WOOT! Intel and VIA Technologies, Inc. Settle Patent Infringement Cases

[NFS4]

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030407/76024_1.html

 

[nick1985]

woot...

 

[Wingznut]

Woohoo! Now I can (more easily) buy a Via chipset-based motherboard for my P4!

(No thanks.

)

 

[Snoop]

Intel granted VIA a license to sell microprocessors that are compatible with the x86 instruction set but not pin compatible or bus compatible with Intel microprocessors.

Huh? I always thought the x86 instruction set was a standard much like Sdram, and anyone can use it?

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: Wingznut
Woohoo! Now I can (more easily) buy a Via chipset-based motherboard for my P4!

(No thanks.

)

I've built about 50 Pentium 4 based VIA systems at my previous job and they were all perfectly stable. They were using the VIA branded P4X266 and P4X333 chipsets. All we had to do was install the 4-in-1 drivers.

Seriously though, for basic destops for businesses (date entry, word processing, network access, etc) and for everday consumers it was perfectly stable. I mean, the boards came with onboard audio, LAN, etc and had plenty of PCI slots and were dirt cheap.

 

[thraxes]

nope it ain't, AMD pays license fees to make x86 compatible CPUs

 

[Remedy]

it was perfectly stable

I bet someone will come in this thread and complain about KT133 or speak of a rumor they heard from a friend or something about stability.

BTW, I agree with Bran. The chipset works from my experience as well as the Intel built chipsets for day to day task. It's cheap and stable with features.

 

[chizow]

Intel further agreed for a period of three years, not to assert its patents on VIA bus or pin compatible microprocessors. Intel also granted VIA a four year license to design and sell chip sets that are compatible with the Intel microprocessor bus and agreed not to assert its patents on VIA or its customers or distributors on such chip sets for a fifth year.

Looks like Via will have Intel x86 rights for 4 years, 5 years grandfathered. Should be interesting what Via will be able to produce, but if their AMD line-up is any indication of what they're most current core logic technology, Intel is the much better option with 800MHz DC boards ready to hit the market.

Chiz

 

[Mem]

VIA have improved a lot over the years,I should know,going from Intel to VIA and staying with VIA because they`ve been rock stable for me.

It`s good news IMHO.

 

[Vadatajs]

fvck via!

 

[First]

I think Wingz is trying to say that there's no point in getting P4 boards based on VIA chipsets if you can purchase 845E/G/PE boards for between $50-$80 shipped.

 

[Remedy]

Intel also granted VIA a four year license to design and sell chip sets that are compatible with the Intel microprocessor bus

I would like to know what happens to ALi and SiS? Why were they benched and VIA put in the starting line up? I don't like Industry politics that much. Just pass me the technology keynotes.

 

[Afro000Dude]

Yeah, but it was bad before the P4X266. My VT845Pro-based motherboard was all crap from day one, instability, memory problems, and general lack of speed.

 

[Wingznut]

Originally posted by: Evan Lieb
I think Wingz is trying to say that there's no point in getting P4 boards based on VIA chipsets if you can purchase 845E/G/PE boards for between $50-$80 shipped.

Yep, that's pretty much my point. I mean, why would you choose a Via board over an Intel or SiS platform?

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: Wingznut

Originally posted by: Evan Lieb
I think Wingz is trying to say that there's no point in getting P4 boards based on VIA chipsets if you can purchase 845E/G/PE boards for between $50-$80 shipped.

Yep, that's pretty much my point. I mean, why would you choose a Via board over an Intel or SiS platform?

I wouldn't.

 

[Remedy]

Originally posted by: Wingznut

Originally posted by: Evan Lieb
I think Wingz is trying to say that there's no point in getting P4 boards based on VIA chipsets if you can purchase 845E/G/PE boards for between $50-$80 shipped.

Yep, that's pretty much my point. I mean, why would you choose a Via board over an Intel or SiS platform?

If you can get a 845E/G/PE for between $50-$80, then what exactly would be the point in buying a SiS product in that same question? You can't rule one Logic provider out if you're not going to do the same to the other Tiawanese vendor. Or Why would anyone buy Granite Bay or i850e chipset board for over $100 if you can get a SiS655 that performs the same for $99? I don't think the price for these chipsets are the same Globally. An Intel based condifuration may cost more in certain areas(canada for example) then a 3rd party counter part such as VIA or SiS. If you're only speaking domestically, then that isn't clear in your argument.

