For the first time in a year, AMD is losing the MHz wars against Intel.  The MHz wars constitute the battle for the public's eye over the issue of the MHz rating on personal computers.  With the advent of the Pentium 4, and it's long, latency-rich pipeline, Intel was able to leapfrog AMD in the MHz rating of their best processor.  

But the P4s speed rating doesn't accurately reflect the chips processing power, because benchmarks show that Athlons perform as well as Pentium 4s that run 300MHz or more faster. So AMD has decided to go back to a bad idea that seems even worse now.  You've heard others complain about this over the last few weeks, but now it's my turn.  

AMD will be releasing the Athlon-4 in the next week or two with several very irritating marketing ploys.  First, they have dubbed the new Palomino version of the Athlon the "Athlon XP" which is irritating all in itself.  I expect that having 'XP' tacked onto the name will be just about worthless as a marketing technique, and it  sounds dumb to boot.

But then comes the biggest mistake of all.  Giving the Palomino "equivalency" ratings compared with the P4.  So a Palomino 1.53MHz processor will be called the XP 1800, to denote it performs on par with a 1.8GHz Pentium 4.  

So what has AMD accomplished?  A) that they think they need to ride Microsoft's coat tails on the XP release to keep sales up, and B) that their processors can't stack up to Intel's on a MHz basis, and that they can't even match the P4 2GHz model with phony "equivalency" ratings.

This is not good for AMD.  First off, they don't need the XP tag to keep sales going, they just need to ramp clock speeds faster.  Second, they don't need to use equivalency ratings relative to the P4, they just need to make sure their processors are fast, more overclockable, and less expensive than Intel's.

I think this is a big mistake for AMD, and it may even irritate loyal performance enthusiasts who will see these as cheep marketing ploys.  AMD needs to stick to its guns, and keep doing what they have been doing for the last 2 years, giving Intel the heebie-jeebies like they've never had them before.

                                           Dr. John  

The Register

The talk in memory land is DDR.  PC-133 SDRAM is old junk, and Rambus is dirty, dirty stuff. But will DDR save the memory industry from oblivion?  Who the heck knows?  It is certain that Rambus isn't going to turn the industry around, but DDR does seem to be catching on. 

The new VIA KT266A chipset boosts memory performance significantly over the AMD 761 Northbridge, and new flavors of DDR, like PC-2400 memory, have been introduced.  So is this enough High-Tech mojo to get consumer's juices flowing? Who the heck knows?  But one thing is clear.  DDR memory is getting more air play than Rambus DRAM.  That fact is quite ironic, because Rambus DRAM is actually the higher-performing alternative.  

Rambus has announced a newer, faster version of their memory interface, based on a 0.12 micron fabrication process.  DDR memory is getting a performance facelift at the JEDEC memory standards committee at the same time.  Which one wins the memory war is a mater left up to consumers.

                                           Dr. John

People stop flying. The Airline industry lays off workers, and that negatively affects car rentals, restaurants, taxis, hotels, and tourist trade.  That in turn affects local economies throughout the country. The reduction in trade reduces revenues through loss of sales, payroll, and other taxes, reducing the government's buying power. Deficit spending resumes. The recession deepens.

Yesterday, AMD announced many layoffs, and the closure of two plants.  Intel has cut prices below cost, and is losing money in it's processor division for the first time.  Analysts argue over whether or not recent developments will improve prospects for microprocessor manufacturers due to increased military orders. However, consumer trepidation in the marketplace should far outweigh increased military procurements.

The impending debut of Windows XP is the only thing holding the PC industry together right now.  This not only shows the extent of Microsoft's influence on the industry, but it also highlights the fragility of the industry as a whole. Several large memory manufacturers are on the verge of bankruptcy. Gateway is on its last legs. Everyone is announcing quarterly losses.

Let's all hope that something stops the economic dominoes from tumbling down.  Nothing has changed economically except for people's attitudes.  It's amazing how powerful attitudes can be.

