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Intel to Spend $2B To Stay In The Game

hexed_2050 writes "AMD has declared dominance in the gaming and server microprocessor market in 2004, and Intel needs to respond.. fast! This is why Intel has planned to spend 2 billion dollars to upgrade their eight year old, Fab 12 plant in Arizona. "Part of what I do is put the emphasis on how fast we respond," explains Robert Baker, Intel's top manufacturing executive."

365 comments

  1. "...how fast we respond" by rokzy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    wow, what an amazingly negative quote.

    is Intel resigned to only "respond" to AMD from now on, never to lead again?

    1. Re:"...how fast we respond" by LinuxInDallas · · Score: 2

      Nothing negative about it. Intel is responding to increased pressures to produce better products by upgrading one of their fabs. What's wrong with that?

      As a side note, it's nice to see them pumping money into US fabs.

    2. Re:"...how fast we respond" by dsginter · · Score: 5, Interesting

      is Intel resigned to only "respond" to AMD from now on, never to lead again?

      Intel's problem isn't how fast they respond but rather something else entirely: a patent.

      That patent is Silicon on Insulator. It is owned by IBM. AMD has been using it some time now and it has allowed their processors to use less power than with conventional silicon. It is rumored that Intel approached IBM in order to license this technology but that IBM wanted to trade tech instead of making a cash deal.

      So Intel is playing some cat and mouse with IBM. Right now, the IBM guys are probably laughing at the power consumption of Intel's processors - they're winning. So, in the near future, when you see that Intel has licensed a pretty bit of their technology to IBM, don't be surprised. Intel needs SOI and they're going to pay dearly for it.

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      More
    3. Re:"...how fast we respond" by Pieroxy · · Score: 1

      I am a bit skeptical about the article though. Do we have real numbers to back up the "AMD has declared dominance in the gaming and server microprocessor market in 2004"? Last time I checked, it was only for one week and intel still had 82.7% market share...

      Anyone has a source?

    4. Re:"...how fast we respond" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At one point I thought Intel and IBM had extremely broad intelectual property sharing agreements in place regarding computer chips. Was I misinformed, or do these agreements not cover SOI? Interesting!

    5. Re:"...how fast we respond" by bookemdano63 · · Score: 1

      I took at as responding to the market, not to AMD.

    6. Re:"...how fast we respond" by plover · · Score: 3, Interesting
      Negative, but realistic. I think Intel's response will be a completely new approach, much like AMDs was.

      I think they might respond by pulling legacy 16-bit support completely out of their chips (which I'm led to believe is costing them about 30% of their chips' "capacity" (as measured by power consumption and real estate) and replacing it with an emulator. While that might be a hugely controversial step, Microsoft took a similar leap when they jumped to 32 bit operating systems, and it proved to be pretty much a non-issue in the marketplace.

      I mean if the original application was designed for 16-bit operations, it was designed for a computer that is far slower than an emulator on a modern processor. So, if Intel chucks that deadwood and goes completely native 32 or 64-bit, they can add more performance enhancements by using that reclaimed power and nanoacreage. They could even put the 16 bit emulator code in ROM on the chip somewhere (that should be a much smaller footprint than logic circuitry.)

      I'm pretty sure that once Intel pulls some more magic out of their hat, they'll be on top again. (And Intel is really, really good at finding magic in hats.) What I am sure of is that we (the consumers) will be the victors, 'cuz we'll get some really sweet chips out of the deal.

      --
      John
    7. Re:"...how fast we respond" by hammock · · Score: 2, Interesting

      So.. they can make more chips faster, that is, the same more expensive slower Intel chips.

      How is having more stock sooner of chips nobody wants going to give them dominance?

    8. Re:"...how fast we respond" by mOoZik · · Score: 1

      Not at all. Intel is at a disadvantage because it is so massive, while AMD is better able to respond to market demands. Thus, Intel correctly sees a problem and tries to change it, so that they may remain the dominant player in future markets and come future trends.

    9. Re:"...how fast we respond" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      I think they might respond by pulling legacy 16-bit support completely out of their chips (which I'm led to believe is costing them about 30% of their chips' "capacity" (as measured by power consumption and real estate) and replacing it with an emulator.

      Um ... Intel has been doing something like that since the Pentium Pro, and all out that since the P3. The instruction set you put in and the instruction set it actually runs are totally different beasts. The internal micro-ops even get access to more registers (check out "register renaming")

    10. Re:"...how fast we respond" by TrippTDF · · Score: 1

      As a side note, it's nice to see them pumping money into US fabs.

      I totally agree with you. Does anyone know how much chip production actually goes on inside the US these days? Is it not cheaper to do it all in China?

    11. Re:"...how fast we respond" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      IBM chips that much better??? WOW!!! my next PC is going to be a PPC...

    12. Re:"...how fast we respond" by plover · · Score: 1
      Um ... Intel has been doing something like that since the Pentium Pro, and all out that since the P3. The instruction set you put in and the instruction set it actually runs are totally different beasts. The internal micro-ops even get access to more registers (check out "register renaming")

      Thanks for the clarification. I know there is still some kind of issue with legacy support, and I failed completely to research it before posting :-(

      But my initial point is still that I think Intel will trot out some kind of magical technological revolution that will send AMD scrambling to catch up again. And that we, the consumers, will be the major beneficiaries.

      --
      John
    13. Re:"...how fast we respond" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Not true. Intel's chips run hotter primarily because of design decisions, not manufacturing technology.

      Witness the Pentium-M as proof.

      SOI is moderately helpful, but it's not the biggest factor.

    14. Re:"...how fast we respond" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Why would it be cheaper to do in China? Sure, they could pay the fab workers poorly; have 14 hour shifts; and 7-day workweeks -- but the cost of the people is a tiny piece of running a fab.

      And with the value of the equipment and the cost of downtime, you don't want oppressive working conditions because mistakes from such practices will hurt your yield.

      With out the traditional benefits of abusing laborers in sweatshops, I don't see the point to running a high-tech fab there.

    15. Re:"...how fast we respond" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Any serious gamers and homebrewers tend to favor AMD. For equal performance it's cheaper to go with AMD than Intel, and the only reason AMD doesn't have as strong a hold on the server end would be due to contractual obligations with Intel that server manufacturers sign.

    16. Re:"...how fast we respond" by AvitarX · · Score: 1

      AMD can declare whatever they want.

      I can even declare dominance in the gaming and server markets.

      In fact:
      I have declared dominance in the gaming and server microprocessor market in 2004.

      AMD and Intel better respond fast.

      --
      Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
    17. Re:"...how fast we respond" by msjumbu · · Score: 1

      has Intel told you that Its going open up an R&D in India???????????

      --
      Regards, Senthil
    18. Re:"...how fast we respond" by ArbitraryConstant · · Score: 1

      "But my initial point is still that I think Intel will trot out some kind of magical technological revolution that will send AMD scrambling to catch up again. And that we, the consumers, will be the major beneficiaries."

      AMD and Intel are going to be trading dominance back and forth forever. They've been doing it forever. There was some floating point coprocessor that AMD made for the (IIRC) 386 that was faster and cheaper than Intel's.

      This is just the latest iteration, and Intel happens to have dropped the ball more than usual.

      --
      I rarely criticize things I don't care about.
    19. Re:"...how fast we respond" by nolife · · Score: 1

      There has to be a larger benefit of cheap labor then you suggest. Look at Micron. They bascially scaled down their US production of memory to a small fraction of previous and moved the rest overseas. The Manassas VA plant was only bought one year earlier from IBM/Toshiba and a new second updated fab was just put online months before they let go 95% of the employees. A typical fab employee made about $12-18 USD/hour (obviously engineering and equipment support made more but there were far less of them). Despite those facts, it was obviously still cheaper to move the bulk of production overseas.

      --
      Bad boys rape our young girls but Violet gives willingly.
    20. Re:"...how fast we respond" by ip_fired · · Score: 1

      The article you reference only talks about AMD outselling Intel for one week. This is not the same as the gaming and server microprocessor market. That is the desktop market, where Dell and other huge PC manufacturers selling computers to businesses and consumers matter.

      In the gaming market, AMD is faster than Intel. In the server market, Opeteron popularity is growing quickly, because they are in the same price range as the Xeon, but perform better, have the capability to access larger amounts of ram, have faster buses, perform better in multiprocessing systems because of the Hypertransport bus, and are about to have dual cores, before the Intel competition.

      --
      Don't count your messages before they ACK.
    21. Re:"...how fast we respond" by flux · · Score: 1

      Hm, so let me get this straight.. The costs of running a factory isn't built mostly by paying to people.. So do they insert megabucks into the machines or what?

    22. Re:"...how fast we respond" by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      At one point I thought Intel and IBM had extremely broad intelectual property sharing agreements in place regarding computer chips. Was I misinformed, or do these agreements not cover SOI?

      IIRC, these were over the technology in the 80486.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    23. Re:"...how fast we respond" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hm, so let me get this straight.. The costs of running a factory isn't built mostly by paying to people.. So do they insert megabucks into the machines or what?

      The climate control needed for a cleanroom may as well run on pure money. It's damn expensive stuff to buy and maintain. Chip materials aren't cheap either, and this is an industry where it's normal for 10% of what rolls off the line to be useless ... on a good day.

    24. Re:"...how fast we respond" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People are probably a small peice, but I'm pretty sure that pollution control (for which there are basically none in China) is a decent chunk.

    25. Re:"...how fast we respond" by defile · · Score: 1

      OOoooohh how devious.

      If they had just approached Intel out of the blue, Intel wouldn't have felt any pressure to buy it. But sell it reaaal cheap to their competition (AMD), let them watch their edge in the market slip away, and eventually Intel will come begging.

    26. Re:"...how fast we respond" by PureCreditor · · Score: 1

      it's way easier in Micron's case because we're only dealing with DRAM chips, not CPUs. Screw up one DRAM? Throw it away. Screw up one wafer? $70000 write-off. That's why it's easy to outsource DRAM production to Taiwan. How often you see a CPU fab in Taiwan?

    27. Re:"...how fast we respond" by darkwhite · · Score: 1

      I think you might be talking out of your ass.

      Care to cite a source?

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      [an error occurred while processing this directive]
    28. Re:"...how fast we respond" by nolife · · Score: 1

      All memory starts off as wafers also. Obviously not as detailed as a CPU core but large wafers none the less. Each one that fails is also a very expensive loss.

      --
      Bad boys rape our young girls but Violet gives willingly.
    29. Re:"...how fast we respond" by plover · · Score: 1
      Probably, but which imagined factoid above are you trying to correct me on? An anonymous coward already pointed out the error in my emulation statement. (I was remembering a discussion from way long ago that mentioned 30% of the chip was devoted to legacy processing and it consumed 30% of the power. I couldn't find the article, but I think I was confusing it with a more recent problem with Pentium 4s mispredicting a supposedly easy-to-catch instruction condition and flushing the pipelines too frequently.)

      As I said in my previous apology, "I think Intel will trot out some kind of magical technological revolution that will send AMD scrambling to catch up again."

      I don't know what magic that would be. (If I did, I'd probably be covered by an NDA.) I do know that Intel has a reputation for coming out with absolute magic, and that they've always found new ways of improving performance when the traditional speedups failed. Hyperthreading was their most recent example of cool innovations.

      According to the article above, they're tooling this plant to 12" wafers. If nothing else, this should mean improved production and possibly lower prices for equivalent chips. They also mention shrinking features down to 65nm, which will make possible a new round of better-smaller-faster improvements. But I'm guessing they'll introduce some other novel magic idea, and not just the "add more cache" or "lengthen existing pipelines" type of improvements.

      --
      John
    30. Re:"...how fast we respond" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who cares! AMD, and Intel are both behind the curve when compared to PowerPC architecture!

    31. Re:"...how fast we respond" by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

      Intel could just move their manufactoring to China.

      They could save on labor costs and not have to worry about patents outside the US.

    32. Re:"...how fast we respond" by ZeroZen · · Score: 1

      Um what? Intel has heaps and heaps of cash. Why are they trying to save on labour costs?

      And uh, who are we going to do with all these chips produced in china that we won't be allowed to sell anywhere except china?

      Besides they'd probably get upset anyway because the company is based in the US and has to abide by their laws.

    33. Re:"...how fast we respond" by darkwhite · · Score: 1

      This, of course:

      I think they might respond by pulling legacy 16-bit support completely out of their chips (which I'm led to believe is costing them about 30% of their chips' "capacity" (as measured by power consumption and real estate) and replacing it with an emulator.

      As for your new points, everyone (IBM, AMD, Intel, TSMC, UMC, and the rest of the cutting-edge IC world) is moving to larger wafers and 65 nm. The 90nm switch is complete and capacity is ramping up, the 65nm process is in late development, and the 45nm process is in early development at a whole lot of companies. Fabs have been switching to the bigger wafer sizes for some time, too. There is nothing magical about either of these things, and there is a massive industry, much bigger than Intel, developing these.

      As for other, unspecified "magic", I am inclined to doubt Intel's potential to counter AMD's excellent R&D now that they have achieved a critical mass of sorts with K8, a solid strategic alliance with IBM, and are ramping up development on K9 and specialized K8 variants (all this despite Microsoft's foot-dragging with x86-64 Windows as requested by Intel). Intel is huge and P-M among others is a great technology, but unless they trot out something really impressive or find new performance reserves in their architectures, AMD stands to equate its market share with Intel's in the next few years.

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      [an error occurred while processing this directive]
    34. Re:"...how fast we respond" by ikea5 · · Score: 1
      "How often you see a CPU fab in Taiwan"

      Does GPU counts? Those GeForces certently aren't being made here in US.

    35. Re:"...how fast we respond" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Care to follow your own advice and cite your source for the following?

      "Microsoft's foot-dragging with x86-64 Windows as requested by Intel"

      Proof, please. Not the same tired rhetoric and circumstantial evidence. Intel benefits != Intel requested it.

      Thanks in advance.

    36. Re:"...how fast we respond" by darkwhite · · Score: 1

      Sorry, no source for that particular bit. (If there was open evidence, that might be good grounds for a lawsuit.) It was faith-based conjecture, guilty as charged. XP 64 has been in beta for long over a year now - I just find it improbable that this delay is in good faith.

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      [an error occurred while processing this directive]
    37. Re:"...how fast we respond" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Given Microsoft's track record (Win96, er...97...um...98!), I don't find it improbable at all. Certainly the fact MS can never complete an OS in the same year they originally intend to is helpful to Intel in this case, but I don't think it's at Intel's behest or anything.

  2. Nice by Aggrazel · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Say what you want about Intel, but I'm happy to see they are investing $2 billion in an American plant, instead of sending those jobs away. Course, it could be that with the dollar falling they couldn't afford as much in other places... another reason why I think the value of the dollar going down isn't necesarily a bad thing.

    1. Re:Nice by Momoru · · Score: 4, Interesting

      People that are anti-bush administration like to say its a negative thing that he is "letting" it fall, but really his economic team has been purposely talking down the dollar for years, its a sneaky way of fighting outsourcing of jobs and the trade deficit, because asian currencies are pegged to the dollar, and they are so heavily invested in it, that they either need to float their currencies (to curb inflation) or invest in more dollars to keep the dollar value high. Its a win-win for America and and a lose-lose for the developing world which is overly dependant on the dollar, and the low exchange rate.

    2. Re:Nice by zeux · · Score: 4, Insightful

      ... except that this is very risky because OPEC countries are losing purchase power with the falling of the dollar.

      Don't forget that they do 60 to 70% of their business outside of the dollar zone and that a dollar losing 1% also means that they lose 1% of their purchase power on 60 to 70% of their imports.

      That's one of the reasons why they let the oil prices go up this year (to compensate for the loss) and that's another reason for them to look into the switching to the petro-euro instead of the petro-dollar. That would be catastrophic for the US.

      Read my sig to get further details.

    3. Re:Nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But the best thing about it is that the stupid jingoists finally shut up.

    4. Re:Nice by Momoru · · Score: 2, Interesting

      All the more reason to become less reliant on middle eastern oil!

      Though i'm not sure how easy it would be to switch to petro-euro, because although the euro is attractive now, the EU is used to running at trade surpluses, but if the euro stays so high they will begin to have trade deficits, which would cause a larger european economic problem. Also the dollar is still the worlds reserve currency. Although your conspiracy theory in that link is interesting, I think you overestimate the oil-lobby vs all the other lobbies in America. Plus China is the fastest growing user of oil, and the US is declining in its oil usage, so it all comes back to my original comment that if china doesn't float their currency they would be even more hurt by a switch to petro-euro then we would, which i doubt OPEC would allow.

    5. Re:Nice by zeux · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Also the dollar is still the worlds reserve currency.

      This is changing too, and this is very bad for the US too. 2 weeks ago China said that they were now getting Euros along with Dollars as their reserve currencies.

      Russia and North Korea did that too. If this trend amplifies, be ready for a huge inflation in the US.

    6. Re:Nice by Martin+Blank · · Score: 5, Interesting

      They didn't "let" prices go up this year. The prices went up because of speculation over political instability in Venezuela, Russia, Iraq, and Nigeria affecting output. It got to the point where the various OPEC nations were pumping veritable crap out of the ground (stuff that has less of the useful hydrocarbons) in order to boost the overall numbers to try to push things down. OPEC knows it has a PR problem, since it's seen as a bunch of money-grubbing sheiks that only want to bilk the world for cash. Quotas were set as high as the nations could reasonably pump, and some nations even went higher, risking damage to equipment, in an attempt to push things down.

      Of note to the conspiracy theorists is that prices didn't start dropping until well after the election was over, although many were predicting an October surprise with OPEC providing some massive drop in oil prices. In spite of their views, the prices continued reaching record levels, and it wasn't until news came that oil consumption in China was being slowed by additional tariffs Beijing placed on imported oil in an effort to slow consumption growth, followed by word that US oil use was down and that on-hand stocks were growing, that prices began to come down.

      OPEC is happy when oil is around the $35 per barrel range. It's not so expensive that they get slammed in the press, and not so cheap that they make no money.

      --
      You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
    7. Re:Nice by Dan+Ost · · Score: 1

      If this trend amplifies, be ready for a huge inflation in the US.

      Can you please explain how a switch in the world's reserver currency
      leads to huge inflation in the US?

      --

      *sigh* back to work...
    8. Re:Nice by cperciva · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Can you please explain how a switch in the world's reserver currency leads to huge inflation in the US?

      As soon as the dollar ceases to be a reserve currency, banks around the world will sell off their US dollar reserves. That puts a large number of USD onto the international markets, pushing the price down.

      Anything imported into the US -- or locally manufactured using imported parts or raw materials -- suddenly becomes more expensive.

    9. Re:Nice by zeux · · Score: 1

      Well, I said it was ONE of the reasons.

      Take a look there, you'll see that that makes sense. They have a nice chart showing the correlation between oil prices rising and the dollar falling. Interesting.

    10. Re:Nice by zeux · · Score: 1

      Including the prices for raw materials, which are increasing right now. This month, gold reached its highest price in 16 years.

    11. Re:Nice by EastCoastSurfer · · Score: 2, Insightful

      OPEC is happy when oil is around the $35 per barrel range. It's not so expensive that they get slammed in the press, and not so cheap that they make no money.

      I agree. It's the old setting your price point curve to maximize revenue. OPEC knows that if oil really got up into the $80-$100 barrel range people would start making lifestyle changes and start to be forced to find other energy avenues. They definitely don't want that happening.

    12. Re:Nice by duffbeer703 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      be ready for a huge inflation in the US.

      Be ready? It has already arrived! Gas is 120% higher than in 2000, housing 15-100%, postage up 25%, milk up 30%, most vegetables up 20-30%, whole chickens are $2.00/lb... We're in an expensive war in the middle east and local taxes are skyrocketing...

      Inflation is here already, but has been "adjusted" away in the CPI.

      Soon enough it will become affordable to manufacture things in the US again, and the new Chinese industry will be bankrupted by currency swings.

