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Technology Stocks : Rambus (RMBS) - Eagle or Penguin -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: REH who wrote (4249)	5/20/1998 6:03:00 PM
From: Drake	Respond to of 93625

I agree that there is a LOT we don't know, and I'm willing to bet that most of it is positive.

To: REH who wrote (4249)	5/20/1998 6:43:00 PM
From: REH	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 93625

Manufacturers Propose Alternative Fast RAM Standard DDR Technology To Cost Less Than Intel-Backed Rambus Spec By Megan Loncto, Computer Shopper June, 1998 Memory manufacturers agree that the Double Data Rate (DDR) standard for dynamic RAM chips ratified in March will be used in high-end servers and workstations, but are divided on whether the technology will find a home in mainstream PCs. The deciding factor may be Intel Corp.'s stated preference for Rambus' forthcoming Direct Rambus DRAM (D-RDRAM) design. DDR, which doubles the data transfer rate between a system's processor and its memory, is due to ship in the third quarter. Vendors predict DDR memory will cost only 4 or 5 percent more than today's SDRAM. By contrast, when it is released in 1999, D-RDRAM could be up to 35 percent more expensive. Jack Konrath, director of strategic marketing of memory products at Fujitsu Microelectronics, says DDR is a natural candidate for the booming sub-$1,000 PC market: "DDR is here today, and it is a less expensive solution. It's a logical choice to replace SDRAM." But Gerd Schauss, senior product marketing manager for NEC Electronics' memory division, disagrees: "There may be some exotic PCs using DDR, but it won't be the memory of choice. Intel has a clear road map, and we're in sync with Intel." That map starts with today's move to PC100 SDRAM (for the 100MHz system bus of 350MHz and faster Pentium II processors) and continues with a migration to D-RDRAM in 1999. Intel says its chip-set products will not support DDR because it sees several obstacles, including slower performance, to DDR's chances of becoming a mainstream memory solution. Still, Bruce Bonner, principal analyst at Dataquest, claims that it's a question of when, not if, DDR will be successful--because unlike D-RDRAM, DDR is an open standard. "People don't want to pay Rambus royalties," Bonner says. "So they'll put a lot of work into an alternative solution, be it blessed by Intel or not." For its part, Rambus claims royalties are just part of the DRAM business. "Intel's support is huge," says Rambus spokesperson Michelle Clark. "Since Intel supplies chip sets to more than half of the market, Direct RDRAM is well on its way to becoming the de facto standard."

To: REH who wrote (4249)	5/20/1998 6:46:00 PM
From: REH	Respond to of 93625

Microprocessors Cyrix has not disclosed its bus plans, but the company is likely to build Pentium II-compatible modules using the Slot 1 architecture. In negotiating the renewal of its cross-license patent agreement with Intel, AMD gave up its right to build Slot 1 processors. But Cyrix, now a subsidiary of National Semiconductor, has the benefit of National's license, which has no such exclusion. Yet another approach will be eliminating the processor bus entirely, as Cyrix has done in the MediaGX, by integrating part of the system logic chip set into the processor. Such a device would have PCI and DRAM interfaces rather than a conventional bus interface. The device might integrate a graphics controller on-chip, like the MediaGX, or it could include an AGP connection. The DRAM interface could support DDR (double data rate) SDRAM or Direct Rambus, either of which will provide more memory bandwidth than a 100-MHz Socket 7 or a Slot 1 bus can support. This approach could allow Intel's competitors to reach higher speeds without having to use a new bus architecture. Throughout the history of the personal computer, advances in microprocessors have been the driving force behind its evolution. And that's not likely to change as the new millennium dawns.

To: REH who wrote (4249)	5/20/1998 7:33:00 PM
From: mr.mark	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 93625

"market makers are playing this stock." reh, thanks for the informative computer shopper post about the DDR standard and D-RDRAM design. and i appreciate the many contributions that you make to this thread. i'd like to comment on the above quote from your #reply-4532732 message. it has been my observation that often, when a stock goes against someone, they claim that it is being manipulated. in the same vein, we often see people declare that the mm's are shaking a stock when, imo, it is just being bought and sold. other over-used words like tanking and on fire come to mind. reh, from viewing your profile, you have way more experience than me. so perhaps you correct that mm's are manipulating RMBS. i think that it is nothing other than normal market activity, where there are just not enough people interested in buying RMBS, 1) at this price, and 2) at this time. fwiw, as they say. regards, mr.mark