AMD price cuts soon?

S

saltycrackers

Weaksauce
Joined
Oct 13, 2003
Messages
102
I'm in the market for a shiny new Athlon 64 3800+ CPU. Since Intel recently cut prices on their high end processors, how long do you think it will be before we start seeing AMD price slashings?
 
I think demand is so high right now id think you wont see the high end chips drop in price until the end of the year.
 
trinketsummoner said:
I think demand is so high right now id think you wont see the high end chips drop in price until the end of the year.
Click to expand...

You can take that to the bank. With AMD CPU demand at record highs there's not a lot of incentive to drop prices.
 
i know i'd sure like to see some price cuts on AMD's processors, especially the 939's, can't quite afford a $500 CPU right now (while in school). ;)
 
AMD would be crazy to drop prices right now since they seem to not to be able to make 'em fast enough to keep up with demand.
 
just a small question, what's the deal with the Sampron chips??? are they lower performance than the XP? do they go on the same socket A?I am trying to find more info on them.....
 
Well they are about to start delivering the 90nm CPUs now some time so I guess a price cut could mean that the release the new CPUs at higher speeds at the same time. Which means price adjustmens on the entire product line.

So hopefully its not a pricecut its a adjustment due to the new products.
 
clone#13 said:
just a small question, what's the deal with the Sampron chips??? are they lower performance than the XP? do they go on the same socket A?I am trying to find more info on them.....
Click to expand...

Use the search function. Plenty of talk on this subject. ;)
 
clone#13 said:
just a small question, what's the deal with the Sampron chips??? are they lower performance than the XP? do they go on the same socket A?I am trying to find more info on them.....
Click to expand...

The socket A Semprons perform better (if I remember right) than the compared AXP's. They also are planning to make (or have started production) of socket 754 Semprons with plans for 939 pin Semprons.
 
Damn! I had just convinced myself to convert to AMD and now this, looks like the bang for buck battle may be swinging around in INTEL's favor now, FX-53 for $775 or 3.6 Ghz Prescott Socket T for $229? No waiting for PCI-e mobos, DDR2 support ready to go, its looking bad....AMD better make a move to keep up if they want to maintain the momentum that they've built in the past few months.
 
astolpho said:
Damn! I had just convinced myself to convert to AMD and now this, looks like the bang for buck battle may be swinging around in INTEL's favor now, FX-53 for $775 or 3.6 Ghz Prescott Socket T for $229? No waiting for PCI-e mobos, DDR2 support ready to go, its looking bad....AMD better make a move to keep up if they want to maintain the momentum that they've built in the past few months.
Click to expand...

I have no clue where you're looking, but the cheapest 560 P4 (3.6 Ghz) (from a reputable site such as Monarch Computers (cheapest reputable website)) is $504.90.

Also, the 560 doesn't compete with the FX-53, the 560 would run against a A64 3700+ or an A64 3500+.

The 3700+ is $504 from Monarch and the 3500+ is $390 also from Monarch. For the performance, the 3500+ is a much better deal.

Now, if you want to compare the FX-53 at the price you said of $775, that would compete against Intel's 3.6Ghz EE...which you can't even buy yet. The 3.4Ghz EE will run you $1000 from ZipZoomFly...my guess is when/if the 3.6Ghz EE hits the shelves, it'll be a good deal more expensive.

AMD is a much better buy for the money.
 
My bad.... it was a 550 at ZipZoomFly, but even compared to a +3700 at 504, its still quite a savings
 
The 550 is the 3.4 Ghz chip, which competes with the 3400+ (albeit on the 754 platform) at $284
 
Not a good comparison at all, future AMD procs will be socket 939, agp video cards are going the way of pci video cards and ddr2 is the future of ram, you get none of those things with socket 754. The 550 is a socket-T proc which is the socket of future Intel procs, it supports PCIe and ddr2 now before even the socket 939 does. True agp is adequate now and low latency ddr is good stuff, but maybe not in a year from now when my socket-t mobo will still be good supporting al the new coolness that comes out and the 754 will be an ok has been
 
add to that the 550 at $229 is still cheaper than your +3400 socket 754 alternative
 
I agree the 754 doesn't really compared to the 775's, but when you start to compare the 939 processors to the 775's, AMD takes the lead.
 
astolpho said:
Not a good comparison at all, future AMD procs will be socket 939, agp video cards are going the way of pci video cards and ddr2 is the future of ram, you get none of those things with socket 754. The 550 is a socket-T proc which is the socket of future Intel procs, it supports PCIe and ddr2 now before even the socket 939 does. True agp is adequate now and low latency ddr is good stuff, but maybe not in a year from now when my socket-t mobo will still be good supporting al the new coolness that comes out and the 754 will be an ok has been
Click to expand...

