Mesh shows off Athlon 700 systems ahead of launch

UK system builder Mesh will be one of the first UK OEMs to launch PCs using the Athlon 700MHz chip on Monday. The Mesh Matrix 700T will be priced at £2045 (exc VAT). It will add to the London system builder's existing Athlon Matrix T range of PCs, which also includes the other four Athlon chips -- 500, 550, 600 and 650MHz. Despite other UK systems builders' reluctance to announce next week's launches, Mesh has already started advertising the new system. The Matrix 700T will have 128MB PC100 SDRAM, 22GB hard drive, 19in Mitsubishi monitor, 56kbps modem and Windows 98. Paul Kinsler, Mesh general manager, said the company had already started taking orders and would start shipping on 4 October. "Size matters, so people want to buy the Athlon 700," he said. Edward Percival, Mesh marketing manager, said: "It's the most successful launch of a non-Intel system we've ever had." AMD was last night still refusing to comment on the Athlon 700MHz launch. Rana Mainee, AMD's European research director, said he could neither confirm nor deny the 4 October start date. "But what I will say is that we have always said that we would be taking the Athlon to its full potential," said Mainee. "And higher speeds are in the pipeline." Mainee is due to start evangelising on the merits of the Athlon range of chips next week. His "Athlon Roadshow" kicks off on Tuesday, the day after the 700 launch, in Manchester. He has also been given the task of touring 13 European cities in six weeks, including London on 24 October. Mainee said the Athlon was attracting lots of new resellers to AMD, and he expected Q4 to be "a very busy period". ® Related Story K7/Athlon 700s: official launch date