      --
      Conformity is the jailer of freedom and enemy of growth. -JFK
    13. Re:Nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Surel. Many asian currencies are artificially pegged to the dollar. If this changes, and they're allowed to float to the dollar (perhaps being pegged to the euro instead - if it becomes the international standard) - these currencies will go way up compared to the dollar; causing inflation here. fixed exchange rates are wierd political things; but basically, like tarrifs, taxes, and threats of military invasions, it's a tool countries use to encourage certain types of trade - in this case US investments and purchases in asia.

      Google for "currency" "pegged to the dollar" will give you many articles to read on the subject.

    14. Re:Nice by Dot.Com.CEO · · Score: 5, Informative
      The only thing keeping your economy afloat, despite of HUGE deficits and insane economic policies (cutting on taxes while increasing on military spending etc.) is the fact that all first and second world countries base their own economies on the dollar, partly because there was no alternative before the euro came into play, and partly because it was a Marshall-era remnant.

      The moment the dollar loses that unique place, as a pillar of financial stability, economies around the world swap dollars for euros at an ever dropping rate. The dollar is 1.36 euros now, while two and a half years ago it was 0,85 or less, I cannot remember. Generally speaking, this trend has not been worse only because the Chinese (of all countries) are supporting the dollar buying enormous amounts of it on the markets.

      The way your economy is going, and the way the euro guarantees its own stability through various WORKING mechanisms of the ECB, it is undeniable that in the next twenty years or so the Euro will be where the dollar is today. And since your whole economy is supported by outside economies, it is very probable it will collapse. Why? Well, its exchange rate will hit the floor and will bring huge price hikes to anything that is not made 100% in the US. Which is, everything.

      So, when you vote for "less taxes", you put one more stone in the end of the great American empire. I, as a European, shake my head and wonder whether you Americans have any idea what is happening in your country...

      --
      Mother is the best bet and don't let Satan draw you too fast.
    15. Re:Nice by VirtualAdept · · Score: 1

      Worse, even, is that the fact that our currency is the world's reserve currency is one of those things that lets us have a national debt bigger (proportionally, even!) than Argentina's and not have our economy react like theirs did. If the dollar loses its reserve currency status before that debt is paid down, we're going to be feeling the pain. The economist did a bunch of articles about this a couple issues back. They can be found at http://www.economist.com/printedition/index.cfm?d= 20041204&CFID=47682142&CFTOKEN=1d8b2e0-47dcf350-ef 64-4b48-a2ed-2d4e8897dd4e Mega-ad viewing is required. :/

    16. Re:Nice by VirtualAdept · · Score: 1

      Actually, some sources (the Economist being the main one I'm drawing from) are saying OPEC is going to cut quotas in an attempt to forestall a price crash. Its looking like they're currently happy when the price is around $50-$54 a barrel.

    17. Re:Nice by VirtualAdept · · Score: 1

      Correction to this. OPEC did, in fact, cut their quotas earlier this month. Oil prices had been sliding, and are currently around $40.

    18. Re:Nice by teg · · Score: 1

      Currently, the US has huge trade deficits, and due to economic mismanagement, the largest budget deficit ever.

      Currently, the rest of the world has been content in just saving dollars and using them betweem themselves... if they switch to the euro, the house of cards could come tumbling down fast.

    19. Re:Nice by Martin+Blank · · Score: 1

      That's because they didn't want the prices plummeting below $35 per barrel. Market forces have inertia, too, and while the prices are currently in the $40 range, they may continue to slip a bit more before finally settling out between $35 and $40. They needed to make some changes to begin braking the descent now.

      --
      You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
    20. Re:Nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All the more reason to become less reliant on middle eastern oil!

      Or maybe go in and just take it.

    21. Re:Nice by shimmin · · Score: 1

      OPEC is happy when oil is around the $35 per barrel range. It's not so expensive that they get slammed in the press, and not so cheap that they make no money

      And, if the price of oil is going to be stable at $45 for a few years, brewing your own from coal or biomass starts to look a lot more interesting.

    22. Re:Nice by jonbryce · · Score: 1

      Except that the US national debt is in US$, whereas the Argentinian national debt was in US$.

      That means that if the US$ nosedives, the national debt will nosedive with it, whereas when the Argentinian Peso nosedived, their debt didn't.

      In the future, however, it would make it a lot more difficult for the US to borrow money in it's own currency, so at that point, the government would have to put together a balanced budget pretty quickly.

    23. Re:Nice by PureCreditor · · Score: 1

      Only imported goods would be more expensive. When the dollar is weak, the purchasing power of the American people would be weaker, which means controlled inflation. Inflation comes bottom-up instead of top-down.

    24. Re:Nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Prices began dropping after China Aviation Oil, which lost $550 million betting and doubling down against the rising price of oil, needed to get out from under those bets. As they tried, the price kept moving against them. Once they stopped, no one "needed" to buy anymore and the price fell. That particular move had nothing to do with OPEC or the election or Iraq.

    25. Re:Nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      First, the solution to a budget deficit isn't to "raise taxes", it's to cut costs.

      Second - I think we (the US) can take the hit to our economy. We can be largely self-sufficient within our borders, or at least much moreso than we are now.

      Finally - I wouldn't be shaking your head in too much wonder (i.e. your thinly veiled Schadenfreude). If the US crashes and burns we're taking the rest of you fuckers with us. Our economy dies, yours dies twice as badly.

    26. Re:Nice by Momoru · · Score: 1

      It sounds more like "wishful thinking" on your part, that you would want the US economy to collapse because of this. Even though you are correct in your logic, you are incorrect in your scenario outcome....unless it happens at an incredibly slow rate, the world would not sell off their US currency reserves at these current exchange rates, if you were China or Japan and you held 5 trillion US dollars, would you really sell them at 1 trillion? Of course not. If the US economy collapsed (as i agree it could under your scenario) it would take the entire world with it. The people who own Euro's could sit on their high thrones, but there would be no one to invest in them, and there are plenty of Euro's tied up in US investments as well. Believe me if what your describing happens we will all be fucked back into the dark ages.

    27. Re:Nice by Momoru · · Score: 1

      Most of the things your describing are either not up because of inflation or are just false.

      Gas is 120% higher than in 2000 - The average gas price is about $1.90 now...it hasn't been under a dollar since the mid 90s. And the recent hikes have had to do with shortages.

      housing 15-100% - Most of this also related to supply and demand, housing costs in areas like Mississipi and Akron Ohio are barely up, while DC, NYC etc are extremely up because these are the job centers

      postage up 25% - Two words, Email, FedEx

    28. Re:Nice by keester · · Score: 1
      So, when you vote for "less taxes", you put one more stone in the end of the great American empire. I, as a European, shake my head and wonder whether you Americans have any idea what is happening in your country...

      It seems that voting either Republicrat or Demublican is a vote for increased deficit spending, i.e., deferred taxation. Sadly, simple economic truths are lost on a people obsessed with intruding into people's privacy. Read: Gay marriage, recreational drug use, and abortion.

      --
      Take it easy? I'll take it anyway I can get it . . .
    29. Re:Nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      If the US crashes and burns we're taking the rest of you fuckers with us. Our economy dies, yours dies twice as badly.

      That's really the sad part. Greedy and increasingly stupid and increasingly fat Americans don't screw only their own country. The rest of the world wishes they could. But they screw the whole world with their fat ass, caused by greed (supersize this).

    30. Re:Nice by Momoru · · Score: 1

      Less taxes has nothing to do with it, we need less spending....like no Trillions towards Iraq, no billions in UN dues, no trillions in useless NASA projects, and no billions in AID to third world countries. If we just cut spending our current taxes are more then enough to pay down the national debt. Besides, the original post of this thread which related to closing the trade gap is an attempt to get the national debt paid down as well.

    31. Re:Nice by vwjeff · · Score: 1

      Generally the unemployment rate of a country is a good indicator of economic stability. The US has a much lower unemployment rate when compared to Western Europe.

      http://www.tutor2u.net/economics/content/topics/eu rope/unemployment_introduction.htm

      Of course one could argue that there is more opportunity in the US to find a job. What causes these job opportunities? Policy.

      The tax rate in the US is the lowest of any developed nation. While some coutries have higher taxes and universal healthcare, the US has lower taxes allowing individuals to buy more goods. The consumer buying the goods allows the seller/producer to expand their business and hire employees. This fundamental difference allows unemployment in the US to be lower than Western Europe.

    32. Re:Nice by randall_burns · · Score: 1

      Inflation involves an increase in money supply and decrease in money demand. Switching away from the dollars as a global reserve currency will massively inflate the local money supply in the US(increase supply) _and_ will decrease overall demand for dollars. It won't just be foreign goods that will get expensive but _anything_ that can be potentially exported. Now, those of us that can get jobs overseas(say in the EU) may be able to do an overseas stint and pay our mortgages with cheap dollars.

    33. Re:Nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      hmm.. sure, Intel have a whole lot of dollars, but they also have vast incomes in Yen, Euro, reals, zlotys, etc, etc. Intel sell to everyone they can, excepting nations to whom sales are forbidden, so if they wish to invest outwith the USA, there is no need whatever for them to undertake an expensive adjustment from $ to whatever, simply don't bother converting it to dollars in the first place.
      There are many other reasons to work within the USA - tax is a good place to start, and it never hurts to be close to your biggest market (the uSA remains easily the biggest market for chips).

      Now here's an interesting conundrum for you.. If the cost of imported goods reflected the true cost of transporting them around the globe (more or less the idea of the Kyoto treaty), then there would be less of an incentive for manufacturers to consolidate production in the single cheapest place. Ergo, less outsourcing, more jobs in USA. Best of luck getting your congressman's head around that..

      [Intersting to note that the KDE spellchecker does not seem to contain the word 'outsourcing'. Then again, I guess it's never had to. hehehe...]

    34. Re:Nice by gad_zuki! · · Score: 1

      > OPEC knows that if oil really got up into the $80-$100 barrel range people would start making lifestyle changes

      I fail to see the lack of SUVs in my area just yet. Something tells me fad beats economics every time.

    35. Re:Nice by gad_zuki! · · Score: 1

      >I, as a European, shake my head and wonder whether you Americans have any idea what is happening in your country

      Of course we do, lets see:

      Scott Peterson was a bad man who did a bad thing.

      Saddam has WMD so we must kill lots of people.

      America is #1 in everything.

      Other countries dont really exist.

      Abortion is bad.

      That's what the media delivers and that's all people seem to know or believe. We've been on a dystopian footing for quite a while and its only getting worse. The few people here who can see the forest for the trees are largely ignored.

    36. Re:Nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      could be wrong, but i was always taught that:

      1st world = Western, capitalist nations. modeled after the industrial UK and later exemplified by the USA.

      2nd world = command economies, on a soviet or maoist model.

      3rd world = not much of an economy to speak of, we'll worry about it when they're worth robbing, or once they get nukes.

      So I wouldn't have said that all 2nd world countries base their economies on the dollar. Quite the contrary, in fact.. Although this type of political model has ceased to be relevant except in some isolated cases..

      Out of curiosity, what do others understand by 1st/2nd/3rd world? Is the 2nd world just folks trying to get into the 1st, 'cause that's not really a question of 'worlds', it's more like some kind of football league..

      Then again, there's people on /. who view anything less than 768Kb/s as third-world, so I'm probably looking in the wrong place for a definition...

      p.s. - have another look at your dollar/euro comparison, I think you may have got it backwards...

    37. Re:Nice by Weirsbaski · · Score: 1

      (offtopic)
      Reminds me of a couple months back when Sean Hannity (on FoxNews's "Hannity and Combs") had some economist on the show, who said that really high oil prices were actually good for the US, because it kept inflation in check. And Hannity was lapping it all up (yep, yep, makes sense to me, yep).

      (back on topic)
      If the falling dollar is good thing, when do you think the bush administration will take credit for it?

      --

      I am not a sig.
    38. Re:Nice by Dot.Com.CEO · · Score: 1
      Generally the unemployment rate of a country is a totally unimportant indicator of economic stability. It is, in fact, irrelevant. Doubly so given the fact that a sizeable part of US' wealth is produced outside your borders.

      Or, to put it in other words, you could all be jobless and live in a wealthy country. And, in fact, in a few years it will be thus.

      --
      Mother is the best bet and don't let Satan draw you too fast.
    39. Re:Nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Excellent post, just two slight corrections:

      1. "The dollar is 1.36 euros" -- that should be "the euro costs 1.36 dollars"

      2. " Generally speaking, this trend has not been worse only because the Chinese (of all countries) are supporting the dollar buying enormous amounts of it on the markets."
      -- It's not that much that they are *buying*, they are not really buying the dollar, they are just not letting go of the decade old policy of pegging their currency to the dollar via a fixed exchange rate.

      The reason why they are doing so is because otherwise, their currency would be much more valuable, making their export business less competitive (in terms of price).

    40. Re:Nice by Dot.Com.CEO · · Score: 1
      Oh, ok. Could you analyse how the trade gap is affected by a weak dollar?

      And THAT my friends is the million dollar question, as you say in the US of A.

      --
      Mother is the best bet and don't let Satan draw you too fast.
    41. Re:Nice by Momoru · · Score: 1

      (back on topic)
      If the falling dollar is good thing, when do you think the bush administration will take credit for it?


      I think this whole conversation is offtopic but whatever hehe. Don't know if your question is rhetorical or not, but I figured i'd give my 2 cents anyways. Obviously Bush will only take credit for a falling dollar if the plan works in the end. That is why he is not coming right out and saying that a weak dollar is good for America in the short term. If the plan fails, he will probably blame democrats for not passing his tax bills.

    42. Re:Nice by Momoru · · Score: 1

      Sure, the trade gap works like this:

      Currently we have a huge trade deficit to China and Japan...we import tons more goods from them then we export back. The primary reason for this is that $1 American dollar can buy a lot more in China or Japan then 1 Yen or 1 Yuan can buy in the USA. Take for example a car engine. In theory we could build a car engine in Tennesee for say $500, with zero in shipping costs. But in America the raw parts and labor are more expensive...so with cheap labor China can build the same thing for $300 (the raw materials would be about the same). However, we have to import this etc so that adds maybe another $100 to the top margins. That price of that engine currently never changes, because as the dollar rises and falls, the Chinese currency (yuan) rises and falls with it, because it has an artificial peg to the dollar. If the Chinese had to float their currency, when the dollar fell, the yuan would rise, so a $300 engine would now cost $500, because it would take more dollars to buy one yuan. This no longer makes it reasonable to buy from china, because the added shipping cost and hassle takes us over the American margins. It also makes American goods cheaper for the rest of the world, so now our $500 engine only costs the Chinese $300, which now makes a competitive import for China.

      A good current example if Europe. In 2000 the Euro was worth less then $1, the conversion was like .9/1 Eu/$. So a BMW from Germany that cost $1000 then would now cost $1400 (or so) now because the current conversion is 1.3/1 Eu/$. While at the same time a Ford that cost $1000 in 2000 would only cost Europeans $700 now (or so). So you can see how that would encourage exports from USA and encourage imports. We can see this already buy Europeans enjoying American vacations and increasing their imports of American goods.

    43. Re:Nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nasa yearly budget id 16 billion, so it's not really trillions.
      US military spending is too huge, they'll have to cut that sooner o later (and it will probably have bad impact on military performance and kill many advanced weapon projects).

    44. Re:Nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh dear I'm not even a yank and I know more about your budget than you do.

      Your number one cost is social security payments, followed by medic benefits then defence, everything after that combined is less than ten percent of your budget.

      Now all this was pretty well balanced 3 years ago but then your leader decided to chop 400+ billion off the yearly tax take ( most tax relief went very high though ) while upping defence by ~100 billion and adding another ~100 billion in drug company assistance with medicaid changes. Thus the government set out to cause the vast majority of the deficit. Iraq is actually less than the subsidisation benefits going to the pharmaceutical and medical companies. So Your nation can expect to continue running half a trillion of debt a year at the national level.

      Mind you that isn't the figure reported. No Sir, The government carries out inter fund loans within the government to hide much of it's debt. For example the Social security fund runs at a major surpluss at the moment and will continue to do so for around another 20 years. That surpluss could be invested in major long term projects with good long term yield etc, but no. What happens to the surpluss it is lent to the rest of the government and the SS fund gets bonds in return. Environmental funds and educational funds have been simarlarly treated. The ~250 billion that is manipulated this way is not declared to be exernal to the government so is not counted as debt. But it is debt in the form of money owed from revenue in the future to a special purpose fund.

      A lot of your figures are multiple orders of magnitudes out as well. I don't think NASA's budget for the last 30 years adds up to trillions. Iraq is in the 100-200 billion range. Only recently has any money been paid to the UN and that is in an attempt to buy em off and get some help in Iraq. The billions in aid is almost always tied to special conditions. Such as "here is 10 billion for anti-Aids drugs, you must spend it on US made drugs and ban drugs from other sources as well as meeting all these social and religious conditions". Personally the whole Anti-Aids drugs pledge looked like a massive payoff to the pharma lobby and a sop to the religious conservatives.

      Enough ranting.
      The fact is your nation is bleeding money at the Governmental level and doing 2-3 times worse at the consumer level. Give yourselves a year or two (possibly less if oil continues on its upward path) and Argentina could look like a good place to move to. How to fix your problems easy, stop using credit cards, Up your tax rate again, introduce a fuel conservation tax and start upgrading basic industries to worlds best practise rather than buy the basics from off shore.

    45. Re:Nice by Dot.Com.CEO · · Score: 1
      The weak dollar artificially deflates American trade-deficit. That's all there is to it. When (and if) the dollar climbs back to 2000 levels, trade deficit WILL be a problem.

      Your current administration has you walking on a tightrope, and you will reap the results of its incompetence for generations. Pity the economy, or rather a proper analysis thereof, is not an election issue for the majority of voters in your country.

      --
      Mother is the best bet and don't let Satan draw you too fast.
    46. Re:Nice by Momoru · · Score: 1

      All countries do this...did you not notice when the Italian Prime Minister came running over to the USA last month complaining about the weak Dollar? The EU is thinking of taking steps to deflate their own currency, they are scared to death of the weak dollar. While temporarily you are correct that it would artificially deflate the trade deficit, if the "plan works", in time people will change their suppliers to those from strong currency nations to nations with a weak currency. Right now it may be temporarily be more expensive to buy my goods from Europe, but I can only put up with thin margins for so long, so I would begin to look elsewhere. This isn't a new thing, it is a cycle that goes on and on. Although the EU is gaining global strength, currently the dollar still has too much power. The Euro has many other faults that could make your economy much worse in the long run (which is part of why the British have not switched). Also even if the economy were a bigger issue, hardly anyone in our country is smart enough to understand it throughly :P.

    47. Re:Nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What you call "greed", we call "success".

      What we call "primitive screwheads", you call "my countrymen".

      Primitive ass monkey.

    48. Re:Nice by Dot.Com.CEO · · Score: 1

      The British not having switched to the Euro has nothing to do with the Euro's strength and everything to do with the Brits not deciding (once more) whether they are part of Europe or not.

      --
      Mother is the best bet and don't let Satan draw you too fast.
  3. AMD must be loving this. by Grey+Ninja · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I remember back when AMD announced a 64 bit desktop CPU. The common consensus was that they were completely daft, and other than the rabid early adopters who buy anything... it wouldn't do all that well, given that PCs are still tied to 32 bit software.

    Now fast forward a year or two, and AMD is on top, and Intel is trying to play catch up. I never would have dreamed this would happen. I really have to tip my hat to AMD.

    1. Re:AMD must be loving this. by Glock27 · · Score: 5, Informative
      I remember back when AMD announced a 64 bit desktop CPU. The common consensus was that they were completely daft, and other than the rabid early adopters who buy anything... it wouldn't do all that well, given that PCs are still tied to 32 bit software.