"Future-proofing" or predicting longevity with a certain platform or motherboard is often fruitless with computing. Every time I've tried what you describe, I've been burned. I hope you enjoy your board a year from now. Socket T is supposed to get an FSB bump. I'll be my third mobo by then.

For now, I'm sure everyone with Socket 939 or Socket 754 systems will try to get by without suffering from Socket T envy. LOL.
 
i like to stay a little behind the wave... its more stable back here,

oh and the rent is cheaper too :D
 
I agree Xrave, the FX-53 shows some great bench marks and with the nForce4 mobos supposedly coming out in the 3rd or 4th quarter it looks like a great platform, but for a whole lot less i can get the 775 with the 550 which anyone should admit will be a scorcher even if it isn't as fast as the FX-53 and supposedly 2nd quarter 2005 the multi-core from Intel in a 775 package will be out. I've heard the multi-core from AMD will be in the 939 package but I haven't heard anything about when to expect it. Who knows how they will stack up against each other then? I'm not looking at future proofing my system, there's no such thing but looking at the technologies being developed right now and due out in the next year the 775 package looks appealing from a short-term upgradability standpoint. I don't dislike AMD, i was really pulling for them, but the economics are slipping towards the INTEL side.
 
astolpho said:
I agree Xrave, the FX-53 shows some great bench marks and with the nForce4 mobos supposedly coming out in the 3rd or 4th quarter it looks like a great platform, but for a whole lot less i can get the 775 with the 550 which anyone should admit will be a scorcher even if it isn't as fast as the FX-53 and supposedly 2nd quarter 2005 the multi-core from Intel in a 775 package will be out. I've heard the multi-core from AMD will be in the 939 package but I haven't heard anything about when to expect it. Who knows how they will stack up against each other then? I'm not looking at future proofing my system, there's no such thing but looking at the technologies being developed right now and due out in the next year the 775 package looks appealing from a short-term upgradability standpoint. I don't dislike AMD, i was really pulling for them, but the economics are slipping towards the INTEL side.
Click to expand...

If you buy Socket 754 today, there are plenty of fast CPUs to choose. The 3700+ is a scorcher and its price will come down if you'd rather buy a NC 3000+ to tide you over. If you buy Socket 939 today, there are and will be plenty of CPU options for quite some time and the FX line is awesome. Who really cares about DDR2 and PCI-E? Some 3700EB or fast PC4200 and a 6800 or X800 will last a year easily on 754 or 939. Are you saying they won't? The AMD roadmap says otherwise. You say you're not trying to future-proof your system but then talk about "technologies being developed right now and due out in the next year." A year is a long time. I say buy PCI-E and DDR2 boards when it matters, not now. New motherboards are what, $80 - $130? How much are they after you sell your old stuff? $30 - $80? Big deal. Certainly the cost of upgrading your mobo is not a reason to go Intel.

Basically, I think your entire position is FUD. There IS an Intel forum you know.
 
The point is, I'm using a laptop now, so I have to buy Ram and Video cards now as well as the mobo, so why invest in old technology now? If I only needed a mobo I would agree with you but I need to buy everything so instead of buying all the old technology then having to buy all the new technology in a year, why not go ahead and get it now? doesn't make sense to buy a $400 agp card now and a $500 PCI-e card next year when I can go ahaead and buy yhe $500 PCI-e card now, the same goes for RAM why buy DDR and have to buy DDR2 next year to upgrade when I can buy DDR2 now and be done with it. By going with the latest stuff I can get I can keep my future upgrades more incremental in nature than otherwise where almost evey component would need to be replaced at once.
 