                                           Dr. John  

Anand has another thoroughly thorough reveiw posted, this time of the NVidia nForce reference motherboard.  It's NVidia's integrated chipset, with everything but the CPU and memory already built-into the motherboard.

Unfortunately, the integrated Ethernet did not even have a connector present, so it couldn't be tested.  But the integrated graphics and sound were tested.  The results?  The integrated graphics were not even on par with a GeForce MX card, and the overall performance of the chipset was only about equal to the KT266A chipset from VIA.  The only bright light for the nForce is it's integrated sound processor, which blows the Creative Live series away.  The nForce sound chip was not tested in comparison with the new Creative Audigy series of sound cards though.

NVidia did many things right with nForce (including Hypertransport bus support, an excellent integrated audio solution (get the 'D' model if you want Dolby digital sound), and a good start on an advanced memory architecture.  But they also did some things less than right, and I have a feeling that those things will limit nForce motherboard sales.  The integrated graphics are sub-par, and will not endear performance enthusiasts to the platform.  Sure, you can pop a GeForce 3 in the system, but then it's not a low-cost alternative anymore, is it?

From the results I saw, I can make several claims.  First, the nForce is not going to undermine VIA's chipset position any time soon.  But, as a low-cost, integrated solution, the nForce will make for awesome low-end systems. I just don't understand why NVidia is trying so hard to make it's low-cost, integrated solution seem like it's at the high end of the spectrum.  Performance on the memory side is excellent, and so is the audio implementation.  But if I were NVidia, I would consider dropping the integrated video, and reducing the price of the motherboards.  If this is supposed to be a high-end offering, the integrated video is a waste of time, money and circuit board space.

Finally, if I were NVidia, I'd consider making a stand-alone audio board for the general market, and give Creative a real scare.  There isn't much competition in the sound card market, and it's one place I'd love to see a faster, better alternative.

                                           Dr. John  

Anand 

PS, nForce motherboards will not be available until at least mid-October, maybe even longer.

It's about one month and counting for the release of Windows XP, the MS operating system that finally integrates the home and business versions into one package.  Between all the talk about .Net, the product activation code, and the high price that consumers will have to pay for the professional version, one aspect of upgrading to XP has gotten less attention.

There is no doubt that some percentage of the programs you have on your computer will need to be upgraded to be compatible with Windows XP. So now we are talking about $300 for the operating system, $50 to upgrade the antivirus software, 200 or more dollars to upgrade your office suite, $50 to upgrade your Windows utility package (Norton, etc), and the list goes on and on. It's no wonder that the entire PC industry is drooling at the thought of the XP debut.

So, check your credit card statements and your wallet, because you are going to need some financial liquidity come Oct. 26.  On top of its detrimental effect on your financial situation, I have a sneaking suspicion the debut will weigh heavily on your free time as well.  Because XP is much like a beefed up Windows 2000, I am relatively certain that the upgrade version will not work well on Windows 98 machines. That fact almost certainly means that Windows 98 users will need to do a clean, fresh install.  Oh goody.

Keep in mind that Microsoft sells two versions of each of their operating systems, one intended only for upgrading older versions, and one intended only for a clean install.  You can not do a clean install with the upgrade version, and you can not upgrade an older version of Windows with the full version.  So get the correct version.  I expect that Windows 2000 users will be able to use the upgrade version of XP without problems.

Finally, I expect folks who have Pentium III 500 MHz computers (or slower), will probably want to upgrade their hardware as well. All in all, it's going to be one expensive change for most PC users. So as you get excited about the XP debut, don't forget that Bill and many other CEOs are counting on all of you going into more debt to help keep their companies afloat.

                                           Dr. John  

As the U.S. military prepares to kick some terrorist butt in the Middle East, Americans prepare themselves for the inevitable casualties and consequences. Among the consequences that seem trivial at the moment are the possible curbs on the freedoms we cherish.  Most Americans are likely to accept some limitations on freedoms we have enjoyed in the past, at least for a time. But that does not mean Americans should stand silent as some of our freedoms are permanently impoverished or eliminated in the pursuit of terrorists. 

