The AMD Execution Thread [2007 - 2017]

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AMD chose to use the desktop as the platform to show the strength of Kaveri against Intel. How much will Kaveri cost? Whatever that amount is (+$50 premium for new gen hardware), they should have built a comparable Intel/Nvidia system. So if Kaveri costs $250 you build a $300 Intel/Nvidia system to use as comparison...thus showing the "value" of the new Kaveri.

You know the tech press is going to be critical of an i7/gimped GPU comparison and will build their own system as I did above. If they find AMD showed a GPU bottle-necked comparison...as they did...it begs the question...why? To inflate the Kaveri advantage? To invent a Kaveri advantage? To confuse and obfuscate away from something?

AMD needs to make bullet proof execution decisions right now and not let the marketing guys screw this up. The 290 cooler and retail board fiasco is still too fresh to risk another "look what the tech press caught AMD doing" again. I am an idiot tech wise compared to you guys, so if I am way off please tell me...
 
overclocked_enthusiasm said:
So if the current high end AMD APU is $150, will Kaveri be in the same price point? $250? If so, all the more reason to show it against something it will actually compete against and not the i7 4770k. I guess I am confused as to what the inference is here by AMD.

1. "Kaveri's onboard GPU blows away the onboard GPU in Haswell even with a $60 discrete card. We'll throw in the i7 to obfuscate and to smear their flagship"

2. "Kaveri with (insert discrete here) will crush i7 with (insert discrete here)"

3. "Kaveri is an APU and Intel really doesn't have anything with the level of dedicated graphics support, so we stand alone in the space. We'll throw in the i7 to obfuscate and to smear their flagship."

I doubt if it is 2...so I'll vote for the 1+3 combo platter. Again, comparing $400 worth of Intel/Nvidia hardware to a $250 (guess??) Kaveri APU instead of showing against say i3 3240 ($119) + GTX 550 ti Boost ($139)which is also $258 combined.

For starters the GTX 550 ti Boost is about twice as fast as the GT 630. God forbid AMD do an above board comparison on GPU power...UNLESS of course they are stating the processing power of the Kaveri CPU is on par or better than i7 4770k?
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You can't please everyone, because some might say i3 3240 is only dual-core vs AMD quad-core (and I know 2 modules vs 2 HT cores but a lot of people don't) so for that reason you have achieved FPS scores. With that you can run it against any configuration you want. Besides this is unannounced product and AMD have to leave some dissecting to do for tech. websites. They can't come up with 10 alternative configurations just to prove their point that Kaveri APU is comparatively fast at gaming.

There is also an argument for testing it against Iris 5200, but this CPU is BGA only for now and therefore not a typical desktop CPU.
 
http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/amd_kaveri_specs-100068009-large.png

"AMD executives also announced the performance of the Kaveri—856 gigaflops. A diagram displayed by AMD appears to show two “Steamroller” CPU cores and eight Radeon graphics cores. AMD executives did not formerly disclose how fast the chips would run, nor how much they would cost. But a footnote on a presentation slide appears to show the Kaveri’s product name (the AMD A10-7850K) with a note that that figure assumes four 3.7GHz CPU cores, as well as 512 GPUs running at 720MHz."
 
The only actual piece of information in there is that "there is an 'all hands' meeting scheduled for early December in Austin, with most staff from AMD’s worldwide offices flying in". The layoffs part is pure speculation and, frankly, doesn't seem very likely.
 
Not surprising considering the author. He is behaving pretty much like Charlie, whom he ironically bashed for just that a couple of weeks ago - just barking in the opposite direction. (Except that Charlie seems to have some sources and a bit of real info hidden between all the biased speculation, Sam isn't even claiming that).
 
Alexko said:
'all hands' meeting scheduled for early December in Austin, with most staff from AMD’s worldwide offices flying in"
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If not for announcing bad news, why would they call "most staff" to attend this meeting? I can tell you that the chance you will get bad news for them is very very high
 
UniversalTruth said:
If not for announcing bad news, why would they call "most staff" to attend this meeting? I can tell you that the chance you will get bad news for them is very very high
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I've been through quite a bit of lay off rounds, but I've never heard about a company flying in their staff to then lay them off. The idea of laying off is to cut costs. Flying in people is not really compatible with that.
 
Well, there might always be the first time for you. And by "most staff" I guess they mean some of the important executives who will get the news in person and then fly back to announce what will happen to the others... It is never an easy task to announce terrible news but I have seen it in not so large scale, of course
 
Alexko said:
The only actual piece of information in there is that "there is an 'all hands' meeting scheduled for early December in Austin, with most staff from AMD’s worldwide offices flying in". The layoffs part is pure speculation and, frankly, doesn't seem very likely.
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AMD has at least two multi-site meetings every quarter so without other information this is weak, irresponsible, speculation. I say irresponsible, because speculating about layoffs without any sources isn't cool.
 
