X2 6400+, a rant

[Stormcrow]

While its good to see AMD still throwing punches back at the hulking behemoth of Intel, how many times can "Little Mac" go for the same left hook and expect it to even cause a grazing blow? Lets face it, while the K8 architecture pummeled Netburst back in the Megahertz War a few years back, its now obsolete, decimated by the Core2 gang and Big Boss Quad.
With AMD lagging behind with the Athlon design, the R600 family lost to an unclear future, and Intel's retaliatory price cuts in full swing with Penryn lurking on the horizon, what's the company to do after awakening the slumbering microprocessor giant?

Even with X2's down to around 70 dongs, the appeal of the low price is not enough to garner enough new buyers. When Joe calls up his tech savvy buddy for some advice, he's going to learn that Core2 crushes the X2 and that AM2 is on its way out already. When Jane gets her new OEM laptop, it's going to have a nice C2D sitting pretty in the socket. Word of mouth alone on the electronic frontier is enough to secure Intel its share of your building budget.

Despite all that, AMD continues to remain optimistic despite its dismaying Q2 reports (which are actually up!), flaunting Barcelona as it's saving grace Core2 Smasher. Even while well aware that Barcelona hasn't even been released yet...and that the desktop variant Agena won't be around until the annual holiday system building bonanza. So with the Intel's monster E6850 throwing its weight around, and the Q6600 under 300 frogskins, what is AMD's response?

If you've been keeping up with the current trends, the best course of action might be to step up production on the Phenom line, get Barcelona out the door and prim up Agena proper as it's going to be the judge the performance of Phenom. When the flagship proves its mettle in the line, its going to be the deciding factor of hype and purchase for the smaller "escorts" even if they fall behind their price competition; just ask the guy with the 8600GT.

Instead, AMD decides to take one last crack shot at Intel, with this 6400+. A whopping 200 megahertz over the 6000+ and double the L2 cache, for almost $100 more. Its not the fact that the 6000+ can be had for $170 now, it's not the fact that the 6400+ has reached its overclocking limits, and nay, its not even the fact that at the estimated price range of ~$230 is encroaching on Quadcore territory... its the fact that AMD is actually spending out to prepare, manufacture, package, market and ship these processors instead of diverting those much needed funds to the Phenom line up. And the real kick in the behind is it's STILL about 15% behind the E6850 at stock according to current reports. Lets not even discuss Core2's overclock right out of the box nature. At the same price you could get a E6600 and whip the pants off the 6400+ with a modest overclock.

AMD, what are you doing?! Yes, sure..your only lineup is a 2 year old architecture that cannot compete with the Core2, and we all know that Intel bends you over its knee for a good spanking right now. But still, taking the money used to promote and bring the 6400+ to market could be put to better use. Its pretty much useless at this point in the game and at that price range, why bother when you can have 4 cores instead of 2? If you punch at a wall long enough, and hard enough...sometimes you only break your fist. Come on AMD, I rooted for you this long, even forked out extra to have one of the Athlon 64's placed in my first custom computer instead of a P4, at least back up what your saying about Phenom and quit horsing around and spending extra just to release a new X2 that cant compete. Hopefully the rumors of this processor are just that, and instead of giving us AMD fans ANOTHER stopgap processor you'll get on the ball with Phenom and deliver power where promised. But after looking at the hype surrounding R600, and now the hype with Barcelona, I'm not ready to expect too much. My casebadge may just say Intel this time next year.

[JazzyJake]

that was actually sorta bittersweet
well written rant, dare i compliment a rant lmao
i'm in the same boat though....as i think ALL AMD lovers that are just getting more and more comfortable with the the notion of a shiny blue sticker.....not a green one.

[Yellowhello]

Well written rant. I didn't even know that AMD released a 6400+, LOL.

AMD give it up, K8 a lost cause.

[Stormcrow]

Originally Posted by yellowhello

Well written rant. I didn't even know that AMD released a 6400+, LOL.

AMD give it up, K8 a lost cause.

They haven't yet, check out this link: AMD to launch new high-end desktop processor

When I read that, I couldn't believe AMD is still keeping up with the Athlon, instead of taking that money they're using for this 6400+ and adding it to Phenom or even Fusion. We already have the 6000+, it does fine for what it is. Instead of giving us Barcelona at a measly 1.8-2.2 ghz at launch, give us something to once again rejoice in.
I bought my first Athlon 64 when I had my very first custom PC built through an online builder. Everyone was using P4, that was it. Unless you were really tech savvy, the name AMD didn't exist. Intel Inside graced every computer case in sight. Here I was, the only kid in town with an Athlon 64, 1.8 ghz of pure fury and it crushed everyone's prized Northwoods at 2.4-2.6. Not only did it beat the P4 at pretty much everything, I even got a free copy of Far Cry with it, which was appreciation from AMD just for buying it.
I'm not a fanboy by any means, I'd just like to see AMD smarten up like it did in the past and give us something worth ranting over. If only for competitions sake. If Green doesn't put out with Agena and Phenom...it looks like me and quite a few others will soon become Blue.

