Published: Tuesday 22nd April, 2008 | Author: Parm Mann
Companies: Intel (All Intel content)
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email to a friendWhen we recently reviewed AMD's Phenom X4 9850 processor, we came to the conclusion that "AMD needs to drop its Phenom X4 9850 BE processor to, say, below the £130 mark in order to provide a reasonable alternative to Intel's Core 2 Quad Q6600".
Unfortunately for AMD, it'll now need to go that extra bit lower as Intel has moved to strike the first blow. The semiconductor giant has slashed the price of its 2.40GHz Core 2 Quad Q6600 by 16 percent, taking it down from $266 to $224. In addition, its 2.66GHz Core 2 Quad Q6700 has been slashed by a substantial 50 per cent, taking it from $530 to just $266.
Make no mistake, this is not a case of Intel being generous to the consumer. This is a case of Intel taking action to largely eradicate any threat from AMD's current quad-core, and forthcoming tri-core, Phenom processors.
Prior to this round of Intel price cuts, our Phenom X4 9850 BE review stated that "HEXUS still believes Intel's Q6600 to be a better purchase". With a 16 per cent price cut, the Q6600 is now undoubtedly the processor of preference for a budget quad-core system. Indeed, the only choice remaining is which Intel quad-core processor to choose, the Q6600 or Q6700?
What can AMD do to fight back? Well, probably not a lot. AMD's tri-core Phenom X3 processors, which the company had hoped would fill the void between dual-core and quad-core, is yet to be released. Unfortunately, with Intel's quad-core processors continuing to drop in price, that void is all but gone.
AMD's 2.4GHz tri-core Phenom X3 8750 processor is expected to launch at $189, just $35 less than Intel's 2.4GHz C2Q Q6600. With such aggressive pricing, has Intel effectively ruined the Phenom X3 launch? Maybe so, we'll have the definitive answer in our forthcoming Phenom X3 8750 review.
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:rolleyes:
Why support a comapny just because they can't produce a product thats worth the money they want for it. You should realise that AMD will just get bought by someone else if they go belly up anyway.
You mean like all the Intel buyers with the crawling netburst architecture when AMD were leading the way? :rolleyes:
The vast majority of people don't need the 'fastest CPU', they just need a decent CPU and trust me, this industry would be a dull place indeed with only Intel to choose from.
P.S AMD may or may not be bought out if and when they fail, I would rather they didn't fail TBH. I like choice.Quote
You mean like all the Intel buyers with the crawling netburst architecture when AMD were leading the way? :rolleyes:
So because Idiots bought more expensive, lower performing intel CPU's in teh past, we should all now buy overpriced AMD crap this time around?
The ONLY AMD CPU's worth buying are their bottom end X2's and BE CPU's.
The vast majority of people don't need the 'fastest CPU', they just need a decent CPU and trust me, this industry would be a dull place indeed with only Intel to choose from.
So Because I dont need the fastest CPU, I'll buy a slower and more expensive CPU then :rolleyes:
P.S AMD may or may not be bought out if and when they fail, I would rather they didn't fail TBH. I like choice.
Why do you care about either company? All that matters to a consumer is choice, and if AMD go bust, someone else will buy the relevant bits to continut making them.Quote
The ONLY AMD CPU's worth buying are their bottom end X2's and BE CPU's.
The only way i can see an AMD CPU being a sensible option is if its on the 790G chipset. Even the low end CPUs have the E21** and the E12** @ around 30-60 to compete with price/performancewiseQuote
this time a brought an intel Q6600 because its better than the amd quad cores for roughly the same price.
if amd fails intel has no compotition and can sell processers at whatever price they want and the conumer will buy it. just like before intel core duo came out amd used to sell extreme type processers for around £700Quote
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