Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2000/11/17/pentium_4_launches_monday/

Pentium 4 launches Monday

In case you've been on Uranus

By Andrew Thomas

Posted in Channel, 17th November 2000 13:44 GMT

Chipzilla will open the P4 kimono and reveal all on Monday. All that hasn't already been revealed, that is, and that doesn't leave an awful lot.

The flagchip will launch at 1.4 and 1.5GHz at $644 and $819 respectively (1Ku quantities), moving rapidly to 1.7 and 2GHz. Intel has an introductory offer of CPU, D850GB mobo and two 64Mb PC800 Rambus RIMMs. The P4 comes bundled with Rambus memory through Intel's RDRAM Credit Program, under which a subsidy of $70 per processor will be granted at launch, dropping to $60 in Q1 next year.

Intel confirmed earlier this week that it wouldn't have a chipset or mobo supporting anything other than Rambus until the back end of next year, but is currently negotiating with other chipset vendors, including Via, to license the P4 architecture enabling them to produce chipsets capable of supporting the cheaper DDR SDRAM. Intel is still bound by an agreement with Rambus forbidding the chip behemoth from dumping RDRAM before 2003.

First systems should be expected from the usual suspects including Dell, IBM, Compaq, Gateway, Fujitsu Siemens and HP. Yields on the new chip appear to be better than expected and Intel claims there is unlikely to be a shortage of parts for systems at launch. Whether the fabs will be able to keep up as demand increases remains to be seen.

We've got a P4 system at the Reg and we're dying to tell you all about it.

But not until 0800 GMT on Monday, naturally. ®

A tiny selection of other P4 stuff

Intel confirms P4 licence talks
Mad geeks rush to buy unusable Pentium 4
Willamette won't launch at 1.5 GHz this Autumn
Pentium 4 launches a little late
Pentium 4 to launch in October
Major Intel roadmaps ahead - please keep left
Willamette due 2H 2000
Rambus is wonderful, says VIA
Intel does u-turn on Willamette and synchronous memory
Intel slams Rambus toll collecting tactics