AMD / ATI ponderings at HKEPC

[Geo]

The problem is it seems someone has to be doomed by this. ATI or Nvidia. This is too great a change IMO for there not to be some major repercussions to the equilibrium the market has reached. If IGP becomes the defacto thing then it might well kill Nvidia...

How defacto is "defacto"? Checked IGP numbers lately?

 

[Jawed]

The problem is it seems someone has to be doomed by this. ATI or Nvidia. This is too great a change IMO for there not to be some major repercussions to the equilibrium the market has reached. If IGP becomes the defacto thing then it might well kill Nvidia...

IGP already is the de-facto thing.

Jawed

 

[Sxotty]

Neliz's statement implied the death of discreete graphics in the mid to low end in his own words. That was the point, could Nvidia/ATI support their rate of innovation selling low margin IGP parts and super high end parts only? I do not think it would leave the industry in the same health as they are now.

If discrete GPUs made up only the same percantage as people with SLi + XF and that would be a very poor thing indeed for the state of computer game industry.

I realize that the majority of compuers use IGP, but that is silly to point toward b/c what percentage of those computers are sitting in an office somewhere in the dark all alone at night.

We need some statistics that show what percentage of home computers have IGP, break it down by who owns the computers 20-30yr, 10-20, 30-40, 50-60 how many grandmas play games? How many have IGP, how many have computers? These are all very relevant questions if you want to have any sort of informed opinion on the dynamics of the industry. (And many older people do have computers now, but do they need anything more than IGP?) Otherwise all of this is pretty much just hot air.

 

[_xxx_]

Just think of a laptop using gfx card memory types for system ram. 1GB would be double what's on a gfx card these days, but the speed/bandwidth vs ddr-2 could be compelling.

But the huge latency would be truly a pita if used as a system RAM.

 

[_xxx_]

IGP already is the de-facto thing.

Jawed

Yes. Actually, who was the worldwide leader in GFX-sales over the last few years? Intel.

IGP is the way to go, one day everything will be integrated probably. But still, users looking for any kind of serious performance will ALWAYS buy a discrete card for GFX. Always. And that is not about to change in the 5 years timeframe, despite people being so optimistic about the performance of near-future integrated parts.

 

[karlotta]

Think about it this way, if it was possible, nV and ATi probably would have made a motherboard that was upgradable with a socket already, it would have driven thier cost down while increasing thier IGP chip market at least for thier own chips. Would be nice to just slap in a 7300 where that 6200 was, they are pin compatible, plus the motherboard features havn't changed that much either. As it is they don't make much money per unit sold on inegrated graphics motherboards, this would have helped them substantially.

Upgrade a igp? Hmmm, you will need a cooler...ok a dab of goo. Who upgrades in the PC world? or really how many ppl upgrade? Hmmm about .1% of all comps sold. But anyways, whats easier to do pull the cooler, pull the chip/with some retintion gear, then install the new lil chip/cooler, and goo. OR just pull a card replace card, WHICH has all the extra neat stuff that can be on a pcb of a card. They (the IHV,s) can design a MB to have all kinds of features/upgrade abillity, its just not cost effective, or its really not a good biz model with the current way MB manufactures and OEMs do business. NVDA and ATI do not make MBs Or vidcards for that matter either.

 

[_xxx_]

I see GPU/CPU/Northbridge on one chip with high speed memory interface and south bridge. You eliminate two chips and you could eliminate pci express slots. This would allow you to build really low cost PC's that would fit markets like India and China. With all the expansion options available for PC's and all the sound, nic, usb, firewire built in the need for slots in low end PC's is becoming moot.

LOL, sure... until the next "hot" game demanding more power appears. Think huge hit like, dunno, Oblivion or WoW or so.

 

[_xxx_]

http://www.beyond3d.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33469

AMD/ATI gets antitrust clearance. . .

I dunno if we should enable you guys to avoid getting in the habit of checking the front page on your own, but oh well. :smile:

Just make the frontpage the only possible way to enter the forum? That would do it

 

[rwolf]

LOL, sure... until the next "hot" game demanding more power appears. Think huge hit like, dunno, Oblivion or WoW or so.

My first system had ISA graphics, my second had PCI graphics, my third had APG, and I just bought two new systems that are PCI-Express. Each system has different power requirements, cooling requirements, and a totally new motherboard and case. Why not just make PC's like consoles? Discard and replace.

I find that by the time I need to upgrade there are newer and faster cpus, hard drives, memory, and new bus standards. The problem so far with disposable computers so far is that they are all ultra low end.

The problem with the new hit concept is that you go and put in a faster video card and you need to upgrade your power supply. You do that and then find that you don't have enough memory. So you add memory only to find that your CPU is slowing things down. By the time you are done you need a new case with 120mm fans because the thing keeps crapping out from the heat.

The only truely reusable components of the PC are the mouse, keyboard, and peripherals. CRT's have been replaced by LCDs.