Dr Tom Pabst, who founded Tom's Hardware page, is alleging that Intel has been muscling Taiwanese mobo manufacturers. Pabst, who has just posted a first look at AMD Athlon motherboards, said there was a "very strong rumour" that Intel is throwing its whole weight behind the threats. That, he says, goes some way towards explaining that only a handful of companies supported the Athlon at its launch in Taipei last week. He suggests that lack of motherboard support threatens the financial viability of AMD's chip, and that the BX chipset shortage is artificial. An Intel representative said: "We don't respond to rumour or speculation. We do believe very strongly that we conduct our business practices in an ethical, legal and professional manner at all times with both our customers and suppliers." ® See also Is Intel pressuring mobo maker rumour returns Component shortages threaten mobo manufacturers Intel confirms months-long mobo shortage Coppermine Celeron waiting in wings