Intel spots errors in its 820 and 840 chipsets

Intel has discovered errors in its 820 and 840 chipsets when the devices are deployed in a mode that supports error-corrected SDRam memory.

Intel has discovered errors in its 820 and 840 chipsets when the devices are deployed in a mode that supports error-corrected SDRam memory.

The 820 chipset, codenamed Camino, encountered random data errors when using a Memory Translator Hub (MTH) to run SDRam-equipped with error correction code (ECC) circuitry, an Intel representative said. The 840 chipset, dubbed Carmel, ran into the same trouble running ECC SDRam across a similar Memory Repeater Hub (MRH), he said. The hubs are added components that allow the chipsets, which natively support Direct Rambus DRam, to interface to SDRam.

Both chipsets were error-free when running SDRam out of ECC mode or when running Direct RDRam in either mode, the representative said.

Single and dual-processor boards using SDRam-enabled 820 chipsets and the MTH will remain in the line-up for the desktop PC market, the representative said. He played down the MTH and MRH-induced errors, saying "a limited number of customers who use the SDRam configurations of the 820 and 840 boards are affected".

The MTH glitch should not affect Intel's upcoming Timna processor, which is aimed at sub-$500 (£313) PCs, sources said. Timna also is slated to use an MTH-conversion chip to enable it to interface to SDRam, Intel executives said.

Because of its rock-bottom price, Timna is not expected to offer an ECC mode option. Only if the MTH is found to have data errors in other modes would Timna's operation be threatened, sources said.