      The only thing that saved AMD in this regard is that AMD64 chips run 32-bit code faster (for most software) than any of the Pentiums. Microsoft seems to have helped out it's old partner Intel by delaying Win64 until Intel managed to clone AMD64. Heh, that is quite a switch - Intel cloning AMD. ;-)

      At least Linux for AMD64 has been available for some time...and it's great to see Sun pushing Solaris for AMD64 also.

      Now fast forward a year or two, and AMD is on top, and Intel is trying to play catch up. I never would have dreamed this would happen. I really have to tip my hat to AMD.

      Yes, all this and lower power consumption (than P4) to boot. There should be some sweet notebooks and servers coming out over the next few months also, as the true low-power Athlon64s and Opterons roll out.

      --
      Galileo: "The Earth revolves around the Sun!"
      Score: -1 100% Flamebait
    2. Re:AMD must be loving this. by DrEldarion · · Score: 4, Informative

      Yes, they really did a quite incredible job with the Athlon 64. Not only does it run 32-bit code, but it runs 32-bit code better than their 32-bit-native processor? That is EXACTLY what's needed in the 32-to-64-bit transition, and they executed it excellently.

    3. Re:AMD must be loving this. by Cryect · · Score: 1

      Except that Intel has already sold more x86 64bit processors than AMD.

    4. Re:AMD must be loving this. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      The only thing that saved AMD in this regard is that AMD64 chips run 32-bit code faster (for most software) than any of the Pentiums ... and lower power consumption (than P4) to boot)

      What a funny way of saying something.

      This reads like

      "The only thing that saved AMD is that their product was better in many ways".
    5. Re:AMD must be loving this. by Glock27 · · Score: 1
      "The only thing that saved AMD is that their product was better in many ways".

      Many "industry pundits" (ROFL) initially claimed that AMD64 would die unless Microsoft promptly shipped Win64. Needless to say, it didn't happen.

      --
      Galileo: "The Earth revolves around the Sun!"
      Score: -1 100% Flamebait
    6. Re:AMD must be loving this. by powermung · · Score: 1
      I remember back when AMD announced a 64 bit desktop CPU. The common consensus was that they were completely daft

      I don't believe that was the common consensus, but rather Intel's marketing pitch that wall street investors paid attention to. AMD is successful with their 64-bit lineup because of compatibility and performance enhancement with existing applications (reason why Itanic sank), not for being 64-bit per se as 99% of the people still don't run any 64-bit applications. Having said that, I do think AMD has the upper hand for the foreseeable future as AMD's strength is with the computer hobbyists who constantly push for higher speed while demanding the best price/perforamance ratio, compared to Intel's more office-oriented "I don't need more speed" crowd. But competition is good. I'm waiting for home/office-oriented CPU that consumes little power that can be cooled passively -- basically Pentium M for desktops at a more sane price.

    7. Re:AMD must be loving this. by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 1

      Except that Intel has already sold more x86 64bit processors than AMD.

      I am well aware that Intel still probably sells 4x as many CPUs as AMD does, but where did you get this?

      Sure, IIRC, Opteron's sales are just a small multiple of Itanium, but at least they can exploit the common die with Athlon64 (like Xeon relies on the same basic die), Itanium cannot.

    8. Re:AMD must be loving this. by Dan+Ost · · Score: 1

      Except that Intel has already sold more x86 64bit processors than AMD.

      Where can I find these numbers?

      --

      *sigh* back to work...
    9. Re:AMD must be loving this. by joib · · Score: 1


      Yes, all this and lower power consumption (than P4) to boot. There should be some sweet notebooks and servers coming out over the next few months also, as the true low-power Athlon64s and Opterons roll out.


      While I agree that Athlon64 and Opteron are superior to Intels offerings in the desktop and server market, I have to say that Intel really hit the nail on the head with the Pentium M. While the P-M won't match a high clocked Athlon64 performance-wise, it's still plenty fast and uses very little power. I think it's something like 21 W, while the mobile A64 is around 35 W, a significant advantage for notebooks.

    10. Re:AMD must be loving this. by Anonymous+Custard · · Score: 1

      Many "industry pundits" (ROFL) initially claimed that AMD64 would die unless Microsoft promptly shipped Win64. Needless to say, it didn't happen.

      Right, because even without its 64-bit potential, it has superior memory management and a shorter processor instruction pipeline, which is more efficient than a longer pipeline for most tasks besides media encoding. Since very few people do serious media encoding, this drawback doesn't matter.

      Most pundits thought "no one needs 64-bit yet" and they were right. They just forget its other advantages.

    11. Re:AMD must be loving this. by darkwhite · · Score: 1

      all this and lower power consumption (than P4) to boot. There should be some sweet notebooks and servers coming out over the next few months also, as the true low-power Athlon64s and Opterons roll out.

      AMD has also been able to move to 90nm successfully, significantly cutting power as opposed to Intel's 90nm P4 (Prescott and successors). This has been resulting in CPUs which consume effectively half the power for the same 32-bit performance as the P4s. ULV 90nm K8 should be easily able to compete with P-M - Intel's only competitive consumer CPU at the moment. I can't wait to see the notebook platforms designed on that.

      --

      [an error occurred while processing this directive]
    12. Re:AMD must be loving this. by coopaq · · Score: 0
      Not only does it run 32-bit code, but it runs 32-bit code better than their 32-bit-native processor? That is EXACTLY what's needed in the 32-to-64-bit transition, and they executed it excellently.

      You imply the Athlon 64 uses some emulation or translation of its 32-bit instructions to 64-bit instructions.

      I'm not so certain that is the case.

      Intel's Itanium does that and falls flat on it's face for 32-bit performance.

    13. Re:AMD must be loving this. by Sri+Lumpa · · Score: 1


      Even without emulation it could have been optimised for 64 bit performance and underperform in 32 bit performance due to architectural issues. And maybe it does, but given that it still performs better in 32 bit mode than other comparable processors it doesn't matter whether it could have performed even better or not if they had not had to balance 32 bit performance and 64 bit performance.

      --
      "The obvious mathematical breakthrough would be development of an easy way to factor large prime numbers." Bill Gates,
  4. Superquick. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    "Part of what I do is put the emphasis on how fast we respond,"

    Yeah, it's only taken you eight years. Great job :P

  5. Is that really the problem? by confusion · · Score: 5, Insightful
    It seems to me that Intel's problems are not just of the fabrication sort. They've fallen behind with innovation, which is where AMD is starting to kick their butt. Sure, Intel needs a plant to back up new designs, but if they can't get their heads back in the game, that plant isn't going to do much.

    Jerry
    http://www.syslog.org/

    1. Re:Is that really the problem? by rokzy · · Score: 4, Funny

      reminds me of a Dilbert cartoon:

      PHB: "we're a large company an can't compete with these small, nimble companies. the good news is that at this rate we'll soon be the smallest company around."

    2. Re:Is that really the problem? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They've fallen behind with innovation...

      Too many H1B's. This is the problem with immigrant workers and outsourcing. For whatever reason, they lack the ability to innovate that Americans have historically had. Sure it's cheap labor, but you get what you pay for. Wake up corporate America.

    3. Re:Is that really the problem? by youknowmewell · · Score: 1

      I beg to differ. Intel is innovating, we just aren't seeing the fruits of it just yet. http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/02/11/235923 2&tid=118&tid=137

    4. Re:Is that really the problem? by BAILOPAN · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Innovation? I don't think on AMD's part there was a TON of innovation behind the AMD64.

      Read some of the technical documentation behind the two 64bit processors each put out. Intel's IA64/VLIW architecture is much more technologically impressive than AMD64's.

      What made AMD64 so great was the fact that it stayed so true to the x86, it's almost like a souped up version. It's backward compatible and if you do any assembly/hardware stuff, it tends to be very similar. So much in fact that you still get many x86 annoyances while dealing with it.

      So, I'd say Intel was more innovative... they just didn't have the right idea when making a 64-bit chip anyone could actually use. AMD64 is nice and all, but it makes me think that in 10 years, we'll be saying "x86-64 needs to die like x86". It wasn't innovative enough.

      --
      If you say "here goes my karma" I will bite you!!!
    5. Re:Is that really the problem? by youknowmewell · · Score: 1

      Whoops...
      Link here

    6. Re:Is that really the problem? by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 1
      Intel's IA64/VLIW architecture is much more technologically impressive than AMD64's.

      It might look impressive on paper, but in the real world, other than providing a good brain teaser for compiler writers, it hasn't been very impressive at all.

    7. Re:Is that really the problem? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How is having the highest specFP score in the world not impressive?

    8. Re:Is that really the problem? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Oh, nonsense!

      Intel's IA64/VLIW architecture is much more technologically impressive than AMD64's.

      No matter how technologically impressive Intel's architecture is, right now AMD is managing to get almost twice the work out of every clock cycle that Intel is. I'd call that innovative!

      VLIW architecture has many advantages, but they almost all relate to processor design and silicon real estate savings, not the final performance in a real system. In terms of code memory efficiency and branch prediction failure penalties, VLIW causes some real performance hits.

      It's backward compatible and if you do any assembly/hardware stuff, it tends to be very similar. So much in fact that you still get many x86 annoyances while dealing with it.

      Two points:
      1. that backwards compatibility is a real advantage right because of all the legacy code that current systems simply have to run right now.
      2. whether you agree with it or not, most work nowadays is done in high level languages, specifically C and C++. Most people that have to deal with assembler are compiler writers. Once the work on the compiler has been done, other advantages of the x86 architecture (the biggest that comes to my mind is code space efficiency) are immediately available to highlevel language coders without any of the annoyances you mention.

    9. Re:Is that really the problem? by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 1
      How is having the highest specFP score in the world not impressive?

      If you slapped 6MB of cache on a Z-80, it would get high specmarks too.

    10. Re:Is that really the problem? by archen · · Score: 1

      The IA64 is technoligically impressive yes, but that's the easy part when you have a clean slate. At one time the SPARC was going to be the "new technology" processor, but over the years has ended up nearly as crufty. Over time any processor design will show it's age. The x86-64 might not be innovative enough, but in 10 years we'd say the same thing about IA64.

      Once Intel announced "Okay everyone dump your code, we have a new processor" it was just the sort of opening AMD needed to come up with a 64bit extension. I'm sure AMD could have come up with something just as impressive, but the market wants x86 (and their legacy apps) more than a shiny new processor archetecture.

    11. Re:Is that really the problem? by BAILOPAN · · Score: 1

      That's all very well and fine, but irrelevant.

      I wasn't trying to argue that VLIW was better, I was saying it was something different and innovative. And that AMD64 could have at least made some effort at creating an architecture that wasn't x86 all over again.

      And I disagree; with a better opcode set, clearly defined register usage, and sensible calling convention, compilers become easier to write and more efficient. Assembly is still (and always will be) used.

      --
      If you say "here goes my karma" I will bite you!!!
    12. Re:Is that really the problem? by Slack3r78 · · Score: 1

      This is exactly what I was about to post about. Intel is most definitely not having fabrication problems - if anyone is, it's AMD.

      You know all the rumors about Dell possibly picking up AMD CPUs? While Dell has talked about it for their servers and possibly some of the XPS gaming units, you know why it won't happen for general purpose desktops for the forseeable future? AMD literally can not produce enough chips to feed Dell's demand.

      Granted, AMD has been working to increase production - Fab 30 in Dresden has been undergoing conversion to a 300mm wafers (AMD currently uses 200mm wafers which make for much smaller yieldS) for a while now and production should come online some time late this year.

      AMD production in IBM's East Fishkill fab had been rumored for a long time, but was only recently publicly acknowledged, and fabrication there is supposed to be growing.

      Finally, AMD signed a deal with a Singapore fab about 2 months ago to produce Athlons, which is expected to come online some time in late 2005/early 2006.

      While all of these will greatly bolster AMD's production cabability, they still will have a long way to go to come anyway close to the sheer number of chips Intel is already capable of fabbing.

    13. Re:Is that really the problem? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I just had to rebut this a little...

      I too am an assembly language hacker, have been for 30 years.

      I wasn't trying to argue that VLIW was better, I was saying it was something different and innovative.

      Different and innovative is good as long as it adds something for the user. VLIW doesn't. Instead, it makes:
      1. processor design easier
      2. it leads to less silicon real estate

      Now, both of these are advantages to Intel. One could make the argument that less silicon real estate leads to chips that are cheaper for the end user, but that's not what we've seen; the processors using VLIW were even more expensive.

      This, in my mind, is Intel's biggest problem: their innovation is all in things that make life easier for Intel and do nothing for the end user. In fact, quite often, they lead to disadvantages for the end user in terms of performance.

      And I disagree; with a better opcode set, clearly defined register usage, and sensible calling convention, compilers become easier to write and more efficient.

      True. But how does that fit with Intel's VLIW arch? The little bit of looking that I did at the assembly level code that went with these chips had tons of pitfalls for the assembly programmer like (IIRC) inserting a NOP after every branch and making certain sequences of opcodes illegal, all just to simplify Intel's job of designing the opcode execution hardware.

      Assembly is still (and always will be) used.

      Also true. But I find myself writing more and more code in C to allow portability (I write embedded software for a living). The increasing performance of microcontrollers makes this less and less of a performance issue as time goes by. In general, the only stuff I do in assembler anymore is the stuff that is sooo chip specific that it would have to be rewritten anyawy when moving to a different microcontroller.

  6. Marketspeak by Thunderstruck · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I wonder if this isn't just Intel trying to reverse the spin on AMD's announcement.

    1. AMD announces they're top dog.
    2. Intel decides to minimize the effect of this by bragging about how much money they can spend.
    3. Neither is looking at any immediate, dramatic, change in business because processor sales follow seasonal patterns more than Ad campaign release dates.

    --
    Trying to use sarcasm in text-based forums does not work.
    1. Re:Marketspeak by koreaman · · Score: 1

      You forget:

      4. ???????
      5. Profit!

  7. Fast? by Jarlsberg · · Score: 1

    I think Intels turnaround is anything but fast, and I think they have to far more responsive to the changes in the processor market than they have been so far. AMD is on the up and Intel is partly responsible for this, what with their flawed introduction of the Itanium and their steadfast reliance on the again Pentium 4.

  8. Intel is not going to disappear by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I heard the same thing after ATI came out with R300. nVidia is going the way of 3DFX. Now AMD seems ahead and those that think Intel is the evil empire are praying for it to disappear. It ain't going to happen. I'd venture to say the long-term prospects are better for Intel than AMD. For consumers, the pitched ATI/nVidia battle has been good. Same thing for AMD/Intel. Tough competition brings choice and lower prices. I hope Intel moves fast. I don't want AMD ruling the market anymore than I want Intel.

    1. Re:Intel is not going to disappear by Glock27 · · Score: 2, Informative
      I don't want AMD ruling the market anymore than I want Intel.

      In that case you should be rooting for AMD as long as it doesn't break 50% marketshare. It's currently at 15%. Competition is a good thing.

      In the meantime, I say buy the better product - AMD. :-)

      --
      Galileo: "The Earth revolves around the Sun!"
      Score: -1 100% Flamebait
    2. Re:Intel is not going to disappear by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      AMD is only a better product in dual porcessor configurations or better... the single processor is so abysmal at multi-tasking... sure it can handle gaming which is generally a single-tasking application, which also relies heavily on having a good gpu... but frankly intel has had the 'better' processor since they first rolled out hyperthreading. Yeah intel is falling behind, but maybe this new fab upgrade will allow them to make they mythical p5's or dual core p4's or whatever their new flagship product is going to be...
      I still like AMD, but until they go multi-core you're gonna need a pair of cpus to handle multi-tasking...

    3. Re:Intel is not going to disappear by Dan+Ost · · Score: 1

      Except that Intel has never really competed on price.
      Their response always seems to be a marketing ploy (which doesn't benefit
      the consumer at all).

      Maybe AMD's strength will force their hand.

      --

      *sigh* back to work...
    4. Re:Intel is not going to disappear by Glock27 · · Score: 2, Interesting
      I still like AMD, but until they go multi-core you're gonna need a pair of cpus to handle multi-tasking...

      I have to ask...how often do you multitask CPU-bound tasks? That's the only place that HT helps performance, and it actually hurts performance on some apps. Computers have been comfortably multitasking since long before HT, and AMD chips do fine at it. Lately I've been ripping CDs, listening to MP3s and programming on an Athlon XP 2600+. It works great, nice and smooth.

      In short, you've fallen hook, line and sinker for Intel's marketing pitch. Congratulations.

      --
      Galileo: "The Earth revolves around the Sun!"
      Score: -1 100% Flamebait
    5. Re:Intel is not going to disappear by SQLz · · Score: 1

      I agree. HT causes more problems than its worth. I've gotten in the habit of just disabling it on all P4 machines I admin. The developers at my office disable it because it locks thier XP machines. I can't even get Linux to run tne without a kernel panic or strange issue every few weeks. Once I disable HT everything works fine.

    6. Re:Intel is not going to disappear by snorklewacker · · Score: 1

      Maybe your motherboards are flakey. I run it on my XP machine at work just fine (yes of course it's a Dell), and I rather enjoy that my system remains responsive enough for me to kill off berzerk processes at the cost of a smidge more sluggishness overall (who cares, I only run emacs and outlook all day. My home gaming box is an athlon64).

      I also run all kinds of crap on a fairly old linux kernel (redhat 7) on a dual HT Xeon, and aside from the scheduler occasionally being stupid and deciding to put two CPU-bound processes on the same CPU, it runs smooth as butter.

      True, this is all just anecdote, but I would claim that there's no fault in XP or Linux concerning HT that I've ever noticed.

      --
      I am no longer wasting my time with slashdot
    7. Re:Intel is not going to disappear by linuxkrn · · Score: 1

      Works just fine for me. I've been using it on Linux for year on all my desktops/servers, both at work and at home.

      My compile time for 2.4.20 went to 96 seconds with HT turned on a make -j5 (dual Xeon's with HT back when 2.4.20 was out :)

      As for the kernel, HT support wasn't needed. It just sees them as another processor. You could take advantage of SMT scheduler in 2.6:

      CONFIG_SCHED_SMT=y

      But that really didn't make too much of a difference for me. I only buy Xeon's HT processors, so I can't speak for standard P4s. At any rate, to each his own...

    8. Re:Intel is not going to disappear by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You've got to be kidding or trolling. A single AMD 64 smokes along just fine with multiple tasks running.

      When the multi-core CPUs come out in Q2 (last I heard) you're going to see some smoking ruin in Intel's corner. They've got absolutely nothing in store to match the multi-core performance AMD is about to market. The dual cores are almost a waste of time, I'd love a quad or 8-way core. Take a look at the performance numbers and power consumption on those.

      And not to be outdone, check IBM's Power5. It's in the same ballpark. Power5/Apple may become the third choice, and perhaps a better choice for many. They are beginning to make serious gains, and no longer look like a flounder out of water.

    9. Re:Intel is not going to disappear by Longstaff · · Score: 1

      I'm curious, what benefits does the SMT scheduler claim? I thought it simply recognized logical vs physical processors so that the kernel evenly split the workload between physical processors to maximize cache efficiency.

  9. The 64-bit realm by hexed_2050 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Intel has its chance to make the jump into the 64bit market and decided it was better to hold on to 32bit processors at the time. And it probably wouldn't have been a bad idea, if they had a plan to deal with the heat issues in their prescott line of processors. 33% more power for 5% less performance does not sit well with the market (prescott vs. northwood)

    --
    Valkyrie is about to die! Wizard needs food -- badly!
  10. Gamers? Not a key market... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful
    I work for Intel, and I also RTFA. It's not about gaming, and as much as it pains some of us, it never has been for Intel.

    Gaming is a niche market. The reason AMD can do well with it is that it's a botique market, and they produce so many less chips than we do.

    Look, MY ego's been undergoing enough thrashing lately. Gamers, it's your turn: The reason AMD is dominant in the market segment is a past Intel decision to concentrate on MHz rather than FPS. There's money to be made in gaming chips, sure, but not all that much compared to corporate desktops and laptops.

