Will COnroe give Intel the perf lead back?

  • Yes

    Votes: 7 41.2%
  • NO

    Votes: 10 58.8%

  • Total voters
    17

BaronMatrix

Splendid
Dec 14, 2005
6,655
0
25,790
Chicago (IL) - Lenovo, the Chinese company that took over IBM's PC business a little over a year ago, had big news this week. The company launched its first own-branded desktops and notebooks on a global basis. Part of that news was that AMD now has a foot in the door at two of the world's three largest PC makers. And, at least publicly, the company isn't too worried about getting the last one - Dell.

Lenovo has made its first steps on a global stage and succeeded in making big waves about its first non-IBM branded computers that leverage former distribution and sales channels of IBM. Considering the fact that Lenovo is currently ranked as the world's third largest PC manufacturer and the circumstance that the firm's debut was held in 10 countries was worth the comprehensive coverage the event received.


Not so visible, perhaps intentionally, was the fact that AMD was able to place its products in computer cases that previously had been unreachable for the company. IBM relied on Intel processors, as Bart Arnold, AMD's worldwide commercial product manager, confirmed to TG Daily. But since Lenovo has been using AMD processors in the Chinese market for some time now, it was a commonsense decision to include AMD in its most recent product launch as well.

For now, AMD's Lenovo presence is limited to the desktop J series. Lenovo offers AMD's processors - Athlon 64 3200+ and Sempron 3000+ models - in six out of nine models. While it remains to be seen just how successful these new computers - which apparently do not reach the high quality standards set by IBM - will be in markets that have been conquered by IBM, it is clear that AMD will gain market share through Lenovo's new computers. And AMD isn't shy communicating its extended partnership with Lenovo.

"We are flattered that they have decided to use us on a global basis," said Arnold. He believes that Lenovo chose the Athlon and Sempron processors because the processors offer some value additions, such as "lower cost," "lower heat" and "lower power consumption." Intel's presence is limited to two models that are available with Pentium 4 630 and 640 processors. However, Lenovo decided to go exclusively with Intel processors - Celeron-M and Pentium-M CPUs - in its new C series notebook line.

So, what about Dell? After being present in Hewlett-Packard computers and now in Lenovo/IBM devices, isn't Dell the next step for AMD? Not surprisingly, Arnold did not offer a clear answer to our carefully worded questions that danced around a topic that appears to be creating new rumors every day. However, he did say that "as of today there is no relationship with Dell." And while the top PC manufacturer currently controls 16.9% of the global PC market, according to iSuppli, it doesn't seem to bother Arnold too much that AMD isn't on Dell's list of suppliers.

"We highly value our relationships with our existing OEMs," he said. "We are always looking to grow our market share and have our growth goals in place. And those growth goals do not depend on having Dell as a customer," he said.

His statements are not quite enough to fuel yet another rumor, but clearly indicate that AMD will be focusing on building its existing customer base. AMD processors are more and more accepted among large end customers and Lenovo's decision to support its global launch with AMD processors will provide Athlon processors with additional credibility. It will be interesting to see, whether Lenovo will add more AMD products to its portfolio - such as mobile Turion processors for Lenovo-branded notebooks or IBM-branded Thinkpads. Arnold mentioned that he "cannot comment on unannounced products," but conceded that AMD would like to broaden its presence in Lenovo's product catalog.

According to Arnold, AMD is able to support its growth supply new customers through the recently opened Fab36 in Dresden, Germany. The new production facility "is not yet in full operation," he said, "and there is excess capacity."

It is pure speculation at this time where the relationship between Lenovo and AMD will be ending up, but it is clear that AMD is covering its bases and is confident that it can win market shares step by step. Lenovo could become an important cornerstone in that strategy: Every additional percentage point for AMD will increase the pressure on Dell.

On the other side, it is no secret that Intel won't be just watching AMD and give up more market share than it already has: The firm will be pre-viewing its next-generation microarchitecture (NGMA) at its Spring developer forum in the second week of March.

We expect Intel to come out in full force presenting its new mobile and desktop processors, which are rumored to be 20% faster than AMD's processors at any given clock speed and consume roughly 25% less power. The new desktop processors are due to hit the market in September of this year, just about when Microsoft is expected to launch its Windows Vista operating system. Perhaps coincidentally, Dell recently said that it will delay its annual analyst conference until September as well.





