Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

AMD Plans Simultaneous Desktop and Mobile Chip Releases

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the everybody-skate dept.

wh173b0y writes "Tom's Hardware reports that AMD is planning to release both it's dual-core desktop and mobile chips at the same time. This news comes after AMD, who have been fairly quiet since the release of the Athlon FX-55, came up shorter than intel on the release dates for it's dual-core processors. Intel on the other hand has been busy planning more than a dozen different chips to release as well as pressing its software designers to embrace its 64-bit architecture."

22 of 199 comments (clear)

  1. Maybe it's just me... by Avyakata · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Isn't that kind of a bad strategy? I mean, won't they take away the attention from each other? I'd think it'd be better to make a spectacle of one, wait for people to invest interest in it, then, once the hype dies down, release the other to a similar effect. Won't this move minimize public attention?

    1. Re:Maybe it's just me... by eyegone · · Score: 4, Funny


      If they understood marketing, they'd be Intel.

      --
      "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
    2. Re:Maybe it's just me... by Che+Guevarra · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The difference is that each brand of detergent is not stamped Proctor and Gamble (atleast not overtly). Most people have no idea that every single detergent on the shelf at the grocery store is made by the same company. Proctor and Gamble uses this very expensive strategy to insulate each brand from negative consumer perceptions AND to eat up shelf space ANONYMOUSLY. Does AMD plan to place their name on both chips? If so, the Detergent analogy does not apply. Sorry to be a punk, I'm taking a marketing class this semester.

  2. What would I do with $1000? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Two cores at the same time.

  3. News flash by Wesley+Felter · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Desknotes use the same processors as desktops, so of course they come out at the same time. And now that all the desktop chips have power management, the difference between "desktop" and "mobile" chips is very little.

    1. Re:News flash by GoatPigSheep · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Well not exactly, my centrino notebook has a 75 watt power supply, for the WHOLE SYSTEM.

      A high ghz P4 can use 1.5 x that JUST FOR THE MICROPROCESSOR. The power management on the P4 is just to keep your electricity bill down...

      --
      GoatPigSheep, the 3 most important food groups
  4. Arr. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    "Intel on the other hand has been busy planning more than a dozen different chips to release as well as pressing its software designers to embrace its 64-bit architecture."

    Good luck with that.

    AMD already rules the x86 64-bit market. AMD chips are currently more power efficient and produce less heat (on average, let's not compare high efficiency chips to 'normal' chips on either side of the table). Not to mention, who needs dual core, when you can have eight eight-core Opterons*? Sixty-four cores! Mmmm, there's the beef.

    It's so nice to see Intel trying desperately to catch up to AMD. ;) Insert quips about mighty falling, tables turning, et cetera.

    * Yeah, yeah, they won't be here tomorrow. I can dream, damn it.

  5. It is good we still have competition by Husgaard · · Score: 5, Insightful
    It drives the market forward, forcing all parties to innovate.

    But take a moment to think about the current software patent madness, and what would have happened if this had been the case with semiconductor patents in 1980. In this scenario we would be lucky if Intel announced that the 486 would hit the market next year.

    If a company has a monopoly there is no incentive to innovate. Patents are monopolies, but they have to be balanced so the incentive to innovate is not taken away.

  6. Re:Dual core laptops? by Splork · · Score: 3, Informative

    keep your pants on. only one CPU core runs when on battery and most likely not even at full speed.

  7. Correction by leathered · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "..as well as pressing its software designers to embrace its 64-bit architecture."

    Should read 'embrace AMD's architecture'.

    --
    For all intensive porpoises your a bunch of rediculous loosers
  8. How does it know? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    How does the chip know which mode to run in? Probably a jumper.

  9. Two questions: by MacGabhain · · Score: 5, Insightful
    When is the last time Intel met a release schedule?

    When is the last time Intel failed to abandon at least a fourth of their in-development product line?

    Intel anouncing a dozen different dual-core processors for a range of machines is a joke, and frankly isn't even very good hype. Even if I believed it, I wouldn't be impressed. You don't NEED 12 different lines. Make 5 and make them right: 1) Super low power notebook; 2) performance notebook; 3) main-stream desktop; 4) enthusiast-gamer desktop; 5) Hardcore teraflops. (Oh wait... this is Intel. Better skip that last one. They're not exactly known for putting their effort into general-purpose FPUs.)

