Gene,
Let's see, your buddy talks about a RAMBUS Sealed PC and quotes verbatim from an article on Internet TV.
Read this section again carefully...
Bob Eminian, vice president of marketing for Samsung Semiconductor Inc., the San Jose-based chip subsidiary of the Korean electronics giant, said the sealed system will be the ultimate "throw-away" consumer PC.
"At an under-$200 price point, the PC has no need to be upgraded," Eminian said. "It will simply be replaced."
Eminian said the low price is possible because the processor and main memory will be attached directly to the motherboard. Controller functions for memory, graphics, modem, and LAN interfaces will be integrated into the processor, saving additional cost. "There's no need to have access for inserting cards," he said. "All the functions are embedded in the processor itself."
Eminian said the PCs will use a Timna-like processor, although he declined to specify whether the CPU would be manufactured by Intel or elsewhere.
The platforms will use a few 128-Mbit SDRAM chips or even fewer 256-Mbit Direct Rambus DRAM devices, he added. Costs will be reduced further because no memory modules will be required.
Eminian said the sealed PC could create a major market for Direct RDRAM. "A 128-Mbyte main memory could be obtained with just four 256-Mbit Direct Rambus chips," he said. "The same memory configuration could be used in handheld Internet devices. With both OEM products selling in huge quantities, their total demand for chips could create economies of scale to make Direct Rambus chips very price competitive."
As I pointed out before, Eminian is not a fan of Rambus, and we all know that Jack Robertson isn't.
Also, I don't see any mention of DDR. Did anyone catch a reference I missed?
Looks like another (possible) design win for RDRAM. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
Dave |