    Sure, the world of processors is changing, but Intel is adapting to the overall MARKET, not merely to AMD's strategies and successes.

    Side Note: How come you anti-globalization folks aren't applauding Intel for expaning a facility in the USA? Hmm? Where are AMD's chips made again?

  11. Im going to love it by excaliber19 · · Score: 1

    When AMD comes out on top in the next few years. What are the AMD fanboys going to do then? Hard to be a fanboy of corporation that is dominating. ;)

    1. Re:Im going to love it by Egregius · · Score: 1

      So that's why Linux has such a crappy interface?

    2. Re:Im going to love it by megarich · · Score: 1

      hehe for me its a yes/no. the dominating factor don't bother me, what does bother me is the majority of companies that have a dominating facotor let it get to their head and you have crappy products.

      so if they dominate but hold on to the same ideals then i'll be happy but that is yet to be seen...

    3. Re:Im going to love it by alex_ware · · Score: 1

      Duh become intel fanboys. ;-)

      --
      If you have nothing useful to say post as AC.
    4. Re:Im going to love it by Azreal · · Score: 1

      Who cares about who's dominating? I'm an admitted amd fan, but my reason is because of price for performance. Intel spends their money on marketing mhz = performance and blue painted people instead of offering a good chip at a competitive price to amd. When Intel offers the same performance at a cheaper price than amd, I'll be happy to make the move. Unfortunately I'm not a rich person, yet, I'm not even upper middle class so me personally I'm happy spending much less on processors that are at least equal to their intel counterparts if not better when price is factored in.

      --
      $sys$droids
    5. Re:Im going to love it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      On the other hand, what are the Intel fanboys going to do then? Hard to be a fanboy of corporation that is the underdog

    6. Re:Im going to love it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hard to be a fanboy of corporation that is dominating. ;)

      C'mon, haven't you seen the Microsoft fanboys?

    7. Re:Im going to love it by cthulhu11 · · Score: 1

      ... or of one whose head prints posters of himself as Indiana Jones with his trophy wife.

  12. No Problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just crank out a few more dancing scientists in lab suits.

    Let the sales roll in.

    "Honey, get the one with Intel, all the scientists dance to it!"

  13. request for amd/intel - low cost single board CPU by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How about a low power/low heat/small size cpu/motherboard combo?

    Something to beat Via Epia N.

    A cpu/motherboard/power supply/case combo would be nice.

  14. Story time by buddha42 · · Score: 5, Informative
    AMD has declared dominance in the gaming and server microprocessor market in 2004?

    What is this "make shit up for the headline" hour? Lets see what a professional news organization has to say: http://olympics.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type =technologyNews&storyID=6960222

    AMD trimmed Intel's share in PC-based servers in the third quarter, taking 8 percent of unit sales, up from 6.9 percent, according to IDC.
    ...
    AMD also saw slight gains in unit share for desktop and notebook PCs. It now has 18.4 percent of the desktop PC market
    ...
    Intel nevertheless held onto its overall dominance of the PC microprocessor market, retaining 81.2 percent of the overall share of units, off slightly from 81.7 percent.
    1. Re:Story time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      "AMD has declared dominance in the gaming and server microprocessor market in 2004?"

      Note just the gaming and server claims. I doubt anyone is claiming that amd is really selling more units overall than intel. Heck, they don't have the capacity.

      I haven't gone to check the numbers for amd on high end gaming systems or servers. But anyway, he just meant for those two markets... not general desktop.

    2. Re:Story time by pete-classic · · Score: 1
      What is this "make shit up for the headline" hour?


      No. It's "make shit up for the headline" day, here at slashdot.

      In fact, every day is "make shit up for the headline" day, here at slashdot.

      Welcome!

      -Peter
    3. Re:Story time by epgandalf · · Score: 1

      I saw an article a few months ago saying that AMD outsold Intel in the retail channel. Of course, Intel still dominates in selling the OEMs.

  15. Raising Arizona by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    They neglected to mention the location was Arizona, India. Its a new company town Intel is building.

    1. Re:Raising Arizona by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      They neglected to mention the location was Arizona, India. Its a new company town Intel is building.

      Nice try, but... Check the press release. Fab 12 is an existing plant that was on an earlier technology generation. If it were a new plant somewhere else, it would have to have a number in the high 20's.

  16. bad slahdot by Twillerror · · Score: 2

    Yey, slashdot started a AMD/Intel FanBoy battle.
    Can we just admit that both have a lot of strengths, and that Intel or AMD ain't going anywhere and be done with it. When you go to store to buy your next CPU, buy the one you like and leave the rest of us the fcuk alone.

    1. Re:bad slahdot by megarich · · Score: 1

      no :)

      its just like pepsi/coke, you have your hardcore people who only drink one or the other, but most usually have a preference but will drink whatever comes their way or whatever one is on sale.......

    2. Re:bad slahdot by dfiguero · · Score: 1

      "...and leave the rest of us the fcuk alone."

      Yes! I don't care if it is AMD or Intel... Leave fsck alone!

      --
      My penguin ate my sig
    3. Re:bad slahdot by adeydas · · Score: 1

      bull's eye, its your choice that makes the final decision...

    4. Re:bad slahdot by Kehvarl · · Score: 1

      Intel or AMD, the choice doesn't matter when my next machine will have a processor whose name begins with a 'G'

  17. Re:First PPC Post by LordEd · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Part of what I do is put the emphasis on how fast the trolls respond to first post.

    Give this a man an executive job at Intel!

  18. Sounds good by Mindjiver · · Score: 1

    Perhaps they can come with a chip fast enough to run emacs. :)

    Jokes aside, competition benefits us all. Never understood why some people feels so strongly about the what company manufactures their cpu:s. Guess I'm getting old.

    --
    I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
    1. Re:Sounds good by jupiter909 · · Score: 1

      I'm just under 25, and feel the same way as you do, if thats getting old, then I'm doomed. I think these people don't actually use their machines for anything constructive, and thus talk about tempretures and speeds and overclocking. Things that mean something, but are best kept under the hood. The same goes for the windows/linux war, it's pointless, each has it's place in the world. With that said, us 'old' guys can crack open another beer and watch the flames start flying. :)

    2. Re:Sounds good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Perhaps they can come with a chip fast enough to run emacs. :)

      Try the FSF GNU Emacs. Much as I prefer the elisp in XEmacs, FSF Emacs starts up a whole hell of a lot faster.

    3. Re:Sounds good by Mindjiver · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I'm 25 also and I'm so bored with all the flame wars, at slashdot and other places. The last thing you said about cracking open a beer sounds really good. :)

      --
      I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
    4. Re:Sounds good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Great! Let's go for a beer then!

      I hope you're a Bud man.

      Those Coors asshats - I mean, dishwater tastes better than that sorry excuse for a beer.

    5. Re:Sounds good by endx7 · · Score: 1

      Perhaps they can come with a chip fast enough to run emacs. :)

      Is it a chip that is somehow optimized for swapping memory?

      If it is, you might have something there. ;P

  19. Desktop CPUs are only a fraction of Intel by stratjakt · · Score: 5, Interesting

    They aren't "staying in the game", they are the game.

    Wake me when AMD provides complete solutions, chipset, motherboard, with integrated audio and video.

    Intel is upgrading because 8 years is a long, long time for a modern chip fab. The "we'll make chips cheaper than AMD" crap is just investor PR.

    AMD is only a threat to but one small fraction of Intel's business.

    --
    I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
    1. Re:Desktop CPUs are only a fraction of Intel by spitefulcrow · · Score: 1

      Correct me if I'm wrong but it seems like Via and nVidia have the chipsets and Asus/Abit/whoever do motherboards and they make great designs for AMD chips, and they're not too pricey. I just put together an Athlon 2600+ box. The chip itself cost $80 and the Asus A7V880 was $60-something. Now let's see, a P4 that has real-world performance (not clock speed) comparable to that Athlon would probably cost over $100. I'm perfectly happy with this AMD box. The Athlon works great, the A7V880 has onboard audio and LAN, and I wanted something better than an 845 so I got a GeForce FX5500 card. $600 ain't bad for all the stuff I got in here.

      --
      Sorry, my karma just ran over your dogma.
    2. Re:Desktop CPUs are only a fraction of Intel by megarich · · Score: 1

      i have an older xp athlon motherboard and it has built in video and audio on the motherboard so i dunno what you are talking about....

    3. Re:Desktop CPUs are only a fraction of Intel by ArbitraryConstant · · Score: 1

      "Wake me when AMD provides complete solutions, chipset, motherboard, with integrated audio and video."

      While Intel chipsets have an excellent reputation for stability (one that I can personally support), there are comparable solutions for AMD chips.

      "AMD is only a threat to but one small fraction of Intel's business."

      Intel's server business is vital to the company.

      --
      I rarely criticize things I don't care about.
    4. Re:Desktop CPUs are only a fraction of Intel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Quote: "Wake me when AMD provides complete solutions, chipset, motherboard, with integrated audio and video."

      I am running a AMD dual barton 3200 cpu system running on a AMD chipset, that had intergrated audio on some manufacturers boards.
      And guess who made the Original chipset for Athlon ;).
      As for intergrated sound the only one that was / is any good is the Nvidia Nforce chipset, the same with onboard video.
      Intels and Ati's onboard video cannot compare with the Amd offering, ever tried to play A game called Call Of Duty on a ATI or Intel onboard video, it is unplayable on them yet a Nforce 2 can play it much smoother, and at a much higher resolution.

    5. Re:Desktop CPUs are only a fraction of Intel by PureCreditor · · Score: 1

      Time to update your signature =) We've all gone through the hype Google managed to pump during their IPO phase by releasing an ALPHA version of GMail, and never doing a full release (their PR claim it's beta quality but i beg to differ). Especially now that Yahoo Mail has a search very similar in power to that of GMail, I see few reasons to desire a GMail invite. Okay, i'm offtopic.

    6. Re:Desktop CPUs are only a fraction of Intel by darkwhite · · Score: 1

      Starting with Opteron, AMD and its partners are providing a range of solutions matching or exceeding Intel's in all sectors other than ULV notebook computing - from desktop replacement laptops to feature-laden desktop motherboards to 8-way enterprise servers to top-performance clusters.

      Intel is no longer "the game", and at the current pace, it won't be the dominant player in the game for much longer.

      --

      [an error occurred while processing this directive]
    7. Re:Desktop CPUs are only a fraction of Intel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree, nice thing about Intel is that you can pick out an Intel board with an Intel chipset and know you'll have a board with no problems. With AMD, you've got to do some research and find out who has a decent chipset, and who makes it into a decent motherboard. Though with a little bit of work, you'll find plenty of quality products for AMD chips.

      Though, currently I've been avoiding the Intel boards with integrated Intel Extreme graphics and shared memory. No matter what you use them for, they can only do one thing: suck.

  20. New Intel chip powered with dead flies! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now that would be news.

  21. Money by go3 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    For my accounting class, I did a financial comparison between Intel and AMD, and the results were quite shocking. I'd never bothered to look indepth at financial statements until then, and I'm amazed that AMD is still going despite having trouble posting a profit. While AMD may be in the lead technologically, the company is still a financial basketcase. The question is whether AMD has the ability to parlay it's lead into actual monetary gains.

    1. Re:Money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      A very interesting perspective.

      To put the scale in perspective - One of Intel Venture's portfolio companies was RedHat. When RedHat IPO'd Intel made more profit merely from their RHAT investment than AMD had made for many many years.

      The difference in the financial scale - especially when you're looking at profitibility - is remarkable. Apparently what keeps AMD afloat is that they have good relations with the investment bankers that keep floating their debt (consider their dresden bank - 1.5 billion in loans). I'd love to be a AMD debtholder; but I sure wouldn't want their options - it seems all the money they ever make is used for servicing debt.

    2. Re:Money by Dan+Ost · · Score: 1

      According to the key statistics page for AMD on finance.yahoo.com, it looks like
      AMD is making money. What's the problem? Is it that they have twice as much
      debt as they have cash on hand?

      --

      *sigh* back to work...
    3. Re:Money by Bloater · · Score: 1

      I beleive IBM has partnered with AMD for a reason. IBM will keep AMD up, pushing them to eat away at intels stature at great loss to AMD. Then, shortly before AMD dies, IBM will give the POWER architecture PC compatibility and flood the server and corporate markets with superior technology along with cast-iron "no risk to the corporate purchaser" marketing. IBM will do this with the aid of Microsoft making POWER versions of Windows by promising to shit on Linux.

  22. More Intel ideas... by bje2 · · Score: 5, Funny

    take all the money that's going into those crappy blue man group commericals, and use it for some R&D...i hate those commercials...

    --

    "Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true." - Homer Simpson
  23. Re:Gamers? Not a key market... by Klar · · Score: 1

    Intel is adapting to the overall MARKET, not merely to AMD's strategies and successes
    I dunno.. AMD chips if ur lookin at speed vs money, seem to be a better deal.. isn't that what businesses should be looking for?

  24. I've been waiting by dasMeanYogurt · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Intel blew it when they cared more about advertising, clock speed vs. work done, and their precious high margin that looked so good to investors. This is the fault of Intel's corporate culture. The ability of your product, not its appearance or attractiveness to investors, is what matters. Hooha for AMD.

    --
    --Gentoo Baby!
  25. Wrong conclusion... by SharpFang · · Score: 4, Interesting

    AMD got the lead because they offer better performance for the same price or better price for the same performance (or somewhere inbetween). Intel WON'T win the race by spending more money on much faster, much stronger and much more expensive hardware. Do you think they will let these $2B just evaporate? They will try to get it back in processor prices. And that's their way to failure.

    Other thing besides competing in CPU prices Intel could do would be to remove overclocking cap (say, by overclocking you void warranty, if they want to protect themselves from people who burn their CPUs) and possibly limit other such monopolist practices that people just perceive as customer-unfriendly.

    --
    45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
    1. Re:Wrong conclusion... by geekoid · · Score: 1

      first off, I'd like to see some evidence that shows that AMD has dominance in the server market...or even the home market.

      second, you invets money to make money. Intel will invets into it's plant, and then recoup with a more competitive product. It will also be recoup over time, allowing them to recoup the moeny by selling more processors.

      I wont by AMD, they have burned me twice, and they show very little in the way of RnD.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    2. Re:Wrong conclusion... by SharpFang · · Score: 1

      I think you misunderstand the idea of competition/competitiveness.
      Few doubt Intel makes -better- processors. Yes, better quality, better top speed, better reliablity. But worse bang for the buck. In times when AMD competed with Cyrix and such, and their CPUs were vastly worse than Intel, everyone had to think twice before buying the "cheaper" one. Now the differences are minor and buying Intel is a gesture of extravagance or paranoia - because all qualities of AMD are just satisfactory and what Intel gives extra above that just mostly isn't worth its price. Sure, Intel still has upper hand in certain markets - high-reliablity servers, mission-critical equipment, hardware doing tasks of such value that price of the CPU is insignificantly low and value of the reliablity gain is invaluable.
      If by increasing reliablity of the application by 1% you increase profit by $10.000/month, $50 for a better CPU is nothing...

      The problem is by investing into even more modern factory Intel may try to keep upper hand in the markets it owns totally (serious business etc), try to extend its share in markets where other CPU families are strong (science, servers, heavy number crunching) but certainly won't gain anyone from the "home computer" zone, people who think 3GHZ may be too much and $200 is a lot. They are those who buy Celerons, because "genuine Pentium" are too expensive, but we all know, Celerons are crap and Athlon is way better (and Duron is even cheaper) - comparable price, better quality. So either they lower prices or increase quality of their "budget" products to compete with AMD or they just won't cut into AMD's market share.

      Their move may be profitable - or not. But it won't make them competitive against AMD. Wrong market, wrong set of features.

      --
      45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
    3. Re:Wrong conclusion... by epgandalf · · Score: 1

      You are way off base when you talk about overclocking. Overclocking will already void the warranty of both Intel and AMD processors. On recent AMD processors, you can lower the multiplier, but not raise it. For Intel processors, you can overclock them, but you have to do it by increasing the FSB. Many people run P4 2.4C procs at 3.0Ghz by overclocking the FSB from 200 to 250 or even higher.

    4. Re:Wrong conclusion... by PureCreditor · · Score: 1

      HP and Dell and what-have-you are already allowing the billions Intel dumped to Itanium to evaporate, so it doesn't hurt to evaporate a few more B's. Itanium is the right innovation with the wrong execution - sigh. Itanium installations currently shine in academia, but that will barely re-coup Intel's investment. Time to short INTC.

    5. Re:Wrong conclusion... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Other thing besides competing in CPU prices Intel could do would be to remove overclocking cap (say, by overclocking you void warranty, if they want to protect themselves from people who burn their CPUs) and possibly limit other such monopolist practices that people just perceive as customer-unfriendly.

      And how will you protect the consumers, some of which had no idea how to detect overclocking, from falling victim to the retailers who overclock everything they sell? This is would create the exact same problem that caused the overclocking cap in the first place.

    6. Re:Wrong conclusion... by xouumalperxe · · Score: 1

      so amd64 and the much touted efficiency of the 32-bit x86 implementation (never mind the 64-bit extensions) is "very little in the way of RnD"?

    7. Re:Wrong conclusion... by serbanp · · Score: 1
      Do you think they will let these $2B just evaporate? They will try to get it back in processor prices. And that's their way to failure

      That's plain stupid. Chances are that their margins will increase if the Fab12 transition to 12" wafers succeeds (i.o.w. the CPU can be made with less money per unit so, amortization included and keeping the selling price the same, they gain more).

      B.t.w., everyone else (including AMD) will eventually move to a 65nm feature set. Anyway, 2B$ are actually pocket money to pull off a 12", 65nm production line.

      Serban

    8. Re:Wrong conclusion... by lachlan76 · · Score: 1
      I wont by AMD, they have burned me twice, and they show very little in the way of RnD.
      Well, what about x86-64? Not only did they manage to produce a 64 bit processor, they were able to make it implement 32-bit instructions at a higher performance level. And they pulled the memory controller onto the processor die, increasing performance even more, and on SMP this increased performace much more by not making all the processors share memory.

      Sounds like a fair bit of R&D to me,
    9. Re:Wrong conclusion... by SharpFang · · Score: 1

      It was quite easy to put -unique- ID in each CPU. What a problem is it to include a "brand plaque" read-only data that provides permanent info like recommended/default speed, safe temperature ranges, "warranty void" bit, brand name, manufacture date and all such stuff, readable i.e. with a signed application downloadable from intel.com, so the customers could check what they have?

      --
      45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
  26. Competition!!! by idwebmedia · · Score: 1

    I'm glad to see the competition. This can only mean faster processors for cunsumers and who knows what they will find on the way while they battle eachother for the top spot.

    1. Re:Competition!!! by Stevyn · · Score: 1

      Exactly. Intel has been around for a while and AMD was always playing catch-up. Now AMD has faster processors, but Intel is still a huge and powerful company to deal with. Their name recognition is still very strong.

      I think it's great they are investing $2 billion in America. I think it's great to see American companies invest for the future and compete with each other.

  27. PowerPC! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't have anything to say about it, but no discussion of 64-bit processors is complete without a side thread about PowerPC. ;-)

  28. What standard is AMD usinng to declare "Dominance" by raitchison · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "AMD has declared dominance in the gaming and server microprocessor market in 2004: I've yet to see an AMD equipped server. If even 5% of all servers are equipped with AMD processors I'll be amazed. This reminds me of when the CEO of Pepsi released a book deatailing how Pepsi "Won the cola wars". I'm sorry if your still #2 in sales you didn't "win" and if you have only begun to break into the marked you certianly aren't "Dominance" For one, I think that AMD is doing great things with their new stuff (been syaing for years they need to do more than just clone Intel CPUs) and that Intel would be wise in paying attention to what AMD is doing but declaring dominance, at least in the server market is kind of like Ralph Nader declaring victory in October.

