Author: Matt Taylor
Date: 21:57:18 03/01/03
Go up one level in this thread
On March 01, 2003 at 20:23:24, Robert Hyatt wrote: >On March 01, 2003 at 11:58:14, Jeremiah Penery wrote: > <snip> >>It's the reason Intel was able to sell their processors at higher prices than >>AMD, and sell several times more of them, even when AMD had a clear performance >>lead. > >Maybe. Maybe Intel was also known for some good things. IE the fact that the >current PIV will _still_ execute the original 8086 machine instructions. Ask >sun what a mistake it is to break that consumer confidence and say "OK, for our >next generation processor, you get to throw away all your old software and buy >all new software..." And they went from the largest academic workstation >supplier to a has-been overnight. In the context of Intel vs. AMD, that's a moot point. AMD documents things that Intel denies even exist (salc, icebp, loadall, etc.). AMD processors not only support the full ISA, but they support undocumented instructions. (Most of these undoc'd opcodes were related to old ICEs.) >I consider Intel a "name brand". I consider AMD a "copier". Nothing wrong with >being a "copier" but it also means you are a "follower". And 2nd place is all >that a follower can _ever_ reach... I have nothing against AMD whatsoever. But >I have had good results with Intel since my first 4004 on a breadboard, and I >have stuck with what works ever since. By the same token I have owned multiple >Mercury outboards, even though there are cheaper ones from places like Japan. >But my mercs have been rock solid, produced more horsepower, and weighed less, >and those are important qualities and I don't leave a winning combination to >try something else someone is doing to try to catch up with Merc. Intel outsells for 3 simple reasons: (1) Consumer ignorance (2) Brand loyalty (3) Strongarm tactics Consumer ignorance is what happens when my coworker tells me that he thinks AMD doesn't correctly support all x86 instructions. I proceed to laugh, and I ask him how he could possibly think that. What you have described of your own purchasing habits is brand loyalty. You have a good experience with a particular brand (Intel), and you continue to buy Intel because you trust the name. Dell and Gateway are examples of strongarm tactics. Do they sell AMD? Not anymore... -Matt
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