Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD)

[aleph0]

"Most of AMD's sales aren't at retail."

I presume you do not include WBMakers as retail.
The WBMakers are the largest part of AMD CPU sales from what I have read and seen over the "previous" years ( may be changing now ).
Typically, trays of CPUs are bought buy the WBMakers.
The prices are passed on to the customers with a small mark-up ( 5-10%).
The tray-price is the price-watch "public" price as far as I can tell.

I am in close contact with a small WBMaker ( friend of mine ) in Germany.
95% of his sales are AMD based.
He occasionally gets a Xeon customer wanting a 19" server.
Ca. 1 in 3 of them turn to Opteron after taking his advice.
..but the other 2 want to stay with Xeon.

His remarks were "those are the ones that are frightened of hardware, because they don't understand it. And that means 'no changes' please. A type of 'head in sand' mentality" .. unfortunately.

I've Emailed AMD a few times, suggesting they should provide their WBMaker-types with "printed materials" explaing all the advantages - more of a sales pitch than technical.
No answer of course !