Intel to Slash Desktop Processor Pricing Up to 15 Percent as Ryzen 3000 Nears

[dsr_]

If the performance-competitive AMD CPUs were priced at 15% below Intel, that would be reasonable. But... it looks like you'll pay about 45% less for an AMD equivalent to an Intel CPU.

I'm really looking forward to EPYC Zen-2 parts.

[dangus]

The real difference that I find in practice is that, for whatever reason, AMD boards are consistently cheaper than Intel ones.

[cma]

The performance drop after their next security mitigation is supposed to be bigger than this price drop.

The release of their security workaround is being held back until something like one day after Ryzen 3000 release, presumably to cheat the benchmark numbers at the expense of users' security.

[mook]

Do they then run the risk of somebody publicizing the security issues early? For example, if somebody already likes AMD better and gets angry at Intel for ignoring security risk.

Or is this additional mitigations for already public security issues?

[Ennis]

I thought this business has technology cycles. It's just that AMD has missed a few and now Intel is at the mid-stage of it's current architecture. Wouldn't they be naturally back on top in a few years while AMD retools a new architecture family? I don't get the "intel is done for" reasoning. Cutting pricing on a product-line that is in mid to late life-cycle is expected in most other businesses including technology.

There are other arguments wrt Intel not being fabless that I get but those are not the same thing.

[wmf]

No, Intel is not mid-cycle; they are still selling 2015 tech because they have failed to deliver on their roadmap for the last four years. In theory it's possible that they could have a great leap forward and catch up but it's more likely that it will take 3-4 more years to dig out of the hole.

[wickoff]

From my understanding the problem isn't with the architecture, but with manufacturing. AMD is about to release 7nm CPUs manufactured by TSMC, meanwhile Intel only recently sorted out its 10nm issues and 7nm is scheduled for 2021 if everything goes well.

[elorant]

That's hardly satisfying. Price for an i5-8500 is higher than it was a year ago. They chocked the market while providing low supply and now are trying to fight back with laughable discounts. Thanks but no thanks Intel. My next upgrade will be an AMD.

[PLenz]

Desperation move, it looks more the more like Intel doesn't have an answer to Zen2.

[yjftsjthsd-h]

So... Now AMD takes top performance, so Intel gets to be the "value" brand? I'm joking, but this is honestly a pretty funny reversal.

[mooman219]

One thing to note is that AMD performed their Intel CPU benchmarks without any security mitigations in place. Actual performance numbers in some applications might be higher than what was advertised.

[inamberclad]

Intel is still winning in single threaded work, last time I checked. AMD is winning in performance per dollar, and only because Intel gouges so damn much.

[nanoservices]

No one could have ever guessed resting on your laurels and price gouging customers because you were the only game in town would ever come back to bite them. /s

[spectramax]

Isn’t this how every business works? If there is no competition, and if there are people willing to pay for the price they set, how is that a fault of the business?

That said, I think Intel has a long history of anti-competitive behavior and we need law makers with a spine to address and punish this type of behavior.

[tntn]

I don't think anyone at Intel has been patting themselves on the back for their 10nm failure. This wasn't their plan - cannon lake was supposed to be released in 2016, but now they'll maybe have volume production by the end of this year.

[johnvanommen]

Hooray for competition!

[beastman82]

It's capitalism.

[microcolonel]

Their costs are not going to come down anywhere near AMD's for products which can be sold for a similar price, at least with regard to their current product lines. AMD has really hit it out of the park from engineering on up to strategy.

[lol_jono]

They're going to need to do more than that.

[jandrese]

Intel can coast on corporate inertia for some time. They weathered the Netburst era alright from the Dells and Apples of the world being married to Intel.

I'm personally excited for actual competition in the CPU space. It seems like this entire decade has been in the doldrums with CPU growth. Someone needs to Conroe the market again.

[techntoke]

Still overpriced and less secure