Conversation on the Grantsdale chipset by Intel, released today

[Larry_OHF]

Let's talk about it's potential to our community.

http://money.cnn.com/2004/06/17/tech...ex.htm?cnn=yes

New Intel chip to boost PC graphics

Chips aimed at boosting performance as Intel looks to make computers entertainment centers.

June 17, 2004: 6:56 AM EDT

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Intel Corp., the world's largest chip maker, is set to launch Thursday a highly-anticipated new chip designed to sharply improve and expand the power of personal computers.

Intel is expected Thursday to officially mark the launch of its Grantsdale chip set, which will work in tandem with Pentium processors to give PCs more powerful sound and graphics, a speedier link for peripherals and memory, and give desktop PCs the ability to run a wireless data network.

Having those features built into the core components of a computer could be essential to Intel's strategy as it tries to turn the PC into the heart of home entertainment.

In concert with software maker Microsoft Corp. and PC makers including Gateway Corp., Intel has pushed the development of "entertainment" or "media center" computers that record television shows, store music and photograph collections.

Intel (INTC: Research, Estimates) plans to sell Grantsdale chips for $30 or $40, no more than the prior generation of chip sets. But the extra features offered could steer shoppers away from PCs built with chips from rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc.

Chip sets, which work as gatekeepers for data coming into and out of the core of a PC, rarely get much attention from the public.

In the case of Grantsdale, analysts say the chip set has an unusually broad impact on not only computer users, but also makers of computer components.

Graphics chip makers, for instance, have already shifted strategy to conform their products to a faster data conduit known as PCI Express, which will get its first broad industry support in Grantsdale.

[Cienden]

I don't understand it. Is it a mobo controller chipset, graphics chipset, or CPU supplement?

Kind of late though after I plunked down a lot for a fast new AMD chip the beginning of this month.

[Larry_OHF]

I dunno. I was hoping you guys would tell me.

[Albromor]

LOL, Larry! Yes, please, someone tell us what this means those of us planning on purchasing a new PC in the next year. [img]graemlins/stunned.gif[/img]

[Larry_OHF]

bump

[Harkoliar]

its part of the mobo i think.

and there is already by the end of the year, a new kind of video card being develop with dual processing. so its twice the graphic capability or something like that.

[Larry_OHF]

This is what my friend had to say about it.

This (Grantsdale) has been going on for quite some time. We’ve known it under different names, however, and it’s been primarily aimed at gamers. Hardcore gamers. But, as the technology becomes more mainstream, it becomes easier to develop for “the people” – what they mean is people too cheap to spend $300 - $500 on a video card, or up to $300 on an audio card. When Intel gave us the AGP slot, nobody seemed to notice what they were doing. But it was a “secret plot” to let gamers get more out of their video cards. ATI built their cards around that technology. NVidia (and the GEForce video chipset) is murmured to be the driving force behind it – you can even see traces of their involvement with PCI Express – another runaway technology for making the multimedia PC more a home entertainment center! Lets face it, if your machine can play a full 3D adventure shoot-em-up at 64 to 130 frames-per-second, television with surround sound is really not a heavy-duty trick, is it?

[Animal]

It's the northbridge chipset on a motherboard, it's what "translates" if you will commands from the CPU to the majority of the peripherals.

It's nothing fancy, just the next evolution of PC's. The problem with new technology is no one buys it, so software developers write their programs based up hardware that is 2-3 generations old, as that is what most PC owners have.

There's no point in developing a game that will only run on the best hardware made, as no one would buy it. There's problem only a handful of apps/programs that really need a P4EE/AMDFX, 3GIG RAM, 400GB HD, and a GF6800 or ATI X800. The general consumer of this kind of a PC is only interested in "bragging rights" and frame rates.

New hardware doesn't mean squat unless there is software to use it with.

[Larry_OHF]

So you are saying not to buy it?

[Animal]

Originally posted by Larry_OHF: So you are saying not to buy it?

It's your money do what you want with it. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Grantsdale or the Intel 915P/G chipset is a cheaper version of the Intel 925X or Alderwood chip. You can expect to see DDR/DDR2 support, PCI Express, PCI Express for graphics, a 775-pin socket and a new BTX power supply. Full 24bit audio is onboard as well as Intel's new MatrixRAID (wonder where they got that name from [img]graemlins/1ponder.gif[/img] )

So basically your video card/power supply/network card/CPU etc... will not be compatible with either the 915 or the 925. You can of course go out and spend $5000 on all new components, but you won't see much benefits to it yet.

[ 06-22-2004, 06:23 PM: Message edited by: Animal ]