  29. A Model to show government. by jellomizer · · Score: 0

    This is what I like to see in capitilism. Competition. Back in the late 90s Intell had a larger market share then Microsoft did. Now it is loosing the market share so Intell is now spending money to improve their products and make them more afordable. So Money is being spent which improves the echonomy, Prices are lowered which allows more people to buy products (thus spending more money, and improving the economy more), so this is a Win Win Situation. We should point this out to government officials who think keeping big buisness and allowing them to monopolize an area (*cough*icrosof*cough*) that when they hinder competition out echonomy hurts even if they are the largest employer and paying the most taxes because they can hold onto the largest amount of money and not spend it. And for governemts it is not the amount of money but how often it changes hands that shows the echonomy.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    1. Re:A Model to show government. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your horrid spelling makes my sould bleed.

  30. Uhm... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The only reason I buy AMD processors is because they're cheaper than Intel for the equivalent processor speed. If Intel wants my business back, they need only lower their prices below those of AMD.

    Plus my system has been unstable for a long time and I am afraid my AMD cpu or motherboard may be to blame. Perhaps that fear is unfounded... I don't know... But peace of mind is worth something, and I have never had any reason not to have faith in an Intel CPU.

    1. Re:Uhm... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As long as you don't need to divide by a large number.

    2. Re:Uhm... by MC6809 · · Score: 0
      But peace of mind is worth something, and I have never had any reason not to have faith in an Intel CPU.

      Yeah, I even did the FEA for my homebuilt aircraft using one. Then, one day I was flying along and IEEEeee!

    3. Re:Uhm... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Plus my system has been unstable for a long time

      You don't happen to run Microsoft Windows(tm) ? :)

    4. Re:Uhm... by entrigant · · Score: 1

      Instead of fearing what might be the cause, perhaps you should actually FIND the cause? The last time my system went unstable I found a bad stick of RAM, but as it turns out even that was a symptom of another problem. When a second stick went bad I tested the PSU, and found it was putting out dirty power. I replaced the RAM and the PSU and voila, no more instability. Don't just live with an unstable system and wonder who to blame, find the reason it is unstable, fix it, and determine is the reason was bad design or just age. Perhaps nobody is to blame. Hell, it might just be software related.

    5. Re:Uhm... by sheimers · · Score: 1

      Yes, I've seen unstable AMD systems too. But the problem is that since AMD CPUs are cheaper than Intels, they end in systems where everything is cheap.

      Because for example the power supply is not related to processing speed, that's where the cheapest components are used. So a cheapish power supply not capable of maintaining a stable voltage under heavy load can make your AMD system unstable wrongfully giving AMD bad reputation.

    6. Re:Uhm... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My AMD system is unreliable. Of course, having the crappiest case for cooling doesn't help at all.

      We have two Athlon XP based machines. One has a nice case and a nice cooling solution and the CPU rarely gets over 55C, even with stressful gaming, video encoding and compiling. The other machine gets up to 70C because the case seems to oddly restrict airflow and the system is chock full of hot things. It does crash, especially when doing tasks that are very stressful on the CPU.

      But like most computer problems, that's my fault, really, for letting it get like that. I shouldn't make a hot gaming PC in a horribly cooled computer, really I shouldn't.

  31. That's right damnit by jester22c · · Score: 1

    AMD all the way. Competition is the strongest force pushing consumer electronics. I've been an AMD fan for quite a while now but if Intel doesn't jump on it they are going to lose even more market share in the next few years.

  32. MHz rather than FPS by frovingslosh · · Score: 5, Insightful
    is a past Intel decision to concentrate on MHz rather than FPS

    Translation: At Intel we decided to put our effort into having a CPU that had an insanely high clock speed, which we decided was much more important than actually getting the CPU to do a lot of processing, which would help contribute to higher frame rates for games and higher output for most users. Our evil competitor AMD realized that it was important to have the computer do something with the cycles they used, and built CPUs that not only did more, but did more at slower clock speeds. We are trying to figure out why this allowed them to win in a market we previously owned, but so far we've only come up with this MHz rather than FPS marketing phrase.

    --
    I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
    1. Re:MHz rather than FPS by servognome · · Score: 1

      We are trying to figure out why this allowed them to win in a market we previously owned, but so far we've only come up with this MHz rather than FPS marketing phrase.
      Translation: We won the MHz Myth war and knocked AMD down from 21% in 2000 to 12% in 2002. Now that they are coming back we need to do something different.

      --
      D6 63 0D 70 89 81 BB 8E 7B 7C 5F 5D 54 EA AB 73
    2. Re:MHz rather than FPS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Performance is an important part of a CPU, but not the only part. It is the most visible part. True, one of these companies needs to get back on the ball before the other catches up in the remaining areas.

    3. Re:MHz rather than FPS by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

      Actually from a marketing perspective Intel was right.

      Home users bought Intel's because they ran out a higher clock rate and many vendors like Dell knew consumers would look at the mhz speed of their products when making purchasing deciscions. In return Dell chose Intel for the nice glossy ads you see in pc magazine which show the mhz speed.

      Technical wise you and I know better but INtel is a business. Not a charity orgranization for hackers.

  33. Dominance... by acidblood · · Score: 2, Insightful

    AMD has declared dominance in the gaming and server microprocessor market

    AMD may declare what they want, but the numbers speak for themselves. I strongly doubt anyone can provide numbers showing that AMD is ahead of Intel in the server market (though I may grudgingly concede the gaming market).
    --

    Join the NFSNET. Our prime goal is making little numbers out of big ones. http://www.nfsnet.org/

    1. Re:Dominance... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I for one am spec'ing AMD processors in our servers now because I will want to run the 64 bit OSs when they are released soon. There is still no Intel solution that will allow me to do that on a multi processor server.

    2. Re:Dominance... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Technical dominance, not market dominance.

    3. Re:Dominance... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Easy enough, market growth is a form of momentum.
      At this moment AMD has more momentum then Intel.
      Losing momentum is the first sign of losing market share and thus dangerous for investors other than the put investors. So to lign it up for Intel:
      1. Losing momentum
      2. Losing market share
      3. Losing investors
      4. ...
      5. Profit (for AMD)

  34. Well I work for AMD and INTEL got SERVED! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sucka!

  35. Re:Gamers? Not a key market... by hexed_2050 · · Score: 1

    Sad thing is, I've been buying AMD chips now for my corporate clients. 1. They cost less, corporations like that. 2. This amounts for the best bang for the buck vs. Intel. I love Intel, in fact, I have two Intels for my main computers. However, Intel has not responded and AMD is taking it away with both price and speed. Moreover, the promising NVIDIA 4 ultra/sli chipset has been released for the AMD line of processors and the combo is very promising in the preliminary results.

    --
    Valkyrie is about to die! Wizard needs food -- badly!
  36. Bias? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Intel's smaller rival that made its name by making bargain-basement Intel knockoffs Sounds rather biased.

  37. But gamers predict where the market is going... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Today's high-end "gaming machine" is tomorrow's pokey desktop office box.

    Interesting to see how an Intel employee is now deriding higher-performing AMD CPUs as "about gaming" and basically implying Intel doesn't care about that "boutique" market.

    And to admit Intel's all about marketing labels like MHz instead of true processing power (derogatorily refered to a mere "fps" here....).

    Yeah, Intel's "adapting to the overall MARKET" - with an admitted marketing strategy centered on the fact their clock just happens to spin around a bit faster than and AMD clock.

    Boy, all the words like "boutique" and "niche market" and "adapting to the overall market" make me feel like I've just seen a marketing droid's powerpoint presentation....

  38. Re:Gamers? Not a key market... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    whatever the market, AMD is really taking intel on.

    The opteron is completely dominating that arena. what does intel have? the itanic? dont make me laugh.

    globalization folks mostly have a problemw with the poverty stricken low wage earning jobs many companies provide. fabrication work is not exactly a low skill, sweat shop type job in asia.

    they dont have a problem with most car imports. they have a prob with cheap clothing put together for little pay.

  39. Re:Gamers? Not a key market... by Glock27 · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Gaming is a niche market. The reason AMD can do well with it is that it's a botique market, and they produce so many less chips than we do.

    I call BS. Intel has plenty of resources to go after all kinds of different markets. Further, AMD chips do better at many other kinds of applications. Even further, Intel went so far as to rebadge very expensive Xeon chips (Pentium 4 Extremely Expensive Edition) to go after the "unimportant" gaming market. Finally, for most server usage, Opteron vastly outperforms Xeon, especially for multiprocessor servers.

    Sure, the world of processors is changing, but Intel is adapting to the overall MARKET, not merely to AMD's strategies and successes.

    I hope your company has a high rate of adaptation, it'll need it.

    Side Note: How come you anti-globalization folks aren't applauding Intel for expaning a facility in the USA? Hmm? Where are AMD's chips made again?

    Yes, that's nice, though I'm quite sure Intel made the decision based on dollars and cents rather than any warm-and-fuzzy pro America sentiment. Good PR doesn't hurt either - and Intel could sure use some. ;-)

    It should also be pointed out that AMD could soon be manufacturing chips in East Fishkill, NY if Forbes is right.

    --
    Galileo: "The Earth revolves around the Sun!"
    Score: -1 100% Flamebait
  40. Of Bytes and Men... by Mulletproof · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Part of what I do is put the emphasis on how fast we respond," explains Robert Baker, Intel's top manufacturing executive

    And it gives me goosebumps just wondering what the other part of his important job is... Aside from the fact that you should have been proactively whooping AMDs cache to begin with, not responding to their dominance.

    --
    You need a FREE iPod Nano
  41. Things change .. by nurb432 · · Score: 1

    Over time most companies 'on top' get too bloated and are unable to keep up with market demands fast enough to stay there.

    Look at IBM, or TI ( thats Texas Instruments, for you youngins around here. )

    That said, when does our beloved microsoft get to that stage? I hope its soon.. Along with the 'media industry'....

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
    1. Re:Things change .. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Microsoft doesn't have to play catchup, they'll just steal whatever software technology they need to stay on top.

  42. Yes! the tides are turning... by dep01 · · Score: 1

    Intel is playing catch-up to AMD.... Internet Explorer is playing catch-up to Firefox... 2004: The year David would strike mighty blows to Goliath.

    --
    "hey, could you pass me a paper towel? er.. I mean... DEPLOY ABSORBTION PANEL!"
  43. In defense of Intel by tekiegreg · · Score: 1

    They still rock in one spot, the mobile processor market. I just got a new laptop with their Centrino processor and it's awesome. Loads of power, and I can run for 3 hrs easily. I was looking for a similar offer from AMD but to no avail.

    But yeah in the desktop/server market in general I'd give AMD first pick now. Truly the innovator at this point.

    Also I'd be nervous if I were AMD, a quick glance at the balance sheets shows Intel has a helluva lot more working capital then AMD, it's amazing what a 600lb gorilla can do to a 100lb skinny guy. Then again AMD has always been nimble enough and they've come up with something innovative to beat Intel, and they'll do it again...

    --
    ...in bed
    1. Re:In defense of Intel by rkischuk · · Score: 1
      They still rock in one spot, the mobile processor market. I just got a new laptop with their Centrino processor and it's awesome. Loads of power, and I can run for 3 hrs easily. I was looking for a similar offer from AMD but to no avail.
      Look out, you've been eaten by the marketing drones. Centrino is nothing more than a lame marketing name for a laptop containing a Pentium-M processor, an Intel 855 chipset, and one of 2 Intel wireless chipsets. It's incredible how highly people esteem "Centrino", particularly when all they really want is long battery life and wireless access, which can be had from a variety of chips and chipsets. AMD has a mobile processor too, and Consumer Reports tested an Athlon XP-M laptop to last over 3 hours. They just haven't spent $300 million promoting a word concocted by their marketing department.
      --
      Seen any BadMarketing lately?
    2. Re:In defense of Intel by tekiegreg · · Score: 1

      NOOOOOOooooooo.....I've been blinded by marketing, how could this happen, I must be getting older and more gullible. The sad part too is that the AMD equivalent looks to be about $100 cheaper than the Centrino Notebook I bought.

      *sigh* I must redeem myself immediately, I know, I'll install BSD on this notebook and like it!!!

      --
      ...in bed
    3. Re:In defense of Intel by rkischuk · · Score: 1
      NOOOOOOooooooo.....I've been blinded by marketing, how could this happen, I must be getting older and more gullible. The sad part too is that the AMD equivalent looks to be about $100 cheaper than the Centrino Notebook I bought.
      Don't be TOO ashamed. An article I was reading said that their campaign has been so successful, some people think they need Centrino in order to go wireless, others think that Centrino is the actual processor name - they said there was a demonstrable spike in demand for Centrino notebooks versus wirelessly enabled Pentium-M processors (essentially the same thing). I despise marketing.
      --
      Seen any BadMarketing lately?
    4. Re:In defense of Intel by the_2nd_coming · · Score: 2

      oooooooooo 3 hours!!!! wow... I can get 5 on my iBook.

      --



      I am the Alpha and the Omega-3
    5. Re:In defense of Intel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Centrino" may be a marketing strategy but the Pentium M processor kicks ass. Specs show a 2MB cache (Dothan variety), 21 W power req. and notebooks with it last atleast 5 hrs on a single battery. I don't think AMD has anything to top that in the same price range.

    6. Re:In defense of Intel by rcamera · · Score: 1

      i've had over 118 DAYS with my dell inspiron pIII m. of course, it was plugged into the wallmost of the time.

      --
      Wave upon wave of demented avengers March cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream
    7. Re:In defense of Intel by rkischuk · · Score: 1
      "Centrino" may be a marketing strategy but the Pentium M processor kicks ass. Specs show a 2MB cache (Dothan variety), 21 W power req. and notebooks with it last atleast 5 hrs on a single battery. I don't think AMD has anything to top that in the same price range.
      The Pentium M IS a fine processor. Honestly, I'm glad for it - it's forced AMD to get serious about power consumption on the mobile processor side of things.

      On the matter of performance, I'd love to find a real comparison of XP-M vs. Pentium-M processors under identical conditions. The closest I can find is an early benchmark comparing the XP-M 1700+ to a Dothan 2.0 GHz. The performance is close enough to chalk up to clock speed. I can't even remotely find a battery life comparison, I'd bet Intel wins that one. For price, you're right, the Athlon XP-M 3000+ at $141 and the Mobile Athlon 64 3400+ aren't in the same class as the Pentium M 755 for $435. Especially since either one of those processors trounces the Pentium in raw power.

      The cache size argument is a non-starter - it's only one input that determines system performance, the real comparison. It's like touting the Athlon's larger L1 cache - big deal. The power requirements and battery life are closely related, and I think Intel does win that one, but by how much, and is that worth an extra $300 to Joe Consumer, especially at a massive performance dropoff?

      --
      Seen any BadMarketing lately?
    8. Re:In defense of Intel by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 1
      An article I was reading said that their campaign has been so successful, some people think they need Centrino in order to go wireless

      That was the whole point of the ad campaign, to make people think that the only way to get a wireless laptop was from Intel (or at least powered by them). Sad thing is, it really did work. Stupid sheeple. :-(

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    9. Re:In defense of Intel by drinkypoo · · Score: 1
      Congratulations, you got intel's best processor, the Pentium M. It is based on the pentium 3, and has the new multimedia stuff attached to it. And, the mobile athlon 64 has similar power consumption but kicks the living shit out of it in terms of performance. Soon mobile A64 laptops will proliferate and you will feel like a schmuck for not buying a used laptop to hold you over. My Thinkpad A21 (which has only a mobile P3 850MHz) gets about 4 hours of battery life, which it achieves by throttling back cpu speed just like your Pentium M. It was $200 and has a 15" 1600x1200 TFT, an 8x dvd-rom, 32GB disk, and 128MB which I will soon bump to 512MB.

      Intel used to control the laptop market completely when AMD's low power chips were Am586 and K62/3+ chips. AMD is going to start killing them there too, and good riddance. The P4 is a not-particularly-funny joke, especially to those who ended up buying them, and the Pentium M is actually a step backwards - The P-M amounts to little more than a holding action.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  44. Not quite as dramatic as CmdrTaco says it is by WidescreenFreak · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The problem with the opening statement from CmdrTaco is that this plant upgrade is not solely due to AMD's dominance in the gaming market. Remember, people, Intel makes a hell of a lot of other chips besides microprocessors. The article even states that AMD is considered to be the leader in automation processors. There is only a brief mention of gaming systems in the article, and Intel has other threats besides AMD. So, CmdrTaco's opening statement is somewhat misleading of Intel's reasons for this upgrade.

    Regardless, one of the reasons why I prefer AMD is price/performance. Most of the benchmarks that I've seen in addition to my personal experience make AMD the clear winner in this scenario, particularly for gaming. AMD chips run cooler, take up less electricity, and cost less than their Intel counterparts. But that's only a small part of the competition's offensive against Intel. Intel now realizes that.

    --
    The Overrated mod is for reversing inappropriate, positive mods, not for voicing disagreement with a post.
    1. Re:Not quite as dramatic as CmdrTaco says it is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's funny that you expect some level of "competence" on Slashdot.

    2. Re:Not quite as dramatic as CmdrTaco says it is by stratjakt · · Score: 1

      AMD is making strides in gaming and the "enthusiast" market more because of nVidias and ATI's chipsets, IMO.

      I know that modern games (I've tested Doom 3 and Far Cry) perform exactly the same on a Celeron 1.8ghz system as a 3.2ghz 800mhz FSB P4, with the rest of the system *exactly* the same. (Radeon 9800, SB Live)

      CPU horsepower isn't what gamers are lacking in any modern system, it's the rest of the machine.

      It just seems to me as though "AMD fever" in the enthusiast crowd started around the same time that NForce came out.

      They made pretty shitty gaming machines when they were restricted to VIA chipsets and had crazy compatibility problems with such esoteric hardware as Voodoo 3 video cards and Soundblaster Lives.

      But with a high-performance chipset made by the guys who make the high-performance video card, it can be safely assumed they'll get along together.

      Not only that, you can finally put together a cheap system with embedded video/audio that has enough juice to play modern games.

      If intel wanted to really compete on the same level they'd be looking at revamping their chipsets and integrated graphics solutions, not the CPUs, they already have a good combo of cheap and powerful with the newer Celerons.

      --
      I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
    3. Re:Not quite as dramatic as CmdrTaco says it is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I know that modern games (I've tested Doom 3 and Far Cry) perform exactly the same on a Celeron 1.8ghz system as a 3.2ghz 800mhz FSB P4, with the rest of the system *exactly* the same. (Radeon 9800, SB Live)

      While I find that particular scenario hard to believe, it does vary from game to game whether it will be processor or gpu intensive. Take a look at http://anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=22 75&p=10 for a comparison of the new intel 3.8ghz against other CPUs in games. As you'll see some games end up with the exact same FPS across the board showing a limitation in other hardware(GPU, RAM, Motherboard, etc) and others quite varied showing the CPU limitation.

  45. Neil Stephenson explains the problem by swm · · Score: 2, Insightful
    From In The Beginning Was The Command Line:
    ...it was the case until recently that the people who wrote manuals and created customer support websites for commercial OSes seemed to have been barred, by their employers' legal or PR departments, from admitting, even obliquely, that the software might contain bugs or that the interface might be suffering from the blinking twelve problem. They couldn't address users' actual difficulties. The manuals and websites were therefore useless, and caused even technically self-assured users to wonder whether they were going subtly insane.
  46. mod_speling considered mandatory by abulafia · · Score: 1
    ...capitilism...Intell...loosing...Intell...aforda ble...echonomy...Win Win...buisness...out echonomy...governemts...shows the echonomy.

    Sorry. my eyes were bleeding.

