PCI Express, Longhorn: is too big a gap opening?

WE'VE NOW SEEN enough of the hardware futures from Intel, AMD, ATI and Nvidia in 2004 to wonder if perhaps too big a gap is opening between their product plans and the introduction of the Microsoft Longhorn OS, still slated for 2005. And we wonder if the hardware vendors want to chivvy up Microsoft a little in case a veritable gap opens up between their plans for PCI Express and an OS that will support their future products.

Roadmaps seen by the INQUIRER show that AMD, Intel, Nvidia and ATI are all pushing the performance benefits that PCI Express will bestow on their hardware for 2004. Those include ultrafast graphics cards running at speeds way beyond AGP performance rates, superchips from Intel that will run at speeds faster than 3.6GHz, faster memory types and clever storage options using PCI Express' much greater throughput.

ATI, as we reported here at the end of last week, will attempt to bridge the Ginnungagap with an option codenamed after Norse trickster god Loki, that will ensure interoperability.

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