Here we are, in December, and Intel’s chip supply issue is no better – actually worse – than when I wrote of the problem in May.
My go-to computer for business use, the HP ProDesk 400 G6 with an Intel i5 processor and an SSD drive, is now a tough find. Very tough. I have used units with a hard drive, and installed my own SSD. Now even those are difficult to come by.
Back in January of this year, Intel CEO Bob Swan said, “Supply remained constrained particularly at the value end of our product range. We are working closely with our customers to align demand with available supply while we add capacity and we expect supply-demand balance to improve by mid-year.”
Wrong, Bob. As I write this, my supplier shows my preferred desktop is not only out-of-stock, but they have 7,384 of them on order. I would say “supply-demand balance” has not improved.
Not only is this a huge problem for consumers who want to purchase a PC, it’s become a problem for PC manufacturers, particularly HP and Dell. Check out this article for Tom’s Hardware: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/dell-amd-pcs-intel-cpu-shortage which says Dell is evaluating AMD CPU’s as a possible alternative to Intel processors. I don’t know how soon they could get PC’s to market though, since this involves a different processor AND motherboard. In the article, it says:
Dell CFO Tom Sweet told Yahoo that Dell doesn’t expect Intel’s shortage to improve until the second half of 2020 and is “evaluating” AMD processors.
Did you catch that? The second half of 2020. Yikes.
Another alternative exists, which is Lenovo. While HP and Dell have a few products using AMD processors, Lenovo has several. Of course, as consumers begin buying AMD-based systems in greater numbers, we could very well see a shortage of AMD chips as well.
Microsoft’s end-of-support for Windows 7 is partly creating this demand, as consumers weigh a lengthy upgrade to Windows 10 vs. just buying new computers that already have Windows 10.
Any of my clients wanting to buy PC’s (or servers for that matter) should contact me. The situation is rapidly-changing. Prospects should contact us as well, even for Windows 10 upgrades. Whatever your inquiry, we welcome you to contact us.
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14 Jan 2021: Post updated to include links to new company pages on Social Networks.