MOSSBANK, Oregon (CNM) -- Megahertz Micro on Thursday introduced the Pentagon IV, an 800-megahertz processor the company says is the fastest ever sold for personal computers.
 |
| A demonstration PC powered by the new chip |
"With the Pentagon IV, the waiting is over," said marketing chief Dana Ruiz, as a demonstration machine opened a spreadsheet in what she called "the blink of an eye, or two blinks, if the spreadsheet is large."
The chip will appear first in high-end desktop PCs priced around $2,800. Analysts expect rival chipmakers to answer with 850 or even 1,000 MHz parts next year. "This is the megahertz war," said one. "Everyone is winning, especially the heat-sink industry."
Early testers said the chip ran warm. A company engineer acknowledged that during one benchmark, "a nearby muffin was noticeably toasted."
MAIN PAGE
