While complaining that chip prices just don't fall like they used to with the advent of the new generation replacing them is a long standing past time of enthusiasts everywhere, we don't often research the historical data to prove or disprove our claims. The Tech Report were brave enough to do exactly that, ignoring the risk that the data might prove us all wrong and lead to the possibility of not having a leg to stand on when talking about the good old days. Vindication is ours, especially when talking about Intel processors and the blame seems to fall right on AMD's shoulders and the lack of competition they've offered, especially on the high end. While some of Intel's processors do drop in price a bit over the 50 week period that The Tech Report, the only ones with a noticeable percentage drop were the lower end Core i3's which compete directly with AMD's FX and A8/6 series processors. Check out the charts showing the difference between AMD's price drops and Intel's over the same time period here.
"We've crunched three years of historical pricing data and made some interesting discoveries about the current state of the x86 processor market. Come take a look."
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I have had many AMD
I have had many AMD processors over the years and have nothing against AMD. I would LOVE for them to make killer CPUs again. We NEED them to maintain competition.
I’m an Intel Zealot, have
I’m an Intel Zealot, have been for 15 years and I’m rooting for AMD to get back on their feet. While Intel’s chips may be slapping them around, even chips 2-3 generations ago, the price wars are non-existent. It really is depressing to see those permanent prices heading only a few dollars down over the course of each year, even when multiple generations are already out they stay incredibly high almost unmoving.
They only way to make Intel
They only way to make Intel bring their prices down, is to buy from the competition, and that is AMD.
I started my love of
I started my love of computers with a Intel CPU, and kinda always been slanted in that direction, but I have owned and continue to use both today.
I have no hesitation to recommend AMD to anyone, based on what they want to do… those being the key words.
But I really do want to see more competition in the CPU side of things, again I think AMD needs to continue to move in the direction they are now. The simple fact is, Bulldozer was a stumble, similar to Intel’s Netburst, only the difference is, AMD does not have the kind of money to burn that Intel does.
So, they (AMD) is taking a more balanced approach, hints the emphysis on APU’s, and targeting the “bang for the buck” people, which is not bad.
Infact I think AMD should take it a step further, and cut out 1 socket from thier lineup (AM3+) most likely. And have the 1 for mainstream to up high end, and another that starts at high end and goes to enterprise level. Similar to what Intel does (LGA 1155 -> LGA 2011).
And I think that with ARM coming into the mix sooner rather than later, it could mix some things up, which has Intel nervous. If players in ARM like TI and NVIDIA can come up with a ARM CPU that can compete in the performance arena then we could have more than 2 players to chose from.
I’ve been using AMD
I’ve been using AMD processors for close to 20 years now other than a brief affair with a Pentium 133 and Celeron-something or other (the card slot version). Their processors work perfectly at a price I can afford.
My current rig has a 3.4GHz Athlon II X2 and runs current games just fine at 1080P. Unless you’re trying to build the fastest rig possible, to go after the highest framerate possible with maximum detail, there is no reason not to go with AMD. You’ll pay nearly a 3rd the price of an Intel CPU leaving more money to put into the GPU and other components.