Klamath gets a chilly reception

Intel customers are likely to reject chip amid cost and overheating fears

Intel?s next generation Klamath processor came in for heavy criticism at the Cebit trade fair in Germany last week when PC builders expressed worries about both its cost and its performance.

The chip giant recruited a number of senior OEMs, including Siemens Nixdorf, Mitsubishi and Olivetti, to demonstrate the Pentium II ? code-named Klamath ? which is now set for launch on 5 May.

But many of Intel?s customers looked likely to reject the system because, several said, it generated too much heat, costs up to $90 more than an equivalent system based on AMD or Cyrix processors, and shows little performance-gain over the opposition.

One customer, who declined to be named, said: ?We?ve had to install separate fans in addition to the big heat sink on the back of the Pentium II. That involved a redesign of the case so we could ship systems that do not overheat.?

Cyrix took the opportunity to announce that it would release its rival processor to Klamath after AMD and Intel. It is expected to bring out its chip in June. Steve Tobak, VP of marketing at Cyrix, said: ?Our architecture is very strong. We?ll be compatible with any future extensions Intel brings out.?

AMD continued to refuse to say which OEMs will use its processors when it launches the K6 processor with MMX extensions on 2 April. Tobak said: ?We and AMD are going to give Intel a run for its money. Klamath is a very expensive solution. We?ve focused on the mid-stream and consumer-based market.?

Intel was unavailable for comment at time of going to press.