I really get sick of the constant rock pelting @ this company in this forum. It isn't mandated that you buy a VIA chipset over Intel, it's alternative.

 

[BD231]

SiS boards suck ball sack.

 

[Dug]

Originally posted by: Wingznut

Originally posted by: Evan Lieb
I think Wingz is trying to say that there's no point in getting P4 boards based on VIA chipsets if you can purchase 845E/G/PE boards for between $50-$80 shipped.

Yep, that's pretty much my point. I mean, why would you choose a Via board over an Intel or SiS platform?

Some things will always remain a mystery.

SiS boards suck ball sack.

LMAO. I spit my beer out when I read that one.
:beer:

 

[Pariah]

If you can get a 845E/G/PE for between $50-$80, then what exactly would be the point in buying a SiS product in that same question?

SiS micro ATX boards are about 20% or more cheaper than Intel based boards with similar features. For full ATX I don't see any reason to go with anything but Intel if you are using an Intel CPU.

Or Why would anyone buy Granite Bay or i850e chipset board for over $100 if you can get a SiS655 that performs the same for $99?

Performance is not the only the only criteria for everyone. If I'm building a workstation, I'm not putting anything but Intel in the system.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: Wingznut

Originally posted by: Evan Lieb
I think Wingz is trying to say that there's no point in getting P4 boards based on VIA chipsets if you can purchase 845E/G/PE boards for between $50-$80 shipped.

Yep, that's pretty much my point. I mean, why would you choose a Via board over an Intel or SiS platform?

When I was building systems on those platforms earlier last year, there were no cheap Intel counterparts. I don't see what the big deal is with bashing VIA around here. I could understand if I were having issues with the boards in the field, but I built many a system with the P4X series and we never had any problems.

- We wouldn't have been using VIA boards if it weren't going to be cost-effective for us
- We wouldn't have been using VIA boards if they were going to be breaking down and costing us in RMAs and lost sales (which they didn't)

We had more trouble with SiS 730 based Athlon chipsets than anything else. And once we started getting in a stream of crappy SiS boards, we started shifting our whole lineup over to VIA based Athlon motherboards.


The cheapest P4X400 board w/5 PCI slots I saw on NewEgg was $53
The cheapest board i845E w/5 PCI slots I saw on NewEgg was $76
The cheapest board i845PE w/5 PCI slots I saw on NewEgg was $67

Now this is just one vendor, but I'm sure that pricing is pretty similar around other websites. When your dealing with a lot of machines at a time, the pricing differences can grow quite a bit.

 

[Remedy]

Performance is not the only the only criteria for everyone.

If that is the case, then there is really no point in Websites such as Anandtech posting benchmarks and articles then right? I mean, If you're going to build a workstation, it won't be anything less than Intel cpu and Intel chipset right? So need for Bargraphs and long winded 12+ page reading material when building a system.

 

[ViRGE]

What is Intel getting out of this though? The article really only mentions what VIA is(or is not) getting.

 

[boyRacer]

i just switched to an AMD/VIA platform... and its rock stable just like all my previous intel boards... although i still wouldn't buy a VIA board for a P4...

 

[SickBeast]

I think Intel makes great chips and VIA makes ok chipsets, but I've always found one major problem with Intel stuff: upgradeability. They seem to change their socket layout on a whim, look at the p4: 2 sockets. I remember when they went from the p2-celeron to the p3, and the socket was identical, but you couldn't run p3 chips on the older boards. AMD has been with socket a for years now. I wish they could all just come up with a standard socket that everyone will always use.

 

[Adul]

Originally posted by: SickBeast
I think Intel makes great chips and VIA makes ok chipsets, but I've always found one major problem with Intel stuff: upgradeability. They seem to change their socket layout on a whim, look at the p4: 2 sockets. I remember when they went from the p2-celeron to the p3, and the socket was identical, but you couldn't run p3 chips on the older boards. AMD has been with socket a for years now. I wish they could all just come up with a standard socket that everyone will always use.

Expect another socket for the p4 line