Short Take: Intel rebate scheme approved
The Santa Clara Superior Court has approved settlement of a class action brought against Intel regarding the chipmaking giant's misleading "benchmarketing." Intel was found to have modified its compiler in order to increase the scores on SPEC benchmark tests but not real-world performance, and to have described its iCOMP Index ratings in ways that tended to overstate the relative performance of newer microprocessors. As part of the settlement, those who purchased a 120-MHz or 133-MHz Pentium (or a PC with such a Pentium) from October 23, 1995, to January 5, 1996, are entitled to $50 rebates on the purchase of Intel Pentium OverDrive processors, which Intel describes as a chip for cheaply upgrading MMX or multimedia capability.
The Santa Clara Superior Court has approved settlement of a class action brought against regarding the chipmaking giant's misleading "benchmarketing." Intel was found to have modified its compiler in order to increase the scores on SPEC benchmark tests but not real-world performance, and to have described its iCOMP Index ratings in ways that tended to overstate the relative performance of newer microprocessors. As part of the settlement, those who purchased a 120-MHz or 133-MHz Pentium (or a PC with such a Pentium) from October 23, 1995, to January 5, 1996, are entitled to $50 rebates on the purchase of Intel Pentium OverDrive processors, which Intel describes as a chip for cheaply upgrading MMX or multimedia capability.