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To: puborectalis who wrote (76403)	3/16/1999 1:17:00 AM
From: greenspirit	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 186894

Stephen and ALL, Article...But What About Katmai?... March 15, 1999 Computer Gaming World : As this year wears on, Intel's newest CPU, Katmai, will become the CPU of choice for gamers. At press time, Intel was just announcing that Katmai's official product name would be Pentium III. And while this moniker won't send tremors through the industry, at least it isn't something silly like Celeron. Anyway, we thought seriously about putting a Katmai processor into the Power Rig this month, but because pricing information wasn't available--and because next-generation Intel processors tend to be very pricey early in their life cycle--we opted to stick with Pentium II for now. But Pentium IIIs will be shippin about the same time you're reading this, and you should take a good look at them to decide if the price difference is worth the investment. The reasons to get Pentium III are pretty compelling. With its Katmai New Instructions (KNI), Pentium IIIs will be able to make the front end of 3D graphics pipelines move along a good deal faster (upwards of 70 percent faster) than their predecessor, provided the game you're playing is Katmai-aware. A bit less compelling, but worth considering, is that Pentium III's top clock rate will debut at 500MHz. The Pentium III should drop into current 440BX motherboards, though you'll need a BIOS update. If Pentium III's initial price tag feels too steep for your blood, you might consider the much less expensive 400MHz Celeron-A, and wait until Pentium IIIs make their way down the price curve. Given that Katmai-aware titles won't be out in any great number until the latter part of this year, Katmai's main benefit to gamers won't be greatly evident until then.

To: puborectalis who wrote (76403)	3/16/1999 9:27:00 AM
From: Diamond Jim	Respond to of 186894

By Eric Auchard NEW YORK, March 15 (Reuters) - Microworkz Computer Corp. on Monday unveiled a fully equipped desktop computer priced at $299, breaking a psychological barrier that puts PC pricing in line with that of television sets, stereos and other basic consumer electronics. "We're pricing our computers at a point where we can effectively demolish the socioeconomic barriers between the 'data haves' and the 'data have-nots,'" said Rick Latman, president and chief executive of the Seattle-based direct PC marketer. He was referring to the company's target market -- the 50 percent of U.S. households without PCs, not to mention Internet access -- and the $299 pricing that most marketers consider crucial to reaching consumers without much disposable income. Included with the $299 machine is a year's free Internet access from EarthLink Network Inc. <ELNK.O> and a suite of Corel Corp. <COS.TO> WordPerfect software, the Seattle-based company said. The Internet connection alone is worth $240. The low-cost PC, known as the WEBzter Jr., runs on a Cyrix 300 MII computer chip and is standard in all basic respects except for Microworkz's penchant for substituting the letter "z" for "s" in corporate and product names. "The average consumer has an antiquated box that he's overpaid for," said Latman in a phone interview. The 32-year-old executive, once a Wall Street investment banker with Merrill Lynch, left in 1993 to join Microworkz. Currently, the low-price range for major computer makers like Compaq Computer Corp. <CPQ.N>, and Hewlett-Packard Co. <HWP.N> and International Business Machines Corp. <IBM.N> is $499 to $699.