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I sure hope AMD can compete on both price and performance with Zen but: As you say it is not released yet, let's hope they really achieve a 2016 rollout. Is t

I sure hope AMD can compete on both price and performance with Zen but: As you say it is not released yet, let's hope they really achieve a 2016 rollout. Is there really any money in the lowend notebook market for CPU vendors? I think what Intel realizes is that no one really wants a fan in a notebook. Not consumers (noise), not manufacturers (less parts, cheaper). For some the performance is worth the noise, but that is only at the high end, and will Zen be able to compete there? Who will buy Zen? What is the market? Lowend is mobile + RPi3 etc. Mid doesn't exist anymore, and highend they will still not be able to compete?

mtgx 11y ago
<15W TDP is enough for just about any notebook. Any 5W "fat core" CPU is mostly a scam at this point, and they aren't really viable until at least 10nm. They throttle too much (in the ultra-slim devices in which they are put), but Intel wanted to sell them anyway (Broadwell Core M was a complete dud because of this). And Core M is also eating a big chunk out of manufacturers' profits. It's more expensive than a Core i5. Zen will be competitive at all levels in terms of performance, price and power, not just the low-end. Now, if Intel makes the highest-end Core i7 Extreme Ultra Edition chip for say $800, and AMD only makes a highest end chip one that costs $600, then yes, I would imagine Intel would still be the "winner" in "peak performance" in the PC market. But that's an out of context comparison. The price metric should always be included in the context. What I want to know is if I have to spend $200 on a chip and for a TDP of 15W, which one has the best CPU at that price point? AMD or Intel? What about at the $300 price point and a 30W TDP? If it's AMD, then I don't care that Intel can make a 5% faster one for $350. I only said the Zen-based E-series, which will go into things such as $200-$300 Chromebooks, will destroy Intel. And I'm not sure what you mean by "there's no mid-range". The average price for a notebook is around $500.
OliverJones 11y ago
Schools in the developed world are doing massive notebook-sized buildout. Power consumption is the driving force in data-center buildouts. The big data center buyers have a major incentive to make sure they have more than one supplier.

mtgx 11y ago

<15W TDP is enough for just about any notebook. Any 5W "fat core" CPU is mostly a scam at this point, and they aren't really viable until at least 10nm. They throttle too much (in the ultra-slim devices in which they are put), but Intel wanted to sell them anyway (Broadwell Core M was a complete dud because of this). And Core M is also eating a big chunk out of manufacturers' profits. It's more expensive than a Core i5. Zen will be competitive at all levels in terms of performance, price and power, not just the low-end. Now, if Intel makes the highest-end Core i7 Extreme Ultra Edition chip for say $800, and AMD only makes a highest end chip one that costs $600, then yes, I would imagine Intel would still be the "winner" in "peak performance" in the PC market. But that's an out of context comparison. The price metric should always be included in the context. What I want to know is if I have to spend $200 on a chip and for a TDP of 15W, which one has the best CPU at that price point? AMD or Intel? What about at the $300 price point and a 30W TDP? If it's AMD, then I don't care that Intel can make a 5% faster one for $350. I only said the Zen-based E-series, which will go into things such as $200-$300 Chromebooks, will destroy Intel. And I'm not sure what you mean by "there's no mid-range". The average price for a notebook is around $500.

OliverJones 11y ago

Schools in the developed world are doing massive notebook-sized buildout. Power consumption is the driving force in data-center buildouts. The big data center buyers have a major incentive to make sure they have more than one supplier.