Halt state, EIST (Enhanced Intel Speedstep Technology) and Thermal Monitor seems to be three of the most important updates and they all contribute to lower the power consumption and in the end the heat when the processor is idle or just has a low workload, which means that it will still get pretty hot when running under heavy load, although hopefully at least slightly improved.

Source: TheInquirer