    1. Re:Two questions: by MacGabhain · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Sure. And I can order the 2.6GHz Opteron that tests out about the same there for $850 (It's the 252 in the test system). Best price I can find for an Itanium 2 1.5GHz is $6500. Yes, that's the CPU price.

      So, yeh, as long as you don't mind spending 7 times as much, you can get the FPU performance out of Intel.

  10. Intel have 12+ new chips on the drawing board by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    And AMD have a similar number.

    - Faster Semprons
    - Faster Athlon 64s
    - Faster Athlon FXs
    - Faster Athlon 64Ms
    - Faster Opterons
    - New Dual Core Opterons
    - New Dual Core Athlon 64s
    - New Dual Core Athlon 64Ms
    - Upcoming 65nm Opterons (both single and dual core)
    - Upcoming 65nm Athlon 64s (single, dual, FX)

    And there are probably plans for Quad-core Opterons, etc, at 65nm, and so on.

  11. Re:Dual core laptops? by Wesley+Felter · · Score: 5, Funny

    You better keep your pants on; otherwise you could end up with a nasty burn.

  12. Catch-22 by Luthair · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Most have no use for dual cores and devs have no reason to implement support until their customers have them.

    1. Re:Catch-22 by swillden · · Score: 5, Informative

      Most have no use for dual cores and devs have no reason to implement support until their customers have them.

      I don't agree that most people have no use for dual cores. Sure, most applications don't make use of them, but all modern operating systems are multi-tasking and the ability to have one CPU taking care of all of the common busywork while the other one is crunching on whatever your main task is does make a difference.

      If you don't believe me, find a dual processor machine sometime and spend some time working on it. It's surprising how much smoother and more responsive it is -- often, a dual-processor machine *feels* faster than a single-processor machine with far more than twice the actual performance. I have a dual 500Mhz PII box that still surprises me every time I touch it. It feels faster than my 1.4 GHz Athlon and seems about as quick to respond as my Athlon64 3400+.

      For common tasks, users will find they actually prefer two cores at 1 GHz over one core at 4 GHz. The dual-core machine will be cooler (and therefore quieter) and will often be more responsive, even though it will be much slower at straight-line CPU-bound tasks.

      People will like these.

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
  13. Re:Eff pee? by MatthewNewberg · · Score: 3, Informative

    I currently run a AMD Mobie 2600+ (forgot the wattage). The thing is great, overlocks easily (isn't clocked locked)and with pretty cheap, normal, quite cooling solutions. Not only that, but it also runs a lot cooler then the normal athlon XP which means you dont need as many fans. It is so nice to have a CPU that doesn't go over 100F, and the case temp to go with it. I really hope in the future that AMD continues to make mobile processors that you can use in desktops.

    --
    mnewberg.com
  14. Intel Recovers Fast by ackthpt · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Intel, which shrugged off the idea of 64 CPU's a couple years ago, as something people didn't need, has made up for this gaffe and is not only getting ready to sell their dual core line, but have already indicated the run of the Pentium IV is soon to be over.

    Next thing you'll hear from Santa Clara, 'why, we practically invented it!'

    So what kind of Las Vegas act will they enlist to push dual core? Probably twins or something, as Sigfried and Roy are shutdown.

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  15. Eh... not really a big deal by doormat · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Since its just AMD's desktop-replacement line of chips, its the same thing as if Intel putting Pentium Ds in DTR laptops. Besides, Tom's Hardware is the Fox News of tech news, heavily intel/nvidia biased.

    --
    The Doormat

    If you're not outraged, then you're not paying attention.
  16. Coming from a gamer by cr0y · · Score: 3, Insightful

    A highend mobile chip would be awesome, I would happily toss the extra money for a desktop replacement if it ran the games just as well as my current desktop, (which shouldnt be hard, A64 3000+, 1024,R9800Pro)

    I have been waiting for an athlon 64 notebook with a mobile radeon x800 for months...anyone know when this thing is due for release?

    --

    ItWasFree.com - Take the mystery
  17. Intel Roadmap? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    While it seems nice that Intel has tried to pass off AMD's 64-bit solution as theirs and tried to pass of the idea of dual-cores as theirs, it seems clear that one of these companies is executing its roadmap and one is trying not to get runover by the competition.

    I still see clear technical advantages due to foresight in AMD's architecture (NUMA, Hypertransport) that support their dual-core designs. I see no such a roadmap/foresight from Intel. How do they plan on getting data to these dual-core Xeons fast enought so that their buses are not the bottleneck?