Intel has delayed general availability of its 90nm 3GHz Prescott processors to April from the original schedule of mid-March due to production capacity constraints at its wafer foundry, according to sources at Taiwanese distributors. The processor was originally expected to be available in mid-March. It is unclear if there has been any impact on the availability of this processor to OEM customers.
The delay is viewed as a blessing in disguise as distributors will have more time to sell off their stocks of the previous Pentium 4 processors built using a 0.13-micron process, said the sources. Intel"s desktop-use 3GHz Prescott will be available in a 775-pin package, not the 478-pin package of the 2.8GHz Prescott which the company launched in early February.