Looks like Intel's upcoming 2.4 GHz Pentium 4 is not only faster, but is also smaller than its 2.2 GHz predecessor. According to this publication, the new Pentium 4 is only 131.4 square millimeters.
That should help yields and reduce costs - right?
Monica
Faster Pentium 4 desktop chips on tap
By Michael Kanellos
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
March 28, 2002, 5:40 PM PT
news.com.com
Intel will bring out a new, faster version of the Pentium 4 for desktops next week, and chipsets and other technology for improving overall PC performance and cutting costs will pour out over the next two months.
April and May will be a busy time for the Santa Clara, Calif.-based chipmaker as well as its archrival, AMD. Early next week, Intel will release a 2.4GHz version of the Pentium 4, which will be seen in new PCs coming from major manufacturers the same week.
Besides being the fastest Pentium 4, the new 2.4GHz will also be the smallest version of the chip to date, measuring only 131.4 square millimeters, according to a company representative. The 2.4GHz Pentium 4, which will sell for around $560 in volume quantities, is 10 percent smaller than current high-end Pentium 4s, which cuts manufacturing costs.
Subsequently, Intel will release two new chipsets for the Pentium 4, sources said. If the processor is the brain of a computer, the chipset is the butler, endlessly shuttling data back and forth from the processor, memory and other components.
First up will be the 845(g), a new chipset containing integrated graphics and integrated functionality for USB 2.0, according to sources. Integrating graphics onto the chipset cuts manufacturing costs, which has made integrated chipsets popular with budget consumers and companies.
Integrating USB 2.0 into the chipset will also cut costs and is expected to lead to a proliferation of the connection standard, which lets users plug in digital cameras and other peripherals into PCs. To date, only a handful of PC makers have adopted USB 2.0 because it currently requires extra chips. USB 2.0 is substantially faster than USB 1.0 and is expected to rival FireWire, a connection technology invented by Apple gaining vogue with Sony and other PC makers.
The 845(g) will be able to hook up with standard memory, called SDRAM (synchronous dynamic RAM), or double data rate (DDR) DRAM, a faster variant of SDRAM. Intel has confirmed the general specifications of the chip and that it will come out in the second quarter, but not the exact release date.
Then, on May 6, Intel will follow up with a new chipset, the 850(e) containing a 533MHz system bus, according to sources. The system bus is the data path between the chipset and the processor. To date, the Pentium 4 has featured a 400MHz system bus. Unlike the 845, the 850 chipset will work with memory based on designs from Rambus.
May will also mark the commercial delivery of chips made on 300-milimeter wafers, according to Intel. Currently, most semiconductors are punched out of silicon wafers with 200-milimeter diameters. By shifting to the dinner plate-sized wafers, Intel will be able to produce 2.25 times as many chips with little additional overhead.
As a result, the volume of Pentium 4s will increase while the price will decline, according to Intel executives and analysts.
Overall, Intel will produce "approximately 10 times as many Pentium 4s in the first quarter as the same period a year ago," a company representative said.
Meanwhile, Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD will soon unveil "Thoroughbred," a new, faster version of its Athlon XP chip, sources said. Thoroughbred is expected to first appear in notebooks and then move to desktops.
Intel's latest technology and Thoroughbred will be tightly matched in terms of performance. "Intel might have an advantage for a quarter or two," said Nathan Brookwood, an analyst at Insight 64. In terms of cost, the two companies will also be tightly matched. Thoroughbred measures only 80 square millimeters, but will be made on 200-milimeter wafers. "AMD may still have a very small advantage, but they are close enough where neither guy can undercut the other," he said.
On April 23, AMD will also mark a significant moment in its history when Jerry Sanders hands the CEO title over to company President Hector Ruiz. The flamboyant, silver-haired Sanders, who once considered going to Hollywood to become a film star, has been AMD's only CEO in its 30 year-plus history. He will remain on as chairman. |
