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For the most part recently it seems that Intel can do no wrong by many people.  It keeps churning out new processors like the i7 that greatly improve on everything else on the market.  There’s also all its other random side projects that could improve any number of technologies.  None of these things get passed the EU antitrust regulators, though, who are expected to fine Intel sometime this week.

According to the EU Intel has been paying computer manufacturers to not release computers using AMD chips.  Intel also reportedly set limits for manufacturers on what percentage of their computers could use AMD chips.  For example, all Lenovo and Dell laptops had to use Intel chips, while HP was allowed to use AMD chips in 5 percent of its laptops.  There’s also the issue of Intel paying off retailers to not stock machines that use AMD chips.

According to Intel it never did anything wrong regarding these issues.  However, if the EU does fine them, and does find that Intel did indeed pay off retailers and manufacturers it might possibly result in more AMD chips being used in computers.  Then again, this case is only in Europe, and will most likely not affect American Intel and AMD chip sales very much if at all.  Not to mention the fact that Intel’s chips are just better than AMD’s at the moment, which is why nobody really would have questioned never seeing AMD chips, at least not the average consumer.

Read [Reuters]