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AMD needs to be acquired by someone with a lot of money so they can at least use the new process nodes as they become available from other foundries. Even using

AMD needs to be acquired by someone with a lot of money so they can at least use the new process nodes as they become available from other foundries. Even using Samsung/GF's 14nm FinFET process this year would do AMD's chips a lot of good. At 28nm, forget it. But that doesn't mean Core-M is a "good" chip. I would stay away from it. The submitted article does a decent job of explaining why. You're much better off with a cheaper (yes, cheaper!) Broadwell Core i5 at 15W (or whatever its TDP is for this generation) than this chip. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but first off "Broadwell" only shipped as Core-M in 2014, not any other version. And it didn't do it in September, I think it was more like December, and only in a couple of devices that I think everyone forgot about. Broadwell "technically" shipped in 2014, but 2015 is actually the year of Broadwell. I imagine the same will happen with Skylake - 99% of Sylake devices will appear in 2016.

bitL 12y ago
x86 license is not transferable so if AMD is acquired then bye-bye to AMD x86 chips. Core M allows passive form factors which to me is super important - having a notebook that doesn't sound like an airplane in a distance as it is the case with my rMBP and Zenbook Prime under full load is a major benefit. No noisy interruptions when I need to focus on solving some difficult problem and am most sensitive to external distractions.
- quonn 12y ago
  > x86 license is not transferable so if AMD is acquired then bye-bye to AMD x86 chips. Why? If AMD gets acquired, that might just mean that the buyer now holds AMD stock. I can't see how that could possibly affect the license agreement.
- higherpurpose 12y ago
  This gets mentioned a lot but I find it impossible to believe that whoever buys AMD can't also get an x86 license from Intel. You do realize Intel also has to get an x64 license from AMD, right? So unless Intel is good with not making 64-bit chips anymore, I think it will continue to give AMD that license...
  - bitL 12y ago
    It really depends on what the license agreement between Intel and AMD is. We know they cross-license almost all their architectural stuff to each other; what are the exact conditions and consequences for acquisitions we can only guess.

bitL 12y ago

x86 license is not transferable so if AMD is acquired then bye-bye to AMD x86 chips. Core M allows passive form factors which to me is super important - having a notebook that doesn't sound like an airplane in a distance as it is the case with my rMBP and Zenbook Prime under full load is a major benefit. No noisy interruptions when I need to focus on solving some difficult problem and am most sensitive to external distractions.

quonn 12y ago
> x86 license is not transferable so if AMD is acquired then bye-bye to AMD x86 chips. Why? If AMD gets acquired, that might just mean that the buyer now holds AMD stock. I can't see how that could possibly affect the license agreement.
higherpurpose 12y ago
This gets mentioned a lot but I find it impossible to believe that whoever buys AMD can't also get an x86 license from Intel. You do realize Intel also has to get an x64 license from AMD, right? So unless Intel is good with not making 64-bit chips anymore, I think it will continue to give AMD that license...
- bitL 12y ago
  It really depends on what the license agreement between Intel and AMD is. We know they cross-license almost all their architectural stuff to each other; what are the exact conditions and consequences for acquisitions we can only guess.