Again, we hear how fast a nonexistent, nonbenchmarked released chip is. And once again it is compared to current AMD chips. If Intel gets Conroe 20% faster than an AM2 FX62 with DDR2-800 and faster HT, I might actually buy one. I'm not holding my breath though.
 

P4Man

Distinguished
Feb 6, 2004
2,305
0
19,780
If the rumoured 3.33 GHz Conroe EE really happens, yes I guess it should give intel a clear benchmarking champion again. But since the mainstream parts will be clocked 2 or 3 speedgrades lower, I suspect this chip to be not much more than another reviewer only 1.13 GHz P3 (except hopefully, this time at least it will work), unavailable (and unaffordable) for mere mortals like us.

Mainstream conroe's, I expect them to be very competitive with AM2 A64's. Win some, lose some, but I'm not expecting performance supremacy either. If it really where so supreme, there would be no need to produce a boutique part with higher TDP while skipping 3 speed grades.

One thing is clear: intel is dead serious about winning benchmarks again. 16Mb cache Xeons, factory overclocked conroe's..
 

Grimmy

Splendid
Feb 20, 2006
4,431
0
22,780
Why would I give a dell?

Errr... I wouldn't even buy a dell. And its not because they don't have AMD setups, or that they do have Intel products. :lol:
 

conroe

Distinguished
Jan 20, 2006
523
0
18,990
AMD can't sell enough CPUs for Dell. Dell may want FX60s, but AMD can't deliver enough for the XPS line anyway. Conroe will be better. So why would want to Dell loose it's sweet deal with Intel?
 

parlee

Distinguished
Dec 16, 2005
1,149
0
19,280
i didnt vote... because there wasnt an undecided :p... i hope amd has the lead, i really like their processors and how this smaller german company is competing with intel who appearently owns all the computer companys (not owns but has the power to cripple them, and would do so based on there flakey marketing techs) i really hope amd becomes more powerful than intel, but if intels conroe is really as fast as they say amd will have a fight on its hands... either way, i cant wait to see
 

conroe

Distinguished
Jan 20, 2006
523
0
18,990
You can't tell if Conroe will be better, we have to wait to find out, stop speculating.

It's just good sence. Yonah is ~X2. And a faster FSB alone would bring it past X2. Add another issue to the core, all the P4's advanced prediction, SSE4, macro-ops, and many more featurse to improove IPC, you have atleast the said 20% better than AMD.

The title of this thread asks us to speculate. :roll:
 

bourgeoisdude

Distinguished
Dec 15, 2005
1,240
25
19,295
I beg to differ. I worked for Dell two years and I have very little to complain about them. As messed up as they are, HP, Sony, Viscom (YUCKO!), AlienWare--they all stink. Dell only stinks the least. However this thing where dell sells pcs for less than $900--yep they screwed up big time. The 90 day warrenty is a joke. ONLY get a dell if you get a 3 year warrenty at least. If you pay more than $900 for the dell then you get a great deal. Otherwise get yourself a cheap E-Machine...
 
School districts, businesses, and governments love Dell. If I, as a K-12 purchaser, could get lower prices on comparable or better Dell's with AMD processors I would buy them. However, because Dell, even with Intel chips, is always my lowest bidder I will continue to purchase Intel.

If AMD inks a deal with Dell it will cause AMD sales to skyrocket and will give the company more resources to make better processors at lower prices.

AMD enthusiasts don't like Dell, but an AMD deal with Dell will benefit everyone except Intel.
 

parlee

Distinguished
Dec 16, 2005
1,149
0
19,280
not depends, undecided, im not a fan boy, i do like amd more, but i dont camp outside of people who own intel computers and cut there balls off if they dont buy an amd, i actually own 2 dells and they run fine, no problems for over 2 years... i duno where this "i hate dell because they rip u off" came from but i got a 3.0ghz p4 with 512 memory for 300 bux... id say thats not a rip off at all, but sure argue it cause i know u will.. back to my point, im undecided, because while i like amd more, we have seen the new chips and they will be a bit faster than current amd2, conroe is speculated to be 20% faster than the fx62, its pretty much true, i doubt it will be that much faster, this is why im undecided, until i see a conroe chip benchmarked i will remain undecided, not depends, even if the intel chip wins ill still stick by amd because the amd2 chips are still on 90nm and the intels are 65nm, when amd hits 65 next year intel will be crying, until of course 45nm is released. this is why im undecided, until the chips are released there is really no way to decide which will be better because up until release there still beta and will be able to be improved. question tho, corsair has ddr2 1000 (forget the pc number 6000 maybe?) will amd2 be able to run it at the 500mhz its rated at?
 

