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Technology Stocks : Intel Corporation (INTC) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Paul Engel who wrote (84565)	6/27/1999 7:29:00 PM
From: Charles R	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 186894

Paul, <Your continual emphasis on Reliability and serviceability and uptime has been a reminder as to the importance of these items for corporate needs. The fact that these are now becoming available in Intel-based servers speaks well of the future in store for Intel in these markets. The AMDroids, on the other hand, seem to be of the opinion that the Athlate will displace Intel in this segment - simply because AMD sells it for a few bucks cheaper than the Intel parts. AMD and its "investors" just NEVER learn !> Tony emphasizes on some good things here but you are WAY out of your league. Having been a architect/systems guy with some of the blue-chip 24x7 companies earlier in my career, I can tell you with a high amount of certainty that architects don't give a damn if the processor comes from Intel or AMD or MIPS or Mot or Sun or an inhouse fab. The work that makes 24X7 possible is at system and software level. Typically chip level failures are a tiny fraction of the overall failure rates. Concern in the silicon domain are typically in the memory and line interface areas. At chip level what people look at it FITS ratings and the failure modes that crop up in the lab and the field - the concern here is not 24X7 but the expense and stigma of a service call. Unless AMD does considerably bad compared to Intel, to the extent that it effects service call numbers, I don't see this being an issue - and there isn't much data to say that is the case. A small amount of reliability slip on AMDs part, if any, will be tolerated by the systems vendors because the performance in this segment is extremely important. The market appeal of the high-end Spec and TPC ratings drives a lot of business across the board (high-end/mid-range/low-end) and systems guys go to extra-ordinary lengths to keep that edge. Now, if you say, the concern is from an MIS guy, you would have a stronger hand because of the Y2K FUD. Chuck P.S.: I have been out of this line of work for a decade and would gladly like to hear who has done any systems work in the recent past on how what I am saying has changed in the recent past.