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Intel launches 3GHz Pentium 4 processor
INTEL LAUNCHED ITS latest desktop processor, the first in its Pentium 4 family to break the 3GHz speed barrier, on Thursday.
The new chip, which has a clock speed of 3.06GHz, is also the first Pentium 4 to feature a technology the company calls "hyperthreading." Already built into its Xeon range of server processors, the technology allows multiple software threads to run more efficiently on a single processor.
For users, the technology should translate into a performance benefit of up to 30 percent, according to recent presentations given by Intel executives, but this also depends on whether support for hyperthreading is built into the operating system and software. Some versions of Linux and Windows XP feature support, but earlier editions of Windows do not, while application software support is limited.
First tests of the new chip also showed results to be mixed at best.
The chip costs $637 in bulk quantities of 1,000 units, a significant premium over Intel's second-fastest desktop processor, the 2.8GHz version of its Pentium 4. The price of that chip was reduced earlier this week to $401 from $508, the price at which it was introduced in August.
In Tokyo's Akihabara electronics district, the chip went on sale Thursday afternoon in single unit quantities for $717.
Coinciding with the launch, several PC vendors announced systems featuring the new processor.
In Japan, NEC said its Mate MA30V/B, which features the chip, 128MB of DDR (double data rate) memory and a 30GB hard disk drive, will go on sale on Dec. 12. Online PC vendor Epson Direct also began offering the new chip in its Endeavour MT-7000, which comes with 512MB of DDR memory, 120GB hard disk drive and an ATI Technologies Radeon 9000 Pro graphics board.
Sotec also announced a computer featuring the chip while Fujitsu Ltd. said it would begin selling a desktop PC and workstation featuring the processor in late December.
In the U.S., Dell Computer and Hewlett-Packard have said they plan to introduce machines featuring the chip. Martyn Williams
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