Pinhedd :
Good.
It sounds like they've learned a lot from Bulldozer. If they can keep pulling off 15-20% improvements in 10-12 month intervals than perhaps AMD can still be a viable competitor to Intel
The trouble is, Intel is not standing still. If the improvements in Intel's subsequent gen chips keep pace with AMD's, then the performance gains in AMD chips will be a moot point. In theory, Intel may remain the better buy.
Don't get me wrong, I'd like to see AMD maintain viability because of the competition it gives Intel, however, at this point, AMD is a reasonable margin behind Intel and has a lot of ground to make up. Many hardware sites, including this one, maintain that Intel currently has the "value buy" processors at most price points.
I am holding out hope that AMD's rehiring of the guy behind K6 and AMD64 means that they are going back to the drawing board for future generation processors that have yet to be announced. If AMD learned its lesson that marketing hype alone cannot make a great processor, then they might just keep such a plan quiet.
So where's the fingers crossed smilie??
In the meantime, it will be a while before I build again, so I will keep an eye on developments, however, without plans to buy.