Dell Inc., the world’s second-largest personal computer maker, said on Wednesday it started selling machines with microchips from Intel Corp. that have four processing cores, delivering faster performance and better energy efficiency.
Dell said it was offering Intel’s quad-core version of its Xeon chip for server computers that run business networks, and a quad-core version of the Core 2 Extreme chip for high-end desktop computers used for heavy-duty computing like graphics and 3-D modeling.
The chips are among the most powerful in Intel’s stable, and are built by sticking two dual-core chips together in a single package. Dell of Round Rock, Texas, is the No. 2 PC maker after Hewlett-Packard Co.
Intel launched its quad-core chips ahead of schedule as it tries to stop market-share gains by rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
AMD plans to launch a quad-core chip by the middle of next year, and claims it will perform better than Intel’s current offerings because all the cores will be on a single piece of silicon rather than two dual-cores stuck together.
Dell also announced on Wednesday its first business desktop computer with AMD processors. Dell earlier this year ended a long-standing exclusive relationship with Intel and began offering AMD processors in business server computers and consumer personal computers.
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