Companies seem to swap positions in the ever growing x86 market from Notebook computers to Desktops, to Servers. Recently, AMD, have taken a lashing in the server market by Intel making strides as seen with Sun and Intel making a partnership and Intel making their way back into Google's Servers. But, this is mostly due to Intel's ground breaking server processor, Woodcrest. This product has met and exceeded most of AMD's past, and current selection of server products in performance per watt as seen by our Senior Hardware editor, Hooz.
"Intel's gains in the server market are basically due to them having 'Woodcrest,'" said McCarron, referring to Intel's dual-core Xeon 5100 chip for dual-processor servers. Intel's "Clovertown" processor, which squeezes two Woodcrest chips into a quad-core package, "made a meaningful contribution to their business in the fourth quarter. Quad core is starting to happen fairly quickly," McCarron said.
Intel was the first of the two companies to launch off the first x86 Quad core product Codename: Clovertown. The performance merits remained in favor of Intel with that product launch and AMD has yet to reply back with answer of their own.