Everything from legislation on reducing encryption to censoring computer games, to copy-controlled hardware are being discussed and acted on as I write. The reports on Senator Fritz Holling's bill concerning SSSCA are particularly frightening. The Security Systems Standards and Certification Act would make built-in copy-protection hardware mandatory on all digital devices that can record any media. That would mean hard drives, CD burners, and just about anything else that records or stores digital information (computer memory too??). 

While these issues may seem trivial compared with smashing terrorist organizations throughout the world, they are important as regards our Constitutional freedoms. The impending war on terrorists should not be used as an excuse to pass legislation that would otherwise never see the light of day. 

Preventing digital copying, canceling or editing computer games, and reducing computer encryption will do nothing to stop terrorist attacks, or aid in the capture of terrorist perpetrators. Indeed, the primary aims of terrorism are to try to disrupt our economy, government, and way of life. Passing freedom-limiting legislation would fulfill one of the terrorist's goals. So in my mind, passing bad legislation that limits our existing freedoms is not one of the sacrifices that Americans should be called on to make.

                                           Dr. John  

The Register

Oh what a tangled web we create, when first we practice to litigate. Intel started it, and now VIA wants to get down and dirty, and they hope to finish it.  Intel decided to sue VIA Technologies over the P4X266 chipset which offers DDR DRAM support for the Pentium 4 processor.  Intel maintains that VIA is not licensed to make such a chipset. 

VIA's initial reaction was to sue Intel for damaging their display booths at the Computex trade show.  But now they are suing Intel for patent infringement concerning the architecture in the Pentium 4 processor.

According to the Register, the patent in question concerns the "Instruction set for bi-directional conversion and transfer of integer and floating point data".  VIA apparently owns the patent due to their acquisition of Centaur.  Obviously VIA is hoping for an out-of-court settlement, much like an even-Stephen sort of thing. 

The Register 

                                           Dr. John

New and greatly improved LCD-replacement technologies are on the way, which will greatly improve the clarity and contrast of hand held devices, ebooks and the like.  Read about it Here.

Other advanced techniques will be replacing expensive flat panel computer monitors in the near future.  They will be cheaper, sharper, bigger and more reliable. Read about some of them Here, Here, and Here.  One or the other of these new technologies is guaranteed to put a whopping big flat panel display on your desktop in the next year or two.

It's been easy to ignore the stories about NForce chipset delays for the last few months, because NVidia was new at this sort of thing.  But now that motherboard makers are grumbling (they are on the front lines of the chipset wars, you know) it's time to take notice.

NForce is NVidia's attempt to not just get into the chipset market, but to set itself up as the prime vendor of appliance PCs to the masses in the near future (with MS OSs I presume). Fully integrated PC mainboards, with everything plus the kitchen sink onboard, are the industry's holy grail.  NVidia wants it bad.  But for now at least, it may be a chipset too far.

Many comments have surfaced concerning the not so functional audio subsystem in the NForce, but now mention of a lack of overall stability is in the grapevine.  That be the unkindest cut of all, at least in mobo parlance.  Only time will tell if NForce is to be, or not to be, this holiday shopping season.

                                           Dr. John

The Inquirer

I have no idea what Rambus put in Intel's coffee, but they sure must have done something at the meetings to get the chip giant to suck up so far.  Intel has signed a 5 year agreement to pay Rambus a $10 million quarterly royalty payment to cover all licensing fees for Rambus' "Intellectual Property".  That's $40 million per year for the honor of pushing Rambus DRAM on the world's PC population.  Not that Rambus DRAM is a particularly bad product, just that the company's methods of operation are far less than desirable.

Intel figured it would kill two birds with one stone. Pay the big buckaroos to get Rambus IP, and get Rambus off their backs with respect to DDR DRAM chipsets.  And in the process, Intel gave back it's "warrants" to purchase Rambus stock at $2.50 a share if Intel met projected Rambus sales figures. At the rate Rambus stock is going, that seems like a no-brainer.

