Gateway begins AMD server push
Gateway becomes the latest computer maker to begin selling x86 servers using Advanced Micro Devices' Opteron processor.
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The company announced three rack-mounted models, dual-processor machines 1.75 inches and 3.5 inches thick, and a four-processor machine 5.25 inches thick. The company unveiled the models Tuesday at the VMworld conference in Los Angeles.
The Irvine, Calif.-based company has a small share of the server market dominated by IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Sun Microsystems. But it has been plugging away for years, and the Opteron models are the latest example of its tenacity.
Intel, afflicted by Xeon processors with comparatively low performance and high power consumption, lost share to AMD's Opteron in the x86 server market. New "Woodcrest" Xeon 5100 processors have helped Intel reverse server market share losses, but AMD still has attracted new customers.
Dell dropped its Intel-only ways in October, introducing two Opteron servers. Shortly before, IBM had fleshed out its Opteron line with a full range of products. HP and Sun were early converts to Opteron.
Gateway's 1.75-inch-thick E-9422R starts at $1,799; the 3.5-inch-thick E-9522R starts at $1,849; Gateway didn't release prices for the 5.25-inch-thick E-9722R. The servers use supporting chipsets from Nvidia to link processors with subsystems such as input-output and storage.