Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD)

[dougSF30]

Keith, it doesn't take much competitive marketshare to destroy previously monopoly-class pricing. Which is exactly what is happening to Intel's server products, both Xeon and Itanium-based. Intel is desperate to hold back Opteron adoption, and its sales folks have been told not to lose deals based on price... they are willing to give processors away, even, to hold on to larger deals. And that means that even the folks PLANNING to buy Intel know the secret phrase for a massive discount: "Well, I don't know... this Opteron system looks very attractive. Unless you can do much better on price, we'll go with that..." Ka-ching!

Doug