Intel figures it got the best of the deal. For them $40 million is chump change, and now Rambus can't tell them what chipsets they can make.  So get ready for a flood of DDR capable Pentium 4 motherboards.  

Rambus gets enough cash flow to survive for now, despite the fact that they don't deserve it. But everyone expected Intel to bail them out, so it's no great surprise.

                                         Dr. John

EBN

The talk throughout the U.S. today is all about war. I am anticipating an imminent attack on Afghanistan.  There are several clues that the government has given out which led me to this conclusion.  

First was the announcement that we had gotten permission to overfly Pakistan.  If you look at the map will see that means we will be attacking from the Indian Ocean, probably with several Naval fleets. You'll notice that the government explicitly told the American people that some Navy ships were moved to New York Harbor.  They did not tell us what all the rest of the ships in the Navy were doing. I expect they are already in, or headed towards the Indian Ocean right now.

Second was the announcement that those who harbor terrorists would be treated the same as the terrorists.  At first Afghanistan tried to distance itself from the events, and then they told their population to prepare for war.

Next was the Congressional resolution allowing the President to use whatever actions he felt were necessary.

Apparently, the day after the attacks on the twin towers and Pentagon, relief agencies in Afghanistan were given the heads up to leave.  This typically only happens right before a major military operation.

As many as 50,000 Reservists will be recalled to active duty.  The last time that happened was just before the Gulf War.

Finally, there is the funding approved by Congress, which provides an immediate $20 billion for imminent anti-terrorist activities.

Both NATO and Russia are on our side this time around. I think that time is running out for the Taliban, and the terrorists they harbor.  But keep in mind that only the Taliban is immovable.  The terrorists can head for safer harbors elsewhere if they so choose.  That's why we are all in for a long, and dirty new kind of war.

I expect a very large and combined cruise missile and stealth bomber attack on Afghanistan. It could come as early as tomorrow night.  We have had 10 years to perfect our smart weapon technology since the gulf war.  I sincerely hope that our Armed Forces do a thorough job on the terrorists and the Taliban. I also sincerely hope that civilian casualties are kept to a minimum.  But this is a different type of war, and it may be impossible to attack the terrorists surgically.

                                         Dr. John

The Taipei Times has a small story which says that after the terrorist attacks, VIA Technologies has offered the US government a $100 million relief donation.  If true, this is a very generous offer from Intel's rival in the chip-making business.

It is good to see the world coming together behind the US in this time of tragedy and resolve.  Working together, the people of the world will be able to overcome terrorism.

Taipei Times

Recent literature that arrived here from Microsoft asks us to attend a Windows XP Technical Training Seminar where we will hear all bout how great Windows XP is.  And who is the guest speaker?  Intel Corporation, or course.  They will be discussing "Why Intel Pentium 4 processor is best for today's environment and tomorrow's" and "Intel Pentium 4 processor integration on Windows XP". Bad grammar aside, there is no mention that AMD even exists, let alone other processors.

Microsoft has always favored Intel in what seems much like an exclusionary business practice to me.  All Intel chipsets get full support in all Windows operating systems, all other chipsets get minimal or no support in Windows.  Windows XP is said to be optimized for the Pentium 4 processor, leaving other Windows users wondering why they have been ignored by MS. I assume this means things like SSE2 support in XP, but no 3D Now! support.  In my mind, this type of preferential business arrangement does not serve the public well. 

Microsoft should start to work closely with VIA, AMD, SiS, ALi and others to incorporate full chipset and processor support in Windows XP. Of course this won't happen any time soon (or ever, probably). So all you folks out there with non-Intel chipset motherboards, don't forget to download the correct XP drivers for your motherboard and install them when you upgrade to Windows XP.

                                         Dr. John

While it seems almost too trivial to mention after the horrific terrorist attacks in NY and here in Washington, NVidia has released it's Detonator-4 (ver 21.81) drivers officially.  Unfortunately, they are neither WHQL certified (Windows Hardware Quality Labs), nor are they supported by NVidia.  So install them at your own risk.  GeForce 1 and GeForce 2 owners will probably see little improvement in performance.  GeForce 3 owners should see a nice performance boost.

