News.com is reporting that Dell is selling AMD chips. The catch? They are selling them in their retail packages, not in their systems. Why? Because of course that would ruin their deal with Intel. You know, one of these days Dell will figure out that what their XPS line really needs in order to compete with the specialty makers VoodooPC and Alienware, are AMD based gaming systems. Right now their XPS systems are like the wannabe posers of the student body, second-string it you will.
Michael Singer points out:
Dell is the only major North American PC maker to exclusively use Intel processors. Consumer product lines from other companies, including Hewlett-Packard, Gateway, Lenovo and IBM, offer both Intel and AMD chips.
I had to laugh at analyst Roger Kay though. He says:
So why is Dell selling only individual AMD chips and not a Dell Dimension with “AMD Inside”? Because, says independent analyst Roger Kay, Dell is still selling to its original demographic: PC gaming enthusiasts.
Roger needs to be burned. He clearly doesn’t understand the market. Most PC enthusiasts use AMD, its as simple as that. Casual gamers might use a Dell, but that systems primary purpose won’t be for gaming. In fact, the majority of hardcore gamers build their own systems.