Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD)

[Haddock]

AMD is about to release the AMD64, and I expect that they will want it to have a clear performance advantage over the fastest Bartons

I really doubt that AMD would hold back faster Bartons for this reason. Consider that Barton is cheaper to build than A64, why would AMD want to force the market to move to a more expensive chip if the performance were the same? I could understand it if Opteron wasn't out and AMD wanted to get x86-64 machines into the hands of developers, but with Opteron and nForce3 out there and moderately priced (for a developer) there's no reason to rush A64 unless the performance warrants it.

In general I am sceptical about all theories that AMD or Intel are holding back much better technology for tactical reasons. Of course there may be situations where they prioritise yield over bin splits or vice versa, but they don't sit on higher speed grades for any length of time. That would be economic lunacy!