Intel's E7500 Chipset: Dual Channel DDR for Xeon

Dual Channel DDR on the desktop?

When RDRAM was first introduced to Intel's product line one of the few attractive solutions was the i840 chipset with its dual-channel RDRAM memory controller. Originally aimed at the server/workstation market, this memory subsystem eventually made its way down to the desktop level with the i850 Pentium 4 chipset around one year later.

The correlation we're trying to drive at here relates to the possibility of this dual channel DDR memory controller coming down to the desktop market. Obviously this depends on a number of variables including RDRAM pricing and board design complexity, but it is a possibility that we should keep in mind. It may be an explanation of why NVIDIA still doesn't have a Pentium 4 bus license for their dual channel DDR nForce platform.

Final Words

With IDF this week there will undoubtedly be a number of interesting announcements to read about so be sure to check back all this week for the latest straight from the show. Also, I'll be doing some show coverage on CNet Radio Wednesday (2/27/2002) at 11AM PST so be sure to tune in if you can.

Have a great week.