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550 MHzMid May 1999 sees the launch of the first Pentium III since the much hyped launch of Intel's latest and greatest processor. Yet again we see clock speeds pushed even higher, but that is all there is to this new chip. We stand gazing at the prospective launch of two significant new chips, Intel's Coppermine (will be branded Pentium III) and AMD's K7, so where will this new PIII chip fit in? Is it just a stopgap while we wait for Coppermine or is it a worthwhile investment for the PC owner? Well, we will aim to give a couple of opinions regarding this launch. Well, as with all new high end chip releases from Intel, the Pentium III 550 will cost a phenominal amount of money whilst it remains the top processor. This will of course put it beyond the reach of many PC buyers, but, it will have the affect of dramatically reducing prices on the 450 and 500 MHz chips, which will make them more affordable. That said, will the money spent on a 550 MHz Pentium III appear worthwhile in 6 months time, well probably no, it will by then have been eclipsed by both Coppermine and K7. There is though a way to go before we see these chips, so there will be much kudos to be gained from buying a PIII 550 and the decision can only be made by the buyer, but, remember there is very limited upgradability from this chip. It is the upgradability issue which possibly makes the Pentium III not seem worthwhile. It could well be the last Slot 1 processor as Intel are abandoning the format with the forthcoming Coppermine, which like the Celeron will revert to using the older style socket connector to the motherboard. It will be the last chip to use the i440BX chipset as the Coppermine will work with the new i820 chipset. Any motherboard which will run the PIII 550 will not be able to run Coppermine and so is stuck at a maximum speed of 550 MHz (well, unless you're an overclocker). As for performance, the PIII 550 delivers the performance web expected from it, faster than the PIII 500. Interestingly though, Anandtech has published benchmarks comparing it to an unnamed 550 MHz processor. This could well be the first real comparison we have between the Pentium III and the K7, but this is only an educated guess (almost certain) as to what it is. Pentium III 550, the verdict
Well, the PIII 550 will deliver simply stunning performance whatever is said about it. This is always true of the latest high end release
from Intel. What must be asked is whether this high end release is right for you? The Pentium III 550 will be fast, but it will be
expensive and more importantly it will also be obsolete before the end of the year. The PIII 500 will now represent better value as its
price will now drop, but, don't forget the Celeron 466 is only £140 and not all that much slower. For once, we will not make a clear
decision on this chip, but will leave it up to the PC buyer. Remember though that in six months time when the latest and greatest
Coppermine's and K7's are about, that we warned you so.
Other Intel Processors at:
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