RD580 production hampered by M1575 southbridge supplies?

K

kemosabe

Veteran
That's what my crappy babelfish translation is deciphering from this blurb. Seems only Asus has been able to bring Xpress 3200 to market so far. Jen-Hsun determined to give Orton the shaft after all through the ULi acquisition?

To those who understand chipset mumbo-jumbo, anything relevant in those SB600 marketing bullets? :oops:

Edit: on second thought, this probably belongs in the 3D graphics companies and industry forum.
 
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Yup. Some futures are 'foreseeably' longer than others, it seems. ;)

Time for Wavey Dave Orton to get SB600 ramping and take off the gloves before he becomes Huang's voodoo doll.
 
The first thing I thought of when I heard Nvidia had bought ULi was "ATI better get their southbridge figured out." I think everyone saw this coming.

I hope someone gets the chipset business figured out. It seems like each company has gotten one piece right. I want a "440BX" for the A64.
 
If the worse come to the worse, second tier players will just have to use the current ATI southbridge while the likes of Asus use what remains of the ULi southbridges.

However, I don't think the SB600 is far off, as it was promised along with the AM2 launch in June/July. All Nvidia have done is force accelerated development of ATI own better southbridge, which would have happened eventually anyway, and was on the roadmap long before Nvidia bought ULi.

Still it does seem rather anti-competative - what would happen if ATI bought Silicon Image and then decided to stop supplying HDMI chips to Nvidia?
 
Bouncing Zabaglione Bros. said:
Still it does seem rather anti-competative - what would happen if ATI bought Silicon Image and then decided to stop supplying HDMI chips to Nvidia?
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1. ATi is not Nvidia's customer
2. Nvidia is ceasing supply of ULi chips to everybody, not just ATi
3. ATi has a southbridge and the resources to design and build a new one, it's not Nvidia's fault that it's not so hot.

So no, it's not anti-competitive, just competitive ;)
 
Jawed said:
So I bet that enhances Asus's feelings towards NVidia :p
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Interesting point, although the big boys might not care since according to the article, they have enough ULi chipset stock to last them till ATi's replacement is ready.
 
trinibwoy said:
1. ATi is not Nvidia's customer
2. Nvidia is ceasing supply of ULi chips to everybody, not just ATi
3. ATi has a southbridge and the resources to design and build a new one, it's not Nvidia's fault that it's not so hot.

So no, it's not anti-competitive, just competitive ;)
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Even those people like Asus that have contracts with ULi that Nvidia promised to keep supplying when they bought ULi? Let's not be niave here, this is all about hurting ATI even though "ATI is not Nvidia's customer".

Didn't we all slate Creative for buying Aureal, junking the Aureal products and then forcing people to buy Creative products? I guess Nvidia will go to any lengths to try and delay ATI's continued incursion into the chipset market.

ATI's current southbridge is actually not that bad at all, and at least their chipsets have Azailia audio. Still, I suppose it's all moot as SB600 will be here very soon which should take away any reason for people to use ULi southbridges on ATI northbridges in the first place.
 
Bouncing Zabaglione Bros. said:
Even those people like Asus that have contracts with ULi that Nvidia promised to keep supplying when they bought ULi? Let's not be niave here, this is all about hurting ATI even though "ATI is not Nvidia's customer".
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And?

Didn't we all slate Creative for buying Aureal, junking the Aureal products and then forcing people to buy Creative products? I guess Nvidia will go to any lengths to try and delay ATI's continued incursion into the chipset market.
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So Creative buying Aureal and killing off their product line is analagous to Nvidia ceasing sales of the preferred southbridge on ATi motherboards? :rolleyes:

ATI's current southbridge is actually not that bad at all, and at least their chipsets have Azailia audio. Still, I suppose it's all moot as SB600 will be here very soon which should take away any reason for people to use ULi southbridges on ATI northbridges in the first place.
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Exactly. And doesn't this contradict what you've said above? If ATi's southbridge is not that bad, then Nvidia's actions regarding ULi's chipsets should be (relatively) inconsequencial.

I'll admit I'm a cynic but the bleeding heart approach doesn't fit in here at all. If you were in Nvidia's shoes, why in the hell would you expend resources to keep providing a product that only serves to make your direct competitor's products more attractive. Especially when said competitor is about to bring a superior replacement to market. Not only isn't it sound business sense, it's downright stupid.
 
