Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD)

[pgerassi]

Elmer:

If you would read Intel's errata page on AI124, there is no workaround. Thus it isn't something that can be bypassed, else they would say how there. However there is a vested interest in the OEMs for not showing this to end customers or pooh poohing it, when pushed. The mere fact that a stop ship or recall from Intel on C2Ds would be fatal for most of them. The service calls alone would bankrupt them unless compensated from Intel. If that compensation were awarded by Intel, it would be bankrupt very quickly.

How many C2Ds (C2Qs and C2Ss) are currently out in the field? Times how much per CPU replacement? That is how much a patch or workaround would be worth. They can get that service done mostly by the end consumers (BIOS updates or OS fix) hidden as a security patch. Yet the most critical errata don't yet have such a workaround. Those require a CPU swap (assuming that a stepping has that errata fixed). That is not the case for AI124 either.

So Intel coninues to ship hoping that they can explain away any occurances by pointing the finger somewhere else. "Its a Microsoft Vista (XP or Advanced Server) bug!" "Its a virus!" "The user did something that caused the error!" Anything, but "We f...ed up!" Problem is that one documented case by a non finacially bound third party, like what happened with FDIV, and the jig would be up. And this Barcelona dustup would be like a cough compared to a hurricane. People would be put on waiting lists at both the OEMs and at Intel for fixed CPUs bemoaning that it wasn't fixed yesterday.

Pete