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Intel To Drop RAMBUS In Favor of DDR RAM

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the long-overdue dept.

El Pollo Loco writes: "Anandtech has this news article. Basically, Intel has decided to drop expensive rambus memory and instead to go with cheaper DDR memory."

3 of 152 comments (clear)

  1. The story is misleading by RebornData · · Score: 5, Informative

    If you just read the headline above and the linked *clipping* of a story, you'd think Intel is dropping RAMBUS completely. That is not the case. Here's the original story that the clipping came from. Intel is dropping *exclusive* support for RDRAM. Here's a relevant quote:

    Also, although not new products, the next iterations of its 850 and 860 chipsets, supporting a 533MHz front-side, will support RDRAM when they arrive, probably in the second half of this year.

    This ties in perfectly with Tom's Hardware review of a new, pre-release 533MHz RDRAM chipset and the Anandtech review of the new Intel DDR-based chipset linked to by /. earlier this week.

    1. Re:The story is misleading by Xoro · · Score: 5, Informative

      Hmmm. Did you read your own link?

      Intel Corp. in the second half of this year will drop its final Direct Rambus DRAMs support in new computer products

      The 850 and 860 will continue to support RDRAM as planned. But following those on the roadmap are Placer and Granite Bay, both DDR only. Your quote only indicates a phase-out. Maybe if there was some huge upsurge in demand for the 133 MHz releases of the 8[56]0 they'd change their minds, but for now, RDRAM is off Intel's map.

      --
      Kill, Tux, kill!
  2. That's not what the story says by ToLu+the+Happy+Furby · · Score: 5, Informative

    Note, first of all, that it is in fact quite true that Intel is (planning on) dropping all new RDRAM-based designs from their x86 chipset lineup soon. The last "new" RDRAM chipset Intel releases will be the upcoming 850E, which is just the 850 but speed bumped to work with the upcoming 533MHz FSB P4s (due in April), and to match them with PC1066 RDRAM. Of course, this is very old news, known from Intel roapmaps obtained by everyone and their mom back in October or November.

    But that's not what the article says. It's talking only about chipsets for servers and workstations, where, indeed, the 860 is being replaced by the just introducted dual-channel DDR E-7500 (Plumas) and the upcoming dual-channel DDR Placer (as well as a just-introduced chipset from Broadcom), and where the 850 will be replaced by the dual-channel DDR Granite Bay chipset, due in Q3 or so.

    Thing is, dual-channel DDR for the *desktop* won't arrive from Intel until sometime in 2003, with the Springdale chipset. (Dual-channel DDRII, in fact.) VIA and SiS are both trying to get their dual-channel DDR chipsets out in time for the 533 FSB P4s (doubtful, but they should be in full swing by Q3), but, again, if you want the very highest-performing P4 desktop, and you want an Intel chipset, you'll either need to ridiculously overpay for a Granite Bay (workstation oriented) motherboard, or you'll have to use the 850E with PC1066 RDRAM, or you'll have to wait until Springdale in 2003.

    So, to reiterate:

    1) Yes, RDRAM is gone from all future Intel chipset introductions save the 850E, which is just a speed bump, not a new chipset.

    2) But that's not what this article is talking about; it's only talking about servers and workstations.

    3) RDRAM won't be completely gone until there is a dual-channel DDR chipset to replace it on the desktop; soon from VIA and SiS, not until 2003 from Intel.