In June, Intel should be releasing their i815, i815E and i820E chipsets. They will still push their i810 and i810E (i815/E refers to both) though, as they already have plenty of market momentum. i815 is essentially an i810 with the addition of an AGP slot for upgradability. The word from some of our sources is that i815 is going to perform just like the i810: slowly.

The i815E and i820E will carry ICH2, adding integrated LAN, dual-master USB, ATA100 and enhanced audio over the non-"E" versions. Integrated LAN will lower costs and is becoming more important as DSL and cable modems become more widespread. The inclusion of dual-master USB will reduce the need for USB hubs and will allow extra bandwidth for those who use high-bandwidth USB devices such as scanners. ATA100 will increase the headroom for hard drive access, but mechanism speeds are currently below ATA33 levels, not to mention ATA66, so the speed gain for non-RAID users will be minimal.

We have seen widespread i815/E industry support in Taiwan among motherboard makers. Q3 will see most i815/E boards going into OEM systems, with a limited supply for the distribution channel. i815/E will hit full ramp up in Q4.

CPU Speed

Overall CPU speeds will increase as the year goes forward. No surprise there. 1GHz Pentium IIIs may hit the after market in late Q3 or Q4 2000. At this time, it does not look like Pentium III CPU speeds will go over 1GHz this year, or possibly ever, though Intel assures us that there is still performance headroom in the Coppermine design.

As the year goes forward, Intel will just fill in the lower speeds of Pentium III that were skipped due to the Intel/AMD 1GHz race.

Sources close to Intel have pointed out that, while the Pentium III does have room for growth, market conditions will determine its fate. Does it make market sense for Intel to jump from a 1GHz PIII to a 1.3GHz Willamette? Should they make a faster PIII to fill the 300MHz gap or should they make a slower Willamette? Will Willamette ship as planned? What will AMD have as competition? All of these factors and more will determine the Pentium IIIs maximum speed.