Dom

Intel's run towards 200FSB required new chipsets, new processors and validation of a new speed of memory. Ramping up the CPUs' FSB was a relatively straightforward affair and PC3200 memory was generally widespread before Intel's FSB push. It's obviously of little use to have a high FSB CPU without having a platform or two to launch it with. Intel's Granite Bay dual-channel chipset showed that DDR could compete with RAMBUS at 133FSB. What would be simpler, theoretically, than to bump up the FSB by 50% on this performance chipset ?.

Step forward the Canterwood. Intel's premier consumer motherboard arrived with dual channel DDR-400 support, PAT technology, and other nice gizmos. Retail motherboard manufacturers took the option of specifying all manner of extras with their Canterwood motherboards. With relatively high Intel chipset prices and motherboard manufacturers choosing a number of discrete controllers in the name of features, Canterwoods arrived with a rather high street price, unfortunately.

It would have been foolish for Intel to pursue 200FSB running with only one expensive chipset. The footsoldier of the Intel gang, the i845PE, had been upgraded to accept these newer CPUs. We've seen big-name manufacturers produce 200FSB-compliant i845PEs. With Canterwoods on one side of the pricing spectrum and i845PEs on the other, Intel were looking for some middle ground that would appeal to a wide cross-section of potential buyers.

Read it all at Hexus.net