    --
    I forget what 8 was for.
    1. Re:mod_speling considered mandatory by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 1

      He does that on purpose in all of his posts, it's how you know it's the genuine jellomizer posting and not some cheap clone. ;-)

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
  47. fanboys by mrm677 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Geee...lets see: Intel has 85% market share and has a market cap of over 10 times that of AMD. Intel operates at a profit margin of 22.68% whereas AMD is at 2.89%. And yet the fanboys are declaring "AMD's dominance". How pathetic. Wake me up in 2015 if AMD still "dominates".

    Maybe the fanboys should compare some basic financial statistics of Intel and AMD. This stuff doesn't change overnight.

    1. Re:fanboys by the_2nd_coming · · Score: 1

      dominance in the way of performance you dolt.

      --



      I am the Alpha and the Omega-3
    2. Re:fanboys by mrm677 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      dominance in the way of performance you dolt.

      Really? Do they really "dominate" in the way of performance? I haven't looked at the latest benchmarks. How much faster is AMD's best compared to Intel's? 20%? 30%? This is really not that significant when processors double in speed every 18 months.

    3. Re:fanboys by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You silly fool

      Its the number of number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits that doubles every 18 months not the speed.

      3Ghz PCs made an appearance over 18 months ago - how many 6GHz ones have you seen?

    4. Re:fanboys by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      intel fanboy apologist.

    5. Re:fanboys by mrm677 · · Score: 1

      You silly fool

      Its the number of number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits that doubles every 18 months not the speed.


      That would be Moore's Law which I never mentioned in my previous post. If you look at the 90s, performance of microprocessors did mostly double every 18 months. Granted that this hasn't been exact in the last 4 years, but not that far off.

      3Ghz PCs made an appearance over 18 months ago - how many 6GHz ones have you seen?

      You silly fool. Of course clock rate isn't the only factor in performance. Extra transistors lead to bigger caches, better branch predictors, a larger instruction window, etc. With a 3GHz P4, which can retire up to 3 instructions per cycle, a single cache miss (that takes say 100ns to fill) equates to up to 900 lost opportunities to retire instructions. Now tell me, is going to a 6GHz clock better then saving a few cache misses here and there?

    6. Re:fanboys by Metapsyborg · · Score: 1
      dominance in the way of performance you dolt.

      Really? Do they really "dominate" in the way of performance? I haven't looked at the latest benchmarks. How much faster is AMD's best compared to Intel's? 20%? 30%? This is really not that significant when processors double in speed every 18 months.

      Maybe if processors actually doubled speed every 18 months, but there is no law that claims that; it is a common misconception though, and given your previous comment I see you deserve some slack. Also, a top of the line AMD will outperform a top of the line Intel on most applications (barring perhaps multi-tasking...but then who multi-tasks when they're using avid or running farcry with max settings?)...especially if you're running a 64 bit operating system.

      --
      (\(\
      (^.^) INFECTED
      (")")
    7. Re:fanboys by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      AMD's processors are not much faster than intel's unless you compare dollars spent, at which point they're about twice as fast, or IPC, in which case they're about 15 to 100% faster depending on what you're up to.b

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  48. Why is this news? by jht · · Score: 2, Informative

    I don't mean this in the "News for Nerds" sense - it's just that this is part of the normal business cycle. If you all recall, AMD took a lead during the "MHz wars" a few years ago when they hit 1 GHz first with the Athlon. Intel ramped up and recaptured that lead, but with an architecture that wasn't as efficient (the P4), but even though AMD retained the performance lead the little bit of momentum they brought into the mainstream desktop war was dissipated.

    Plus, Intel had bet the farm on Rambus back then, and when that panned out they had to play catch-up. They eventually caught up. Then AMD hit a nive niche with the Athlon 64, but it's still a blip relatively speaking. Gaming is a niche market, and so are servers (though a bigger niche). Sure, AMD is the leader in gaming, but Intel has the volume, overall market share, and roadmap to compete where most of the dollars are. Plus Intel sells everything including the motherboard to vendors - AMD doesn't.

    So Intel revamping a fab isn't really that big a deal. Heck, at the volumes they deal in, $2 billion is almost play money for them. We'll see how both companies manage the next transition - for market share to change appreciably towards either company will require either a major leap forward (not likely) or a major misstep (much more likely). Meanwhile, both companies will keep on pouring money into the fab for each now generation of chips, and continue until someone blinks.

    --
    -- Josh Turiel
    "2. Do not eat iPod Shuffle."
    1. Re:Why is this news? by djmcdona · · Score: 1
      at the volumes they deal in, $2 billion is almost play money for them.
      Quite right. Back when I worked for Intel (from about the time Fab 12 went online, up to the beginning of development of 300mm wafers) the manufacturing group had a $5B annual budget just for construction, and the design group had a similar budget.

      But revamping Fab 12 is a little suprising. Fab 12 is one of only two fabs using the same footprint. I would have expected them to do a retrofit on Fab 14 or Fab 18, which are "standard fab concept" layout, so that they could "copy exact" the upgrade plan for another six or so fabs. They will only be able to use their lessons learned from Fab 12 if they go retrofit Fab 11.

      And that's what makes it news. But it's also a vindication for the design team who worked on Fab 11 and 12, since a primary design consideration was the ability to rework the fab while still producing chips at it.

  49. Re:Gamers? Not a key market... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sure, the world of processors is changing, but Intel is adapting to the overall MARKET, not merely to AMD's strategies and successes

    Then why is Intel moving to a performance number scheme much like AMD?

  50. Can anyone say complacency? by CygnusXII · · Score: 1

    1 : COMPLACENCE; especially : self-satisfaction accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies. http://tinyurl.com/5rkdw/[Webster.com]

    I think this is a wake up call for the Chip Giant.
    One would think that after coasting for so long, that they would have something in the works, or up their sleeve. I really hate to think that Intel had everything out in the open, and nothing ground breaking in the labs. When you have to spend 2 Billion Dollars to play catch up, there is a problem. If the multicore Processor do not take off, then Intel is a goner. I guess it was a lucky break for them that Microsoft, decided to not charge additional licensing fees, for Multicore CPUs'. http://tinyurl.com/6rkm7/ [pcWorld.com]
    Coincidence, I wonder sometimes, or partner strategy?

    --
    My cat's picked up a Hammer. HEY! Put down that Hammer. Put Down that Hamm...THUNK!
  51. Intel's problem. by LaminatorX · · Score: 1
    Por years now, Intel has been focusing on marketing first and technology second, I'd say ever since the PIII to P4 transition. By focusing on technology that played well with focus groups (i.e. more MHz at any cost, efficeincy be damnned) instead of a more scalable long-term architechture roadmap, they've pipelined themselves into a dead end. Even with this move, they're touting it's public relations impact rather than technical breakthroughs.

    AMD in comparison, puts the horse before the cart. They build better processors, then (perhaps under-)use marketting to let the world know about it.

    1. Re:Intel's problem. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd actually challenge that. While I am not fan of Intel's desktop processors, their centrino stuff is saving the portable PC industry right now. They have the technology to make lower power, high performance chips. Just you watch, a derivative of the pentium M that is doing so well in laptops now would be killer in the server and cluster market. Think of all of the heat and electricity savings. This is their trump card, and they will use it.

    2. Re:Intel's problem. by LaminatorX · · Score: 1

      Pentium M and Centrino are examples of good Intel technology. My point is that they're still pushing Xeon's and Itaniums in that market, and you they wont sell you a Pentium M blade center or Centrino quiet entertainment pc.

  52. Complacency kills! by Mr.+Cancelled · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Intel screwed itself out of a market, clear and simple.

    When AMD began offering cheaper, but equally capable CPU's (Thunderbirds, Celerons), Intel chuckled about how they ran much hotter than their Intel counterparts. All the while AMD was eating up the low-end PC market.

    When AMD began telling the world about their 64-bit plans, Intel chuckled about how the world wasn't ready for 64-bit. Additionally, they pushed their way-overpriced 32-bit Xeon's whenever anyone brought up 64-bit server CPU's.

    When AMD began talking Opterons, Intel talked about their outrageously overpriced, and seldom utilized Itanium technology.

    And when 64-bit AMD chips began to outsell Intel chips, Intel dragged their feet on adding 64bit extensions to their own chips.

    Intels attitude seemed to be one that dooms nations, individuals, and companies: They were too arrogant and complacent!

    They knew that they were the CPU kings of the world. They knew that the same company that had stolen the low-end PC market could never threaten their corporate market. They knew that 64bit CPU's were not needed yet, and they knew that they could basically put out what they want, when they wanted to, and that people would beat a path to their door, simply for the Intel brand name.

    And now they know they were wrong.

    Face it... Nations fall when they ignore the barbarians at the gate. People fall when they think they're more important than they are, and companies fall when they ignore the competition, and their target markets needs.

    Intel wasn't developing what people wanted, they were developing what they thought people needed. There's a huge difference there. When creating art, you can do things your way. When manufacturing product, you do so to create what the market wants. Intel got it backwards, and their current state shows what happens when you do: Roadmaps tore up, lackluster sales, and a company that's now trying to re-invent itself, just to stay competitive in a market that it once owned.

    Intel screwed up! It is the 21st century's IBM in a way, and as IBM had to do in its day, Intel must now change in order to stay alive in this industry it created.

    1. Re:Complacency kills! by stratjakt · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Intel is much more than CPUs.

      Intel CPU market is much, much larger than the "gamer" or "enthusiast" market.

      In fact, Intel hardly gives a rats ass about that market. Only recently did they release a motherboard (Hey, when's AMD going to release a complete solution including chipset and mobo?) that supported any sort of overclocking. Even then it was a very half-hearted attempt at competing with other mobo makers, not AMD.

      Intel's not going anywhere any time soon, in fact, I predict that Intel is still around years after AMD is bought out by some giant Chinese conglomerate.

      It seems AMD's the one in trouble. They sell their shit so cheaply that profit margins are razor thin for them. They have to own this gamer market, any real competition in that arena could spell out the end for them. Intel could undercut them and eliminate them, if they chose to do so.

      --
      I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
    2. Re:Complacency kills! by Glock27 · · Score: 1
      It seems AMD's the one in trouble. They sell their shit so cheaply that profit margins are razor thin for them. They have to own this gamer market, any real competition in that arena could spell out the end for them.

      Er, no. AMD is also doing very well with it's server and workstation chip, the Opteron. Thus, it's ASPs (average selling prices) are rising, which is a good sign long-term.

      Intel could undercut them and eliminate them, if they chose to do so.

      At least if there weren't anti-dumping laws.

      BTW, you might want to check AMD's stock performance: $10.76/share to over $21 a share since September. At one point it hit $24.95. Not bad, eh? Especially compared to Intel's... ;-)

      --
      Galileo: "The Earth revolves around the Sun!"
      Score: -1 100% Flamebait
    3. Re:Complacency kills! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      BTW, you might want to check AMD's stock performance: $10.76/share to over $21 a share since September.

      Damn, now you tell me... why couldn't you have predicted this in September? :)

    4. Re:Complacency kills! by Glock27 · · Score: 1
      Damn, now you tell me... why couldn't you have predicted this in September? :)

      I've been advising people to buy AMD stock for several years... ;-)

      I might wait for a pullback at this point, but if you're holding it for 5+ years you might as well start buying.

      --
      Galileo: "The Earth revolves around the Sun!"
      Score: -1 100% Flamebait
    5. Re:Complacency kills! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When "Mr. Cancelled" was playing arm chair CEO, he spewed the following:

      >> When 64-bit AMD chips began to outsell Intel chips, Intel dragged their feet on adding 64bit extensions to their own chips.

      #1 Intel 64bit x86 outsells AMD by an order of magnitude.

      #2 Intel did not wait for AMD to start. Both AMD and Intel started several years back:
      If AMD/Intel 64bit x86 chips are shipping now, they first taped out 1 year ago. The deign engineering started 3 years before that. Microsoft agreed/committed to the instruction set before that.

  53. fast response is 12 years? by blanks · · Score: 1, Interesting

    "Part of what I do is put the emphasis on how fast we respond," Frist upgrade in 12 years, yeah man, way to respond fast. Maybe if the plant was upgraded 4-5 years ago when AMD first started digging into their market share, then maybe they would stand a chance.

  54. Re:Gamers? Not a key market... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    No.

    Businesses look for somebody else to blame. It's the first thing they "teach" you in MBA "school". Make sure somebody else can catch the blame. Hopefully you can blame a black, a jew, a gay, a woman, or some crippled person. Save the white straight male at all costs.

  55. Um... by Svartalf · · Score: 1

    Considering that only Dell and HP largely use those unified chipsets with everything integrated, and largely only on their low-end machines, I don't consider the availability of an all-in-one solution as big a deal as you seem to make it. 'sides, VIA offers the very thing you talk about- even makes a good office machine for most setups.

    What you mention isn't relevent- really, it isn't.

    --
    I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
  56. Re:Gamers? Not a key market... by megarich · · Score: 1

    it can't be also because amd chips seem to be generally less than those of comparable intels? so what's worse, trying to flaunt power because you were once a monopoly in the desktop area or have plants outside the us? and can you tell me for sure intel doesnt have any plants outside the continental us either? thought so...

  57. Re:Gamers? Not a key market... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Side Note: How come you anti-globalization folks aren't applauding Intel for expaning a facility in the USA? Hmm? Where are AMD's chips made again?

    The manufacturing part of the whole process doesn't reel in the profits. The real profits to be made come in the designing part. And as far as I know most of the AMD chips are still designed here in the states.

    Next thing you know anti-globaliztaion people will start complaining that the silicone isn't mined in the good ol' USA.

    Come to terms with the world economy, the U.S. is shifting from an industrial economy to a service economy.

    Besides those plants abroad that might be leaking tens of millions in labor a year are dwarfs compared to the 4 billion in wealth it has created for the stock during the last year.

  58. Apples and oranges. by plover · · Score: 1
    I'm curious: why do you think an integrated solution is important in the marketplace?

    I don't think making chips necessarily qualifies a company to be a mobo maker. AMD is focused only on their core business: producing powerful chips. They've left the mobo market alone (other than to provide reference boards) because there are other manufacturers out there who specialize in motherboards.

    I guess I don't see the relative advantage of singlesourcing the system boards. Having an Intel board in my machine doesn't really confer magical properties to it. (Plus, I think integrated video is a non-issue for many desktops, because a lot of purchasers are looking for a customization point. My last purchase was 15 top-end workstations, and cheap video was a concern -- compilers don't benefit from 3D acceleration. However, a lot of people who buy these machines do need them for intensive graphics applications, so they need a decent graphics card.)

    I suppose the giant manufacturers like Dell and HP gain some expense reduction benefit by having the chips and boards single sourced. But for a company that's willing to purchase them seperately, I think they can use market pressures to drive down the cost of the motherboards.

    --
    John
  59. Bank for your buck by gandell · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The reason I'm looking at AMD for my next upgrade is price. I simply get more for my money with AMD than with Intel.
    Intel's spending 2B to upgrade its facilities, but who's paying? We are, that's who. So if chipset prices go up again, AMD will still be on top for the cheapskates among us.

    --
    Mercy was given to me by Christ...I must give the same to others.
    1. Re:Bank for your buck by Chandon+Seldon · · Score: 1

      I'm guessing that bringing another fab online is more likely to decrease prices than increase them - which is exactly what Intel needs to be doing.

      --
      -- The act of censorship is always worse than whatever is being censored. Always.
  60. Re:Gamers? Not a key market... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Where are AMD's chips made again?

    Among other places they're made in two Fabs near the city of Dresden, about 350 km southeast from where I live....

    I don't think I can complain here.

  61. Re:Gamers? Not a key market... by kesuki · · Score: 1

    Intel has fab plants overseas, so does AMD, It's nice to see Intel expanding the US plant, but it's also been rumoured that AMD is opening a second US based fab.. (in addition to thier Austin, Tx one)
    Yeah the dresden Germany fab is thier higher volume fab, but opening a new fab in NY could shift the ballence to made in the usa. I highly doubt this 2b fab upgrade for intel is going to shift margin, most likely it's just required maintenece costs to keep the plant running.
    Intel's roadmaps from some 2-3 years ago had the 'real' P5's rolling out around now, and that is ultimately where intel dropped the ball.
    AMD wouldn't even have rabid fanboys in the FPS market if the p5's had been on schedule. Lately all I heard from Intel is multi-core p4's which would shift the performance to intel, at the cost of precious silicon (not that the amd FX uses a small chunk of silicon either.)
    And yeah intel has generally had better overall design (even the highest end AMDs can get bogged down when trying to multi-task, unless you configure them in a dual processor setup) While intel has had the multi-tasking issue solved from a single processor for quite some time now.

  62. They're missing the point entirely by melted · · Score: 5, Interesting

    When XBox 2 comes out neither Intel nor AMD will be the main players in the gaming market. The main players will be IBM, NVidia and ATI.

    1. Re:They're missing the point entirely by Quino · · Score: 1

      Especially IBM, as I believe they're making the processors for not just the XBox 2, but more importantly the Play Station 3, and the next gen Nintendo (unless something's changed) as well.

    2. Re:They're missing the point entirely by melted · · Score: 1

      The current Nintendo Game Cube uses ATI video chip and IBM processor, BTW. So this market is by no means new for either of the companies.

    3. Re:They're missing the point entirely by obeythefist · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately for "serious" gamers, this is true.

      I'm still yet to see a console game that has intellectually exceeded any PC game to date. Equalled - almost (most console -> PC ports tend to be "improved" by the conversion with added functionality).

      So many console games nowadays are so childish they give Pong a run for its money.

      Having said that, mouse and keyboard functionality is being built into the PS3 and Xbox2, so the difference between PC and console is blurring. The existing consoles do have support, but when we see games that come out for consoles requiring a mouse (or at least using the competitive edge that a mouse provides over analog sticks), it'll be fun to watch the market change.

      --
      I am government man, come from the government. The government has sent me. -- G.I.R.
  63. Re:Gamers? Not a key market... by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

    > Look, MY ego's been undergoing enough thrashing lately. Gamers, it's your turn: The reason AMD is
    > dominant in the market segment is a past Intel decision to concentrate on MHz rather than FPS.
    > There's money to be made in gaming chips, sure, but not all that much compared to corporate
    > desktops and laptops.

    So, in other words, Intel let the marketers run the show. They had this wild buzz-word called "Mhz" which they had trained a computer-illiterate generation of consumers (corporate and home-based) meant POWER. Then AMD came along and demonstrated that there's more to processing than Mhz.

    My feeling is that you guys let the marketers run the show, and marketers are hipster types that dig words like "Mhz", because those words are so whimmy wham wham wazzle. So you guys just kept cranking up the clock speed.

    Perhaps you guys should do yourselves a favor and stick the marketers back in marketing, and cut of all the phone extensions between marketing and engineering.

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  64. Fab 12 = OLD News! by Tsu+Dho+Nimh · · Score: 2, Informative

    Hey guys ... Intel has been working on that rehab for quite a while. It's not in response to AMD's anything, it's just part of the plan.

  65. More complicated. by khasim · · Score: 2, Insightful

    So Bush wants the dollow low compared to other currencies which are pegged to the dollar ... ... but then he runs up massive debt which is paid for by bonds sold to those same countries.

    That means they have a 3rd option. Re-peg their currencies to the Euro and let the US economy crash. It's a lot of short term pain for them, but a lot more short term and long term pain for us.

  66. wrong metric by mapmaker · · Score: 2, Insightful
    I believe the poster meant performance dominance, not sales dominance.

    Opterons are dominating Xeons in 32-bit server performance right now and they will dominate them even further in 64 bit performance once Windows Server and Solaris 10 go 64 bit in the next couple months. Athlon FX processors are dominating Prescott P4's in 32 bit gaming performance right now and will dominate them even further in 64 bit gaming performance when XP64 is released in March.

