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| Top Stories for July 14, 2000 (details below) | |
| ZD Net News | Intel accuses Transmeta of incompatibilty |
| The Register Files | |
| The Register | Transmeta not x86 compatible - Intel |
| The Register | AMD explains why the Duron is multiplier locked |
| Microprocessor
Headline News Collected By Robert R. Collins |
Week of July 9, 2000 |
Older News |
| July 14, 2000 | ||
Intel accuses Transmeta of incompatibiltyBy Will Knight July 13, 2000 |
Transmeta is failing to deliver, says rival Intel
Chip startup Transmeta is suffering from compatibility problems and failing to deliver its products, according to the world's leading chip manufacturer, Intel. In an interview with ZDNet during a briefing Thursday, Intel exposed a sore point when discussing the hype surrounding Transmeta and its foray into the laptop arena. |
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The Register Files |
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Transmeta not x86 compatible - IntelBy Mike Magee July 13, 2000 |
Intel has made a spirited defence of its SpeedStep technology, describing its competition - that is AMD - as a mere follower rather than a leader.
At the same time, Don MacDonald, director of marketing of the mobile platform group, also claimed Transmeta's solution was not entirely compatible. He said: "You should check whether the Transmeta chip is 100 per cent x86 compatible." He said information at "Tom's Register" led him to that conclusion. |
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AMD explains why the Duron is multiplier lockedBy Lucy Sherriff July 13, 2000 |
Until recently, in the hardware community Intel and AMD were distinct from one another in a very fundamental way: Intel's processors were multiplier-locked, and AMD's were not. With the release of the (multiplier locked)
Duron, this has changed and the hardware hackers are not happy.
The trouble is, as much as the people working at AMD may sympathise with the predicament this puts the overclockers in, the company is trying to get itself taken seriously by the big corporates. And this is where the real money is. |
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| July 13, 2000 | ||
New technologies set stage for Intel server growthBy Stephen Shankland July 12, 2000 |
The convergence of several new technologies is setting the stage for a time when Intel servers will be seen as more than just overgrown desktop computers.
Intel will release two major server-specific chips in the coming months--the 64-bit Itanium processor this year and the 32-bit Foster early next year--as well as several motherboards, chipsets and nearly complete servers that some companies will use as foundations for their own products. |
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Several factors will limit demand for 64-bit Windows 2000By Neil MacDonald, Gartner Analyst July 12, 2000 |
Most businesses will greet the latest beta of Microsoft's 64-bit version of Windows 2000--and indications that the product is nearly complete--with little interest.
Several factors will limit enterprise demand for this operating system (OS). First, businesses running applications that require high scalability have already turned to Unix operating systems, especially Solaris. Most of these already have 64-bit versions that are shipping today with applications to run on them. |
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The Register Files |
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Intel notebook chips to top 1GHzBy Mike Magee July 12, 2000 |
The most recent notebook roadmaps from Intel shows that the firm is humming-and-hawing on whether to include its SpeedStep battery saving technology on all future mobile chips, including the mobile
Celeron.
And, at the same time, the firm is set to intro the new Tualatin .13 micron core in the second quarter of next year for notebook processors, allowing speeds of 1GHz+ for mobile warriors toting StinkPads and the like. |
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AMD notebooks beat Intel to GHz punchBy Mike Magee July 12, 2000 |
The race is on with a vengeance with both AMD and Intel lining up in a three-horse race to see which is first to hit 1GHz in the notebook market.
And, according to confidential AMD roadmaps we have seen today, it is set to be a close run thing, with the firm launching its 1GHz Athlon in Q1 next year. Well fancy that. |
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| July 12, 2000 | ||
DRAM industry considers lodging FTC antitrust complaint against RambusBy Jack Robertson July 10, 2000 |
Major DRAM manufacturers are quietly planning to file an industry antitrust complaint against Rambus Inc. with the Federal Trade Commission, according to high-level industry sources last week.
The move would be a pre-emptive strike to have Rambus' synchronous-DRAM interface patents declared unenforceable. The biggest memory makers also want to block further attempts by Rambus to force them to pay royalties on their mainstream SDRAMs, double-data-rate SDRAMs, and logic controllers with synchronous interfaces. |
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Intel Benchmarks Slam Rambus
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Intel wants you to love pricey Rambus memory, largely because its upcoming Pentium 4 processor will require the technology. But the chip maker's own tests show today's Pentium III systems that use less-expensive PC-133 SDRAM memory often outperform comparable
RDRAM-based systems.
Intel recently posted benchmark results that show systems using Intel's new 815E chip set with PC-133 SDRAM generally score better than systems with Intel's 820 chip set using PC-800 RDRAM. Despite these results, Intel executives still claim RDRAM is superior. |
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Intel benchmarks show little advantage to RambusBy Michael Kanellos July 11, 2000 |
A new series of benchmarks have emerged that show Rambus memory provides less oomph than cheaper, standard high-speed memory.
And the odd part is that the tests come from Intel, the major proponent of Rambus. In benchmark tests conducted by Intel, computers equipped with standard high-speed memory and Intel's 815 chipset outperformed similarly configured PCs with Rambus memory and the corresponding 820 chipset from the company. |
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Intel benchmarks fuel SDRAM vs. RDRAM debateBy Ken Popovich July 11, 2000 |
Intel Corp. has come under heavy fire within the computer industry for its endorsement two years ago of costly
Rambus-based solutions as the memory of choice for future PCs. But the latest assault on the chip maker's decision features ammunition from an unlikely source -- Intel's own Web site.
