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Tech Trend: Is a True 1-GHz Desktop Just Around the Corner?

As processor speeds gallop toward the gigahertz (1000-MHz) mark, you may wonder which vendor will reach that milestone first. In recent weeks, systems like the Sys Performance 700A and the CyberMax Enthusiast A700W, which sport AMD's 700-MHz Athlon processor, impressed us with their performance. Then came Intel's new Pentium III-733 chip. The Micron Millennia Max 733, based on that processor, is the fastest Windows 98 PC we've seen. So how far are we from a gigahertz CPU? In one sense, we're already there.

The aptly named KryoTech firm uses refrigeration to supercool its systems' processors so that they outpace their rated clock speeds. The company began shipping Super-G, a supercooled 1-GHz computer, on December 1, 1999. Unfortunately, the components required for cooling the processor make for a very heavy PC--around 60 pounds instead of 15 to 20.

Meanwhile, other vendors are pursuing more traditional avenues in their quest to break the 1-GHz barrier. "We will provide high-performance processors--for all users--that don't require expensive add-ons [like refrigeration]," says Intel spokesperson George Alfs. For its part, AMD supports supercooling--but like Intel, it doesn't endorse overclocking. "There's no easy way to go about overclocking our systems anymore," says AMD spokesperson Drew Prairie, whose company has changed its chip design to make the chips difficult to overclock. Stay tuned.