3/8/2000: Intel also reaches 1 GHz... but "in limited quantities"

    Since it was of waiting, Intel has announced today his microprocessor Pentium III to 1 GHz, only two days later than the throwing of the AMD Athlon of the same speed. Nevertheless, the throwing seems motivated fundamentally for the speed war that both companies support, and not for an authentic ripeness of the product of Intel.
    One of the motives that they impel us to think this way is that Intel has not announced for the time being any microprocessor between the model of 1 GHz and 800 MHz that , the previous maximum exponent of the scale. This is in clear contradiction with the habitual methods of Intel and with the pure logic, since obviously the speed of a microprocessor does not turn out to be easy to increase 25 % without realizing any intermediate step and supporting exáctamente the same design...
    This way, Intel affirms that the mike will be free "in limited quantities", something logical if we bear in mind that Pentium III to 800 MHz turn out to be frankly difficult to find. On the other hand, his price turns out to be very competitive, only 990 dollars, but if the problems of availability are not solved it will not be a determinant factor.
    As for the technical aspect, it seems to be an exceptionally powerful mike, approximately 14 % more rapid than the model 800 MHz EB (according to Intel information), although we continue without comprising the relation that Intel does between the speed of these mikes and a major supposed yield in Internet... it will be in the Internet of the future, because nowadays hardly it is possible to justify this affirmation more than like pure marketing.

3/7/2000: Athlon to 1 GHz: the whole History

    Confirmee: AMD broke the barrier, more mental than technological, of the gigahertzio (1.000 MHz, if someone doubts it still). In a press release with a tone enormously euphoric, perhaps even "pretentious" if it measures itself to not North American criteria, the AMD president gives the news and compares the fact with the break of the sound barrier (Chuck Yeager on board of Bell X-1, 1947); another analyst goes further, quoting Neil Armstrong (the first man in treading on the moon, 1969) and Edmund Hillary (the first climber of the Everest - together with the sherpa Tensing Norgay - 1953)... seems that AMD has entered the History.
    Returning to the technical part of the question, in addition to the Athlon another two mikes have appeared before 1 GHz, to 900 and 950 MHz. Three mikes are made by a 0,18 microns process and have 512 KB of cache memory L2.
    Nevertheless, not all sound good news: to be able to reach so tremendous speeds, the cache memory L2 uses a higher divisor of the habitual thing, working to 1/3 of the speed of the rest of the mike. Due to this, it is probable that Pentium III Coppermine of equivalent speed is something more rapid (when it goes out to the market); just in case, AMD already prepares mikes Athlon with cache memory integrated at the same speed of the mike.
    The Athlon to 1 GHz will sell at 1.299 dollars in lots of 1.000 units, a quite respectable number that probably goes down soon; the first PCs with these mikes will belong to Gateway and Compaq. One hopes that Intel should react soon and should throw several new mikes, perhaps the same week. The career has just started...

3/6/2000: He conquered AMD: the first mike to 1 GHz is a K7 Athlon

   ... Or at least they say that in his web site. They have very hurried up, the "official" throwing is Monday, the 6th of March 2000 (historical date), but they have released the news on the same Sunday evening; it seems that they do not rely on Intel, so they have been useful when there are no people in the offices, do not be that they were going forward them in the last second.
    We will continue attentively the evolution (and the assertion) of this news. For the time being, I would recommend to buy actions of AMD; something says to me that the index Nasdaq is going to rise sky high...
    Our congratulations, AMD.

3/6/2000: Chipset S1-370 TL: ATI signs up to T&L

    After the announcement of ATI of the exit to the market of his ATI Rage Fury MAXX, with the "ultrasecret" technology already known by all, DAWN consisting of the use of 2 chips ATI Rage 128 Pro in the same card, managing to double practically the yield, ATI confirms now the appearance of his awaited chip S1-370 TL with technology T&L (Transform and Lighting, the new technology used by the nVidia GeForce and S3 Savage 2000 that promises to increase radically the yield in 3D). Nevertheless, the surprise is that it is not a question of a solution independente, but it will be included in the basic badges of those manufacturers of badges who wish it (two is a Northbridge, one of chips of a chipset).
    According to the proper ATI, this chip provides the yield DOUBLE 3D that the basic badges mounted with i810e (that also graphic checker integrates), good news for those who want a motherboard of low cost but more decent services (especially in 3D) than the offered ones by the chipset of Intel. Now we will have to hope that the manufacturers of basic badges should decide to incorporate the new ATI creation.
    It seems that for the "jugones" there will not be a solution yet T&L it completes on the part of ATI, which will owe "to be content" with Rage Fury 128 MAXX (with 2 processors and 64MB of memory), an excellent solution for the time being to the needs for the most demanding current games.