Dane-Elec Goes for Intel Gold.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 16, 1999--

CMTL (Computer Memory Test Labs) Thursday announced that memory module manufacturer Dane-Elec has signed up for CMTL's new Intel Gold certification program.

The GOLD certification program represents the next level up from the "Advanced Memory Module Qualification Program" that was developed by Intel and CMTL. The goal of the program is to ensure that Intel customers will always have qualified memory modules available, regardless what Intel product they buy.

"There is only a handful of memory module vendors in the industry with the ability to qualify, and even less with the resources to participate in this program. Dane-Elec has both, plus the commitment to become one of the biggest and most reliable providers of Intel qualified memory modules," stated John Deters, president, CMTL.

"We are proud to be the first memory module manufacturer to obtain the Intel Gold Certification from CMTL," said Adrian Proctor, general manager, Dane-Elec Corp.

"Finally, there is now a program that enables Intel customers to identify the quality of a module by its PCB & manufacturing, not just by the DRAM or manufacturer's name," said Michel Hassan, general manager, Dane-Elec.

"To assess the quality of a module, typically most buyers will only check which brand of DRAM is being used. This program, however, will give Intel buyers the knowledge they need to purchase a quality module. The PCB quality is of paramount importance," Proctor added.

To qualify for Gold certification, the manufacturer must ship a minimum of 250,000 Intel-qualified modules per month, build in-house and be ISO 9000 compliant. The module vendor must also commit to have modules Advanced Qualified on all current and future Intel desktop, workstation and server platforms.

Modules will also be qualified on motherboards from the top manufacturers that use Intel processors and chipsets. Memory module PCBs (printed circuit boards) must also meet IPC Level 2 specifications.

The addition of PCB testing signifies the growing importance of PCB quality and consistency as memory bus speeds have increased from 66Mhz and 100Mhz to 133Mhz and Rambus. Gold certified modules will have the CMTL logo etched into the PCB and a CMTL Gold certification and sticker attached. The module and PCB part numbers will also be registered and listed on CMTL's Web site (www.cmtlabs.com).

Note to Editors: CMTL is a service mark of Computer Memory Test Labs, Rambus is a registered trademark of Rambus Corp. and Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corp. Other trademarks are the property of each respective owner.