Massive AMD Price Cuts: Yay!!

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/19/amd_price_cuts/

What's this about discontinuing some XP-M models tho?

rms

AMD wants to get rid of the 32-bit line in favor of the 64-bit line,
they've been saying that forever. They're just slowly whittling down their
32-bit offerings to get to that point.

steve


It will years before the 32 bit system will eliminated. Most people dont need
64 bit and besides there are almost no 64 programs for 64 bit.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/19/amd_price_cuts/

What's this about discontinuing some XP-M models tho?

AMD wants to get rid of the 32-bit line in favor of the 64-bit line,
they've been saying that forever. They're just slowly whittling down their
32-bit offerings to get to that point.

steve

It will years before the 32 bit system will eliminated. Most people dont need
64 bit and besides there are almost no 64 programs for 64 bit.

That's because the number of 64 bit processors in the hands of end users
is swamped by the number of 32 bit processors. When 64 bit processors
get more commonplace (as AMD is trying to push now), more people will
start writing 64 bit programs, etc, etc.

We had this very same thing going on 15 years ago with the introduction
of 32 bit processors (386 for definite, possibly the 286 earlier; I
don't know). It's high time we jumped up a level.

AMD wants to get rid of the 32-bit line in favor of the 64-bit line,
they've been saying that forever. They're just slowly whittling down
their
32-bit offerings to get to that point.

It will years before the 32 bit system will eliminated. Most people dont
need
64 bit and besides there are almost no 64 programs for 64 bit.

Try more like 1 year. AMD has said, time and again, that it's going to
stop production of 32-bit Athlons before long. Whether people need
64-bitness or not, they're buying the chips, and AMD's getting rich off of
them. That's not to say that you won't be able to buy a 32-bit system, you
just won't be able to buy one with an AMD chip in it.

steve

Try more like 1 year. AMD has said, time and again, that it's going to
stop production of 32-bit Athlons before long. Whether people need
64-bitness or not, they're buying the chips, and AMD's getting rich off of
them. That's not to say that you won't be able to buy a 32-bit system, you
just won't be able to buy one with an AMD chip in it.

steve


There will be 32 bit AMD processors for years to come. Only a
very small percentage of the processor sales are 64 bit,mabey 1 or 2 % if that.
They have to make them available to people that will be still using 32 bit
systems,hell you can still buy PIII's and they have been obsolete for years.

There will be 32 bit AMD processors for years to come.

Not very likely. They've said they're going to stop making them, and
they've been whittling down the 32-bit line quite regularly. There's no
indication that they're going to turn around.

Only a
very small percentage of the processor sales are 64 bit,mabey 1 or 2 % if
that.
They have to make them available to people that will be still using 32 bit
systems,hell you can still buy PIII's and they have been obsolete for
years.

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,113516,00.asp

AMD will sell 32-bit chips as long as they're profitable... but that's not
for long, even AMD says that it's likely to end next year ('05). AMD has
lost money on 32-bit chips for the entire lifespan of the company. Once
they started making 64-bit chips, they were suddenly profitable. There
hasn't been a single speed increase, revision, or other change in the 32-bit
lineup for quite some time (it's been over *4 YEARS* since a speedup to the
Athlon XP line), but they have been steadily dropping products for the
32-bit lineup for some time. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to see the
writing on the wall.

I could see AMD keeping around a token 32-bit chip (like the Geode) for
low-cost, low-power devices, but they'll be for the niche markets, not for
mainstream machines. AMD's found their Intel-beating cache-cow, and they're
not about to give it up.

steve

AMD will sell 32-bit chips as long as they're profitable... but that's not
for long, even AMD says that it's likely to end next year ('05). AMD has
lost money on 32-bit chips for the entire lifespan of the company.



That is only a prediction that they will not make any more 32 bit CPU's after
2005. They are going to have to lower the price a lot on the 64 bit processors
to sell them,and that will be at a loss just like the 32 bit versions. These
cheap AMD customers look mostly at the price of the processor and dont wan to
spend over $50- $60 for one. The 64 bit CPU's will never even be close to that
so,they will keep selling what the public wants,cheap 32 bit processors. 64
bit programs are a long ways off,even the AMD spokes person admitted that,years
away not the end of 2005, so nobody will even want the high priced 64 bit CPU's
when there are cheap 32 bit ones are available.

That is only a prediction that they will not make any more 32 bit CPU's
after
2005. They are going to have to lower the price a lot on the 64 bit
processors
to sell them,and that will be at a loss just like the 32 bit versions.
These
cheap AMD customers look mostly at the price of the processor and dont wan
to
spend over $50- $60 for one. The 64 bit CPU's will never even be close to
that

Sure they will. Move them to 90nm (in current transition), and they'll
get more from a wafer. Remember, when the 32-bit chips were released, they
had large, expensive dies, and cost lots of money, too.

so,they will keep selling what the public wants,cheap 32 bit processors.
64
bit programs are a long ways off,even the AMD spokes person admitted
that,years
away not the end of 2005, so nobody will even want the high priced 64 bit
CPU's
when there are cheap 32 bit ones are available.

People may not have 64-bit programs, but they'll like the benefits of an
embedded dual-channel memory interface and a higher clock speed - and that
will only come in the 64-bit chips. That's why AMD never ramped up the
32-bit line any farther, they wanted to take away any further incentive to
stay away from the 64-bit line. They've bet the farm on the Athlon 64, and
it's paid off. They're going to keep gradually giving people less and less
reason to stay with the Athlon. And when Longhorn comes out, I doubt that
the Athlon XPs are going to be the "chip of choice" to upgrade to....

steve

that's what i'm afraid of, forced upgrading, ugh...

"Steve Wolfe" wrote in message
...
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/19/amd_price_cuts/

What's this about discontinuing some XP-M models tho?

AMD wants to get rid of the 32-bit line in favor of the 64-bit line,
they've been saying that forever. They're just slowly whittling down
their
32-bit offerings to get to that point.

steve