Intel may have had a working Merced on show at its developer forum a few weeks back, but sources within the chip behemoth report that the next CPU, scheduled for launch next month, has yet to find its way to OEMs. The delay is possibly caused by the bringing forward of the 700 and 733MHz parts, originally due at the end of the year, but now believed to be targeted at mid to late October. The first 133MHz FSB parts from Satan Clara are due out next week, alongside the much-delayed 820 chipset, but these are revamped Deschutes parts, rated at a measly 533MHz. Intel's original roadmap showed Coppermine debuting at 600MHz, but continuing pressure from AMD's Athlon means that wouldn't have been nearly enough in the rapidly-escalating Megahertz war. ®