Initial reports are that these drivers are buggy, and need more work. In an attempt to jump on the Windows XP bandwagon, NVidia has termed the new drivers "DetonatorXP".  

                                         Dr. John

NVidia

It finally happened.  Terrorists have finally managed to cause massive loss of life and mass destruction in two major US cities.  Currently, the twin World Trade Center Towers are reduced to rubble, and the Pentagon is still burning.  It sounds like a bad Tom Clancy novel.  We can only express our deepest sympathy for the families of the dead, and for the injured.  But even as the rescue continues, and before the fires are extinguished, major questions burn in my mind. 

It is apparent that there is no air protection around either the Pentagon or the White House.  President Bush was whisked away from a Florida school to an undisclosed military base, rather than the White House, obviously because they didn't feel the protection at the White House was adequate. 

Air Traffic Control radar followed all 4 planes as they followed completely incorrect flight paths, and there was a significant amount of time in which warnings could have been issued, but weren't. 

Considering that Taliban militants have been quoted in the last few weeks that "something big" was in the works, you would think our Intelligence Agencies would have had some inkling that airport and military security should be increased.  Airport security seems to have failed terribly today, since 4 terrorists were apparently able to commandeer 4 commercial airliners at the same time without any problem.  It's a very sad day in America, but there are many tough questions that need to be answered fully by our government in the next few weeks.  

                                         Dr. John

Intel and AMD have been in a processor deathmatch for some time, but now come the Chipset Wars!  In one corner we have Intel the Mighty, and in the other corner, VIA the not-so-meek. As you may know already, VIA recently released a new chipset, the P4X266, with both SDRAM and DDR DRAM support for the Pentium 4. Well Intel has finally released their i845 chipset, which offers only SDRAM support for the P4 processor.

Intel is working under an agreement with Rambus that precludes them from making DDR-capable chipsets until 2002. So they released the i845 chipset with SDRAM support only.  But VIA does not have such restraints, and have released a chipset that can support both types of memory with the Pentium 4. Obviously, the VIA version, which is also less expensive, will be more popular with PC enthusiasts than the Intel offering.

Intel is suing VIA for patent infringement over the P4X266 chipset, and now VIA is a truly intriguing move is counter-suing Intel for patent infringement concerning the i845 chipset!  That's a twist that no one anticipated.  Whether this counter suit has any merit is unknown at this time. But as you can see, both companies are serious. Expect the chipset wars to rage into the next year, when Intel releases a DDR-capable P4 chipset. 

VIA is also suing Intel for damages alleging that Intel pulled down all the VIA P4X266 promotional material at the Computex Trade show last June.

                                         Dr. John

The Tech Report

The Inquirer

In their continuing efforts to monopolize their control over computer hardware, computer software, and home entertainment, Microsoft is not announcing it's secret new home entertainment system called "HomeStation". If the Xbox fails to kill the PC completely, Microsoft is hoping the HomeStation will.

The HomeStation will be an Xbox-PC hybrid which will play PC games, Xbox games, and DVDs, and it will have broadband Internet access capabilities. However, like an iMac, it will be a sealed appliance. But what is Microsoft really thinking behind the scenes?

Dot Net.  Yes, for some time to come, everything at Microsoft will be dot Netted. The idea is to get Microsoft back into the Internet provider arena with a vengeance. All HomeStation content will be provided through Microsoft and dot Net. So it is very likely that Microsoft will sell the HomeStation very cheaply, with the hopes of squeezing monthly fees out of every U.S. citizen.

Microsoft sees diminishing returns from PC operating system sales.  And yet, it is becoming more and more difficult for them to justify the high cost of Microsoft operating systems when compared with the cost of the rest of a computer system. But if they can become a content provider and Internet gatekeeper for entertainment services, the revenues should just keep flowing. I'll bet you can't wait to see that $100 monthly (Bill) bill arrive from Microsoft every month.

