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Technology Stocks : Intel Corporation (INTC) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Diamond Jim who wrote (41310)	12/2/1997 8:34:00 PM
From: VICTORIA GATE, MD	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 186894

ALL Intel Unfolds Pentium II Road Map (12/02/97; 7:00 p.m. EST) By Mitch Wagner, InternetWeek Intel is cooking up upgrade plans for faster, less expensive Pentium II chips, while also unveiling guidelines designed to extend battery life on notebook computers. The semiconductor giant is developing the next step up in power with a new line of Pentium II microprocessors, code named Katmai, scheduled for release in early 1999. The Katmai chip includes enhanced MMX multimedia instructions for improved 3-D graphics performance, according to insiders. Intel also plans to release its Deschutes version of the Pentium II processor in the first quarter of next year, sources said. The first Deschutes will come in a Slot 1 Single-Edge Cartridge design for desktop systems. In the second quarter, the processor will come in 350-MHz and 400-MHz versions for the desktop, as well as 233-MHz and 266-MHz configurations designed for notebook computers and desktop systems. In mid-1998, Intel plans to release 350-MHz and 450-MHz Pentium II CPUs in Slot 2 configurations, with up to 2 megabytes of Level 2 cache running at the full speed of the processor, sources said. Intel also plans to introduce next year two core-logic chipsets designed for servers. The 440BX will support synchronous DRAM , the Accelerated Graphics Port, and 100-MHz system bus, while the 450NX core-logic chipset will support up to four Slot 2 processors for powerful workstations or servers, sources said. "They're doing even more next year to drive the Pentium II into server environments," said Nathan Brookwood, an analyst with Dataquest. In late 1998, Intel plans a low-end Pentium II chip without an onboard cache, which will make it slow-running but carry a lower price at about $100, for systems less than $1,000, sources said. The company plans to nearly stop making Pentium chips by the end of 1998 -- except for a few for use in mobile computers -- concentrating instead on Pentium II chips, Brookwood said. That strategic direction could make IT managers more attracted to Pentium clone processors from Advanced Micro Devices and Cyrix, which claim to produce lower-cost Pentium-class chips with the performance of midrange Pentium IIs. Farther ahead, Intel plans Willamette in late 1999, a higher-speed, better-performing Pentium II with larger cache than previous models, sources said. Around the same time, the company also plans to release its already well-publicized 64-bit Merced chip. Intel declined to comment on the upcoming chips. The company did disclose details of new power-management specifications designed to improve battery life for notebook computers. The Intel Mobile Power Guidelines Version 1.0, released yesterday, are designed to help provide notebook computers of 1999 with an average 3-hour battery lifespan, based on 44-watt-hour batteries. Today's average battery lifespan is 38 watt-hours. The guidelines assume a standard TFT notebook display size of 13.3 inches, with a 1024-by-768-by-24 resolution and a power target of 2.3 watts. Supporters of the guidelines include IBM, Toshiba, Compaq, Dell, and other major notebook vendors. Intel also announced Intel Power Monitor 3.0, a software tool designed to help independent software vendors produce more power-friendly software, which is already being used by Microsoft, Lotus Development, and Corel to produce up to 60 percent power savings. The new version includes tools designed to determine power consumption for CPUs and rotating media. The software is expected to be released in mid-December.