AMD Adds First-Level Support To Stable Image Program

System builders supporting desktops in the validated system program will now call an AMD-managed call center if problems crop up, said Marty Seyer, senior vice president of AMD's Commercial Business Segment. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD also will coordinate shipment of replacement parts, when necessary, he said at a technology briefing last week.

"We will make sure [customers] get replacement parts, should they need it, in a timely manner," Seyer said.

Brett Kennedy, desktop business development manager at Seneca Data, a North Syracuse, N.Y.-based system builder, said the program's value depends on which board maker a system builder is dealing with, since customer service varies from vendor to vendor.

"AMD is leveling the playing field, which is not a bad thing," Kennedy said. "The customer will get a consistent level of customer service no matter who is making the board."

AMD has been investigating centralizing support for its Commercial Stable Image Platform (CSIP) for desktop and client systems, which was launched last year. CSIP is part of AMD's drive to more deeply penetrate the commercial channel. In the past, some system builders have had trouble placing AMD-based desktops into corporate and education accounts because of the lack of standardized platforms.

Intel--which offers a proprietary, tightly coupled platform of CPU, chipset and motherboard--appeals to corporate customers looking to reduce support costs, system builders said. Corporate and education customers want to be able to manage a system image on a platform for a year or longer. In the education market, for example, warranties are a minimum of three years and often as long as five years.

Despite the advances in AMD's program for corporate desktops, Kennedy, like many other system builders, called for AMD to begin building its own motherboards to help better control quality.

"AMD should have its own brand," he said.

AMD executives in the past have said the company isn’t getting into the business of making chipsets or motherboards, though published reports last week said one financial analyst believes the chip vendor may be negotiating to acquire ATI Technologies, a graphic processor and chipset maker. AMD officials declined to comment.