Sorry razvan, but I've got to back up spud's sentimentality. (Though perhaps not his attitude.) Let's take this one step at a time...
Now let's go on to Intel: I think that one can write a book about their ugly things that they have done <b><font color=red>only in the last year</font color=red></b>. If you don't agree with me on this point I will give you the list
Funny how you specified <b>in the last year</b> and then bring up the P3 1.13GHz and the Camino/MTH bug, both of which happened, if I remember correctly, way back in early 2000. This makes both well past <b>two</b> years ago, not '<i>in the last year</i>'. More on them later. First though, by chance do you actually have <i>any</i> list of items within the last year?
Let's think about Intel: some 6 months ago they where all RAMBUS. Rambus all the way. Some 3 weeks ago they said - we are going DDR. We will not develop any Rambus solution. The clients where puzzled - those who have invested a lot of money in Rambus. After the client's pressure they said that i850 will be further developed at least for RDRAM1066. That is Intel: going with the wind...
So what you are saying is that you don't want a company that will give you what you need to meet your computing needs? You want a company that will ignore your every suggestion and every need and just do what they think is best?
I have an IBM keyboard aged to more that 10 years. It weights more that 3 kilo. Yet it is working like new. I also have an IBM mouse - the same age. Still working very well. This computer is of no use today - of course!! - but when it was useful it was not spared. I don't know many companies that can do such good - quality items.
A lot! I still have a working 8-bit Nintendo. Hell, I still have a working C=64. I <i>still</i> use both. Generally, electronics that don't involve motors and don't overheat last a <i>long</i> time.
1. The P3 1,13Ghz launches; a total failure. It was not working.
Obviously you don't even know what you're talking about. The P3 1.13GHz actually worked quite well most of the time. It was only in rare instances that certain software could cause it to fail. Granted, that isn't the best CPU in the world, but it certainly wasn't a total failure. The CPU did work the vast majority of the time.
And yet, Intel recalled it immediately and replaced or refunded every single sale. Pretty nice of them considering how companies like AMD never did such for their K5s and K6s that had 'incompatability' problems. Not to knock AMD, because that was far in the past. I'm just pointing out that Intel didn't have to recall them in the first place. They made a mistake, yes. But they also handled the mistake quite nicely, which cannot exactly be said for all other companies out there.
2. remember the bug that was found in Intel's infamous 'i820' or 'Camino' chipset?
No. I remember the bug that was introduced in motherboards using the MTH by motherboard manufacturers who couldn't follow tight specs. The Camino chipset itself wasn't bad. The MTH itself worked. (It was a stupid concept, but it worked.) However, motherboard manufacturers didn't adhere to the tight specs Intel required for the MTH and so <i>some</i> motherboards that used the MTH were unstable. And it was less than 20% at that.
And even though it should have been the responsability of the individual motherboard manufacturers to handle any sort of a recall, Intel took it upon themselves to handle that when they didn't have to. They <b>did</b> refund or replace any defective motherboard to my knowledge. My cousin had no problem getting a replacement <b>and</b> got better performance with his PC800 than with his PC133 anyway. So while it was annoying, it also resulted in a notable PC upgrade, free of charge.
I got tons of mails from upset owners of Intel CC820 motherboards, who told me that Intel-officials deny the replacement or refund categorically. The answers of those official Intel-spokespeople go from "We won't replace any memory" to "Only affected CC820 boards, which is about 15-20% of them, get replaced". Both statements are simply WRONG.
No offense to Dr. Pabst, but four months after the whole Caminogate thing, I hadn't heard a single complaint from any of the people affected by the bad mobos. It sounds like he made much ado about nothing to me. But then again, that's probably why it was in a <b>BLURB</b>, a personal rant, not in a <i>professional</i> article.
First of all, anyone who spends a grand or more on a purchase without properly researching it <b>deserves</b> whatever problems they get. So those first P4 purchasers have no sympathy from me.
