Intel delays new Pentium 4 chip
Source: CNet News
A possible glitch with a new processor has thrown a wrench into Intel's plans to bring out new silicon for high-performance chips for top-of-the-line PCs.
Intel delivered a new chipset on schedule Monday but delayed a matching Pentium 4 processor at the last minute, leaving a raft of upcoming PCs without a processor, at least for a while.
The chipmaker had planned to deliver both its new 875P chipset and a new 3GHz Pentium 4 processor, paving the way for a number of new desktop and workstation models from PC makers including Dell Computer, Hewlett-Packard and Gateway.
Currently, the 3GHz Pentium 4 is the only chip that supports the faster 800MHz bus delivered by the 875P chipset. PC makers could offer computers with the 857P and existing 533MHz-bus Pentium 4 chips, but they are highly unlikely to do so.
The possibility of a problem with the 3GHz Pentium 4, discovered at the last minute, forced the company to delay the chip late Sunday. During tests, Intel found "anomalies" with the new chips and decided not to deliver any more of them to PC manufacturers.
Intel has "seen some anomalies, and we're going to put (the 3GHz Pentium 4) on ship hold, temporarily," said George Alfs, a company spokesman. "We're investigating (the problem) and hope to be shipping soon."