3dcgi said:
AMD has at least two multi-site meetings every quarter so without other information this is weak, irresponsible, speculation. I say irresponsible, because speculating about layoffs without any sources isn't cool.
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Speaking about potential problems and possibilities is alright and I don't see any problem with it. Actual executing of these layoffs and leaving people on the street jobless is the real not cool stuff.... It is not as AMD didn't do it mutliple times already
 
AMD did it when they had to, when they were in the red and in serious trouble. They're doing pretty well now, and this might needlessly scare some employees. Hopefully, they'll be wise enough to realize that it is just FUD.
 
Alexko said:
AMD did it when they had to, when they were in the red and in serious trouble. They're doing pretty well now, and this might needlessly scare some employees. Hopefully, they'll be wise enough to realize that it is just FUD.
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Ok, ok, I see your bias. It has always been like this in forums to reject the truth to the very last moment... :laugh:

Now, seriously I turn to you with two questions:

1. How do you know that they would be scared?; and
2. Tell me honestly, which is better for them- to be caught by surprise expecting nothing, or knowing in advance the potential and doing some premeasures in order to deal with the situation in more painless (of course, if there is pain at all, maybe they will be happy to get rid of, you never know) way for them...

:laugh:
 
I think "layoffs" is too general a term and often misused. I would argue that AMD is at a crossroads right now in the direction of their business and the products they wish to offer in the future. Here is why I think this rumor is more about articulating and executing a strategic restructuring rather than a "the ship is sinking let's do layoffs to save money" sky is falling scenario:

1. AMD began to exit the traditional x86 market in 2006 when they began to sell their fabs. They did so simply because Intel was able to out muscle them in R & D, CapEx, and as a consequence Intel was routinely beating AMD to the lower process node and the performance/cost advantage associated with it. Competing head to head with Intel is CRAZY and leads to price wars, lower margins, and huge losses.

2. AMD bought ATI in 2006 to add a new revenue stream, new tech, and new future opportunities via discrete graphics and more importantly "fusion" which we now know as the APU. The APU and graphics focus at AMD helps to hasten the exit from the traditional x86 market and away from Intel.

3. AMD has embraced ARM and an open architecture model in regards to optimizing and scalability. This non x86 market, while competitive, has the advantage of being "not Intel". Again, AMD is exiting from the traditional x86 market to the APU and ARM markets to find less saturated markets not dominated by Intel...or at least markets hungry for non-traditional x86 solutions.

4. HSA, Mantle, and the other open architecture/programming initiatives (which I freely admit not to understanding well) that AMD either started or openly endorses, AGAIN gives AMD stratification away from the traditional x86 market...AWAY from Intel...and into the arms of potential partners.

AMD as we knew it is dead...and that is a good thing. It is a good thing because AMD could never hope to beat Intel, or gain more market share, other than what Intel ceded AMD to avoid monopoly claims. AMD's business model was FATALLY flawed. So they changed...starting in 2006, and we are seeing the fruits of that labor today in consoles, discrete graphics, ARM servers, HSA, Mantle, etc. ALL away from the traditional x86 market (a loser for fab-less AMD) and away from big bad Intel.

In sum, I smell a strategic re-branding or restructuring of AMD that COULD involve layoffs but should be more about culture and business model rather than headcount. Any company that changes from a in-house manufacturing model...to an out sourced manufacturing model...to an out sourced manufacturing model coupled with new non-traditional revenue streams...has to restructure, move assets, reposition resources to achieve synergy...etc. This will be an ongoing process for AMD and quite frankly I like it. I am accumulating more shares in the company and like their chances very much from what I have seen and their eagerness to avoid Intel...or beat them through the back door instead of storming the gates like before.

Just my 2 cents...
 
overclocked_enthusiasm, AMD is not exiting the x86 market it's just not the only focus as the growth opportunity there is only taking market share from Intel.

I don't know what bias UniversalTruth is claiming Alexko has, but I think he's confusing opinion with bias.
 
3dcgi said:
overclocked_enthusiasm, AMD is not exiting the x86 market it's just not the only focus as the growth opportunity there is only taking market share from Intel.

I don't know what bias UniversalTruth is claiming Alexko has, but I think he's confusing opinion with bias.
Click to expand...

My point is they are diversifying away from x86 and looking for growth and stability elsewhere.
 
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