i820 derailed as Intel goes Rambust

Intel has delayed shipment of its i820 chipset due to problems with Rambus, leaving PC builders dreaming of a Whitney Christmas. The chip giant today told systems builders that it would not start shipping the i820 on Monday – the planned launch date. The i820 chipset – called "Camino" - is needed for the use of Rambus memory, which also suffered a set back to its launch date earlier this year. No new shipping date was given for the i820 chipset, but one source was told by Intel that it could be a matter of months. This means that Intel's first range of Camino-ready products – codenamed CapeCod – will also be delayed. Earlier this week it was reported that Intel had acknowledged a problem with the Rambus memory technology. According to CNET, the motherboards have three memory slots, but Intel is now saying there should only be two. This third unused slot could lead to data being lost in transit between memory and the main processor. Intel said it was aware of the comments about the chipset, but was as yet unable to comment on whether the launch date would go ahead as planned. ®