    And then there's the dominance in stock performance going on...AMD's stock price has more than doubled in the last 3 months; Intel's, "not so much". :)

    I'm heavily invested in AMD right now and have made 2.7 boatloads of money on them since September. I expect to make a few more boatloads when 64 bit OSes go mainstream in the next quarter.

  67. Amazing things of our time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I just got a new laptop with their Centrino processor

    An amazing feat in itself, considering there's no such thing as a "Centrino processor".

  68. clock speed announcement by captaineo · · Score: 1

    I was disappointed by the announcements earlier this year from Intel and AMD that they will no longer try to improve clock speeds (instead favoring multi-core CPUs, which IMHO are more difficult to optimize for).

    On the other hand, perhaps this is a decoy tactic - tell everyone you aren't working on clock speed anymore, then surprise the competition later with faster clock speeds :)

    1. Re:clock speed announcement by Glock27 · · Score: 1
      I was disappointed by the announcements earlier this year from Intel and AMD that they will no longer try to improve clock speeds (instead favoring multi-core CPUs, which IMHO are more difficult to optimize for).

      I think AMD will still continue bumping clock speeds - it was Intel (which is a full GHz. ahead in that department, without getting any more performance) that blinked.

      AMD and IBM recently announced new strained silicon technology that should facilitate higher clocks.

      --
      Galileo: "The Earth revolves around the Sun!"
      Score: -1 100% Flamebait
  69. Interesting quote by mr_z_beeblebrox · · Score: 1

    "Part of what I do is put the emphasis on how fast we respond," explains Robert Baker, Intel's top manufacturing executive." Robert Baker "I've come to put you back on schedule"
    Minion "But, Lord Baker, my men are working as fast as they can. The Emperor asks the impossible."
    ....

  70. No, but Barrett era has been a failure by Ars-Fartsica · · Score: 1

    When Barrett took over, AMD was at best a minor annoyance to Intel, a percentage point off of the quarterly revenue. Now AMD is stealing marketshare. Bye Craig, you will not be missed.

  71. Re:Gamers? Not a key market... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Ooh... the troll-bating runs deep in that article.

    What percentage of AMD chips are made in Asia, and what percentage of Intels?

    MHz rather than performance is not valued in corporate desktops or laptops in places I've seen. All our high-end corporate systems are looking to AMD/64 _because_ of metrics more like TPC/C, TPC/H, not the MHz rating.

  72. That's it??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    $28? I've got about $31 in my pocket right now. Can I get in the game?

  73. Intel is still VERY dominant by dtjohnson · · Score: 1

    It's misleading to talk about Intel getting back in the game. The Intel market share in the US looks like it is increasing, not the other way around. Sure HP and IBM use a few AMD parts but if you go into any chain store, almost all of the computers will be using Intel and the ones using AMD will be using the old 32-bit AMD chips with weak hardware.

    Those room-warming P4s may not be much next to an AMD64 but if almost no one offers AMD64 machines for sale, does it matter? People are still lapping up those P4s in droves. The INTEL marketing people are in the process of schooling everyone about how the technical capabilities of the product are waaaay less important than the advertising 'Intel-inside' co-op program, the blue men commercials, and the payola to opinion-makers.

  74. Re:What standard is AMD usinng to declare "Dominan by MarkVVV · · Score: 1

    look at who is cloning who, now...

  75. I didn't RTFA but.... by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    do you really need to spend that much just to play EQ2? Jeez, just turn down some settings or something...

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  76. And Yea... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...There was much rejoicing.

  77. who really wins here.. by the_mpls_guy · · Score: 1

    In my dealings with Intel, It has alwas seemd to me that they are not really concered with input from the public. In the past and even today, they still come off as a very arrogant company. AMD being the underdog has always had to try harder, innovate and listen to public reaction. I sure hope this move of AMD to the top does not result in the arrogant traits that the top dogs usually acquire. I also hope that Intel learns a lesson or 2 from this. As the processor wars continue; we as consumers .. WIN!!

  78. Re:What standard is AMD usinng to declare "Dominan by paitre · · Score: 1

    With the exception of my handful of Dell rigs, and the cluster I inherited when I started here - everything I have now is AMD.
    That's a full 32node cluster, a 4-way, and a few other goodies.

    So like, bite me :)

  79. Counterexample: AAPL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When creating art, you can do things your way. When manufacturing product, you do so to create what the market wants.

    Tell that to Steve Jobs. ^_^

  80. Re:Gamers? Not a key market... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Many AMD chips are made in Austin, TX.

    And don't forget that having the best gaming chip bleeds into other markets. Once you win over the enthusiast, it makes it easier to break into other markets.

  81. Intel should bring the Pentium M by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    on desktop.

    pretty fast if they want to compete. Reviews such as this one> clearly shows how the Pentium-M currently competes against the A64 and top of the line P4's using an "ok" desktop motherboard from AOpen

  82. Dothan is key by asliarun · · Score: 2, Informative

    Surprisingly, in all the comments, hardly anyone has given importance to the one amazing card that Intel holds: Dothan.

    Anandtech review on Linux performance on Dothan:-
    http://www.anandtech.com/linux/showdoc.a spx?i=2308

    Yes, everyone agrees that Prescott is too hot and doesn't quite match up to the FX-55 and its descendants. Shut up already.

    Dothan's a different cheetah though. With it's mind-bogglingly cool thermal envelope, a moderately overclocked Dothan holds up to a FX-55 (which is a pretty hot processor, albeit not in the Prescott level) in most cases. Best of all, Dothan delivers GAMING performance almost as good as the top of the line AMD offering: FX-55. There's also tons of headroom for overclocking a Dothan to further increase its performance. All this when Dothan is not even running DDR2, PCI-E, or a performance optimized (as opposed to power optimized) mobo! Come Alvisio, things will get even better.

    If Intel sheds a bit of Prescott ego, and it's already showing signs of doing so, and adopts Dothan variants for its upcoming desktops, it will whup some serious ass. Believe you me.

    The only sadness is that current Dothans and especially their desktop mobos are horribly expensive. I'm just waiting for the prices to come down in the next 6 months. Can't wait to get my hands on a passive cooled, super silent Pentium M desktop that delivers the same performance as all these over-hyped FX-55s and Prescotts. Heck, i'm even willing to take a 10-20% performance hit, as long as i don't need to use an industrial exhaust fan or liquid nitrogen coolant. I can always make up for the processor performance by spending more on a graphics card anyway.

    I love processors, not brands, btw. Hats off to the Israeli design team that pulled the P-M rabbit out of their hat!

    1. Re:Dothan is key by bani · · Score: 1

      The anandtech link you gave shows dothan performance is rather ordinary for CPUs in the same price range, and absolutely disappointing given the cost of the motherboard.

      As for price, my amd64 and athlons already run cool and silent. I have opterons and amd64s and the heatsink barely even gets warm to the touch, and thats with the fan on its lowest setting. Why would I ever buy dothan when its not faster, and heat isnt an issue?

      Dothan might hold promise for the laptop market but absolutely zero for the desktop.

    2. Re:Dothan is key by asliarun · · Score: 1

      The FX-55, which is the top of the line from AMD, retails for about $900:-
      http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=amd+fx -55&btnG =Froogle+Search&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

      The Dothan 2.1 GHZ, which is the top of the line Dothan from Intel, retails for about $750:-
      http://froogle.google.com/froogle?price1=2 00&price 2=600&hl=en&lr=&tab=wf&scoring=pd&price=between&q= dothan+processor+2.1ghz&btnG=Search+Froogle

      The power rating or TDP (Thermal Design Power) for the FX-55 is 104W! (up from 89W). It also operates at about 55 degree C, which, IMHO, is definitely hot to the touch.
      URL:-
      http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_con tent.asp?id=fx5 5&page=2

      The Dothan, on the other hand, has a TDP of only 21W!
      URL:-
      http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_conte nt.asp?id=dot handesktop&page=2

      Yes, if you look at price/performance, as is your main argument, Dothan may not currently be viable. I myself said the same thing in my previous post. However, say 6 months down the line, if i can buy a Dothan with mobo at similar prices for a mid-range AMD+mobo, i will go for the Dothan, even if i get a 15% performance hit in certain apps. Yes, Dothan is not the best in compiling, but is very good in gaming and other apps.

      It can very definitely be used as a desktop processor. I use a P-M in my laptop everyday as a very real power user, and even my 1 year old P-M gives me very decent processing performance.

    3. Re:Dothan is key by bani · · Score: 1

      It can very definitely be used as a desktop processor.

      i never said it couldn't. i said it doesn't make sense to, and there's no real market for this. dothan is targeted for laptops.

      the mobile athlon 64 has a TDP of 35 watts, if you're so concerned with power consumption.

      as for TDP claims, intel understates their TDP while AMD overstates theirs. http://www.silentpcreview.com/article169-page3.htm l

      as I said, my amd64 stuff runs cool and completely silent already. the freaking hard drives are orders of magnitude louder than the cpu fan, and these are pretty quiet drives. why would i care about something which uses even less power when the cpu is already totally cool and the hsf is already totally silent? what's the gain?

    4. Re:Dothan is key by mic256 · · Score: 1

      It's because all the tests were 32-bit
      I can't find the link at the moment, but 64-bit apps can be even two times faster than 32bit for Athlon 64.
      (This of course among other things due to the additional registers).
      And Windows XP 64 has reached RC status recently...

  83. Intel lost the plot and now want some clues by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    For years Intel pushed the Itanium as the future, and Pentium as the past

    They disparaged anyone wanting 64 bit form AMD

    Microsoft effectively helped intel by delaying Windows XP for 64-bit in this.

    Now, when an AMD64 costs less than an equivalent powered P4, Intel want to invest money

    The best thing they could do is ditch Itanium (which only rich companies can afford for servers, and to be honest I'd put lots of Pentium4 servers or AMD64 servers in place of a few Itanium ones)

    The other thing Intel could do is co-operate with the likes of AMD, Nvidia, ATI, SIS and VIA and design a bus that is free to implement (but which could be patented, just not enforced) and which meets the need of both Graphics card manufacturers, Peripheral manufacturers and allows high memory rates. Thus meeting the needs of future games (until quake 2010 comes along and needs a lot more power ;-) )

    This however is about as likely to happen as Bill Gates embracing Linux and abandoning Windows.

  84. Mod parent up! by khasim · · Score: 1
    It's rare to find someone who understands the situation.

    Don't forget to factor in the off-shoring drive. Even the stuff that is currently built in the US isn't looking very good for the mid to long term.
    So, when you vote for "less taxes", you put one more stone in the end of the great American empire. I, as a European, shake my head and wonder whether you Americans have any idea what is happening in your country...
    Many of us do. But more of us vote against our economic interests in order to support their ideological/religious interests.
  85. Bermuda Trapezoid? by heroine · · Score: 1

    Manufacturing plant between Bermuda and Hawaii? With strategies like that Intel deserves to die. We feel however that Intel's disappearance from the CPU space has really slowed down the improvements. Today's chips at the same price point aren't doing any more than chips 5 years ago. The difference in price required to get very small improvements is much higher than the difference in price 5 years ago.

  86. Re:Gamers? Not a key market... by Epi-man · · Score: 2, Informative

    Many AMD chips are made in Austin, TX

    Just to point out, Fab25 is a FLASH plant now, not CPUs. Those are Fab30 in Dresden.

  87. You haven't checked for a long time then ! by wtarreau · · Score: 1

    I've yet to see an AMD equipped server. If even 5% of all servers are equipped with AMD processors I'll be amazed.

    There are companies who only buy HP DL145 or Sun V20Z to fill their racks. Yes, they are dual Opterons in 1U form factor, and they perform very very very very well... Far better for most tasks than any dual Xeon available today, for about the same cost (even slightly lower indeed).

    They are clearly recommended to anyone needing very high-speed memory, I don't think there is anything comparable in the PC world today. Check around you, I think you need to take a closer look to this changing world.

    Willy

  88. "Stay in the game" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Intel spent 2 billion on Levitra?

  89. Re:Gamers? Not a key market... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > Next thing you know anti-globaliztaion people will start complaining that the silicone isn't mined in the good ol' USA.

    Come to L.A., there's quite a bit of silicone in the Hollywood area.

    > Come to terms with the world economy, the U.S. is shifting from an industrial economy to a service economy.

    Shifting? Already there. The big concern is that the services are going too, and all that's left are paper MBA's running outsourced operations.

  90. Re:Gamers? Not a key market... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why does retarded pseudo-insightful crap like this always get modded up? He's not even getting karma for this drivel!

  91. AMD and The Price of Freedom by poptones · · Score: 0

    So you get a "cheap" AMD cpu, what are you going to run it on? S3? And AMD chipset?

    Nvidia and ATi have absolute shit support for linux. I cannot fathom how AMD can have such a great fanboi image when the only decent and SUPPORTABLE graphics support you can get is either ancient Matrox cards or ancient ATi cards.

    Intel documents their chipsets and shares that information with pretty much anyone who asks. Their only restraint lately has been in the wireless support, and to fix that we need to clear up the FCC regulatory issues (ie an act of Congress - look to laws regarding cellphones and scanners and retrofited amateur equipment).

    AMD offers a decent chip at a fair price, but for graphics you're screwed. Intel's onboard graphics may not be the hottest on the market, but at least it is supportable by the linux community and not technology locked away in some ivory tower.

    1. Re:AMD and The Price of Freedom by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 1
      That's odd, I could have _sworn_ I had linux running on an nVidia GPU and that it ran just fine. I must have been imagining this page:

      http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux.html

      And just FYI, I was able to run 1600x1200x32 right off the bat, the only drivers I had to install were for 3d apps.

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
  92. "soi patent" by bani · · Score: 1

    SOI technology has been around for ages. It was used on radiation-hardened CPUs for space probes since the 1960s.

    Any patent on SOI has long since expired.

    1. Re:"soi patent" by Quino · · Score: 1

      the linked IBM article states:

      "the company has now announced what it believes to be the first commercially-viable implementation of silicon-on-insulator (SOI)"

      so the guy's theories on patents could be valid, though they'd be patents on how to make SOI manufacturable and not on the technology itself. The article also says that it was used for simpler electronics because no one before could figure out how to make a modern processor with SOI.

    2. Re:"soi patent" by bani · · Score: 1

      not likely. many companies have been producing modern processors on SOI for a while now. PowerPC and MIPS for example.

      just because ibm believes something doesnt mean its true :-D

    3. Re:"soi patent" by Quino · · Score: 1

      you know, the article then continues with:

      "The company expects SOI to eventually replace bulk CMOS as the most commonly used substrate for advanced CMOS in mainstream microprocessors and other emerging wireless electronic devices requiring low power."

      Which seems to suggest that other people have done it, but it hasn't been widely deployed. I know next to nothing regarding chips, so I can't personaly separate marketting speak from a real innovation here ... :(

      But if what you say is true (and I have no reason to doubt you), then that makes that announcement seem almost pointless.

      I don't know about MIPS, but isn't PowerPC IBM also (and purchased/licensed by Apple and others)?

    4. Re:"soi patent" by lachlan76 · · Score: 1

      PPC is made by IBM, and MIPS is made by MIPS.

  93. Re:What standard is AMD usinng to declare "Dominan by Dan+Ost · · Score: 1

    A previous poster said that AMD had 8% of the server market, up from 6.9%
    last year (last quarter?).

    It's not market dominance, but it is greater than 5%.

    --

    *sigh* back to work...
  94. 0x2b? by foobrain · · Score: 1

    But that's only US$ 43... :P

  95. Re:What standard is AMD usinng to declare "Dominan by raitchison · · Score: 1

    Then color me amazed :-)

    I wonder if that was referring to server boxes or total processors?

    I also wonder if they were going with first tier server vendors (i.e. Dell, HP, Sun, etc.) or if any old white box with a "Server" label was counted?

    Like I said I'm really happy for the progress AMD has made. Competition can only be good for the market in general. I just think they aren't as "dominant" as they would like us to believe.

    As much as I'm rooting for AMD to give Intel a run for it's money I'd still probably shy from it for my critical servers, primarily due to the relibility issues of their earlier PII & PIII clone processors in desktops (primarily low end "consumer grade" PCs sold in places like Circuit City or Sears). Inteligently I know these new chips are completely/u different animals but I guess you get burned once (or a handful in my case) and you don't forget :-)

  96. What Intel needs to do by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    is forget about backwards compatibility with x86, and design a brand new cpu that doesn't suffer any legacy issues of the x86 platform. They could make it 64-bit, target it towards business and servers until they can reduce costs and make it affordable for wider adoption. Oh wait...

  97. you must get goosebumps a lot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Part of what I do is put the emphasis on how fast we respond," explains Robert Baker, Intel's top manufacturing executive

    And it gives me goosebumps just wondering what the other part of his important job is... Aside from the fact that you should have been proactively whooping AMDs cache to begin with, not responding to their dominance.


    last i heard, bob was VP of manufacturing, not architecture. perhaps the finance people should also get started working on these cache problems too. they can help on the cache flow analysis.

  98. AMD needs more volume by Halcyon-X · · Score: 1

    Intel already has more fabs than AMD, this isn't the problem. Dell would be including AMD chips in their systems if it weren't for the fact that AMD doesn't have enough fabs to keep up with demand.

    --

    .sig: Open Source, Open Mind

  99. until such a time by zogger · · Score: 1
    "Despite those facts, it was obviously still cheaper to move the bulk of production overseas"

    Well the obvious quick answer to part of it is that the freeking government gave them a corporate tax break to move overseas. True facts. No idea how much got paid in bribes for that fiasco, but I can't think of any other reason to do that.

    ...anyway, this is all well and good until such a time as the parent nation (the US) has so much screwed the pooch by destroying previously existing decent paying middle class CONSUMERS jobs and incomes that they have very few people left back in the original nation to sell this foreign made stuff -> to, at most any price. These various companies seem to think that they are the only one doing it, when in reality they all are, and they depend on "the other guy" to keep paying their employees real good middle money, so that they can sell their widgets, but they don't want to do it themselves. but they all are heading that direction. Let's cogitate on this a scosh.. How many companies really aren't doing it now, or industries I should say? They are all standing in a circle cutting each others throats basically, and thinking this is a "good deal". They think if only they outsource no one else will, for some magical reason.

    People who keep losing jobs only to struggle to find cheaper and cheaper paying jobs don't "upgrade" as much, nor do they buy much of anything once the bank account is stripped, they switch to credit, and credit is *not* wealth, and eventually that gets borked as well. Then what?

    Any nation that voluntarily destroys middle class jobs for still useful products, not buggywhip subsidies, I mean still current and useful manufactured goods, deserves everything that happens to them. And it WILL happen too.there's no way it can't now, it's too far gone to recover from. I call it the upcoming full "second worlding" of the US.

    Penny wise now,lots of this quarter "profits" for "shareholders" and big fancy magazine covers for various "successful" CEOs,and some cheap crap on credit at *mart, but seriously pound foolish later.

    Eventually, jobs exported to nation X will result in said nation X no longer needing the market represented by the original nation, in this instance, soon China will no longer need the US market, as they will have enough of an infrastructure developed and in place and more than enough population to only need their exploding internal market and those markets foreign to them that exist to supply them various raw materials, of which the US isn't one, either. We won't be making anything they need, selling any raw materials, or being able to afford to export our last ditch products, which are ag products. We just recently switched to being a net food *importer*, unparalleled in our nations history. They will have to drop the buck to what passes for a dime in todays buying power to stay competetive, so guess what that will do to the median standard of living.

    This isn't a case of china creating these jobs all on their own, or the various other big outsourcing targets, this is a case of decent existing and still useful jobs being exported for short term high level mega profits and tax breaks, and it's a big difference.