I'm on this forum because I want to hear dissenting positions, I wouldn't learn anything if I went to the INTEL forum and everyone agreed with me. DUH
 
astolpho said:
The point is, I'm using a laptop now, so I have to buy Ram and Video cards now as well as the mobo, so why invest in old technology now? If I only needed a mobo I would agree with you but I need to buy everything so instead of buying all the old technology then having to buy all the new technology in a year, why not go ahead and get it now? doesn't make sense to buy a $400 agp card now and a $500 PCI-e card next year when I can go ahaead and buy yhe $500 PCI-e card now, the same goes for RAM why buy DDR and have to buy DDR2 next year to upgrade when I can buy DDR2 now and be done with it. By going with the latest stuff I can get I can keep my future upgrades more incremental in nature than otherwise where almost evey component would need to be replaced at once.
Click to expand...

If you buy an AMD (Socket 754, 939, DDR, AGP, whatever) setup for short-term (1 year or less) use it will still have value on the secondary market when you're ready to upgrade. It's not like you're going to lose all of that money. You'll lose some value, but not all of it. If PCI-E video cards are your greatest concern, I have to tell you, I'd be shocked if the AGP market were completely abandoned. Though a rag, The Register agrees with me:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/07/nvidia_roadmap/

That's why I'm a proponent of buying what's a good value for today. Worry about next year, well, next year. Component manufacturers do everything in their power to make sure computing is not an investment. I think the longevity of Socket A was a fluke.

astolpho said:
I'm on this forum because I want to hear dissenting positions, I wouldn't learn anything if I went to the INTEL forum and everyone agreed with me. DUH
Click to expand...

My apologies. You didn't come off as someone who's still on the fence.
 
General rule of thumb buy the best you can afford and the computer should last you 2 years if you buy the best/close to it hardware. Anyways thats what I do
 
astolpho said:
Not a good comparison at all, future AMD procs will be socket 939, agp video cards are going the way of pci video cards and ddr2 is the future of ram, you get none of those things with socket 754. The 550 is a socket-T proc which is the socket of future Intel procs, it supports PCIe and ddr2 now before even the socket 939 does. True agp is adequate now and low latency ddr is good stuff, but maybe not in a year from now when my socket-t mobo will still be good supporting al the new coolness that comes out and the 754 will be an ok has been
Click to expand...

Socket 939 still has tons of life in it. DDR2 for most part and for price comparison is crap. I would also think there will be atleast a few generations more of agp cards most likely. So all of what your saying is a mute point imo.
 
I work for a memory company and everyday I test out DDR2 and obviously PCI. I see NO advantages in it. The latencies are so high that performance is low. Whoever buys an LGA over a 478 processor is wasting a lot of money and paying much more to get DDR2 and PCI-E which aren't even that good yet. Our company also has roadmaps for AMD (not definite at all) that AMD may never go into DDR2, and may instead opt for DDR3. So DDR2 isn't a definite future proof upgrade after all.

The only time I can justify DDR2 is when it can run with 3-2-2-4, and even then you need special Micron chips whereas the majority of DDR2 is Elpida. Even then, you are equating the 3-2-2-4 performance to a cheaper DDR1 module. With DDR2, timing is everything, and that is something that it currently lacks. To read more up on this... find Fugger's post over at XS.

We also have most of the LGAs, which perform marginally better than the 478s. However, whoever contemplated getting a 3.6 LGA over a 3700 is not thinking correctly. A 3.6 LGA is already limited in numbers. Our company can only get so money because Intel is having difficulty making them. More often than not, about a third of them fail on tests due to instability, so you are better off purchasing a 2.8 or 3.0 to overclock to 3.5-6. It seems the cap for these processors are around 3.6 unless you have better cooling. I managed to take a 3.0 to 3.9, and even then, with a PCI-E X800 XT, it couldn't touch a 3700+ 754. The 3700+ per channel has much better bandwidth than an LGA. Stock it hits below 40 s easily, and overclocked I've seen it hit about 34-33 s on SuperPi. At 3.9, the LGA can barely hit 37-38.
 
