14 DAY TRIAL // Rumors began spreading on the Internet that Intel has authorized HP (Hewlett Packard) to offer a two for one deal on Itanium 2s. This might be no small offering, because the Madison 9 MB chips are selling for around 4.655 USD.
Sources say that "Intel has decided to honor the price/performance roadmap it had advertised to system vendors earlier this year, even with the schedule slip of Montecito."
Speculations began to emerge, saying that Intel's intention is to make the platform more attractive, but still covering the variable costs associated with production. If Intel's decision is true, we might say that the giant is taking a defensive position against AMD's Opteron. Moreover, Intel has sold less Itanium processors this year than it did last year.
However, two 46655 Itanium processors for the price of one is a very attractive deal for many customers.
Intel hadn't offered any official confirmation or any postings on their website.
Meanwhile, AMD began competing Intel on the entertainment systems market, announcing that it will launch a new brand that will compete against Intel's Viiv platform