Intel's performance figures for i820, AGP 4X flawed

Performance tests on Rambus and AGP 4X technology that Intel distributed at its Developer Forum last week, do not add up, a semiconductor analyst has claimed. Bert McComas, at InQuest, said that he had tested the program, aimed at supporting Intel's i820 Camino chipset, and believed the benchmark was "ineffective and broken". He said that the bandwidth test produces results "that defy reason and logic". According to McComas, the benchmark is a marketing tool and the test "conveniently spits out results" comparing Rambus memory to PC-100 SDRAM memory. He suggests that the Intel tool cannot be taken seriously. Last week, we reported apparent discrepancies between BX and i820 chipsets. During the Developer Forum, Intel wheeled out the Seven Dramurai™ to give a much needed boost to Rambus, while at the same time it bowed to OEM pressure by supporting PC-133 and DDR memories for its platforms. For the complete report from InQuest, go here. ® Full Intel Developer Forum coverage