                                         Dr. John

PCFormat

Analysts have been wondering if and when Intel would finally file a legal action against chipset maker VIA Technologies. They wonder no more. Intel has filed suit in the U.S. District Court in Delaware alleging that VIA is in violation of Intel patents with the P4X266 and P4M266 DDR chipsets for the Pentium 4 processor.

VIA believes that they own the rights to the patents in question.  When VIA acquired S3, which had a licensing deal with Intel, VIA assumed they acquired the rights to S3's patents.  Intel disagrees, and many industry watchers suggest that cross licensing agreements do not transfer automatically when companies merge or are acquired.

It seems unlikely that Intel will be able to halt shipments of motherboards with VIA's chipsets in the near term.  But the question remains, if Intel wins this legal action sometime in the future, will VIA can be forced to pay large royalty payments and damages? Shouldn't VIA consider trying to avoid this by signing a simple license with Intel and paying a small royalty? The courts will decide.

The interesting side story is that the VIA DDR P4 chipset currently outperforms all other DDR chipsets for the Pentium 4. But we haven't seen what Intel's DDR P4 chipset is capable of.  According to the agreement Intel has with Rambus Inc., Intel cannot debut their own DDR chipset until 2002. In fact, the talk I am hearing is that DDR memory works very well with the Pentium 4 processor, so well that Rambus should be very worried.

                                         Dr. John

CNet 

Anyone who thought the DOJ under the Bush Administration would be tough on Microsoft just got a wake-up call.  The DOJ will not pursue a breakup into operating system and applications divisions. Since the courts have ruled that MS did act as an illegal monopoly, and since analysts were convinced that the DOJ would win the case, this move can only be called a political capitulation.

Gordon Klein, a law professor at University of Southern California was quoted as saying "The government's litigation was in the fourth quarter, yet the Bush administration chose to forfeit the game while it was ahead. It was purely political."

Microsoft officials have been meeting with President Bush and his administration over the last few months, apparently working out some kind of behind-the-scenes deal.  Unless someone spills the beans, we will never know what was said between Bush and MS.  

The Bush Administration is sending a clear signal to MS that Windows XP is safe, and that MS can return to "business as usual" immediately.  Any "remedies" that the Bush DOJ comes up with will certainly be next to nothing, and meant to whitewash the whole affair.  The DOJ will claim that the remedies were "appropriate" and may even insist that they are "harsh", despite the fact that they will certainly be little more than a minor scolding. 

Expect more monopolistic activity from Mr. Bill in the future.  He has basically been told, "it's OK!"

                                         Dr. John

Excite

Stories are popping up on the web about new drivers for ATI's Radeon 8500 video card, which will help the new ATI  card match or beat NVidia's best offering, the GeForce3 card.  NVidia's first reaction to the Radeon 8500 was to "leak" their newest drivers (known as Detonator-4) which boosted GeForce3 performance by 20% or more.

Now ATI has tweaked their Radeon 8500 drivers, and the results suggest that the 8500 may beat the GeForce3 card in benchmarks. NVidia has already played the "driver card" with the Detonator-4 driver leak, so they are left with one last option; upgrade the GeForce 3 series of video cards.

Enter the Titanium series.  The top of the line, GeForce3 Ti 500, will sport a 280MHz core clock, and 500MHz DDR memory. It will also have added "Shadow Buffer" support for better shadow rendering. It will come with the standard compliment of 64MB of fast DDR memory (250MHz x 2 = 500MHz). Retail versions will debut at $400.

In addition, a scaled-back version will be released, called the GeForce3 Ti200.  It will have lower clock speeds (170 core, 400 memory), and cost around $250.  This is a very good thing for consumers who don't have $400 to blow on a vid card, but still want the GeForce3's DX8 features and speed.

Finally, the GeForce2 Ti, with a 250MHz core and 400MHz DDR memory will come in at the new low end of the GeForce spectrum.  If this means NVidia is ditching the MX series in favor of the GF2 series at their low-end, I'm all for it!  This would be a good move on NVidia's part, because at $150, the GF2 Ti will beat any other manufacturer's offerings in that price range.

