Readers who wonder why they haven't seen much marchitecting of AMD's ineffable Duron microprocessor need wonder no longer.

The firm is barely marketing the Duron apart from on its own Web site and people are flocking in their droves to buy the AMD Athlon, which now has established itself as a brand, despite its own ineffable name.

Furthermore, AMD is pricing Durons close to its pricing for Athlon that PC manufacturers are reporting that on relatively high speed parts, such as 700MHz processors, the difference is only around $15.

Given the strength of the Athlon Powers brand, consumers are prepared to pay that difference without thinking it, according to one OEM.

However, AMD's cunning plan at lower clock speeds, compounded by up-and-coming big Celeron shortages this month, is apparently bearing fruit.

Sales of 600MHz Durons are performing strongly. There is no 600MHz Athlon anymore, and the trick now is to persuade large businesses who were prepared to use Celerons to make the move to the Duron instead.

AMD marketeers want to bite into Chipzilla's market share hard and at every level, and it appears that Intel is once more obliging the firm by placing allocations on its own chip-for-the-masses: the Celeron.

That, of course, will throw the rest of the supply chain, in the shape of distributors and dealers (sorry re-sellers), into AMD's willing embrace, once again. ®