[LiveBrianD]

Have you guys heard about this? http://www.tomshardw...Atom,19314.html

Looks like AMD will be gaining more sales from enthusiasts in the future, if this ends up being true..

[waldojim]

Enthusiasts will not be using the "mainstream" parts, they will have the "performance" parts. In other words, we will not be affected in the slightest - according to the article anyhow.

Quote

The move to offer BGA MCMs is reportedly fueled by the market trend towards low-powered CPUs and ultra-thin form factors. However there's speculation that Intel will still provide CPUs in LGA packaging for high-end desktop platforms only.

This post has been edited by waldojim: 29 November 2012 - 08:19 PM

[LiveBrianD]

What's their definition of "high-end" though? After all, both of us have i5s in our desktops, even though the i5 is supposed to be mid-range while i7's high-end. And not all enthusiasts use the high-end components.

The other thing is that wouldn't this mean a lot more SKUs for manufacturers to keep track of, with different motherboard and CPU combinations, unless they limit choices? (not a good thing)

What I figure is that, worst case, Intel will do this for a generation, and then switch back. (at least for desktops) Like the Pentium 2 socket.

This post has been edited by LiveBrianD: 29 November 2012 - 09:16 PM

[waldojim]

I think you finally caught on. Intel won't do this across all the CPU's for a reason, because it would make the diy market a mess, and then only AMD would have a viable product. That won't happen because it will negatively affect their bottom line. So what we will see is an ODM SoC channel, and then a DIY channel. Though honestly, I don't even see Intel going that route, as that means far too many SKU's to track at one time for a single product generation. We are more likely to see a new product line separate from the main line. Basically, a new 'net-top' product entirely.

Basically, they are not going to kill their cash cow, nor are they going to alienate their customers. Not when AMD is stepping up their game (finally), and trying to be competitive.