ATI and AMD Merger

[wywywywy]

Whats you guys view on this one?
And how is it going to affect our future HTPC plans?

I personally think that we'll see/buy many more "platforms" than "components" in the near future. Imagine an Intel/AMD chip with an Intel/AMD board with an integrated GPU into the chip... I reckon we'll definitely see less compatibility issues but less flexibility in what we can choose.

Go on guys express your views.

 

[hamster]

Mmm, not sure. To me it's AMD looking to break out of the stagnating PC space into consumer electronic applications. I guess that they believe that MS is dragging its feet, and Intel is in bed with Apple. So they have to go it alone into the CE space, but with AMD's financial muscle, expect ATi to really surge in its TV chipsets.

A shrewd deal to me. Poor old Nvidia, last girl left on the dancefloor.

 

[Cable Monkey]

I think it has more to do with ATI's processor chipsets and mirrors the Intel processor/chipset cynergy.

 

[MarkSS]

Only downside I can see at the moment is the inevitable end of the Nvidia mobo chipsets.

 

[Stompy]

Only downside I can see at the moment is the inevitable end of the Nvidia mobo chipsets.

Very much doubt it. Reason? SLI.
Nvidia is not letting anyone else implement the SLI technology on chipsets, so you must have an Nvidia chipset for SLI. Because of this, they will continue to sell, and even people without SLI will still buy them because they are very good chipsets.

 

[Cable Monkey]

For now Nvidia is AMD's number one but that will obviously change. Any new generation chipsets and processors will be AMD/ATI developed. Nvidia can carry on doing the same but there are no guarantees they will still be the number one performer and in this game if you are not no.1 you can vanish from the scene very rapidly. (The chipset scene for any fanboys who think I am Nvidia bashing).

 

[Paul Shirley]

Only downside I can see at the moment is the inevitable end of the Nvidia mobo chipsets.

You say that as if losing chipsets with appalling driver support was a bad thing

So many features, so many bugs, so little response from nVidia.

 

[Stone Free]

You say that as if losing chipsets with appalling driver support was a bad thing

So many features, so many bugs, so little response from nVidia.

People make the same complaints about the ATI graphics card drivers, with bugs lasting many driver revisions and even coming back in later revisions.

 

[Paul Shirley]

There's a rather obvious difference between your graphics card having problems and your NIC corrupting downloads, IDE drivers that destabilise your system, NIC drivers that reset the whole PC instantly with every change, a firewall that won't block some software however hard you try, NIC's that kill the network on Bittorrents or my personal favourite: the driver installers that trust the registry's list of hardware over what's really there!

I lived with no AGP for months, suspecting ATI's drivers all through it only to discover nVidia was loading an ancient nForce 2 driver on my upgraded to nForce3 system and reverting it every time I forced an update. nVidia should never be allowed to write chipset drivers or installers!

 

[wywywywy]

It'd be interesting if nVidia starts making processors!
Seeing as Intel is going to do gfx chips seriously soon.

I doubt they have the funds to do it though...

By the way, I really don't like the way nVidia preventing people from using SLI on Intel chipsets

Stone Free: At least it appears that ATI tries harder to solve their problem!

 

[chachi]

People make the same complaints about the ATI graphics card drivers, with bugs lasting many driver revisions and even coming back in later revisions.

They prefer to call them 'undocumented feature enhancements' ...

 

[Cable Monkey]

By the way, I really don't like the way nVidia preventing people from using SLI on Intel chipsets

It probably has a lot to do with the fact that Intel wouldn't let them make chipsets for the Intel processors.

 

[WelshBluebird]

It probably has a lot to do with the fact that Intel wouldn't let them make chipsets for the Intel processors.

they do.
Have a look around, you can easily find motherboards for intel CPU's with nforce chipests. Nvidia even have a new chipest coming out to support Core 2 Duo.

and @ wywywywy - you can run SLI on intel chipests, but you need hacked drivers.

 

[Cable Monkey]

Absolutely right. I will do my research better next time!

 

[Stone Free]

There's a rather obvious difference between your graphics card having problems and your NIC corrupting downloads, IDE drivers that destabilise your system, NIC drivers that reset the whole PC instantly with every change, a firewall that won't block some software however hard you try, NIC's that kill the network on Bittorrents or my personal favourite: the driver installers that trust the registry's list of hardware over what's really there!

I lived with no AGP for months, suspecting ATI's drivers all through it only to discover nVidia was loading an ancient nForce 2 driver on my upgraded to nForce3 system and reverting it every time I forced an update. nVidia should never be allowed to write chipset drivers or installers!

Well I actually have my feet in both camps, in addition to my Radeon 9500 Pro, I also have an A7N8X motherboard that other than the SATA component only working when booting from cold, has caused me no problems.

 

[wywywywy]

and @ wywywywy - you can run SLI on intel chipests, but you need hacked drivers.

I know... prehaps I should have used the word "officially".

But anyway, it seems like there is still no hacked driver for the 90 series of Forceware