Intel Corp (INTC)

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Duke, all those were enhancements in the original Prescott design. Nothing there is "new".

I think I can summarize all those features by saying that Intel spent many millions in R&D to create a processor that is one step forward and two steps back. The last generation Northwood design is still a much better buy for the end user.

I was hoping that socket 775 would bring with it added performance, but all it has is higher power dissipation. It's also no more robust than the previous generation socket, even though many thought the pinless design would have some reliability benefits.

PCI-Express and DDR2 are at best one step sideways and a step back in cost. One has to wonder if Intel is bringing technology to market simply for the sake of doing so, or if there is any real long term benefit. If it's the former, then AMD will most certainly eat their lunch before long.

Basically, I think things are looking pretty sad for the Intel investor. If the market weren't growing by substantial amounts this year, I'd be worried. Right now, Intel is the only one capable of providing the volumes, but things can change dramatically if AMD gets additional support from the foundries, or if they finish their new fab before Intel gets back on track.