Amd To One Up Intel Again?

[The Coder]

It's been interesting to watch CPU's. Intel was in control for 20 years until AMD in '03 showed the way by making cheap and compatible 64-bit processors (versus $20K Itanium machines) as well as how to make cool and quiet desktops (versus touting red hot gigahertz's). 3 years later Intel came back strong with Core 2 Duo and squashed AMD, doing everything better. It looked to me like Intel was going to be solidly in control indefinitely until I saw what AMD is up to and why they bought ATI. In the most radical move ever, AMD's future CPU's will put the graphics processor on the CPU in one chip eliminating the graphics card. This close integration will make graphics faster, cheaper, and run cooler. AMD may yet hit another home run.

[Richard-BKK]

This is maybe the way the future moves, Intel is not the leader in matter of technology of the processor unites. They proof to be to slow to big to get the right idea's a the right time.

What they have is a dominance in the general graphical area, in short the processor support chipsets who include VGA interface. The top 3 in this area is;

1)Intel (Intel only)

2)SiS (Strong support for AMD and Intel)

3)Via (Strong support for AMD*)

*Via has not that long a go got a official license to produce Intel Pentium 4 chipsets (This license also not includes all current chipset on the market) The official license agreement between Intel and Via includes the ending of support of illegal chipsets by the end of this year (2006)

Intel always forced leading chipset manufacturers into a corner to accept market share deals in favored of getting license to make alternative chipsets. Look at companies like SiS, Intel is using as much patents from them as SiS is using from Intel, still Intel can force them into deals.

Official the new SiS 656FX is due out now, contracts are signed with all major mainboard manufacturers, the problem is the chipset is to fast. It will kick ass out of the new chipsets of Intel 965 and 975, so SiS has to keep them on hold for a few months......

What AMD does is, yes they move into the budget graphical area stronghold of SiS and Via, but give them a option to concentrate to what they are doing best, making support chipsets.

SiS already spin-of his graphical development devision into a new company. It is aid that Taiwan CEO of SiS and the CEO of AMD have a combined vision. Some of the early exportations of deep cooperation between SiS and AMD, where words from the RD chef of SiS who expressed that SiS did not see anything wrong with working together with ATI on a integration level, that time ATI denied all . Today we know better, it was not ATI who was SiS talking to, it was AMD who was looking if they can pull it off put all leaders of the specific area again the one, Intel.

If AMD can pull it off, Intel will have a hard time to bet the new team, or sign a new license agreement with the team members. Intel needs ATI and SiS license agreements to produce new chipsets.

[youngkiwi]

I have found Intel processors to be the most reliable and certainly the most compatible. I have seen more processor failures in AMD than Intel and AMD processors have historically run hotter than Intels. There is no doubt that AMD is making a strong comeback but it is unlikely that they will achieve market dominance unless they strike a deal with major PC manufacturers, who still more or less promote Intel as the processor brand of choice.

[waldwolf]

....AMD's future CPU's will put the graphics processor on the CPU in one chip eliminating the graphics card. This close integration will make graphics faster, cheaper, and run cooler.....

The chip may run faster, but I doubt is will run cooler.

The old Which is better or faster, Intel or AMD? argument has been going on for years. Just like Windows vs. OS.x or IE vs. Firefox. It all comes down to personal taste and ones financial resourses.

Just last week, Intel announced it would start shipping "Quad" processors (four-chips-in-one), six months ahead of the original anticipated release date. AMD also have "Quad" chips in the works, but the release date is not expected for at least 6 months, (At the moment, AMD appears to be running in second place, due to design and production capacity problems.)

Hopefully this "fight" will go on for years with the consumer the winner, having more selection and lower prices.

waldwolf