Pentium IIIs To Get Faster System Bus

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August 06, 1999 (12:00 AM EDT)

By Marcia Savage ,

When Intel introduces a new version of its Pentium III chips with a faster system bus, VARs will not have to pay a price premium for the advanced feature, according to sources.

On Sept. 27, Intel plans to roll out two Pentium III processors operating at 600 MHz and 533 MHz, both with a 133-MHz front-side bus, sources said.

The chips will accompany the introduction of the 820 chip set, formerly code-named Camino, which will support the 133-MHz system bus.

The new 600-MHz Pentium III will cost $669 in volume quantities, industry sources said. On Monday, Intel released a 600-MHz Pentium III with the standard 100-MHz front-side bus for $669.

Intel declined to comment on unannounced products.

The company had previously planned to introduce the 820 in mid-1999. However, it announced early this year that the chip set's schedule slipped to the third quarter. The chip set will support the faster Direct Rambus DRAM and 4x AGP.

The faster front-side bus will boost the bandwidth between the processor and system components such as main memory.

"From a performance standpoint, it's great," said Lou Artale, president at PC Strategies, a Canton, Ohio-based VAR. "All the more performance, the better."

Athlon, the new processor from Advanced Micro Devices, Sunnyvale, Calif., has a 200-MHz system bus.

At the same time it introduces the 820, Intel plans on rolling out an enhanced version of its 810 integrated chip set, the 810e, for Pentium III systems, sources said.

While 820 targets desktop systems, Intel also plans an 840 chip set with similar features targeting workstations and servers. A hardware source said Intel planned to introduce that chip set at the same time as Coppermine, an enhanced version of the Pentium III built on the advanced 0.18-micron process.

Intel officials in June said Coppermine was delayed from late September to November. At the time, Intel said a mobile version of Coppermine operating at 500 MHz would be introduced in September.

On Thursday, Intel denied reports that the mobile chip was delayed, and a spokesman said the official introduction timeline remained unchanged from the second half.