Basically, Intel has threatened the Shuttle
Spacewalker Group (the people who make the HOT-603) that if they officially
promote their HOT-603
motherboard in any way or even include
it in the product listing on their site, Intel won't sell their chipsets
to Shuttle. Shuttle needs Intel's chipsets to make slot 1 / Pentium
II motherboards. If you're wondering about the legality of this,
all Intel has to do is say "Sorry, we just happened to run out of chips
before we got to Shuttle." Instead of standing up to the Intel behemoth,
Shuttle has given in. Shuttle officially denies all of this of course.
When questioning them in writing, Shuttle will respond with something like
"we cannot answer that question" or "we are still currently updating our
web site for the information about the HOT-603" (which is bullshit, Shuttle
has updated their product listing for motherboards that came out after
the HOT-603, like the HOT-635 and HOT-637 - both Pentium II / boards I
might add). However, if you call up Shuttle in California at (408)
945-1480, they'll unofficially admit that they
don't include the HOT-603 in their product listing because "Intel told
us not to".
Why does Intel hate the HOT-603 so much? Maybe it's because it
uses the AMD-640
chipset, designed by a co-operative effort between AMD,
Intel's leading CPU rival, and VIA,
Intel's leading chipset rival. Maybe it's because it shows that slot
1 is an unneeded technology with no real benefits over socket 7.
Maybe it's because this board proves that the combination of an AMD
K6 processor and a motherboard with a chipset specifically designed
for it can be just as fast if not faster than a Pentium II in a motherboard
with a chipset specifically designed for it (Intel's LX). Maybe it's
just because Intel likes to bully the PC market. If I ever find out
for sure, I'll tell you here. |
According
to the PC
Hardware Blue Book, it's the best non-AGP socket 7 motherboard, especially
when used with an AMD K6 processor. According to Anand's
Hardware Tech Page, "[its] features, coupled with the outstanding speed
of the 603 give it the award for Best Overall Socket-7 Motherboard". According
to Tom's
Hardware Guide, which tested a pre-release version, "the performance
is outstanding". Finally, and it's a motherboard Intel is forcing
Shuttle to keep quiet about.
