[citation][nom]back_by_demand[/nom]A lot of HTPCs benefit from AMD APUs, great little machines that don't need i7 power, if they hit that market hard and kept up the pressure in the games console market they are onto a winner - but really they need a big entry in the tablet market, if x86 Windows 8 Pro defies all negative press and sells like hotcakes then AMD need to have a tablet CPU (or APU) alternate to the i5 very quickly or Intel may well tie up another virtual monopoly[/citation]
The problem is that the majority, not us enthusiasts, who do HTPCs do not even need a APU for it. ALl they need is something that will do 1080P HD and HDCP, which Atom can do or Brazos. Or even a low end i3 can do all while using less power and creating less heat/noise than the Trinity APUs do.
Hell my HTPC is a Athlon 64 X2 6000+ and a HD5450 and it does BR and HD video with no issues at all. and the system is very quiet since the HD5450 is fanless and the 6000+s fan is a higher end one that runs very quiet compared to stock.
[citation][nom]jhansonxi[/nom]They could be in the tablet market now with Android but they have the same problem as Intel - x86 is too inefficient for mobile. While AMD has GPUs to fall back on, Intel has much better diversity throughout their product lines.[/citation]
Intels not having that much of an issue with efficiency. In fact, current Medfield based phones get the same battery life as other equivalent battery phones while providing similar performance.
Add to that what Haswell looks to do, or the next Atom (22nm) that will use less power and add IB graphics I dont't think intel will have any issue. Nor should AMD have any issues getting there. Its all about taking their long experience and applying it. AMD has a good history of low power products, Athlon 64 was hailed for that. They can do it again.
But the one thing I don't get is the "focusing on server" part. While this will be more than just CPU, the last CPU focused on servers was Barcelona and we all know that didn't turn out very well.
What AMD needs to do is push towards an efficient design per clock and watt, not per dollar. Its nioce to have a cheaper alternative but in the big markets like servers and HPCs, they look at two things the most, performance per clock and per watt as they use so many that the less power used, the better.
AMD is currently throwing clock speed at their CPUs and it shows how inefficient their current arch is. I hope their next arch is not delayed like crazy and that it is a better competitor.
I still am not a fan of Rory as he seems to think Intel is nothing to compete against but enthusiasts and the original AMD pushed hard to become a truly viable alternative to Intel and to lose that would be horrible in my opinion. Intel needs AMD as much as Ford needs Honda/GM etc. They need to have someone to try to "one up" so the consumers come out on top.