In posting performance benchmarks to tout its newly released 815E chip set, which supports PC133 SDRAM (synchronous dynamic RAM), Intel made it possible to compare a chip set equipped with SDRAM against the company's "preferred solution for performance PCs," the 820 chip set equipped with 800MHz Rambus memory chips. |
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S3-Via joint venture pushed to AugustBy Faith Hung July 10, 2000 |
The joint venture between Via Technologies Inc. and S3 Inc. will remain stalled at least until August as the Taiwanese government addresses concerns regarding the size of the transaction.
Taiwan's Investment Commission last week asked Via to provide more information about the financial effect and risks associated with the $323 million deal, under which S3, Santa Clara, Calif., would transfer its graphics chip business to a venture to be known as S3-Via. |
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The Register Files |
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AMD wins 1GHz price warBy Mike Magee July 11, 2000 |
Peace will break out on the 1GHz microprocessor front in the continuing war between Intel and AMD on the 5 September.
AMD has taken a little while to perfect its price weapon but on that day will drop the price of its 1GHz Athlon to $495 and its 800MHz Athlon to $190 in quantities of 1000, according to one of its US OEMs, speaking under conditions of strict confidentiality to The Register. |
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1GHz war not over, Intel claimsBy Mike Magee July 11, 2000 |
Only one day after we received information from a US OEM of a price drop on AMD 1GHz Athlons in early September, we have now learned that Intel will take retaliatory action the next month, in a classic Tweedledum-Tweedledee move.
June roadmaps seen by The Register indicate that August will see Intel finally ramp up production of its 1GHz Pentium III, as reported here earlier. |
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Drambusters fly against RambusBy Mike Magee July 11, 2000 |
US reports said that the five biggest semiconductor firms, the so-called
Dramurai, are preparing a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against US intellectual property firm
Rambus.
The goal, the reports say, is to prevent Rambus Inc from sitting pretty on patents for synchronous memory and double data rate memory. |
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Pentium 4 pricing revealedBy Mike Magee July 10, 2000 |
Sources close to Intel's plans have now revealed the prices for the first two flavours of the up-and-coming Pentium 4, formerly codenamed Willamette.
The Pentium 4 running at 1.3GHz will cost $795 when it debuts in September, with its 1.4GHz brother coming in at $895. But Intel will attempt to start its familiar pricing scheme only two months later in November this year, with the 1.3GHz costing $625 and the 1.4GHz $795. |
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| July 10, 2000 | ||
Intel's tests show PC133 SDRAMs beating Rambus; results on Web siteBy Jack Robertson July 8, 2000 |
Here's a surprise. Benchmark test results from Intel Corp. show its new 815E chip set with PC133 SDRAMs beating the performance of its 820 chip set with Direct Rambus memories. Moreover, Intel has posted those unexpected test results on its Web site, not intending to show PC133 SDRAMs beating the Direct Rambus memory format, which is favored by the Santa Clara chip giant.
In nine of 11 standard industry benchmarks the 815E/PC133 synchronous DRAM implementation beat out the 820/Rambus configuration for desktop PCs. The two chip sets and different memory formats were about equal in three of those tests, according to results on Intel's Web site. |
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The Intel-Rambus mystery deepensBy Jack Robertson July 7, 2000 |
Intel Corp. here these days may be watching the price of Rambus Inc. stock closer than any investor. The world's largest chip maker could be closing in on the right to buy 4 million Rambus shares at a ridiculously low $2.50 each. At last week's Rambus stock price, which hovered around $100 a share, that's a cool $390 million windfall.
Intel's possible stock bonanza came to light in a revised Rambus Inc. filing last week with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Turns out the original 1996 deal between the two companies was revised 10 months after it had been signed, but was only reported to the SEC last week. |
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Why Intel scuttled 800MHz XeonBy Ken Popovich July 7, 2000 |
Some of the world’s largest computer makers have forced Intel Corp. to scrap plans to release a high-end, 800MHz Pentium III Xeon processor, saying the chip doesn’t provide enough of a performance gain to warrant the upgrade just yet.
But while OEMs fault Intel for trying to keep them on the upgrade fast track, users say computer makers are also to blame for abruptly dropping support of older processors when new ones are released. |
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The Register Files |
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Intel 815e platform thrashes 820 platformBy Mike Magee July 9, 2000 |
A report on Semiconductor Business News has compared Intel's own benchmarks for its recent i815e chipset -- which uses PC-133 memory -- to its 820 chipset -- which uses Rambus RIMMs with the results clearly demonstrating the former outperforms the latter.
The report, which can be found here, is a further embarrassment to Intel's chipset business, which has been plagued for the last 18 months with woe related to its support of Rambus memory. |
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AMD loose cannon in Via-Intel dealBy Mike Magee July 8, 2000 |
Intel's CEO, Craig Barrett, was unequivocal about his firm's continued interest in the chipset market when he spoke to journalists in Sweden a fortnight ago.
That, he said, would undermine confidence in the marketplace, and would not be something Intel would ever contemplate. Still, there's chipset business and there's chipset business. While a year is as a day in the eye of the lord, a year in the microprocessor business is like a century everywhere else. |
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