parlee

Distinguished
Dec 16, 2005
1,149
0
19,280
thats true but not every single person builds there computers, some people are too afraid, dont have the knowledge, are too lazy, or just dont wanna fuck with it. u cant diss a company that sells cheap and decently reliable computers because u build ur own for 150 bux less, if ur buying a dell thats in the 700 dollar range ur not gonna save much money by building it urself, ull prob end up spending more given the case/psu u choose, dell has incredably low prices for mid/low end computers. so, do u have a reason u hate dell or do u hate it because "they sell only intel"? BTW intel arnt bad chips, ok they run hot, and arnt as fast in gaming, the difference between the chips in gaming for the price range is like 5%, u cant HATE a company because of that. they run hot, but there getting better, they have warnings, shutdown temps, throttle temps. intel has a good handle on the heat problem... now saying u hate intel because of there marketing techniques is a bit different, but many companys have done similar things.... (BTW i like amd more :p, its just quite annoying when u diss an entire company for no reason other than "there bad, building is better" yes it is if u have the skills to do it and the time. but for most of the people who buy dell, they just want somthing that will run for a few years, and thats what they get, a reliable computer...
 

conroe

Distinguished
Jan 20, 2006
523
0
18,990
I know someone that just bought two whole Dell systems for $400 each. I don't see how they can make it that cheap. It's not a rip-off.
 

parlee

Distinguished
Dec 16, 2005
1,149
0
19,280
i did, both times u said that, i want an example. how do they rip people off? they dont, and u know it. they offer free lcd monitors with some desktops that are around 1k, and since most lcd's are around 200 bux for a lower end 17 inch... they have windows xp installed, another 100 bux. and the hassle to install xp, what a pain in the ass, dell installing it makes it almost worth buying them, but then again, no thanks, i like to build its a hobby... i think ur just upset because dell has good computers and they support intel... please in ur next post, give me a reason as to how they rip people off
 

pengwin

Distinguished
Feb 25, 2006
2,800
1
20,780
Dell rips people off, so Dell is not worth buying.

yup

and ppl who cant build their own buy from dell

my friend at school bought a Celeron 2.8 Ghz and i was like...dumb-ass, he was like my new PC goes faster than urs, my P4 2.0 Northwood beats that he paid 500 dollars no vid card 512 ram
 

parlee

Distinguished
Dec 16, 2005
1,149
0
19,280
oh man since ur in agreement then theres no point in argueing, oh wait, no ur a fanboy and noone cares. im telling u that he has no proof, he just just saying shit, i can say that amd sucks because they use 500 watts on there 3200+, this is basically what hes saying, give me proof that they rip people off and ill leave u alone, until then ur just like every ohter n00b in here, saying shit just becasue u think its right u have no proof no facts, dell wouldnt be the largest computer building company if they ripped people off, i guess i didnt meantion there the largest in america, but i guess that doesnt mean anything, since they rip people off. proof please, or shut ur mouth. i feel like im talking to a 10 year old, ur right no matter what anyone says. it reminds me of big daddy when there playing poker and the kid wins because he wins
 

Grimmy

Splendid
Feb 20, 2006
4,431
0
22,780
Errr, Ummm.. people do have certain needs.

I agree building your own rig, gives you more advantage. Buying a brand model, doesn't really give you much to tweak, or give an upgrade path.

I don't hate dell, but I just wouldn't by one. My perference is, I like to build my own.

Friend of mine brought a dell setup for around 2500 bucks, with a 7800GT card, also had a very decent LCD monitor. It does fairly well in Q4 MP with eye candy turned on.

If you do hate dell, prolly just best to keep those things to yourself, if you had a bad experience with them, that might be another reason to vent.
 

conroe

Distinguished
Jan 20, 2006
523
0
18,990
I'll never buy a dell and I don't want to have to beat their prices to biuld a rig for friend. I do like this one;
http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/02/23/nvidia_quad_sli/
I wish I could air brush mine like that. :(

It comes stock with a overclocked 955EE.
 

