Intel first revealed that it will fold its 64-bit a instruction set extensions, called EM64T, into the Celeron line last month at its Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco. The upcoming roll-out will lift the lid on the specific model numbers and features of the new 64-bit Celerons, as well as pricing, according to sources familiar with the company's plans.

"Yes, we have said 64-bit is coming for Celeron," an Intel spokesman said, but he declined to provide any product details or confirm plans for the launch.

According to a processor roadmap Intel began circulating to its customers in March, however, the semiconductor giant will field five separate 64-bit Celeron parts. The processors will have the model-number designations 326, 331, 336, 341, 346, 351, and 355. The clock speeds of those chips are 2.53 GHz, 2.66 GHz, 2.8 GHz, 2.93 GHz, 3.06 GHz, 3.2 GHz, and 3.33 GHz, respectively.

All of the processors will be fabricated in Intel's 90 nm technology, and will use the company's new 775-pin grid-array socket. They'll also incorporate the "XD," or "execute disable" feature, which can be used by Microsoft's operating systems to implement an anti-virus instruction.

A twist is that the 64-bit Celerons may redefine upward what's commonly considered to be a "value-priced" PC. Currently, 32-bit machines priced around $600 or less are usually tagged with the term. However, 64-bit computers equipped with the new Celerons are likely to cost a good deal more.