MSI X340 ultrathin netbook arrives in April

LaptopMag says MSI will introduce both the X320 and X340 ultrathin 13.4" notebooks in April. The X320 uses the Intel Atom Z530 1.6GHz processor while the X340 will be powered by Intel's new Consumer Ultra Low Voltage (CULV) line of processors. The MSI X340 will be one of the first CULV notebooks, it will start around $750, while the Atom-based X320 will cost around $700. The X320 will offer the best battery life, while the X340 will have better performance.

“At launch you will see [the x340 with] two specs. They are both using Intel’s Consumer ULV CPUs. One is the CULV Intel Celeron M 725 and the second one will be the Core 2 Solo SU3500,” MSI’s Director of U.S. Sales Andy Tung told LAPTOP.

According to Tung, the Intel Celeron M 723 processor will have a clock speed of 1.2GHz and have 1MB L2Cache while the Intel CULV Core 2 Solo SU3500 runs at 1.4GHz and has 3MB of L2Cache. Later in May, MSI will offer the X340 with two additional CULV processor options: the 1.3GHz Core 2 Solo SU2700 (2 MB L2 Cache) and the Core 2 Solo SU9600 (clock speed unknown). Our interview with MSI marks the first time we’ve gotten names or model numbers of Intel CULV processors. We were unable to find additional details on these CPUs online and are awaiting comment from Intel.