In the last couple of days there has been a lot of new about AMD releasing a new CPU clocked to 5GHz. This is the Centurion and according to some reports is intended to allow AMD to compete with Intel in the desktop market. Now if that line sounded somewhat odd to you, then you are not alone. When I first heard about Centurion a few days ago I found it interesting, but did not put too much thought into it. Now, things are a little different and I find myself wondering who in AMD’s marketing team allowed this idea to ever get to the public.

Basically the message that is being sent is that AMD needs to run 2GHz faster than an Intel CPU to perform as well. That is not a good thing to say about your processor. It shows serious issues with efficiency and performance. On top of the self-deprecating message there is the small issue of the $800 price tag that you will need to pay to get this new product. AMD’s message is not a good one here and this push is a mistake. I know AMD is finally getting that they have to compete with Intel in the desktop market, but this is very counterproductive.

With very little effort Intel could turn this around on AMD (and probably already has plans to). In much that same way that x86 CPUs used to show they were more powerful than their core clocks speeds indicated Intel could undermine any gain that the 5GHz Centurion might bring to AMD. At this point we have to wonder if AMD is regretting the big PR and Marketing purge they went through last year. I know the current crop is not doing so hot in presenting AMD as a serious option in desktop or mobile computing. We hope that someone sits them down and puts them back on the right path and soon…

Do you think AMD is hurting themselves with Centurion? Tell us in our Forum