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Gee, Trini, let's go back in time and ask NV that question then. I don't recall their spokesman being on the rack when they offered up the original assurance just three months ago.
 
geo said:
Gee, Trini, let's go back in time and ask NV that question then. I don't recall their spokesman being on the rack when they offered up the original assurance just three months ago.
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Well, geo I don't get that worked up when companies don't keep their word about (charitably) supporting the competition. Same way as I don't get worked up by Microsoft delaying Vista, or STALKER being postponed or PS3 being pushed back. I'll leave the hissy-fits to others. ;)

Besides everybody is guessing. Maybe there are shortages because the replacement is imminent and building up inventory is not a smart way to go right now? Where is the benefit to Nvidia to keep providing the ULi solutions (besides not pissing off existing customers)?
 
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trinibwoy said:
And?
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Nvidia's public assurances and their actions are in stark contrast to each other.

trinibwoy said:
So Creative buying Aureal and killing off their product line is analagous to Nvidia ceasing sales of the preferred southbridge on ATi motherboards? :rolleyes:
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Isn't it?

trinibwoy said:
Exactly. And doesn't this contradict what you've said above? If ATi's southbridge is not that bad, then Nvidia's actions regarding ULi's chipsets should be (relatively) inconsequencial.
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And yet they did it anyway, screwing over any second tier motherboard manufacturers that deign to make a competitors products.

trinibwoy said:
I'll admit I'm a cynic but the bleeding heart approach doesn't fit in here at all. If you were in Nvidia's shoes, why in the hell would you expend resources to keep providing a product that only serves to make your direct competitor's products more attractive. Especially when said competitor is about to bring a superior replacement to market. Not only isn't it sound business sense, it's downright stupid.
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More stupid than continuing to make money every time a competitor sells their product, as well as when you sell yours? Killing off a competing product does not automatically mean all those ex-customers then rush to buy your own product.

You think the motherboard manufacturers are now going to abandon ATI chipsets? Or will they just start buying both north and southbridges from ATI, losing any money ULi could have made Nvidia by continuing to sell (and improve) chipsets? Those motherboard manufacturers are not going to jump to Nvidia chipsets for all motherboards, and they won't forget the inconvenience they had after Nvidia "assured" them it would be possible to keep using the ULi chipset.
 
trinibwoy said:
Besides everybody is guessing. Maybe there are shortages because the replacement is imminent and building up inventory is not a smart way to go right now? Where is the benefit to Nvidia to keep providing the ULi solutions (besides not pissing off existing customers)?
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We don't know what we don't know, 'tis true this time as in every other. What we have is on the plate in front of us from a generally reputable (tho sometimes wrong) source says what it says about motivation here. I don't question the motivation as being legitimate, just the previous statement as being rather sleazy if this is where they were headed. And if they hadn't made up their mind yet, a simple "no announcements at this time" would have sufficed nicely back in December.
 
trinibwoy said:
I'll admit I'm a cynic but the bleeding heart approach doesn't fit in here at all. If you were in Nvidia's shoes, why in the hell would you expend resources to keep providing a product that only serves to make your direct competitor's products more attractive. Especially when said competitor is about to bring a superior replacement to market. Not only isn't it sound business sense, it's downright stupid.
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If Nvidia sees that a better southbridge from ATI is coming soon, from ULi's perspective they would be better clearing loads of those M1575s as this is their best chance. Its not the case and that is why most of us have the oh-so-not-good-but-doesnt-matter feeling watching these low tactics.
 
Nvidia's aquisition of ULi was under other pretenses. To suggest otherwise is to turn your head to the obvious.
 
serenity said:
If Nvidia sees that a better southbridge from ATI is coming soon, from ULi's perspective they would be better clearing loads of those M1575s as this is their best chance. Its not the case and that is why most of us have the oh-so-not-good-but-doesnt-matter feeling watching these low tactics.
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Unless they (Nvidia) underestimated demand and thought ATI's SB would already be out. If that is the case maybe they are scarce b/c Nvidia simply did not make enough as they assumed the demand would already have ceased for them.
 
Bouncing Zabaglione Bros. said:
Nvidia's public assurances and their actions are in stark contrast to each other.
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I thought that would be the expectation by now :p

Isn't it?
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Not even close.

And yet they did it anyway, screwing over any second tier motherboard manufacturers that deign to make a competitors products.
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Well, they can use ATi's southbridge, can't they?

More stupid than continuing to make money every time a competitor sells their product, as well as when you sell yours? Killing off a competing product does not automatically mean all those ex-customers then rush to buy your own product.
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How much money do you think Nvidia makes on each ULi southbridge. And how do you think it compares to the benefit to ATi?
 
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