Intel to Change Chip Naming Scheme

[matrix7]

After years of advertising their chips with megahertz Intel is moving to a new labeling system for their processors....

Instead of the clock speed the processors will be listed by their "series number". The Celeron chips will be the 300 series, Pentium 4s the 500 series, and the P4 Extreme Editions the 700 series.

When asked why the big switch Don McDonald (heir to the fast food franchise....just kidding) responded: "It's the sum of processor features. The focus on gigahertz isn't helpful to consumers anymore."

While Intel is just making the switch from processor speeds, it's main competition Advanced Micro Devices (also known as AMD) has been doing this for quite a while after Intel's chipsets were outperforming them in clock speeds, but not in the benchmark scores.


So, following the new naming process, today's 3.4-GHz Pentium 4 with HT Technology might become a Pentium 4 550 with HT Technology. And a similar P4 chip, running at the same speed, but with a larger L2 cache, might receive a higher processor number such as 555. (Intel hasn't officially announced any specific new processor numbers.)

Buyers should not use the numbers as a means of comparing different processor families, MacDonald said. So, for example, you shouldn't use the 330-series numbers of Celerons to compare them to the 500-series numbers of Pentium 4s.

Should be an interesting year....

[Viper]

They should have kept with the mhz figures. It's all about marketing and people see that and they well, it's faster, I'll buy it. I could give an example of it but I'm sure you know what I am referring to.

[matrix7]

They should have kept with the mhz figures. It's all about marketing and people see that and they well, it's faster, I'll buy it. I could give an example of it but I'm sure you know what I am referring to.

Uh huh, I personally don't like it because with Mhg and Ghz you know exactly what you are getting. if a person does not understand this stuff then they need to have somebody else buld or buy them a computer because they ain't gonna be able to use it. *sigh*

I wonder how they are going to designate a new chipste then, just keep adding numbers? 500 series now, but we will have 2000 in two years?

Crazy stuff man

[Colin™]

Instead of the clock speed the processors will be listed by their "series number". The Celeron chips will be the 300 series, Pentium 4s the 500 series, and the P4 Extreme Editions the 700 series.


Kinda like BMW!

Anyways, it won't really bother me what that the speeds aren't listed. Like Intel said, their chipsets are so complicated now that just listing their clock speed isn't enough. It'll still be easy to buy one, the higher the number, the better the processor.

[Blaksmoke]

They're trying to confuse me even more. :sad:

[=NukeBlaze=]

They are switching to the code-named system for two reasons.

1: A model number is eaiser to remember than " (Intel Pentium 4 - 800Mhz Front Side Bus, Prescott, socket - T )
2: Intel cannot ramp up the processor clock speeds as they once did. The heat issues involved with the current prescott pentium 4 are enough to boil water and beyond. "Tejas" pentium four is currently rated at 120 watts!

[speed stick]

I still like AMD better. I think they get better gameplay. Thats what I read anyway? The change doesent bother me, I would just check online to see which suits my needs the best.

[Freeman_JI]

iNTEL is still the fastest badest processor around BUT more bank for ya buck is good as well

[=NukeBlaze=]

AMD 64 bests intels best in most tests. I do not count the Pentium extream eddition, for it is a $1000 chip.

[speed stick]

^That is F**kin crazy. They are asking way too much money.

[jonapete2001]

AMD 64 bests intels best in most tests. I do not count the Pentium extream eddition, for it is a $1000 chip.


As of the release of the Athlon FX-53 i have seen no benchmarks where the 3.4 P4 EE beats it in the majority of tests. AMD is like any smaller firm they are forced to inovate the product to surive and then the larger company takes it ideas and makes them their own. This is exactly what is happening here. Amd comes out with model number on their across their athlon and opteron lines. Now intel is taking model numbers,(pretty close to the system opteron uses). Also the same thing is happening with the whole 64 bit scene. Amd inovates and intel takes the idea. What bothers me about it is that when intel releases their 64 bit chip most people(not techies) will never have heard of the Amd series chips and think "wow look what intel designed this time". I am sorry i went on a rant. Oh and i will give credit where credit it due. I realize intel designed the first x86 processors.

[=NukeBlaze=]

^ I was being more orianted away from the FX and EE series. It is true that that FX-53 basicly kills Intel's EE in many test, the exception being encoding, but the Athlon 64 is usually a better performer than Intel's 3.4 Northwood when you rate a AMD 64 3400+ and Intel 3.4 Ghz.

Well, Intel and AMD are in an interesting postition. Becuase of the technology INTEL licences to AMD ( MMX, SSE, SSE 2, ETC) has opened a door for both companies. The way I have heard it put is that technoloy is basicly free flowing from AMD to intel. Intel can basicly take whatever innovation it wishes from AMD. This is why intel's 64bit extension and AMD64 extension are almost identical. AS of current, the prescott processor has 64bit capability disabled. Intel said you will not see a 64bit chip from them this year in the home desktop, but hopfully they will think otherwise when Microsoft releases thier 64-bit OS.

And yes, It does piss me off that consumer will believe intel will create the first 64bit chip, being it is a larger company, but that is why AMD is placing its logos everywhere advocating its technology innovation. If Intel stays out of 64bit computing long during the duration of this year, then AMD could still have the majority consumer recognition for the first 64bit processor.

Intel's Performancing rating/Model Number scheme ( And they said they would never use it) is due to that fact that moore's law is running out of gas, and in the middle of death valley to boot. Intel's own problem with the 90nm chip creation process are killing them because they cannot ramp thier innefficant chip upto a high enough clock speed to beat AMD anymore. We are seeing a repeat of the Athlon XP and the Pentium 4 Willamette, only this time intel is scrambling becuase thier chips are running as warm as surface of the sun, so they cannot clock the chip higher. It is true that the Prescott has about 1/2 the heat released per trasitior compared to the 130 nm northwood, but it also has many more trassitiors, due largly to the L2 Cache and its core being stuffed to the gills with new technology. Intel really must work on its IPCs if it want to continue to compete without running to another manufaturing processes. We are already trasitioning to 90nm and 65nm looks mighly far away with hills and broken glass all the way there.

[speed stick]

Wow, what a responce. So AMD is still better will probably stay ahead in technology for a while.

I still prefer the AMD because of the price and will for a while. I never see any AMD advertisments anywhere?