AMD

Source: The Register

Intel cut the prices of selected Pentium 4 and Pentium III desktop processors, and some Xeon and PIII-S server chips yesterday, as we reported some time ago.

The price cuts can be found in our 'reminder' item from Friday. One point: in the end, Intel also reduced the price of its 1GHz PIII, so we've added that to the original story. And a slip of the keyboard ensured we presented an incorrect calculation for the 1.1GHz PIII, so we've corrected that too.

Chip packaging is arcane, often overlooked and absolutely crucial to the future of the semiconductor industry.

Intel on Monday is unveiling an entirely new design for the silicon and metal vehicles that connect the microprocessor to the rest of the computer.

The company says the breakthrough will play an essential role in allowing processing power to grow. Five years from now, microprocessors will run at 20GHz; they'll need to issue and receive a vast amount of signals and will require a high infusion of electricity.

Following the success of the 128MB Pocket Concert, Intel has released a 64MB portable called the Audio Player 3000 that offers a changeable faceplate users can personalize.

Intel's Xeon processor for workstations--and eventually for servers, the company hopes--is available at 2GHz speeds, the Santa Clara, Calif., chipmaker will announce Tuesday.
The Xeon chip is the big brother of the Pentium 4, which reached 2GHz in August. The Xeon, though, comes with higher-end features for working in multiprocessor computers and addressing larger amounts of memory.

Intel Corp. has confirmed that the company has advanced the introduction of its next-generation Prestonia server chip while canceling a dual-processor Foster workstation chip. To Intel, the decision was made because the company's next-generation microprocessor and process technology were sufficiently advanced to warrant the change. In addition, Intel's server roadmap was compressed enough that customers might have had difficulty in deciding which chip to choose, officials said.

The Pentium III Tualatin with 0.13-micron process is now available with a double-wide L2 cache. The 512 KB helps the Tualatin reach higher speeds. Check out how it stacks up against the Athlon and P4 at TomsHardware.

Intel on Friday launched a trio of low-priced Celeron chips.

The new desktop chips include the fastest Celeron to date, a 1.1GHz version, along with offerings at 1GHz and 950MHz.

As previously reported, PC makers Dell Computer and Compaq Computer have already begun offering the new 1.1GHz chip in desktop PCs, for prices starting around $850. Meanwhile, Gateway is offering an Essential 950c model with the 950MHz Celeron, 128MB of SDRAM, a 20GB hard drive, a CD-RW drive and a 17-inch monitor, starting at $799.

Intel demonstrated its 'hyperthreading' technology (formerly known as Jackson) at the IDF. Here's how it works, according to CNet:

Intel has confirmed it will indeed announce the 2GHz Pentium 4 in
just under two weeks' time - just ahead of massive price cuts
throughout the rest of the desktop P4 line.

The "Arapahoe" 3GIO standard has been approved by the PCI Special Interest Group, paving the way for it to replace the current PCI bus. The PCI SIG's board of directors approved the new standard on Friday morning, although the standard will need to be formally finalized, then ratified in a later session by the membership at large. In interviews, executives at Intel Corp. detailed their plans for Arapahoe, seen as a universal replacement for PCI in desktops, mobile PCs, servers, and other devices.