Many readers have reacted to stories about Intel's Coppermine .18 micron process by saying: "So what's go good about that?". There are several answers to this question and an Intel representative has given us the company answer to the question. Without baffling our readers with technical details they may or may not wish to know, this is why it is important that consumers know whether the 500MHz Coppermine PCs they might be thinking of buying are better than the old .25 micron technology. First, said the representative, it means that Intel has reduced the voltage supplied to the microprocessor, meaning that the chip company can make the processor go faster. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it allows Intel to cram more transistors into the same chip size, which means that cache can be added into the chip. That will make your PC go faster. Thirdly, and this is our comment rather than Intel's, it allows the firm to cream more money out of the very expensive silicon wafers that it uses to make. In fact, it is a veritable goldmine. By this time next year, all of Intel's fabrication plants will be churning them out. ®