Kash, Re: "This whole benchmark argument is pretty irrelevant."
I agree in some respects. Benchmarking at low resolutions is pretty irrelevant to the user experience, but so is showing a game running at 150 fps on one platform vs 175fps on another. Extremely high frame rates like these exceed the ability of the monitor and/or video adapter, anyway, and does not make much of a difference when it comes to the user experience.
I think one of the big chores for Intel is to find meaningful ways to sell their products, to make someone feel the need to upgrade their already "fast enough" 600MHz machines.
"If Intel could deliver a 3Ghz PIV I doubt if consumers would pay any more than the 2Ghz PIV."
I disagree with that. There are always some people interested in the top speed grade, which is why there is always a fight to be #1, even from a PR perspective. Right now, the market for 2GHz machines is probably <1%, but eventually that will be the mainstream offering, and it will eventually take the majority market share. Similarly, a 3GHz Pentium 4 will have a <1% market for the performance it offers, but some people will be willing to pay the premium. Eventually, though, it will become mainstream. Such is the way of CPUs, as it always has been, despite claims from others to the contrary.
wanna_bmw |
