AMD/Microsoft Tech Tour 2007

[cabroker]

Registration has begon..

 

[4DoorGTZ]

Can someone outline who you have to work for in order to get the tour package? Sales and system builders only.... so Joe Blow who might build his/his friend/familiy computers doesnt count?

I'd go for the deal.... but probably cant get it.

 

[unhappy_mage]

To compare:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Brisbane 2.3GHz - $159
ASUS M2A-VM Socket AM2 AMD 690G - $73
Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Ultimate OEM - $200
Shipping (to me) - $6
Total: $438, $87 more than TT bundle.

So if you'll use Vista this is a good deal; otherwise save your money. I wish they'd do another duallie Tech Tour bundle I could make the one near me, but it's not a good enough deal to trouble myself. The license to Vista is non-transferable IIRC.

 

[Scorpionjwp]

Here is the detailed info for the people who qualify:

This offer is only available to either (A) a system builder or reseller of Microsoft software, or (B) an employee of a Microsoft retail partner. Complete eligibility details available at time of purchase.

 

[tsuehpsyde]

Meh, two are near me, but that's if you consider a 4 hour drive *near*. Meh, the bundle isn't worth worrying about, imo. Vista, woo hoo.

 

[Pocatello]

Thanks for the link and the info.


I have attended this in the past when there were some good deals.

 

[Pocatello]

Is AMD putting a nearly "end of life" (EOL) CPU in this bundle? I don't understand.

This is from the tech tour bundle promo for $349:

Bundle includes:
Energy efficient AMD Athlon™ 64 dual-core processor 4400+, Rev G, 65nm
Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Ultimate OS - NFR
ASUS M2A-VM with AMD 690G Chipset

and I got this email from AMD on 3/22/07:

As we approach the end of Q1/07, here’s a quick processor roadmap update:

Sempron 3200 becomes EOL by the end of March
Athlon 64 3200 becomes EOL by the end of March
X2 4200 (89W and 65W) become EOL by the end of March – reduced price of $102USD till supplies last
X2 4600 (89W and 65W) become EOL by the end of March – reduced price of $118USD till supplies last
X2 5400 becomes EOL by the end of March
FX62 becomes EOL by the end of March

Prices on X2 4200 and 4600 are very good and there still is a good amount of inventory at distribution. These two are the same price as the X2 4000 and 4400 will be when the price moves in April – to give you an idea of how good the value is today!

FYI, the AMD690G boards are available from ASUS in distribution today. MSI and ECS versions are very close. This is the board that has the DVI/HDMI connector on board. Also has the ability to add another ATI based VGA card to power up to 4 LCD panels.

Questions – let me know.

...

If the X2 4200 and X2 4600 becomes EOL at the end of last month, why are they selling a bundle with an X2 4400?

 

[Pocatello]

anyone gonna buy a bundle?

 

[ND40oz]

If they had one anywhere near me, I'd be picking up a bundle. The 4400 x2's are new, 65nm chips, instead of the current 4200 and 4600s which are 90nm still. That's why they're EOL'd.

 

[Mohonri]

If they had one anywhere near me, I'd be picking up a bundle. The 4400 x2's are new, 65nm chips, instead of the current 4200 and 4600s which are 90nm still. That's why they're EOL'd.

You beat me to it. The 65nm chips may have the same 65W TDP as the older 90nm chips, but they're likely to be even more efficient, particularly as you get closer to the low end. The big gain in going to 65nm was for AMD to improve their production capacity and reduce their per-chip production cost. Reviews of the 65nm chips tended to hammer on the point that the new chips did not perform any faster than the old ones, but forgot that the new chips weren't supposed to be faster.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not too thrilled with this bundle this year, as the value of Vista to me is something approximating zero.