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After months of refinement and delays, Intel's next generation i820 mainboard core logic AGPset debuted two weeks ago on the first day of the computer industry's largest North American trade show, Comdex.

The i820 is the fruit of many months of research and development, and it's also Intel's first core logic set that's designed to work in tandem with the proprietary RDRAM memory standard.

While in Intel's eyes RDRAM is absolutely the future of high bandwidth capable PCs, the exotic memory's initial price tag is leaving many PC OEM system builders out in the cold. At the time of this article's writing, the fastest variant of RDRAM (PC800 - 400MHz), will set a system builder back approximately $8 - $12 per megabyte if purchased in bulk.

In a sales environment where even small price variances can push a consumer to buy a competitor's less expensive PC, every dollar added to the total cost of a system is undesirable.

To bridge the gap between the time RDRAM becomes a viable alternative to SDRAM-based solutions in price (estimated to be 1H/2001) Intel is offering a series of hybrid products designed to utilize less expensive SDRAM while retaining the enhanced performance and features of the new i820 chipset.

Today Sharky Extreme is taking a look at the performance differences between Intel's top of the line i820 mainboard, the VC820, (which requires RDRAM) and the new interim board solution for system builders and consumers, the PC100 SDRAM-using CC820.