It"s starting to feel like old times again for Intel. With the impending release of the Core 2 Duo processor, formerly code-named Conroe, on the heels of the successful Xeon launch, the chip maker"s products are generating a new kind of buzz. It"s the same kind of anticipation that was a given several years ago, before rival Advanced Micro Devices hit the scene with technology impressive enough to turn heads of corporate buyers and enthusiasts.
"It"s been a long time since people have been talking about Intel the way they have been talking about them for the past few months," said one system builder, who requested anonymity. "For so many years, Intel had been king of the mountain and nobody wanted to talk about AMD, but for the past three years that has flipped." For example, Todd Swank, director of marketing at Nor-tech, a system builder in Burnsville, Minn., said Nor-Tech is particularly enthusiastic about Intel"s Core 2 duo"s price/performance story.