Although Intel announces its Pentium 4 2.8GHz and 2.66GHz CPUs on the 28th, they do not plan to roll-out their new i845 family chipsets on that date. According to what is published on Japanese web-site PC-Watch, the microprocessor giant will finally unveil their three new core-logic devices on the second week of October. The delay was caused by excess of inventory in stocks of Taiwanese mainboard makers.

Here are the brief specifications of the novelties that will be introduced later this year:

• i845GE: 400/533MHz FSB; PC2100 and PC2700 support, the latter only available with 533MHz system bus; AGP 4X; Integrated Graphics Core clocked at 266MHz, 66MHz more than on the predecessor; North Bridge package: FCBGA 760; ICH4 South Bridge; The chipset is rumoured to be priced at $39.
• i845GV: 400/533MHz system bus; PC2100 and PC2700 support for use with 533MHz ; no AGP; No word about the clock-speed of the graphics core; North Bridge package: FCBGA 760; ICH4; According to unofficial information, Intel wants to sell this core-logic solution for $28.
• i845PE: 400/533MHz system bus; PC2100 and PC2700 support; AGP 4X; No integrated graphics core; North Bridge package: FCBGA 760, pin-to-pin compatible with i845G series, despite of its predecessor; ICH4. The price of this one is going to be about $34.

Mainboards based on these new chipsets will support HyperThreading technology and will also be made meeting the new guidelines from Intel, according to which processor current is increased to 70A and the heat dissipation may be up to 82W.

Intel`s workstation logic E7205 code-named Granite Bay is still sampling these days. Japanese sources believe that it will be finally launched sometime in the very late October, or, more likely, in November. Although several mainboard vendors have already announced their products based on this core-logic, keeping in mind that it is intended for use in workstations and its price, appropriate products may not become widely available on the market. The Granite Bay is expected to support 533MHz system bus, AGP 8x and dual-channel PC1600/2100 DDR SDRAM memory. As the performance of the early revisions of E7502 was not actually higher compared to that of i850E+PC1066 RDRAM (see this news-story) in typical benchmarks, we again have to doubt about its success on the desktop market.

In May 2003, Intel will reveal the Springdale code-named core-logic with 667MHz system bus, dual-channel PC2100/PC2700 DDR SDRAM, AGP 8x, Gigabit Ethernet and Serial ATA support. This one will replace i850E from the performance throne among Intel`s chipsets.

As for RDRAM support, we should rejoice the hearts of i850E powered boards owners: in October Intel will finally certificate PC1066-35 for use with their latest and last RDRAM core-logic. In the future, among all the chipset-makers, only SiS will adopt memory developed by Rambus. In the beginning of the year 2003, this Taiwan-based company will introduce the successor of its R658 – the R658DX with PC1333 RDRAM memory support. Even later we expect the next R659 to continue the deal of its predecessors.