maximumpc.com
03.31.99 17:23
Intel Clarifies Chipset Roll-Out--And Celeron's the Winner!
Intel's 820 core-logic chipset--aka Camino, the first Intel chipset to support a 133MHz system bus--will launch in the late third quarter or early fourth quarter of this year, an Intel spokesperson told us recently.
Late last year, motherboard makers told us they were anticipating the next-gen Pentium III chipset to launch in June. Intel now says their assumptions were incorrect.
At the heart of the scuttlebutt lies the availability of Rambus DRAM (Rambus Dynamic Random Access Memory, or RDRAM), a high-bandwidth type of memory required by the 820's 133MHz system bus spec. Memory manufacturers are having major trouble with RDRAM yields, leading hardcore silicon geeks to speculate that Intel is delaying the 820 because there's nothing to stuff in those modules slots. But Intel says the 820 is on track, has always been on track, and the company has no plans to scrap its current plans and use 133MHz SDRAM as a quick-fix alternative. Said Intel spokesperson Manny Vara, "By the time the [820] chipset comes out, there should be plenty of available RDRAM."
AMD's next-gen K7 processor is also spec'd to use RDRAM. One of our motherboard confidantes recently told us that the K7's chipset might also support DDR SDRAM (Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) to hit the K7's 200MHz system bus. This way, AMD can keep the K7 on track despite RDRAM shortages.
Besides supporting a 133MHz system bus, Intel's 820 chipset supports ATA-66, AGP 4X, and soft audio and modem functionality.
Prior to releasing the 820, Intel will launch the 810, a Celeron-level part that's rumored to support some of the 820 goodies plus a bunch of integrated multimedia hoo-hah. The 810 will launch with a 66MHz system bus, but upgrade to 100MHz later in the second half. |
