Intel recalls motherboards with defective memory translator hub components

The MTH, which is used to allow the Direct Rambus DRAM-enabled Intel 820 to accept SDRAM, has been found to cause system noise issues that can cause some systems to "intermittently reset, reboot, and/or hang," according to Intel in a statement issued today. In extreme conditions, the noise could potentially cause data corruption. Intel said that in some instances the company has been able to induce data corruption under synthetic stress testing in its laboratories.

The MTH began shipping in November 1999 at the time the Intel 820 was introduced. The recall could be material to the company's financial performance depending on the number of boards users choose to replace, Intel said.

Industry and financial analysts today were attempting to assess the damage to Intel after the early-morning announcement. Analysts said the overwhelming majority of 820 chip sets and motherboards are being shipped with cheaper SDRAMs instead of Direct Rambus chips, based on Rambus Inc.'s technology. PC analyst Roger Kay of International Data Corp. (IDC) in Framingham, Mass., said that two-thirds of the "white" box and second-tier PCs using the 820 chip set are being shipped with SDRAMs.

The Santa Clara chip giant said it is working with computer OEMs, motherboard makers, and distribution channels to offer replacement motherboards. Users who want to know if their system uses an MTH can contact their computer maker for more information, or download a utility -- Intel MTH I.D. -- from Intel's web site at www.intel.com/support/mth.

--Additional reporting by Jack Robertson in Washington