Will AMD surprise us with discounted prices in the New Year?

[BillAllen55]

I'm researching costs vs performance of the AMD dual core processors.

Understanding the 'latest and greatest' always seems to be more expensive.
Without using a crystal ball - does anyone have an informed impression as to what AMD may be doing with the processor costs/upgrades of the AMD Athlon 64 X2?

Being as close to the New Year as we are, I'm wondering if it would not be a prudent thing to do - to put off the purchase of a CPU from AMD until after the first (January 09)

I guess after thinking out my questions making long thread longer :wave: I'm asking if 'historically' or otherwise does anyone have an impression of what prices may be like for processor chips such as the referenced item in the New Year?

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Tmagic650]

Let's all hold our breath and wait...

 

[Tedster]

AMD has already cost costs massivily in order to stay in business. It sold off it's manufactuering side of the house into a separte company called the Foundry. CPU prices are already near massive lows, so I don't expect AMD to cut much of anything further. Financially it's stock is weak, with a stochastic outlook. I don't expect much of an improvement for a while.
It's chips however are still a bargain.

 

[BillAllen55]

I'm aware of the difference in price of CPU's of AMD and INTEL. I'm not finding data indicating there is a clear superior choice between the two CPU manufactures. So what is with the difference in 'apples to apples' price difference? Would you consider quality as being the contrast in the two manufactures?
With the stock of AMD being weak with part of the company already being sold to an alternate entity do you believe there may come a time that AMD will no longer support their products? I'm asking these specific questions as I have been shopping the MB and CPU market in hopes of building a good system with long lasting results. Thanks for any feedback.

 

[Tmagic650]

"I have been shopping the MB and CPU market in hopes of building a good system with long lasting results"...
If you want "long lasting" results stick with Intel. I have had experience with both AMD and Intel, and generally Intel has had the most stable and lasting platforms. What exactly is your definition of "long lasting"? 3 years, 5 years... Longer? The PC market does change very fast

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

I'm not finding data indicating there is a clear superior choice between the two CPU manufactures. So what is with the difference in 'apples to apples' price difference? Would you consider quality as being the contrast in the two manufactures?

There are tons of reviews on the Internet showing Intel's mid-range and high-end offerings to be far superior to AMD's offerings in the same price brackets. And yes, quality does come into the picture if you're an OCer, since AMD's Phenom CPUs are notoriously poor overclockers. Not to say that all of their CPUs are that way, they ruled the roost for quite some time until the Core 2 came along.

On the budget side of things however, AMD's offerings are still far better than Intel's, although the former is quickly catching up in the sub-$100 department with its E5xxx range. However, if you're looking for a decent dual-core CPU for around $60 or lower, AMD is the way to go.

And no, I don't think the prices of X2 (K8) CPUs will fall any further. Phenoms may drop in price though, or we may even see a larger range of dual-core Phenoms being released.

 

[BillAllen55]

There are tons of reviews on the Internet showing Intel's mid-range and high-end offerings to be far superior to AMD's offerings in the same price brackets. And yes, quality does come into the picture if you're an OCer, since AMD's Phenom CPUs are notoriously poor overclockers.

Not having infinite time to research 'every' website I was unaware of this fact of 'tons' of research. I am doing the best I can to research this issue without 'threading' this forum with already answered questions. I would most appreciate specific data that indicates the superiority and reliability of the one intel system build over the cheaper (in cost) AMD build. I try to do an update on my hardware over a long period of time between updates. ( 5-7 years) I see you smiling. :wave: as to the topic of overclocking, I don't think this will be of a concern with my computer needs. I do appreciate your feedback VERY much.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

http://techreport.com/articles.x/10351
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2795
https://www.techspot.com/review/8-intel_core_2_duo_family/
http://www.trustedreviews.com/cpu-m...-Core-2-Duo-Conroe-E6400-E6600-E6700-X6800/p1
http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/923/intel_core_2_duo_is_here_could_it_be_intel_s_day_to_shine/
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/intel-wolfdale.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/wolfdale-shrinks-transistors,1773.html
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/668/1/

Just a few of many more reviews out there.

 

[LinkedKube]

One thing I've noticed reading probably 100 different articles between the two companies and their products I've realized that price isnt the main issue at hand when it comes to "getting your bang for your buck," since 2006 that is since the core 2 duo line was dropped and kicked amd out of the shooting box.

Personally I spend a lot of money on my hardware. I also build for friends and friends of friends. AMD have lost their overclocking market share primarily to the core 2 duo line. Everyone wants to keep up with the Jones and not have to pay top dollar for their machines. The core 2 duo line allowed that.

I do think the prices of intel chips will take probably a 10-15% price drop once their new cpu's drop( at least at lower end competitive prices). I dont see AMD back in the starting roster until the end of 2009.

Price wars/drops wont be happening at the begining of the upcoming year on AMD's part.

 

[BillAllen55]

Sorry If I don't have the expertise one might expect

I appreciate the time you have taken answering my concerns. I have modified my cart adding the intel products and removing the AMD products. I would appreciate your thoughts regarding this MB+processor line up. My needs are of a basic nature not planning on purchasing the latest and greatest games. Only wanting to upgrade the machine such that I can have a degree of confidence it will not be horribly obsolete in the near future. This is the choices I've made would appreciate whatever feedback you might have regarding this.

intel BOXDG965WHMKR LGA 775 Intel G965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard
intel Core 2 Duo E7200 Wolfdale 2.53GHz 3MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor

 

[LinkedKube]

Processor is fine, I doubt the mobo last long. Maybe if you're lucky.

 

[BillAllen55]

what MB would you recommend??

 

[LinkedKube]

what's your price range?

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Processor is fine, I doubt the mobo last long. Maybe if you're lucky.

Intel mobos, however overclocker-unfriendly they may be, do not fail very easily. I have seen systems with their mobos to be far more reliable than those from certain other vendors such as ECS and ASROCK.

However, yes, I'd recommend a motherboard like this one for its newer chipset and better overall features. Also, an add-on card like the HD 4650 can be had for cheap and will make a difference when it comes to HD video acceleration and light gaming.

 

[BillAllen55]

The motherboard you recommended seems to be 'just' what I was looking for. I was hoping for an onboard video but if your suggestion will take me to a reliable system I'm ALL for it!
I appreciate your assistance and have chosen to use the referenced graphics card.
Thank you very much!