When will Intel strike back?

[WilsonTung]

The benches speak for themselves:

AthlonXP 1800+, even with its sucky PR ratings, has whacked the Pentium4 2 GHz.

How long will it take Intel to strike back?

I think a 2.2 GHz Willamette would be feasible, but I don't know how much faster it would be, given that the i850 chipset is stuck at 100 MHz FSB. DDR chipsets like the SiS645 might help with lower latency.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/3/22114.html reports that a new RDRAM has been completed for release next year - my question is what chipset will support it?

Tulloch, the sucessor to i850, is supposedly canceled, as reported here: http://www.theinquirer.net/08100107.htm

And the 0.13u P4 launch is also supposedly moved to January, missing the holiday season.

2.2 GHz >= 0.13u Northwood - when?
533 MHz FSB (133x4) - when?

The Willamette and the i850 have been out for a bit more than 10 months, and at higher clockspeeds, they did well against the Thunderbird. But what is Intel doing now?

I hope the answer to this is soon, and tangible. I don't want to see more dancing blue men.

 

[dullard]

Background info:
1) Intel has released a faster P4 about every 2 months since its original release (with accompaning price drops on the rest to keep the prices at their targeted ladder rungs).
2) The 1.4 GHz Athlon beat the 1.8 GHz P4 in most tests (but not all). The 2.0 GHz P4 beat the 1.4 GHz Athlon in most tests (but not all). The 1.53 GHz Athlon XP beats the 2.0 GHz P4 in most tests (but not all). Many of these tests are well under 5% difference in speed.
3) Going from 2.0 GHz to 2.2 GHz is a full 10% boost in frequency.

My Conclusion: Intel probably will release a 2.2 GHz Williamette within two months. That new chip will beat the newest 1.53 GHz Athlon XP in many tests (but not all). AMD will quickly respond...

Reports show that Northwood is supposed to go into mass production in November, but might not start selling until January. I cannot back this up as I don't have a crystal ball.

 

[SpecialEd]

i bet Intels new processor will cost an arm and a leg as well...

 

[nippyjun]

The real question is how high can the palamino scale up and how fast can they scale it up.

 

[dullard]

<< i bet Intels new processor will cost an arm and a leg as well... >>



Intel's top P4 processor has always been around $530 on pricewatch. Do you have any new information that Intel will abandon this pricing level that they have used for about a year? Or is this just a guess?

Edit: I think $530 is more like a kidney than an arm AND leg.

 

[SpecialEd]

its just a guess based on what you just said... every time intel release a new processor it seems that no one can afford it. i'll let you know if I hear otherwise..

 

[JellyBaby]

<< Intel's top P4 processor has always been around $530 on pricewatch. Do you have any new information that Intel will abandon this pricing level that they have used for about a year? >>

That seems to depend entirely on what AMD can do. Intel is trying to follow its own timetable but that pesky arch-rival often forces them to adjust it.

btw is the NW P4 delayed because of technical reasons or just because large OEMs want to make sure they can clear out inventory of the old stuff for the Xmas buying season?

 

[Vegito]

palamino on a .13 core, should have lots of head room to scale...

 

[poopaskoopa]

Strike back with respect to what though? Intel isn't in so deep like AMD.

link

 

[Wingznut]

I wish you guys would quit with the "Northwood delayed" talk, let alone speculating on "technical issues". The info came from theinquirer....

Theinquirer also said (3 months ago)...

"The roadmaps, for the first time, show Celerons on the Tualatin process at speeds of over one gigahertz in Q2 of next year."

"SOURCES CLOSE to AMD in Taiwan say that the firm is set to bring out a 1.2GHz Athlon Mobile processor shortly after Intel introduces its Tualatin .13 micron microprocessors in mid-July."


So, like I said... Just remember the source.

And even if they were right... Would that really be a "delay", considering Intel's own roadmap has always said H1 '02?

 

[BeauJangles]

<< The real question is how high can the palamino scale up and how fast can they scale it up. >>



This is the key issue. If AMD can clock as high as Intel then it's a whole new ballgame. I also heard AMD has a new project, "Hammer" (?), or something? Anyone know any more?

 

[Megatomic]

<<

<< The real question is how high can the palamino scale up and how fast can they scale it up. >>



This is the key issue. If AMD can clock as high as Intel then it's a whole new ballgame. I also heard AMD has a new project, "Hammer" (?), or something? Anyone know any more? >>



It is not a new project, Hammer is AMDs foray into 64bit cpu architecture. Should be interesting to see it, but I won't be looking for one for home I think.

 

[flashbacck]

the biggest issue, I think, is the price! Why would anyone pay double the price for a slower CPU?! I was debating before on whether to get a athlon or P4, now I'm definitely set on the athlon.

 

[Megatomic]

<< the biggest issue, I think, is the price! Why would anyone pay double the price for a slower CPU?! I was debating before on whether to get a athlon or P4, now I'm definitely set on the athlon. >>



People who support Intel will say that the thermal issues surrounding the Athlon processors is a big reason why they still support Intel processors. Then they will bring up the fact that the Athlon cores are sooo fragile and are easily crushed/cracked/chipped.

I'm not saying those are valid reasons to use Intel chips, I am saying those are the reasons often given by Intel users as to why they don't use AMD chips.

 

[JellyBaby]

<< Would that really be a "delay", considering Intel's own roadmap has always said H1 '02? >>

Perhaps not but when a company holds out on us, especially with a product we're eager to purchase, we tend to see it as a delay.