VIA's P4X266: The Pentium 4 gets DDR

Final Words

When RDRAM was introduced as a solution for the Pentium III it wasn't much of a surprise that regular PC133 SDRAM could offer greater performance.  The Pentium III couldn't use the added bandwidth RDRAM offered and the latency penalty incurred was simply too great.  With the Pentium 4, the situation is much different.  The move to DDR SDRAM is a step down in terms of theoretical performance but luckily, thanks in part to VIA's excellent DDR controller, that doesn't translate into a loss of real world performance (in most cases). 

You cannot ignore the truth which is that the i850 with its controversial RDRAM does offer higher performance than VIA's P4X266.  The question isn't one about higher performance however; this time around the question is about, most bang for your buck.  It is in this category that the P4X266 was designed to excel.  VIA has never been a performance chipset manufacturer, they have always made chipsets for the masses and that's what the P4X266 is.

For the most part, the P4X266 is a viable alternative to the i850.  It is only under games that you lose a significant amount of performance and even then only at lower, non-video bottlenecked resolutions.  VIA's pricing on the chipset should be comparable to what they are selling the KT266 for, meaning that we should be able to see P4X266 based boards at or above KT266 price levels. 

Obviously the biggest attraction to the P4X266 is its ability to use DDR SDRAM which continues to enjoy a price advantage when compared to RDRAM.  As long as that price advantage lasts, it'll be much more desirable to go with a P4X266 than an i850 (motherboard costs aside).

Unfortunately the P4X266 will not be embraced by motherboard manufacturers right away.  VIA has a lot riding on the chipset, but then again so does Intel.  Most motherboard manufacturers have told us that they're simply going to keep quiet about it until Intel gives VIA the 'ok' to produce the P4X266.  While VIA is going to make the chipset regardless of what Intel may threaten, there isn't a single motherboard manufacturer in Taiwan that wants to be the first to ship a P4X266 board and actively promote it. 

Even Intel is divided over the P4X266.  There are some groups at Intel that are very much in favor of the release of the P4X266, mainly because of its ability to push for increased Pentium 4 sales.  There are others however that are adamantly in opposition to its entry into the marketplace and they will not stop at anything to make its birth as painful as it can be. 

The entire politics aside, what does it mean to you?  In the end, you get better choice in platforms and a lower cost of ownership for the Pentium 4.  With the transition being made to cheaper microPGA packaging and a smaller, cheaper to produce 0.13-micron core, next year could turn out to be a very promising one for the Pentium 4.  Remember that it took over a year for the original Pentium to actually become attractive…