The GeForce3 Ti 500 is not expected to debut until early October. The other models should be available by the 4th week of September.

                                         Dr. John

Xbit 

The plucky IP firm is in the news again, as they have asked for a.... get this..... one year delay in the Micron trial.  Can this be anything other than panic?  Remember, they filed the law suit against Micron in the first place. But because they lost a similar suit against Infineon, they have decided they need to regroup, and lick their wounds. They also need to assuage their stockholders anger, and get them to drop all those class-action law suits.  Otherwise, they haven't got much hope for a rosy future.

                                         Dr. John

EBN

Xbit Labs has a story about cheap, counterfeit motherboards from China hitting the market.  Knock-offs of ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI, Elitegroup (ECS), EPoX, Chaintech and ABIT motherboards have been seen "in the wild".  They run $10 to $20 cheaper, and the quality is often very poor.  But the fakes are hard to tell from the originals just by looking at them.

So if you found a really great deal on a new motherboard recently, but the damn thing didn't work when you plugged it in, keep in mind that you get what you pay for.  There was obviously some reason why that motherboard was $20 cheaper than it was at other vendors. And you can't blame the company who's name is on the board, because they didn't make it.  

How can you tell if you got a fake?  You probably can't, except based on price, and how well it works when you hook it up.  Tip of the day.... buy your parts from reputable dealers, not the cheapest guy in town.

                                       Dr. John

Xbit 

The only story that seems to be getting much attention today is the announced merger between Compaq and HP.  Apparently the "turnaround" at Compaq failed miserably, and they have decided that a corporate merger is their last best hope for victory.  Compaq employees feel used and abused, and the question they may all be asking themselves is "how many of us will they sack?"

A lot.  And despite the rosy scenarios in Compaq corporate memos, Compaq is essentially dead, rather than "turned around".  HP/Q becomes the only remaining big PC maker next to Dell/Intel, and IBM. Gateway is slipping into the abyss, soon to join other PC makers there with the fishes, clams and sedimentary detritus.

As industry observers have been saying for some time, it looks like corporate mergers may be the only way to keep the big players in the running.  Small computer integrators have a distinct advantage in this PC end-game.  They are making distinctive, high-end systems to customer's specs, while Dell and others are clearly geared towards providing other corporations with vanilla PCs. 

In the end, if the bigger players lose interest in making PCs for peanuts, they may move on to other IT areas, and leave the PC building to the local shops and smaller, custom vendors.  This would benefit consumers, because a PC built by a specialty integrator is almost always a much more solid, and reliable computer than the cookie-cutter variety from the likes of Dell.

                                         Dr. John

Reports that memory giant Hynix may abandon ship are circulating the web.  Analysts predict that the closure of Hynix would have a significant effect on memory availability and price.  It is a fact that memory prices are so low now due to a sever imbalance between supply and demand.  Demand has been very poor, despite rock-bottom prices on memory modules. 

It is impossible to tell if Hynix will close it's fab plants, or, if it does, what effect that will have in the short term on memory availability and prices.  It's my guess that the likes of Micron and Samsung are crossing their corporate fingers and hoping upon hope that Hynix will cease memory production.  Even a slight increase in memory prices could help return manufacturers to profitability.  

As everyone has been saying for a couple months, now is a great time to pick up some extra memory if you have even the slightest need. And maybe you'll help keep your favorite memory maker alive at the same time!

                                         Dr. John

The Inquirer

Initial reports on the VIA KT266A DDR chipset show a significant increase in performance over the original KT266 chipset for AMD processors.  It is not certain how long it will be before VIA can get the new chipset to motherboard manufacturers, but expect the next revision of VIA DDR motherboards to have improved performance.  Benchmarks show the new VIA chipset delivering performance slightly better than AMD's 761 Northbridge.  So motherboard makers now using the AMD chipset may want to switch when the KT266A becomes available.

                                         Dr. John

HardOCP