Tech
AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ out - Still can't beat Intel's E6700
AMDs latest processor, the Athlon 64 X2 6000+, is out - but it still can't beat Intel's E6700
Hot Hardware have a review and it's performance is lackluster to say the least. Compared to other AMD CPUs, yes, it's impressive, but compared to Intel's Core 2 Duo, well, here's what Hot Hardware have to say:
In comparison to all previous socket AM2 processor offerings, the Athlon 64 X2 6000+ is a solid product. Its higher clock speeds make it the fastest AM2 processor ever released, which also make it the fastest desktop CPU ever to come out of AMD's fabs. In the shadow of Intel's Core 2 Duo E6700 and Core 2 Extreme X6800 processors though, the new X2 6000+ isn't quite as impressive. The Core 2 Duos consumed less power overall and performed better in just about every benchmark. AMD has priced the 6000+ aggressively, which somewhat compensates for the Core 2's higher performance. The 6000+ is almost $500 cheaper than the Athlon 64 FX-62 was when it was launched, which markedly enhances its value proposition. And it's about $60 less expensive than the Core 2 Duo E6700.
What I don't understand is why AMD are still releasing updated Athlon 64 X2's that aren't faster that Intel's processors. Seems to me that it could be spending R&D money better on establishing a line that seriously beat Intel either on price or performance (or both). A shift to a 65nm process would help - the 90nm process has been squeezed dry.
Still, that's a lot of pins on the business side of that processor!
How should AMD move forward?