Cirrus, I was entertained by the latest Kanellos article; I was about to post the link but you beat me too it. Some highlights I appreciated:
In recent years, the debate over which company makes better processors--Intel or Advanced Micro Devices--has in many ways surpassed the Windows vs. Macintosh conflict as the never-ending topic of debate in the PC world.
Chat room discussions range from intricate arguments over performance to name-calling screeds.
With a link to news.cnet.com for an example screed. The next paragraph will be sure to inspire a name-calling screed directed at poor Kanellos from Paul, Elmer, and Co.:
One area where AMD will have a lead is in dual processing. The P4 does not
currently work in the two-processor configurations popular on workstations or in
low-end servers. The capability is not expected until at least second quarter 2001,
when Intel also delivers a Xeon version of P4, potentially creating big holes in
high-performance system product lines. For now, AMD will have the edge in this
area over Intel.
Tucked in among the bland reportage, a couple sentences straight from the Intel NetB**s* marketing handbook:
Debuting at 1.4 GHz and 1.5 GHz, the Pentium 4 will be faster than the speediest Athlon on the market, which
tops out at 1.2 GHz. The new chip is designed to provide a substantial boost when it comes to multimedia and
Internet-centric applications.
A bit debatable, I'd say. Finally, my favorite bit:
Pentium 4 boxes will also be big because of the insulation required. The chip consumes an average of 50 watts
of power when in operation, according to Intel. This is less than the 60 watts some of the first Athlon chips
consumed but more than standard Pentium IIIs consume.
I think Kanellos got confused again. I believe he meant to say shielding instead of insulation, to protect the poor, naive user from radiation sickness induced by the nuclear powered P4. Whether that is a greater danger than nausea induced by the NetB**s* marketing campaign, only time will tell.
(all quotes from news.cnet.com
Cheers, Dan. |
