Goodbye AMD Socket A CPUs

Blogger's Note: For those buying new computers and considering AMD, delay your purchase until such time that Socket 754 AMD CPUs will be cheaper. Let say, June 2005. 8-)

Socket A to blow its brains out in March Both Sempron and Athlon XP socket A to vanish
By: Fuad Abazovic Tuesday 22 February 2005, 09:49

AFTER YEARS of loving socket A platform, it's time to say goodbye to all those nice chipsets and motherboards based on it. AMD decided to pull the plug on this one simply as it wants to make a big deal out of the Socket 754. We reported it was headed for the end of its life last year.

This decision affects K7 AMD Sempron 3000+, 2800+, 2600+ and 2200+ but AMD left a choice to its customer(s) to buy a lot of these CPUs if they want to. It's sure that this will be the last time they will be able to. AMD wants to make this move as smooth as possible. The last order date for those CPUs is May 15th 2005 while AMD will order the last phalanx of Socket A Semprons to march out of the fabs on November 15th. If you live in what are called "emerging markets" you will be able to get Sempron 2500+, 2400+ and 2300+ even beyond Q2.

AMD also decided to discontinue its very successful Athlon XP generation of CPUs. AMD calls these CPUs Model 10 Athlon XP and this decision will affect 3200+, 3000+ 2800+ CPU, the ones that are using Socket A. AMD thinks that Athlon XP brand is being phased out and that it's high time to replace this brand with Sempron processors. That’s AMD's reason for the planned obsolescence. Hey I learned a new word today. [Don't use it too often, Ed.]

Customers are advised to buy sufficient quantities during this last time buy in order to have as many as they plan to sell. This will surely be the last time the legit partners will be able to buy these CPUs from AMD. There is always a grey market, of course.

Customers will be able to make their last orders on March 1st 2005 when the call will go out "your very clean glasses now please". And AMD will ship the last contingent of these CPUs on September 1st 2005. I guess that you will be able to get Sempron and Athlon XP socket A CPUs by the end of the year while AMD will aggressively push us all toward socket 754. That's the way AMD wants to play it.

Fairwell Socket A you served us well and we will miss you. Sniff. µ

http://www.theinquirer.net/print.aspx?article=21377&print=1