Coelocanth

Distinguished
Feb 12, 2006
18
0
18,510
I'll chuck in 2 cents here: I owned a Dell for 7 or 8 years (can't recall when, exactly, I bought it now), and I have no complaints with the company. It served me well, they provided great support, and I just recently built my own rig (first build ever).

From the perspective of someone who knew jack squat about computers and didn't care for a long time (and I still don't know a lot about them, but now I care and am trying to learn more), Dell provides an excellent product for the typical "I just want to plug the damned thing in and use it" computer user.

I was disappointed to see them change their support policy to only 90 days, but that's the way businesses go sometimes. I agree with parlee; Dell provides a decent product for the average user.
 

Rolaids0

Distinguished
Feb 28, 2006
6
0
18,510
We get 'em at work... And yes, they are a complete, total, rip off. Examples:
We have 12 Dimiension 4300's, all ordered at the same time. We had each and every one of the power supplies in them die. Not just stop working, talking about giving up the ghost. We paid ~$1200 for them, inc the extend wart. (thank goodness.) Called dell, explained to them the situation... Must have been hit by a surge... Well this is probable EXCEPT they are all plugged into their own UPS's (with AVR) and we get 3 phase power, and they were in groups on the different phases (so no one phase got a huge spike, and killed the power supplies.) When I said they smoked, they started to refuse to honor the extended warnt. Argued for a week straigt (at a cost of about $2k/day of down time) before they finally did honor the extended warnt. When I pulled out the ps to replace them, I noticed they were 200W ps's!!!! I guess dell calculated that with the standard config, they pull 150W or something because to me, with what is installed, was awfully small (at least a 350W ps.)
Next, CD rom died in our server, you'd think that was easy WRONG, the moron on the other end wanted me to stick in, and run the Dell Diag. cd....
HTH is one suposed to run the dell diag cd, when the chipset is only smart enough for ONE cd rom drive (yes, I checked this ;-) ) and after telling them I had swapped out this one with a known-good one, they were still persistant to run the dell diag cd.
Next, and those who think they don't build failure into their devices are wrong!!!
MB's, HDD, Displays seems to all die right after the warnt. expires!!!! Short story, once the warnt. expires, toss it out and get another $500 dell...
I will give them kudos on there (once they finally do say that they will ship a replacement part) part for getting parts the next day. Also, they seem to run good deals on combo packages.

Also, WTF is up with them removing all of the legacy ports?!? for years after USB kbb's and mice have been out, they were still selling PS2 as part of the package. Wasn't in the last year and a half that they started selling USB (from what we bought, mostly dim's) KBB's and mice.

They save a few bucks on not including the ports and related componets (cap's, resistors, Ic's transistors etc etc) but they really don't pass that savings onto the customer...

They are going to have a hard sell to have corp's and such to either toss out all of their old, yet, good laser jet printers (we are one of those corps.)
USB dongles just don't work properly (i've tried them all.) They either hang, and you have to cycle the plug (remove, re-plug) or makes the comp eat cpu up.
 

BaronMatrix

Splendid
Dec 14, 2005
6,655
0
25,790
You can't tell if Conroe will be better, we have to wait to find out, stop speculating.

It's just good sence. Yonah is ~X2. And a faster FSB alone would bring it past X2. Add another issue to the core, all the P4's advanced prediction, SSE4, macro-ops, and many more featurse to improove IPC, you have atleast the said 20% better than AMD.

The title of this thread asks us to speculate. :roll:




Glad to see there was interest in this. I, for one, have no favorite. I have both. What you have to remember is that AM2 brings several things to the table, including faster HT, more bandwidth, and maybe more FP registers (right now that's only for Opty's but who knows) plus additional tweaks AMD is not talking about ( if they really can release 35W dual core......). ANd then there's the fact that everyone is saying they could go 65nm this year (which means 3.6GHz), but don't think Intel will catch up.
 

bourgeoisdude

Distinguished
Dec 15, 2005
1,240
25
19,295
I came to a conclusion that you are a Dell fanboy.

Dell rips people off, they lie to people, that's why they suck.

Dell employees do occasionally get it wrong. HP, however, gets it wrong way beyond "occasionally". HP has its uses--Pavilion PCs *IMO* are not one of them. Sony used to be good, now they last until the Sony coverage of the warrenty expires (right after 1 year) or the tech support troubleshoots over the phone until it does then refuses service.