With Intel's 45nm Core 2 Duo E8000 series now launched, the first mainstream desktop 'Penryn' processors are on their way. Lesser versions are due in Q2, as the Core 2 Duo E7000 series. Range topping dual-core Celerons will be coming sooner.

The E7000 CPUs - the first is expected to be the E7200, according to a report at Chinese-language site HKEPC - will have half the cache of the E8000 series, 3MB. They'll run at the same frontside bus (FSB) frequency as the current, 65nm E6000 line, 1066MHz. The E8000 CPUs' FSB is 1333MHz.

Some E6000s have a 1333MHz FSB too, and 4MB of L2 cache, so Intel clearly anticipates the E7000 series will out-perform these - hence the higher model number - even though they have less cache and a slower FSB.

The E7200 is expected to clock at a 2.53GHz. HKEPC reckons it'll cost $133 when sold in batches of 1000 CPUs.

The dual-core Celeron E1000 series will debut on 20 January, it's claimed, as the E1200 and E1400, clocked at 1.6GHz and 1.8GHz. Both sit on an 800MHz FSB and contain 512KB of cache. We'd expect them the to be named E1020 and E1040, as these numbers fit Intel's numbering scheme better, but we'll bow to what HKEPC's saying for the moment.