Intel is gearing up to ship its next Celeron processor, a 466MHz chip designed to integrate graphics and audio at lower prices.

Slated to hit the street late this month, the CPU will be followed in June by a new chip set, called the 810 (formerly code-named "Whitney"), which integrates graphics and audio features.

Only OEMs who have converted to a socketed motherboard to support Celerons with Intel's 370-pin PPGA (plastic pin grid array) packaging will be able to integrate the new chip. That's because Intel, after the 433MHz Celeron, will no longer offer Celerons in packaging designed for its slot architecture, sources told PC Week.

To date, Celerons have come in both slot and socket-oriented packaging. The 466MHz version, however, will offer only PPGA packaging, the sources said.

Systems with the 466MHz chip and the 810 chip set are expected to be generally available in June, sources said. The full story is available at http://www.zdnn.com .