Re: "Just checking into see if your conviction in P4 still exists given the reviews that you see out there."
The Pentium 4 is a mixed bag. On some existing software, it is adequate, although somewhat slower than competitive products (Athlon and Pentium III).
On other existing software, it ranges from good to very good.
On new software, optimized for the Pentium 4 microarchitecture, the Pentium 4 can be a stellar performer. These are, as yet, few and far between - but the Pentium 4 is still quite new.
All told - if you want to hate the Pentium 4 - there's a lot to hate.
If you want to love the Pentium 4, there's an inkling of a great processor.
Intel has a long, long history of fielding adequate processors (adequate as compared to competitive products) yet making these adequate products tremendous commercial successes by means of excellent manufacturing, marketing and follow-on improvements. You can recite these products as well as I.
Will Intel be able to do the same (succeed with a controversial product) with the Pentium 4? As noted above, Intel is a good bet to do just that.
The Pentium 4 seems emminently able to clock at much higher speeds - and quickly - on the existing 0.18 micron process. Moreover, the Pentium 4 has been released on the existing 0.18 micron progress while Intel has publicly announced that the newer, 0.13 micron/copper process development has been completed and final production qualification is underway. That provides a second, powerful performance enhancer - readily available - by virtue of only a shrink or re-layout to the new process parameters.
This "clock speed" overhead can permit the Pentium 4 to remain very competitive in its current design while the architecture/design group addresses its deficiencies - and will also allow ISV's to make more and newer - or modified software - to exploit the peculiar intracacies of the Pentium 4 innards.
With so much riding on the Pentium 4, Intel will do all in its power to make it a success - and the launch already illustrates this point:
--> Pentium 4 CPUs were readily available before launch,
--> every major OEM announced Pentium 4 PCs available for shipment within days of the launch - Compaq, Gateway, HP, Dell, IBM, NEC.
--> Four Motherboards are available - Intel, GigaByte, Asus and MSI.
--> VIA will hopefully have DDR SDRAM chip sets available within a month or two.
--> And ServerWorks will get their butt in gear (YES _ THEY HAVE SLIPPED THEIR SCHEDULE !!!) with 2 and 4-way SMP chip sets before too long (for Foster).
And as you noted, AMD has been slipping their schedules and cancelling some of their roadmap CPUs.
Re: "Intel may have picked a wrong battle to fight - visual computing. AMD may kick some serious butt here in short order (in performance not MHz)."
And how will AMD do this? |