Second of all, the P4 architecture of a high-speed chip is a perfectly valid way of achieving end-result performance, just as is AMD's way of using a low-speed chip is. End performance is vaguely represented by the equation 'Performance = Freq x IPC'. Intel chose to ramp the frequency faster. AMD chose to continue to rely on IPC instead.
There is no 'deceptive' practice in designing a CPU architecture. Benchmarks don't lie, and if you look at anything else to judge performance, then you're a bloody moron.
The latest proc from Intel - Itanium hasn't the same architecture (low IPC, high freq). Well... WHY? If this is the future: low IPC, high freq then WHY?
Are you really this clueless or just being a whinge? X86 is designed to run code in serial. Itanium is designed to execute code in parallel. Different approaches at code execution require different CPU designs.
?!! Rambus is performing better on P4. On P3 this was NOT true. I repeat: it was NOT true. Search this site's archive and get convinced.
Actually, you're considerably wrong and appearantly unable to take your own advice to search the site. PC800 ran better than SDRAM for the P3. For example, check out the quote "First things first. Intel's i820 chipset with the 'elitist', super expensive RDRAM is still the overall fastest mainstream chipset for Coppermine." from the article <i><A HREF="http://www.tomshardware.com/mainboard/00q1/000302" target="_new">Performance Showdown at 133 MHz FSB - The best Platform for Coppermine</A></i>. Just look at how badly RDRAM on the P3 whooped up on SDRAM.
Are you suggesting that Intel did that because they care about people's opinions? I'm sorry for this expression, but: quit the crap. They did it because they where loosing money; they did it because their evil monopoly that they tried to create with Rambus was a failure.
First of all, if listening to people's opinions means making more money, then of course they listen to people's opinions. They're a business, an organization that endeavors to <b>make money</b>. Funny how that works. Listen to the customer, give them what they want, and make money. I'd say that Intel cares a <b>lot</b> about people's opinions because that's what makes them rich. It's self-serving, but then what for-profit organization isn't? Can you name me one company that at it's heart doesn't just want to take your money?
Second of all, appearantly your English skills aren't too great or else you would know that <b>Mono</b>poly partially derives it's meaning from the Latin word for one. Intel plus Rambus equals two, not one. So it couldn't even have been a <b>mono</b>poly if they had tried.
Thirdly, RDRAM outperformed SDRAM, whether on a P3 or a P4. Hell, on a P4 RDRAM clearly still outperforms DDR SDRAM. So you're blaming Intel for chosing a memory type that gives it's users the most performance. Those <b>evil</b> bastards!
Why forcing the market to use only one option? Perhaps I don't care about 10% of lost performance and I want to save money. This should be MY choice.
Tell that to AMD. Intel currently provides both SDRAM (DDR and SDR are both SDRAM), and RDRAM solutions for the P4. AMD offers only SDRAM. So Intel at present gives people more choice than any of their competitors.
In the beginning Intel has not licensed anybody for the P4 bus tech and it has sued VIA for developing such a solution
Intel sued VIA for producing P4 chipsets when VIA didn't actually have a license to do so. Had VIA properly obtained a license, Intel wouldn't have sued them.
My point too. In other words: those who decide what server to buy are more informed than the average Joe; they are not easy to trick. So.. why bother to trick? Just give them a fair solution.
Trick? Whom is tricking whom now? Name one P4 owner who doesn't get the performance that they paid for. There are no tricks there.
Yes, that is a solution. I am hoping that sooner or later the x86 platform will be replaced so that such compromises will not be necessary any more.
Compromises? We're talking about two very dissimilar instruction engines and resulting architectures. What compromise are you talking about? Are you even in the same discussion as the rest of us?
Sorry razvan, but not only are you living in the distant past, but you can't even remember that distant past correctly. Your facts are all wrong. Your points are weaker than water. So far, you've sounded like a blithering fool with an unjustified grudge against Intel.
Which is fine if that's who you are, but don't expect anyone to respect you for it. If you want to be upset with Intel, fine. At least have a reason that you can justify with actual proof though.
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