Coming out Party for 1.8 and 1.6 GHz P4s

By the time companies release new products, we've generally already heard about them so many times that it's akin to having Santa send you an email letting you know what to expect on Xmas morning. We get roadmaps, information leaks, and press releases that tell us when to expect the glorious new widgets. Well, Intel let us know that, as of today, it is officially turning loose it Pentium 4 processor running at 1.8 and 1.6 GHz. The 2 GHz version should be ready to rumble later this quarter. The spin from Intel is all about the NetBurst Micro-Architecture and 850 (RDRAM) chipset which, along with the pricey memory banks, Intel claims will move up to 3.2 gigabytes of data per second. Intel is also now shipping the D850GB motherboard in which your trusty P4 processor might reside. Frank took a look at this board way back in March . The Pentium 4 processor at 1.8 GHz is priced at $562 in 1,000-unit quantities and the 1.6 GHz version is priced at $294.