Bad News for Budget Builders, Intel Coming Up Short on G41 Chipset Production

Posted 12/18/2009 at 9:30am | by Paul Lilly

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Not everyone needs a rocking socket 1366 platform crammed with high-end parts and prepped for Intel's upcoming 6-core Gulftown chips, and even the more affordable (and mainstream) socket 1156 might be too much. Budget conscious shoppers not looking to push the envelope instead turn to IGP solutions, but if you're planning a build based on Intel's G41 chipset, you may want to hop off the fence and make it happen.

Wait too long and you may find that mobo of choice is out of stock. That's because supplies of Intel's G41 chipsets are falling short, a situation sources from motherboard makers say is due to insufficient capacity at the company's 8-inch Fab and a turnaround in orders by mobo makers.

In somewhat of an attempt to play hardball, motherboard manufacturers tried to push demand for Intel's G31 chipset, a part that costs about $4-5 less than G41. The idea was to force Intel to maintain its output of the older chipset, but Intel has held firm on transitioning to G41, causing mobo makers to place orders for the newer part.

The sudden turnaround, sources say, has resulted in a surge in demand that Intel's maximum supply volume simply can't keep up with.

Much ado about nothing? Perhaps. Intel says the situation is typical of a product transition and that it is working closely with customers to satisfy demand.

Image Credit: Intel