Intel will next year extend its Core 2 Duo desktop processor line, rolling out four CPUs in the Q2 2007 timeframe, three with support for the 1,333MHz frontside bus speed due to be introduced with the 'Bearlake' chipset series, it has been claimed.

Having seen the chip giant's latest desktop roadmap, DailyTech reports Intel is preparing new Conroes clocked at 2.33GHz, 2.66GHz, 2.93GHz and 3GHz - respectively the E6650, E6750, E6800 and E6850. All four contain 4MB of shared L2 cache. The E6800 runs on a 1,066MHz FSB - the other three support the 1,333MHz bus speed.

The E6x50 chips also support Intel's Trusted Execution Technology (TET), which is the security infrastructure thus far known as 'LaGrande' and designed to make it harder for malware to tap right down into the system to sniff out sensitive data.

TET requires support at both the chipset and the processor level - handy, if you're a company that sells both. It allows apps to be run within their own sealed environment, inaccessible by other software.

Intel has already said it will ship is quad-core Core 2 Quad processor line in Q1 2007, led by the 2.4GHz Q6600. ®