Intel speeds processors for everyday PCs

updated 7:48 p.m. ET Jan. 8, 2007

NEW YORK - For more than a year, Intel Corp. and other chip makers have been selling the idea that two heads are better than one. Now, the world's largest semiconductor company is betting four heads — actually, four computing engines — will be better still.

On Monday, Intel introduced the newest additions to its line of microprocessors, the silicon "brains" of computers. The Intel Core 2 Quad has four computing cores in a single chip package. The company said the upgrade from two-core line will give PCs an extra boost in handling media-intensive applications such as high-quality video games or intensive graphic-design and video-editing programs.

Intel announced quad-core chips for servers and gaming PCs last year. The latest processors, which are immediately available, are targeted at mainstream computer users.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Intel also launched two additional quad-core processors for servers, rather than desktops.

The mainstream processors cost $851 each when purchased in bulk. The new server chips start at $690.

Shares of Intel gained a penny to $21.11 in midday trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

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