    In short, in the US we are in the good old days now of affordable stuff and perhaps good jobs, I doubt it will continue into the next adult generation. I seriously doubt it, all the numbers point to a bad decline across the board. It's been 30 years in the making, I've watched it happen, but it's about "cooked", that economic scam turkey is done, and the proof is in the balance of trade payments (we lose), the savings levels(historical all time low), the amount of bankruptcies and foreclosures(historical all time highs), government debt (all time high), and the complete lack of confidence or fiscal reality in most private or governmental pension schemes out

  100. Reminds me of General Motors by w42w42 · · Score: 1

    Another dominant company in their market. They decided in the 80's/90's though to focus on manufacturing and parsing their vehicles into segments, and ignored investing in quality or innovative product. They are only now trying to correct that after being continuously hammered in the market place.

    I hope Intel doesn't make the same mistake, only focusing on manufacturing processes, and not bothering to invest in the designs of what they are actually manufacturing.

  101. Snopes says... [WAS: Re: Raising Arizona] by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There's a reason it's been rated +5 Funny :)

    But seriously, this theme was the subject of an urban legend back in the day. As the tale goes, a town in Japan was renamed Usa so that Japanese goods could have the phrase "Made in the USA" stamped on them. Though there actually is a town named Usa in Japan, it's had that name since before WWII and its name was never leveraged for trade purposes.

  102. big omission by randall_burns · · Score: 1

    It isn't just job export-it is uncontrolled immigration-which basically lets companies give immigrants a shot at a share of public assets(i.e. access to social welfare programs, access to infrastructure) instead of paying compensation. Current US immigration policy is a corporate welfare program-and another de facto liquidation of assets.

    1. Re:big omission by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, that's hard to believe. The reason so much illegal immigration is de facto tolerated (even if officially the govermnent says it's bad) is that it's of great benefit to any country at any point in time to have a slave labor class doing the work.

      That's essentialy what you have with illegal immigrants working for subsistence wages in the US. I agree that there are societal costs, but it's not like they don't pay taxes -- they do pay sales taxes.

      If you're looking for economic problems in the US, immigrant policies are actually helping the economy and I fear you're barking up the wrong tree. I'd start with megacorps that use infrastructure extensively (roads, cops, courts, etc.), rake in obscene profits and yet manage to not pay taxes.

      Read up on the founding father's arguments regarding slavery -- they weren't dumb and they understood the irony of writing about freedom and such, when they were also slave owners. Looking over world history, they knew that there wasn't an empire that didn't grow up on slave labor and they felt it was a necessarily evil if the US was to grow and keep growing. First it was slaves, today it's illegal immigrants, but they "serve" the same purpose to the overall economy.

      PS this did come primariy from an economics professor, who showed us studies trying to prove in either direction whether mass immigration hurts or helps the economy (looking at waves of immigrants at different times in US history), and it was alwasy the same story. The recently arrived and disenfranchised worked the lowest paying jobs, revitalized local economies but (since these were *legal* poor immigrants) also put a strain because of extra infrastructure needed for more people. The net result was almost zero, didn't hurt nor help a ton. Illegal immigrants are another story, since they're not recognized they don't receive any attention or investment in infrastructure (or at least, the minimum required to keep them "out of the way"). And they work for the minimum required to stay alive -- many times not even minimum wage. It's essentially slave labor, with a less evil veneer (instead of a smirking whip-toting slave master, it's a crooked smirking contractor building your house or doing landscaping).

    2. Re:big omission by randall_burns · · Score: 1
      I suggest you look at this piece I helped do. There is a statistical correlation between economic problems and high levels of immigration if you look on a state by state basis.


      I would suggest you read De Tocqueville on the issue of slavery. You may want to also look the differences between elite and public opinion on the topic.

    3. Re:big omission by AtariAmarok · · Score: 2, Interesting
      "Now, you can wish the US was a libertarian utopia-but it isn't"

      I looked at the link. It referred to a very simplistic "immigration good or bad" type of poll. The writer of the piece nicely mixes up the 9-11 terrorists with people from Latin American who come to America... to work.

      --
      Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
    4. Re:big omission by randall_burns · · Score: 1

      Do you have _any_ responsible poll data indicating that the American public wants more immigration?

    5. Re:big omission by AtariAmarok · · Score: 1
      "Do you have _any_ responsible poll data indicating that the American public wants more immigration?"

      No, nor have I looked for any. I don't believe in governing by polls, especially ones that come out roughly 50-50 or are misleading.

      --
      Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
    6. Re:big omission by randall_burns · · Score: 1

      Polls are not authoritative as individual items. However, when I see poll after poll differing between what the public wants-and what the leaders are delivering I start questioning what is going on. Regardless of how I might feel on immigration, I think immigration that is driven by elites overriding popular will is a formula for a lot of hard feelings long term.

  103. I've never owned an Intel CPU. by master_p · · Score: 1

    And so have done many other people that I know. Why? it's simple: AMD's CPUs are cheap and offer great processing power. For most cases, weather the CPU was AMD or Intel was of no significance...AMD 386 40 MHz played Doom I and Wing Commander exceptionally well...my 3400+ Athlon FX plays Doom 3 and HL2 almost perfectly. Why should I buy an Intel CPU? AMDs are a lot cheaper.

  104. Re:Gamers? Not a key market... by pipingguy · · Score: 2, Interesting


    There's money to be made in gaming chips, sure, but not all that much compared to corporate desktops and laptops.

    That seems to be Matrox's theory also (younger people here might be asking who the hell is Matrox?). I wonder if it's working for them.

  105. OT: Gmail by ArbitraryConstant · · Score: 1

    For the record, the sig in question is "Ask me for a Gmail invite.".

    "Time to update your signature =) We've all gone through the hype Google managed to pump during their IPO phase by releasing an ALPHA version of GMail, and never doing a full release (their PR claim it's beta quality but i beg to differ). Especially now that Yahoo Mail has a search very similar in power to that of GMail"

    The Gmail interface still is pretty far ahead of the current Yahoo! one. It remains the best webmail service IMHO.

    "I see few reasons to desire a GMail invite."

    So... that would be why you didn't ask me for one? I'm a bit lost as to why you felt the need to elaborate further on the matter.

    --
    I rarely criticize things I don't care about.
  106. Most of the $2B goes to Japan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    ...to purchase the semiconductor processing equipment. So the dollar falling against the Yen would be of no benefit as far as purchasing the equipment, quite the contrary.

    There may be a benefit later when trying to sell the finished product if the dollar continues to slide, but only if the customers who are demanding chips are outside the U.S.

    In the scheme of things, this is not really big news but a cyclical occurence for them, and only one fab of many. It would be bigger news if they decided NOT to upgrade. If they didn't upgrade for once it would send a strong signal that they are slowing down.

  107. Not a wee bit unbiased by r_jensen11 · · Score: 0

    "Meanwhile, Advanced Micro Devices Inc..., Intel's smaller rival that made its name by making bargain-basement Intel knockoffs...."

  108. that used to be... by zogger · · Score: 1

    ...economic reality until around the 80s or so in this nation. Since then, between the combination of going from the worlds largest creditor nation to the worlds largest debtor nation, and from the occurrence of the rise of the super nanny state, the net result is that now illegal immigrants cost the economy in general terms approx 55 grand a head. It's a severe net loss in purely economic terms. The increased "benefits" of a pool of lower wage earners (who really now are in a lot more than truely dismal jobs "no one wants", that's now an exploded myth) compared to increased infrastructure and societal costs is way tilted towards the "more cost" size. Increases in property taxes to go for new public schools for instance. Whereas in the past is was slow normal growth, many places are having to double or tripe their expenditures in a few short years, ie, no way to ramp it gracefully other than to rip it out of the pockets of people who built the original infrastructure locally, forcing them to pay twice or three times for basically the same "service" they already paid for previously. Ditto police, fire and more importantly public and private health costs. Many local hospitals now run in the red constantly due to pressure from illegals, whom they must treat by law, and who don't/can't/won't pay a penny back. "Anchor babies" who are instant citizens because their 8 months and 29 days pregnant mothers fly in just to have their babies here, which make them eligible for citizenship status, which therefore makes the babies parents and other extended family groups somehow eligible. Instant small business loans and grants for "new arrivals".

    And another point, the ratio of new arrivals to long term existing is HIGHER now than at any time in the past, as when people talk about the earlier days of the US when so called "waves" of immigrants came in. The ratio is much higher now, no other era comes as close or is "more" unless you talk about the immediate early colonization period and leave out all the native peoples. The nearest to now historical era was the late 1890s and, IIRC we are almost triple that ratio currently.

    But with that said, yes, some people profit from it immensely, those same folks who want what they can get vacationing in the second world,real cheap house serfs, garden serfs, factory serfs, various other labor serfs, uhh "physical companion" serfs, and etc, but without the inconvenience of actually having to move to some second world nation. They just want that sort of ultimate two class society here. I mean, there's a reason-say for example Mexico, is still mostly a two class nation. It's not because they lack natural resources or ag land or hard working people or access to tools or whatever, it's because they have a 1% controlling racist class of "castillians" who would rather it stayed the way it has become, 1% controller wealthy class, every one else below them, much below them. The same guys and their economic allies want that for the US. In China, a very equivalent deal, these large companies know what's up at the top levels in China, and they *like it*, they like that orders can be given and that those with the wealth have a lot more power,economic, political, etc, they *dig it*. They want that scene here, too.

    I call them the modern technofeudalists, the new neo-royal "class".

    1. Re:that used to be... by randall_burns · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The big thing I'd add here:
      frontiers. If you have a viable frontier, immigration can be much more beneficial. If you have immigration without a frontier, and with a social welfare state, you have a giant contradiction.
      The US elites have turned their back on frontiers-and have as you pointed out fallen in love with imperialism and slavery.

    2. Re:that used to be... by AtariAmarok · · Score: 0
      "The US elites have turned their back on frontiers-and have as you pointed out fallen in love with imperialism and slavery."

      They've fallen out of love with both. The government (elites) have been in open warfare against slavery since the 1860s. They won this war long ago. The US imperial era ended with WW2, and the US has been shucking off Pacific protectorates ever since.

      --
      Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  109. ...aww man by forensicmeteoboy · · Score: 0

    I remember when intel was THE processer. I guess it's only months before we see them in bankrupcy and/or being bought out

  110. AMD still has a long way to go... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just compare the results over the past year in which Intel is supposedly been screwing up so bad...

    http://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=AMD
    http://fina nce.yahoo.com/q/is?s=INTC

    AMD, Total Revenue = $4,943,322,000
    AMD, Net Income = $164,312,000
    Intel, Total Revenue = $33,352,000,000
    Intel, Net Income = $7,566,000,000

    Intel has 6.7 times the Revenue, and 46 times the profits. In fact Intel has made more profit in this last "troubled" year than AMD has in its entire existance as a corporation.

    So while I like AMD, and will probably end up with a Athlon 64 as my next computer, AMD in no way dominates Intel, and Intel would have to completely self-destruct for that to even come close to happening.

  111. fanboi mods? by poptones · · Score: 1

    Idiot. You are not running Free code, you are running a proprietary bit of shit locked up by Nvidia.

    Where are the GPL drivers? There aren't any, because these folks will not release enough information for the community to support them.

    You might as well just run windows and be done with it.

    1. Re:fanboi mods? by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 1
      Hey, you just said support, you never said it had to be open source. Do the majority of hardware vendors release all the specs needed to code a driver? Somehow, I doubt that the ones whose IP can be reverse engineered do.

      To be honest, I don't give a rats ass if those drivers are open source or not so long as they are maintained for my current open source OS. I don't think a graphics card is going to give me lock-in like an OS or office app will.

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
  112. :( that's a shame, Intel rulz... by mingyar_dondup · · Score: 1

    ... I really do prefer Intel rather than AMD, I think of AMD as a cheap copy (or an intetnt of copy) of Intel, and now that Intel is having a hard time I will still be on The Good Side and I know the Force will go with me.

  113. You missed something by AtariAmarok · · Score: 1
    "Inflation involves an increase in money supply and decrease in money demand"

    You missed an obvious and huge part of inflation: prices going up due to increasing COSTS. These can include such factors as oil prices going up (a big part of inflation in the 1970s) or wages.

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
    1. Re:You missed something by randall_burns · · Score: 1

      Take this one up to the basic economic theorists. A single item going up because of market trends is not general inflation-even if that item is an important commodity. You _always_ expect some items to go up and others down in a market economy. Inflation is a _general_ increase in prices. The oil price rise and the inflation of the seventies were connected-the inflation was largely a desperate gambit on the part of the government to avoid paying its bills after the oil price rise wammied the US economy.

    2. Re:You missed something by AtariAmarok · · Score: 1
      "the inflation was largely a desperate gambit on the part of the government to avoid paying its bills after the oil price rise wammied the US economy"

      You greatly overestimate the power of Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter to do such things.

      "Inflation is a _general_ increase in prices. The oil price rise and the inflation of the seventies were connected"

      They were much more directly connected than you think: increased oil costs made so many things more expensive, due to transportation costs.

      --
      Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
    3. Re:You missed something by randall_burns · · Score: 1

      The big operators during the inflationary period were the folks at the Fed--who were steadily expanding the money supply during this period. Also, the inflation had been going on for a while-since 1950 at least(it just sped up notably in the 70's). There is a whole literature on this topic. The basic contention of monetarists like Friedman is that with a stable money supply, you can't have general inflation just because one product goes up in price(i.e. the price of something else will have to come down).

  114. No corporate welfare involved by AtariAmarok · · Score: 1
    "Current US immigration policy is a corporate welfare program-and another de facto liquidation of assets."

    It is not a corporate welfare program in any way, as nothing is being given to corporations when you allow individuals the basic freedom to seek a better life.

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
    1. Re:No corporate welfare involved by randall_burns · · Score: 1

      The grand prize is a green card. If the Green Card didn't confer real benefits(i.e. access to social services), interest it it would be much more minimal. Now, you can wish the US was a libertarian utopia-but it isn't-and no such country has sustained itself for long.

    2. Re:No corporate welfare involved by AtariAmarok · · Score: 1
      "If the Green Card didn't confer real benefits(i.e. access to social services), interest it it would be much more minimal."

      Is this statement really supposed to be proof that allowing people more freedom of movement is corporate welfare? You are instead describing welfare to individuals.

      "Now, you can wish the US was a libertarian utopia-but it isn't"

      But that won't stop us from pushing to have government butt out of affairs where it does not belong.

      --
      Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
    3. Re:No corporate welfare involved by randall_burns · · Score: 1
      There _is_ corporate welfare here because the chance at a green card is being used instead of other compensation. If there were a temp worker program that really had strong guarentees that the temp worker would have to return, compensation for that program would be substantially higher. Lots of folks come as guest workers or illegal immigrants because they know that if they stick it out, they can get a green card-and the green card confers advantages. When employment for a company facilitates illegal immigration or when employment for a company gives a shot at a green card, the company can extract work from the immigrant employees they couldn't otherwise expect.


      Now, you can say that social welfare programs and immigration restrictions should never exist, but they do, and preferentially giving certain companies ability to override those rules (which is what is happening now) confers specific advantage to those companies-which is what corporate welfare is about.



    4. Re:No corporate welfare involved by AtariAmarok · · Score: 1
      "...confers specific advantage to those companies-which is what corporate welfare is about."

      If it does not involve paying (or giving anything of actual value) anything to the corporations, there is no corporate welfare involved.

      --
      Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  115. Freely working for a living is not slavery by AtariAmarok · · Score: 1
    "It's essentially slave labor"

    Not in any way, not more than any other instance of working for a living. Slavery involves ownership and forced labor. While this does occur and is documented, the overwhelming number of immigrants are not slaves. Certainly, those working for the "crooked smirking contractor" are not slaves.

    "they work for the minimum required to stay alive -- many times not even minimum wage"

    This is because the real value of the work is often much less than the arbitrarily-set government "minimum wage" value.

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
    1. Re:Freely working for a living is not slavery by randall_burns · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Look at what NAFTA did to the rural Mexican economy-it pretty much destroyed it. NAFTA was pushed by much the same economic interests as benefited from illegal immigration in the US. This may not be formal coercion(i.e. rounding of slaves)-but it is isn't exactly "voluntary" or "democratic" either.

    2. Re:Freely working for a living is not slavery by AtariAmarok · · Score: 1
      "Look at what NAFTA did to the rural Mexican economy-it pretty much destroyed it"

      All that happened was that government(s) took down a needless barrier between Mexicans and the jobs they sought.

      "NAFTA was pushed by much the same economic interests as benefited from illegal immigration in the US"

      NAFTA has/had broad popular support, being opposed primarily by the unions (which represent about 8% of workers) and the racists (likely a much smaller percentage).

      "This may not be formal coercion(i.e. rounding of slaves)-but it is isn't exactly "voluntary" or "democratic" either."

      It is entirely voluntary. You still remain free, if you wish, to boycott Mexican workers and products (but now the government has backed off on forcing such decisions on everyone). It is not democratic? That is good. Such personal economic decisions should be decided by the people involved, not the government.

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      Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
    3. Re:Freely working for a living is not slavery by randall_burns · · Score: 1
      You need to look at some other polls-we are talking a lot more than 16% of the population in the US opposing NAFTA.
      I couldn't find any good Mexican polls-but certainly there was strong resistance in Mexico to NAFTA among certain groups. "In Mexico, NAFTA's approval was quickly followed by an uprising amongst indigenous people led by the Zapatistas, and tension between them and the Mexican government remains a major issue".


      Besides, the current law of US is that it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of stuff like nationality or race in employing folks(or even creating a church or other association). This isn't anything "voluntary"-your only choice is to leave the US.

    4. Re:Freely working for a living is not slavery by AtariAmarok · · Score: 1
      "You need to look at some other polls-we are talking a lot more than 16% of the population in the US opposing NAFTA"

      That poll underlies the general American ambivalence toward it. It really does not fire up most of the people. However, if someone is opposed to NAFTA, they are free to make the personal economic decision not to buy Mexican products. That is where such decisions should lie: with the people, and not with the rulers. While NAFTA could be a lot better, in general it lets people make decisions that were formerly only the domain of elites.

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      Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  116. It is very voluntary by AtariAmarok · · Score: 1
    "Besides, the current law of US is that it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of stuff like nationality or race in employing folks(or even creating a church or other association). This isn't anything "voluntary"-your only choice is to leave the US."

    It is perfectly voluntary whether or not a company decides to contract with a factory in South Carolina vs one in Juarez. It is perfectly voluntary whether or not a car buyer wants to buy a Honda built in Ohio vs a Ford built in Mexico.

    You are instead referring to the legality of discrimination against Americans. This is pretty much nonapplicable to what we are discussing (unless you really are defending such discrimination!).

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    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
    1. Re:It is very voluntary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Federal government actively interfers in stuff like employment decisions and union membership. In practice, is is active discrimination against white males-and it is relavent to what we are talking about because hiring of illegal aliens insures that a company is generally less likey to have a workforce that can complain about violation of labor laws _and_ such a company is less likely to get hassled for hiring a preponderance of white males.

  117. Citizenship as mutual insurance association by Baldrson · · Score: 1
    Lysander Spooner said:
    All government is a mutual insurance company, voluntarily agreed upon by the parties to it, for the protection of their rights against wrong-doers.
    I think he's basically correct.

    Now, do you think in these terms -- of legitimate government as mutual insurnce company -- then major asset protected is the land of the government's territory. If you presume to say anyone outside the association has a right to join the association, and take up residence on the land, then you are violating the voluntary nature of the association.

    Freedom of association is, in fact, the fundamental human right -- the right upon which all other rights -- including property rights -- are founded.

    1. Re:Citizenship as mutual insurance association by AtariAmarok · · Score: 1
      ".....anyone outside the association has a right to join the association....including property rights"

      What if someone chooses to sell their property to an immigrant?

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      Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  118. Why are you such a totalitarian? by Baldrson · · Score: 1
    There is no reason to be such a totalitarian about violating the most fundamental human right of all: freedom of association -- unless you are morally bankrupt and benefitting from such violations.

    Why are you so much in favor of denying people their most fundamental right?

  119. Who? by AtariAmarok · · Score: 1

    You are talking to R. Burns, correct? If not, let me know more.

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    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.