Intel Corp, which is losing its mainland market share to rival chipmaker Advance Micro Devices, aims to win sales for its new Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme processors by targeting suppliers of so-called 'no-brand' personal computers favoured by gamers at China's internet cafes.
Gamers demand computers powered by processors with higher performance and lower power consumption than those used by regular consumers and businesses, according to Vincent Lee, regional sales manager for Intel's South China operations.
'Our research shows that more than 90 per cent of internet cafes are supplied by no-brand or 'white box' manufacturers,' Mr Lee said.
Intel, whose new processors replace its Pentium products, would pay more attention to the price/performance ratio in its future product strategy planning since that would increasingly play an important role against AMD, noted researcher Analysys International.
Alexis Madrigal, an analyst at DFC Intelligence, said: 'The game market in China is all about online play and charging by usage.'
Intel's market share in China dropped to 74 per cent in the first quarter from 84 per cent a year earlier because of strong competition from AMD, said research firm International Data Corp. AMD unveiled its dual processors in 2004.
