PC makers give Intel chipset a debut

PC manufacturers, including Dell, Gateway and IBM, are set to release kit featuring new chipsets and processors from Intel that are expected to enhance the desktop experience.

The 865 series of chipsets, formerly code-named Springdale, accelerates the flow of data between the processor and various computer components, leading to richer graphics and better performance from applications such as audio- or video-editing programs.

A similar chipset, the 875P, was released in April, but only in a small number of high-end PCs. The new systems will be far more widespread and will start around $799 with a monitor included. Price cuts accompanying the release of the 3.2GHz Pentium 4 will drive further discounts.

Dell and IBM are putting the new chipsets in PCs that are around 60 percent smaller than standard desktops. Later this year, the chipsets will appear in PCs using Prescott, Intel's next big chip.

Dean McCarron, principal analyst at Mercury Research, said: "As far as chipsets go, this will be Intel's big piece of news for the year."

Among other benefits, the 865 chipsets let PC makers build desktops with two channels of DDR DRAM memory, a workstation-like feature that increases the volume of data the processor can obtain at once.

"You're getting performance bumps all over the place with dual channel," McCarron said. "For the end user, the thing they will notice the most is the dual-channel memory."

The new chipsets will also let Intel bring its hyper-threading technology to a wider audience. Hyper-threading lets a microprocessor perform two functions simultaneously, resulting in increased performance.

Although formally released last year, the technology isn't widespread. It is available only on 3GHz Pentium 4 computers, and most computer companies, such as IBM, have not shipped PCs or workstations to the business market with the hyper-threading function activated because corporate customers wanted to absorb all of these changes at once.