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Technology Stocks : Micron Only Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IceShark who wrote (45952)	5/24/1999 5:08:00 PM
From: phbolton	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 53903

Sharky: Would you believe a weather forecast from someone who can't that its raining now? I believe this is called "dniles syndrome". DJ's second article has spot at $5 (g). It may below even that now for "top tier" memory like MU. Second tier ASPs are below $4.

To: IceShark who wrote (45952)	5/24/1999 5:09:00 PM
From: DJBEINO	Respond to of 53903

Taiwan preps PC133 boards Mark Carroll Taipei, Taiwan - Bucking the trend toward Direct Rambus memories, Taiwan's PC motherboard makers plan this week to sample systems using PC133 SDRAMs. While the boards are low-cost and straightforward to design, engineers here report, they acknowledge that any real performance increases over current 100-MHz SDRAM-based systems will have to wait for a faster Pentium III processor expected in the fall. Coppermine CPUs running a 133-MHz front-side bus from Intel Corp. are sampling here now and should boost PC133's acceptance after Coppermine's formal release in September. The PC133 mainboards use SDRAM that runs at 133 MHz instead of 100 MHz. "Developing PC133 mainboards was pretty straightforward," said Jerry Shen, associate vice president of R&D for Asustek Computer Inc. "There is almost no difference between a standard SDRAM board and a PC133 board." Other Taiwanese mainboard makers noted the ease of designing for PC133. "We currently have three PC133 products in the works," said Donny Chien, product marketing division manager for First International Computer Inc. (FIC). "There are virtually no added costs for either the memory or the core logic with PC133. There's a problem currently with an adequate availability of memory running at 133 MHz." The quickness with which the Taiwanese have been able to develop PC 133 boards appears to concern Rambus Inc. officials, who were here last week looking to obtain prerelease samples of Taiwanese PC133 mainboards. Asia's DRAM vendors and Taiwan's core-logic vendors have positioned PC133 memory as an interim competitor to Rambus's RDRAM. Taiwan's memory-module makers are also ready to sup-port PC133. "PC133 DIMM availability is good," said Robin Chang, associate director at Apacer Technology Inc. "By this June we will have 133-MHz DIMMs in mass production. Chang sees PC133 DIMMs as a major product through the end of the year. "The low-cost PC will drive the acceptance of PC133," he said. "Also, the move from 0.22- to 0.18-micron DRAM production will lower the price and fuel the market." Awaiting 4X AGP support Even though PC133 mainboards will be available here soon, the original boards will not show much of a performance increase over a standard Intel BX PC100 SDRAM board. "We will offer PC133 boards this month but won't go into mass production until July," said Shen. "Then Via Technologies Inc. will offer their PC133 core logic that supports 4X AGP, the 694X. I believe the combination of memory running at 133 MHz along with 4X AGP will be more popular." Some Taiwanese mainboard makers put off the PC133 until this September. "Until Intel's Coppermine CPU comes out that supports a 133-MHz front-side bus, there isn't much of a performance gain from PC133," said an R&D engineer for another major Taiwanese mainboard maker. "You can overclock a Pentium III 400-MHz CPU to run at a 133-MHz bus speed, but that's a fairly small market. We currently have engineering samples of Coppermine that we are developing for a second generation of PC133 boards." Other mainboard makers agree. "Until this September, PC133 is more of a marketing-driven product than a performance one," said Shen. "Bench tests show that 100-MHz SDRAM is better than PC133. PC133 has to have a 3 CAS latency. PC100 can run a 2 CAS latency." Chien at FIC agrees. "Having the front-side bus also running at 133 MHz will make PC133 mainboards more powerful," he said. For now, only Via has a PC133-compliant core-logic product, its 693. That will change soon, however. "Acer Laboratories Inc. (ALi) will offer a PC133 product in June that also supports 4X AGP," said Shen. More importantly, Taiwan's mainboard makers also have a version of Intel's 810 that supports a 133-MHz front-side bus and perhaps 133-MHz memory bus. "The 810 E (enhanced) is currently being sampled by mainboard makers here," said Chang. "It may support a 133-MHz memory bus." Taiwan's mainboard makers see PC133 as being the mainstream memory product through the end of this year. "I expect RDRAM to be about 10 percent of the memory market at year-end," said Shin. "PC133 will be popular until at least the year 2000. It can run on a standard four-layer pcb and hence there is little or no cost differential from standard SDRAM." Copyright ® 1999 CMP Media Inc. techweb.com