[JazzyJake]

your writing is sorta poetic.....kinda awkward that we're talking about processors, but still.
i know what you mean.
i'm building a new rig right before i go off to college, or so i plan..(a cube is what i'm aiming for) and i hope AMD smartens up by then.
until then i'll be playing CS:S on my 4400+ x2......YEEEEEHAW!!

[Stormcrow]

Originally Posted by JazzyJake

your writing is sorta poetic.....kinda awkward that we're talking about processors, but still.
i know what you mean.
i'm building a new rig right before i go off to college, or so i plan..(a cube is what i'm aiming for) and i hope AMD smartens up by then.
until then i'll be playing CS:S on my 4400+ x2......YEEEEEHAW!!

Haha, thanks. I write novels for a hobby so it kinda comes natural. And yeah, the X2 is no slouch by any means, I plan on bumping up my 3800+ to a 5800+ or 6000+ now that the price drops have happened. I'd just like to see something new and not the same rehashed material for a stupidly high price that cant even compete with Intel. As for a cube...I'm thinking of building one of those using Thermaltakes new LanBox, its a sweet little case for under a 100 on the egg.

[[Dr. V]]

Originally Posted by Stormcrow

Haha, thanks. I write novels for a hobby so it kinda comes natural. And yeah, the X2 is no slouch by any means, I plan on bumping up my 3800+ to a 5800+ or 6000+ now that the price drops have happened. I'd just like to something new and not the same rehashed material for a stupidly high price that cant even compete with Intel. As for a cube...I'm thinking of building one of those using Thermaltakes new LanBox, its a sweet little case for under a 100 on the egg.

I LOVE that case. It was gonna be my ultimate project as my main rig before I fell in complete love with the Enermax Uber Chakra.

And in terms of AMD's X2 - let's not forget that they are still a whole CPU generation BEHIND Intel. It's quite unfair to compare X2s to Core 2s, except for the fact that the X2s are AMD's current chip. Aside from this, you can't expect performance to be up to par with the Core 2s. Also, the performance of the X2 6000+ comes pretty close with the (similarly priced) E6420 - that's not too shabby at all considering it's technically AMD's last gen vs. Intel's current gen.

Either way, it IS the sad truth that AMD isn't close to Intel right now, but that isn't to say that it soon won't be. Intel and AMD lovers alike should be hoping for this. You need competition for one company to get better and strive to do more.

[Stormcrow]

I hope it won't be for long, as we know AMD is what keeps Intel competitive and vice versa. The point was that AMD keeps releasing slightly better versions of the X2, when they can be using those resources to concentrate on Phenom and perhaps a turnaround in the current trend of things. X2 is just not going to cut it, and all I've come across on Phenom is how much better it's supposed to be then Core2, when AMD not only has to worry about Core2 but also Penryn here shortly and then Nehalem not too far off. Intel already has a triple whammy set up, and if Barcelona and Agena can't overcome Core2 enough to put up a good fight against Penryn, they're future as a direct Intel competitor gets murky. That and with ATi's criticisms over the vastly delayed 2900 and the fact Nvidia STILL holds the top spot with the GTX and Ultra..and with G90 due out this Christmas as opposed to ATi's counter of a simple die shrink of R600, I'm starting to get worried for the green team.

And yeah, that LanBox is looking sweeter and sweeter every day. It'd be a great HTPC and secondary comp from the parts I take out as I upgrade this one. TT did an excellent job on it, and for only 89 bucks right now compared to the 150+ of other cube cases, its a really good deal.

[Lead Head]

That was actually pretty well written for a rant, but I don't think I saw this much complaining when intel's only product was the P4/PD. But you have to keep in mind that the Athlon 64 was first released in 2003, and its largely based on the Athlon XP, which was based of the Athlon, all the way back in 1999. So I'd say AMD is doing pretty good for something that is so old. They cannot just stand by while their next gen CPU is not ready, they have to at-least release something. A clock speed bump is just higher binning, not at a huge cost to AMD. So I would not really say they are wasting tons of money, but they DO need to get phenom out ASAP

[Stormcrow]

They've also added more to the L2 cache, still not alot in terms of cost but you also have to add in marketing, testing, and the whole shebang of bringing it to the public. Still might not be a whole lot to a company of AMD's size, but its still seems like a waste because at its price point you could get an E6600 or for a little more a Q6600, so its money best saved for elsewhere when the 6000+ is already doing its job fine. And, that really wasn't complaining, it's more or less a "wtf are you going to do AMD", when you see what Intel and Nvidia have lined up against AMD already, and whats coming, and all we have right now for a response is yet another faster X2. I truly hope Phenom is all it's cracked up to be, and released on time.