Intel Redefines the Mainstream PC, Again
Intel's new 865PE (aka Springdale) dual-channel DDR chip set brings near-workstation multimedia performance to mainstream consumer and business systems.This is an era of rich media for both home and business. But multimedia and real time 3-D applicationsripping CDs, playing the latest 3-D computer games, authoring multimedia content, and the likerequire substantial memory bandwidth, which has demanded high-end systems, in the past. Intel is altering that equation with the launch of the 865PE chip set, formerly codenamed Springdale. The Santa Clara chip giant recently introduced the 875P, its new dual-channel chip set that lets high-end systems use DDR400 memory. (See "
The 875P allows for faster memory timing throughout the memory controller than the 865PE, which can result in better performance for memory-intensive applications. The 865PE, a lower-clocked version of the 875P, is slightly less efficient at some memory-based operations. Still, the new offering supports DDR400 memory, just like its older brother, and when combined with a Pentium 4 running an 800MHz FSB (front-side bus), the result is a staggering 6.4GB/s of memory bandwidth.