9/7/2001: Chipset Wars, the umpteenth final battle: ROUTE vs. Intel vs. NVIDIA vs. SiS (and ALi, and ATI...)

    The ROUTE Technology Forum autumn 2001 (his version of Intel Developer Forum Fall) has turned into the perfect stage for the umpteenth confrontation between the chipsets manufacturers. To start, there is improving itself to the maximum polemically ROUTE P4X266, which offers DDR-SDRAM support for Pentium 4 and which according to Intel is made without license, since that does not recognize of S3 that says to use ROUTE.
    Of course, ROUTE accuses to the Intel tactics of "intimidating"... and they it must be, since the big manufacturers of basic badges (ASUS, ABIT, MSI be read...) do not dare to use it, despite his excellent yield (slightly worse than the Intel850 for memory Rambus, but much cheaper). Others use it, but in "white boxes" OEM (without logo someone). Yes, like a fight of courtyard of school, but with many millions in game.
    Also he has announced to himself the immediate payment by cash of the ROUTE KT266A, identically to the KT266 (DDR-SDRAM support for Athlon) but with the controler of memory of the checked northbridge. According to AnandTech ("In Anand we trust", paraphrasing the USA), of yield even better than excellent SiS 735 (also DDR-SDRAM for Athlon). For not speaking about a new southbridge for UltraATA/133 (it needs? perhaps not, but be easily of make...).
    But this does not stay here: in a few months the DDR-SDRAM will come to 333 MHz (166 physical MHz with double use), supported by all except for Rambus, which continues with his trials against Micron (in the USA he asks it to be late one year, neither more nor less) and his appeal against Infineon (right now, Rambus is pled guilty of fraud).
    In another side, Intel makes i845 ("classic" SDRAM for Pentium 4) like fritters... much bargain sale, a pity that is of awful yield; NVIDIA makes sure that his nForce (Athlon with double channel DDR-SDRAM and GeForce2 integrated, there is not at all) will throw himself this month; we will see it, but in any case until October (or November?) there will not be basic badges with him. AND ALi and ATI will be working also five-peseta coin, it us is not doubt.

More information in:
www.via.com.tw/jsp/en/vtf/index.jsp
www.via.com.tw/jsp/en/products/apollo/P4X266.jsp
www.via.com.tw/jsp/en/pr/intel.jsp
www.via.com.tw/jsp/en/pr/kt266_pr.jsp
www.via.com.tw/jsp/en/pr/maxtor.jsp
www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1530
ebnonline.com/digest/story/OEG20010905S0044
www.theregister.co.uk/content/3/21519.html
DDR to 333 MHz for the Pentium 4, of the hand of...: SiS!!
Not only ROUTE supports the FireWire: ATI also
NVIDIA nForce: the best chipset of all the times?
ALi takes the DDR to the portable ones
ROUTE and SONICblue present his new chipset ProSavage KN133

News written for: Juan Herrerías

His publicity in CsH

9/5/2001: IBM in danger: HP acquires Compaq!!

    Two of the biggest American companies of the sector, Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Compaq, have announced his imminent merger. After the agreement, the HP shareholders will remain with 64 % approximately of the new company and those of Compaq with 36 %. This merger believe the biggest company in the world of the computer science concerning servants, personal computers and printers, in addition to with important interests in other matters.
    Companies as IBM, Sun Microsystems, Dell or Gateway will not have received well the news because a serious competitor has gone out for them, especially at workstations and servants; really, in the above mentioned sector they have created products with almost all the important technologies and all kinds of mikes: Alpha, RISC of HP, mikes Intel...
    Unfortunately, this resources duplicity in multiple tasks will bring with it an important number of dismissals on the part of both companies. And in spite of everything, they still will not reach the highest position occupied by IBM thanks to his diversification in other areas of the software, in services, in consultancy, etc. (during a time it was allowed not to make the enclosed blue giant PCs "servants", for being slightly profitable and being more than insurances of the consolidation of his image of mark).
    Probably one of the motives of this historical movement has been the descent of sales of PCs and components that have accused all the marks the same year. Perhaps the expectations were too optimistic or perhaps the user, including the managerial one, do not need any more for the time being. Enclosed Toshiba has a plan of "sanitation" thought-out, for saying it somehow (there be read "dismissals while we think something").
    Finally, we have just attended the birth of a new GIANT, with sufficient power to mark the next tendencies. The news is not for desmerecer, but I hope that this should serve, for example, to lower the prices of the consumable ones of the printers. Yes, I know it, ingenuous what I am...

More information in:
www.compaq.com/newsroom/pr/2001/pr2001090402.html
www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/04sep01a.htm
www.theregister.co.uk/content/7/21442.html
2001, an Annus Horribilis? Nooo...: WORSE!!
2001: Annus Horribilis of the industry of computers?
Maxtor turns (finally) into the biggest hard disks manufacturer

News written for: Ignacio Jiménez of the Ship

9/4/2001: Intel against AMD, episode 231: more Celerons, price war, agreements...

    Making use of the Intel Developer autumn Forum, Intel he has announced his new Celeron models to 950 MHz, 1 GHz and 1,1 GHz for dessert PCs. These mikes do not include any change in the nucleus, which keeps on being the Coppermine-128, in addition to which they keep on using the already prehistoric bus to 100 MHz so that they do not have the most minimal probability of doing shade to his "older brothers" Pentium III and Pentium 4.
    In any case, someone is not doubt that so much for his low price (74 $, 89 $ and 103 $ respectively, with basic badges from approximately 45 $) as for the prestige of the mark Intel, AMD will sell to themselves them at least so well how recently improved Duron, which become up to the rapids double that these Intel mikes.
    On the other hand, AMD has reduced again his prices; or, probably, rather he has decided to put the official prices at a height of the real prices (much lower) that are seen on the market, which is not a bad measurement. Be as it is, the whole Athlon to 1,4 GHz for 130 $ is not bad news.
    And demonstrating that sometimes (less) the constructive spirit of the engineers overcomes the trade barriers of the department of marketing, Intel and AMD have decided to collaborate to assure the coexistence of his technologies Arapahoe (3GIO) and HyperTransport, as they have told to EBN. Things veredes, Sancho...

More information in:
www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20010831comp.htm
www.amd.com/news/virtualpress/pricing.html
ebnonline.com/digest/story/OEG20010830S0144
Intel lowers his prices and throws the Pentium 4 to 2 GHz
AMD attacks: new Duron Morgan, more portable mikes and better prices
Arapahoe (3GIO): a danger for HyperTransport?
Intel plans an important prices clipping for the family Pentium 4
Pentium 4: new models and bad yield with SDRAM
Intel confirms the arrival of the Tualatin and of new Pentium 4
AMD announces the availability of the Athlon to 1,4 GHz and the Duron to 950 MHz

News written for: Juan Herrerías