Intel to ship Canterwood, new 3GHz P4 next week
New chip set revs bus speeds from 533MHz to 800MHz
Follow @infoworldPentium 4-based PCs will get a performance boost next week when Intel begins shipping its 875 chip set, formerly known by the code name Canterwood. The new chip set revs up the highest speed of the front-side bus used with Pentium 4 chips from 533MHz to 800MHz.
Intel has scheduled a press conference to be held in
Chip sets are a key component in PCs, where they are used to connect the processor to the main memory and to provide an interface with other PC components, including the graphics card and hard disk drives.
To coincide with the launch of the 875, Intel also plans to release a version of its 3GHz Pentium 4 chip that will support the faster bus speed. Additional Pentium 4 processors that support the 800MHz front-side bus supported by the 875 are expected to be released in the near future.
Currently, the fastest front-side bus speed supported by the Pentium 4 runs at 533MHz. A 400MHz front-side bus, which was supported by the earliest Pentium 4 models, is also available. The increase in speed to 800MHz will result in increased overall system performance for PCs with the 875 chip set.
The 875 is the first of two chip sets that Intel will unveil that supports the 800MHz front-side bus. A second chip set, known by the code name
Engineering samples of 2.6GHz and 2.8GHz Pentium 4 processors that support the new 800MHz front-side bus, both yet to be announced by Intel, were on display Wednesday in at least one shop in
The chips had been obtained by the shop from one of its customers, a member of the staff said.