Thats good information quicksilver...... I still don't think i want to invest in a AGP card though. I am leaning a little bit more back towards a lower end 939 AMD proc and a nForce4 mobo so I can go the PCIe route. Maybe even nVidia SLI. I never claimed DDR2 was better, just newer and if AMD never intends to go that way, maybe never necessary, I can wait for DDR3 thats not coming so rapidly that I wouldn't want to buy anything less. From what I understand about it, it is just a trade off between DDR1 and DDR2, DDR1 has lower latency while DDR2 is clocked faster. Still, would you argue the idea that AMD needs to respond to the price cuts that INTEL has made?
 
astolpho said:
Still, would you argue the idea that AMD needs to respond to the price cuts that INTEL has made?
Click to expand...

Gosh, I hope so. I put a 3700+ in my ZipZoomFly cart every day it seems :) AMD already had a price cut this summer though.
 
I read an article from Tom's Hardware that seemed to think a lot of the +3500 as the value member of the socket 939 line.
 
I'm switching from intel to amd mainly because AMD is out performaing intel more than its not. When you see things like XP 3500+ topping out an intel EE chip thats $900 bucks you start to think. Why stay with intel.

Also AMD don't go thru sockets like water. With intel they seem to come out with a new socket/chipset every 6 months. I wouldn't be suprised if socket 939 and K8T800 pro is aorund for a few years with 4000+ cpus in the future. So to me it seems wiser to go amd.
by then intel will have probably gone thru 2 more chipsets and sockets.

Intel is lacking in ways to make better cpus. But they dont have to. They're making plenty of money with what they have now. just getting tired with intel. Now with AMD being on top its smarter to go with them now. Also chipset compatability isn't a problem anymore least with the new chipsets.
 
Xrave said:
The socket A Semprons perform better (if I remember right) than the compared AXP's. They also are planning to make (or have started production) of socket 754 Semprons with plans for 939 pin Semprons.
Click to expand...
just piping in...
462 Sempron is an XP core with 256K L2, 166MHz fsb and a whacked ratings system.
Admittedly, the lower clocked Semp (somewhere around 1500MHz) will outperform the same clock speed XP due to the higher fsb, the PR number is way out of proportion.

Basic, Sempron socket A, look at the clock speed, ignore the PR rating. A socket A 2800+ is the same as an XP 2400+ if memory serves... slightly higher fsb, benches show no real differences.
 
astolpho said:
I read an article from Tom's Hardware that seemed to think a lot of the +3500 as the value member of the socket 939 line.
Click to expand...

Well that explains a lot, everything suddenly becomes crystal clear. You read Toms Hardware, this would be your first mistake. I think all of us agree with me in that you need to correct this problem right quick before saying anything else. :p
 
CentronMe said:
You read Toms Hardware, this would be your first mistake. I think all of us agree with me in that you need to correct this problem right quick before saying anything else. :p
Click to expand...

agreed 100%.:D
 
aldamon said:
If you buy an AMD (Socket 754, 939, DDR, AGP, whatever) setup for short-term (1 year or less) use it will still have value on the secondary market when you're ready to upgrade. It's not like you're going to lose all of that money. You'll lose some value, but not all of it. If PCI-E video cards are your greatest concern, I have to tell you, I'd be shocked if the AGP market were completely abandoned. Though a rag, The Register agrees with me:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/07/nvidia_roadmap/

That's why I'm a proponent of buying what's a good value for today. Worry about next year, well, next year. Component manufacturers do everything in their power to make sure computing is not an investment. I think the longevity of Socket A was a fluke.



My apologies. You didn't come off as someone who's still on the fence.
Click to expand...

AMEN! hehe..

i agree totally.. i hate when people complain about their system but then don't ever upgrade cuz they are waiting for the faster, better components..

if you do that, you'll never have a system!

I just upgraded to a Athlon 64 3000+ and 1 GB of DDR400 and its amazing! it was a cheap upgrade to , i sold my old ahtlon xp 2500+ barton system on ebay for $220 and got my mobo, cpu, and memory from newegg for about $360, so a $140 upgrade and D@MN worth it!!

just my $.02..

peace
seamonkey420
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top