Compaq Computer Corp has confirmed long-standing rumors and announced that it will start using chips from Advanced Micro Devices Inc as an alternative to Intel Corp for its Presario range of personal computers. Four of the machines will use AMD’s 200MHz K6 processor, while Compaq has turned to Cyrix Corp’s newly launched MMX-enhanced MediaGX chip for one of its notebooks. The Cyrix chip has enabled Compaq to bring to market an MMX 200MHz notebook that will sit just under the $2,000 mark, an important sector of the market, Compaq says. There will be 15 new Presario machines in all, which are expected to replace all the existing models, and which will form Compaq’s broadest range of machines to date. One of the machines, the Presario 2240, has been priced at just under $800, a challenge to Hewlett-Packard Co’s similarly-priced Pavilion machine, launched earlier this week (CI No 3,319). Compaq spokesperson Mike Berman says the company turned to AMD because of the value factor offered by the K6. But Intel Pentium II 266MHz and 300MHz chips are used in the other ten Presario models, and 98% of Compaq’s entire range. The high-end Presario, with a starting price of $2,400, will use a new Intel chip due to be launched shortly. AMD spokesperson Wayne Cox says clinching the deal is an important step in AMD’s goal of having a 30% market share by 2000. Some of the Presario models will start shipping in the US this week, others will follow throughout the rest of the month and into early February. AMD also announced that IBM Corp will use a 266MHz K6 chip in two of its Aptiva personal computers, marking the first use of AMD’s 266MHz K6 chip.
