The Desktop Domain

Intel's plans to combat the future

Pricing is one thing, but what's important is the actual technology. So what can you do when wolves are snapping at your heals from all directions? Well, if you're an 800 lbs gorilla, maybe it's time to flex some muscle. AMD has announced that the Athlon 650 will soon grace desktops across the nation. What to do? How about incorporating some old technology with new?

The Pentium III

Camino before CuMine

According to the roadmap, on September 27th, Intel will introduce the 820 chipset (formerly known as "Camino") with 533MHz and 600Mhz Pentium III processors. How is this old? Well, some of the Pentium III 600 CPUs available today already have the ability to interface with a 133MHz FSB. Along with 820 and Rambus Direct RAM, we're going to see the same .25 micron P3s that have been available all of this year, in 4.0 (533MHz) and 4.5 (600MHz) multipliers. It won't be until late October when the 0.18 micron Coppermine Pentium IIIs are released.

Since Pentium IIIs have had no problem reaching 600MHz, the release of a lower cost 533MHz version for 820 is a smart move - we're still seeing a problem of cost for the Camino chipset, particularly in the proprietary RAMBUS interface and memory modules. This was the primary reason 820 has been pushed back from summer 1999 until late September.

Format change

Remember when Celeron moved from Slot-1 format to a more standard "PPGA" socketed chip package? As CuMine is released, Intel will ready the Pentium III to move from "SC242" Slot-1 to a similar PGA format called "FCPGA370," which will likely be very similar, although not necessarily pin-compatible with Celeron's Socket-370. More on this later.

The Chipset game

It seems like RAMBUS is still the most expensive factor in the 820 equation, and though Intel is committed to supporting it (as its own proprietary format), cheaper alternatives such as PC133 and Double Data Rate (DDR) SDRAM have forced the microprocessor giant to reconsider its stance on memory support. But how do you back down from a hardwired design that's been in the works for a year?

Simultaneously with the release of 820 will be the "Intel 810e" chipset, which is targeted towards the standard consumer level. Offering support for speeds of 66MHz, 100MHz, and 133MHz, the 810e offers the advantages of 820 with standard SDRAM support. This basically means that 810e will be Intel's implementation of cheaper PC133 SDRAM, in a quiet retraction of their original statement of nonsupport. With 810e, Intel can support "industry" standards for RAM in the low end, while continuing to push the more-coveted high end of 820.