Paul, I'm shocked. The Inquirer? You've told us they're completely unreliable in the past.
Seriously, though, that sounds plausible, though probably no longer applicable. The newer steppings (AXIA/AVIA) are well known for their (often at stock voltage) overclocking abilities. AVIA parts, in fact, reportedly have hit 1.6GHz at 1.75v. Of course, this may not be under hours of Quake 3, but it suggests that there would not be a problem at 1.2/1.33 with these parts.
So there may well be a number of parts out there that require 1.8V, but it seems likely that currently shipping parts are fine at 1.75V.
In other words, the problem has been fixed with a stepping, rather than a necessary increase in power/heat. (Except for the unlucky stuck with a particularly touchy part from an earlier series)
I say AMD should say nothing until Intel coughs up the goods on the P4 throttle.
Doug
p.s. Of course, it could also be a big bunch of BS. Demand and/or 1.4 pre-launch stockpiling (though I doubt the latter) could also explain it.
p.p.s. As far as Intel's "great concern" for the customer, as evidenced by the P4 throttle: Funny, you'd think they'd be crowing about this great feature all day long, then. Instead, we get silence. |
