Intel Debuts 800MHz-Bus 2.4GHz, 2.6GHz, 2.8GHz Processors, “Springdale” Chipsets
Five weeks after introducing a top-of-the-line Pentium 4/3.0C with 800MHz front-side bus and 875P chipset with dual-channel DDR400 memory controller, Intel Corp. has moved those performance-boosting technologies into the mass market with three new Pentium 4 processors and chipsets for consumer and corporate desktops.
In addition to the 800MHz front-side bus that helps information flow to and from the processor more quickly than previous versions’ 400MHz and 533MHz buses, Intel’s new 2.4C GHz, 2.6C GHz, and 2.8C GHz Pentium 4 CPUs feature the company’s Hyper-Threading (multiprocessor-mimicking) technology to boost the performance of compatible applications and multitasking environments — playing a game while encoding digital music in the background, for instance, or handling business tasks while virus-checking and encrypting e-mail.
The new 865PE and 865G (formerly codenamed “Springdale”) chipsets support dual-channel DDR400 (as well as DDR333 and DDR266) memory for optimum performance in multimedia and 3-D intensive applications, thanks to synchronous operation with the 800MHz-bus Pentium 4 processors. They also include a high-performance AGP 8X graphics interface, integrated USB 2.0, and 1.5Gbps (150MB/sec) Serial ATA with optional integrated software RAID.
The 865G adds Extreme Graphics 2 integrated graphics for high-volume office and consumer desktop market segments that don’t need max-speed AGP video. A third chipset, the 865P, corresponds to the 865PE but supports Intel’s 533MHz and 400MHz system buses instead of the 800MHz bus.
In 1,000-unit quantities, the Pentium 4/2.4C costs $178; the Pentium 4/2.6C is $218; and the Pentium 4/2.8C is $278. The 865P chipset costs $36 or $33 without integrated RAID; the 865PE chipset costs $39 or $36, respectively; and the 865G is $41 or $44, respectively.
PC makers have already introduced mainstream models using the new chipsets. The i865PE-based Dell Dimension 4600 starts at $799 with a 2.8GHz processor, 512MB of DDR333 memory, 60GB hard and 16X DVD-ROM drives, and a 17-inch monitor. The i865G-based Dimension 4600C — sized for dorm rooms or apartments at just 13 inches tall — starts at $999 with a Pentium 4/2.4 and 15-inch flat-panel monitor.
Gateway is introducing a Hyper-Threading-enabled, i865G-based Gateway 500S desktop priced at $999 with Pentium 4/2.4C power, 256MB of DDR memory, an 80GB hard disk, DVD-ROM and CD-RW drives, and a 17-inch monitor. The $1,199 model 500X and $1,499 model 500XL both feature the Pentium 4/2.6C with Hyper-Threading technology.