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Date: 11/12 19:08 EST
Intel Prepping Release Of i820 Chipset
Nov 12, 1999 (Tech Web - CMP via COMTEX) -- When Intel releases its
long-awaited, much-delayed i820 chipset Monday, it will have the
support of several PC-makers who are planning to use the technology in
their newest PCs. Intel will also be deflecting questions raised today
by a Wall Street analyst who questioned the company's IA-64 strategy
and said its i820 plan is in "disarray."
IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Compaq are planning full support of the i820
chipset. Sources say that Compaq on Monday will unveil four new
additions to its DeskPro line that incorporate the i820 chipset. Prices
will start at about $2,500 for configurations based on a 600-MHz
Pentium III Coppermine chip, with 128 Mbytes of RDRAM and a 13.5-Gbyte
hard drive. At the same time, IBM will add the i820 chipset as an
option for its PC 300PL desktops and Intellistation E Pro workstations.
Meanwhile, HP will unveil new versions of its Vectra PCs and Kayak
workstations that incorporate the new chipset.
But Merrill Lynch analyst Joe Osha said price-performance issues may
impact the chipset's acceptance. "It's not that there is a problem with
the 820 chipset itself, it's that the memory roadmap is in disarray,"
Osha said in an interview. The i820 chipset utilizes new 133-MHz RDRAM
memory from Rambus, which will sell for up to 40% more than PC 100
SDRAM, according to some estimates. Osha says he thinks this may not
sit well with price-conscious PC buyers in both the corporate and
consumer sectors. "Given the relative performance difference, the cost
that RDRAM is imposing on vendors makes it unlikely that Rambus is
going to end up being a solution for the majority of the market," Osha
said.
As for Intel's forthcoming 64-bit Merced chip, Osha said, "It's not
going to be a failure, but it's not going to be a home run either. In
terms of IA-64 being better than anything anybody's ever seen within
the enterprise, that's not going to happen."
Osha made similar remarks in a report released early today. After the
report's release, Intel's stock slid. By late afternoon, its stock
price was down 3-5/8 to 75-13/16 per share.
Intel declined to respond to Osha's comments. Company spokesman Bill
Kircos says, "We don't respond to comments from a single analyst."
Intel first gave word early last month that the i820 chipset, which
facilitates bus speeds of 133 MHz and thus allows computers to take
full advantage of Coppermine chips, would be delayed because of a
conflict with RDRAM that the company says has now been resolved. The
i820 chipset was originally scheduled to ship to PC makers in October.
Several PC makers, including IBM and Micron, have been shipping 133-MHz
FSB systems using an alternate chipset from Via. However, Intel is
suing Via in federal court in San Jose, Calif., for patent
infringement.
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Copyright (C) 1999 CMP Media Inc. |
