Intel has revealed it’s killing-off its Computer Card range of modules designed for easily upgrading PCs, a mere two-years after their launch with the chip makers deciding to focus on other products that have more of a shelf life. The company will also stop selling existing modular Compute Cards next year, it told Tom’s Hardware.
The company said that it didn’t think Intel would develop a new generation Compute Card, saying it’s likely the model equipped with a 7th generation CPU may well be the last to hit production lines.
Intel then confirmed this to Tom’s Hardware: "We continue to believe modular computing is a market where there are many opportunities for innovation," an Intel spokesperson said. "However, as we look at the best way to address this opportunity, we’ve made the decision that we will not develop new Compute Card products moving forward.”
Compute Cards allowed people to hot-swap components, such as the CPU, RAM and storage just by switching a card. It meant that laptops, desktops and other devices such as retail Point of Sale terminals could be easily upgraded, without replacing the rest of the hardware.
They were first unveiled at CES in 2017 and then showcased further at Computex, including cards using the 7th Gen Y-series, Pentium and Celeron processors. But it seems they weren’t as popular as Intel would have liked, or they didn’t make commercial sense.
“We will continue to sell and support the current Compute Card products through 2019 to ensure our customers receive the support they need with their current solutions, and we are thankful for their partnership on this change," the spokesperson added.
