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AMD/ATI merger? What`s on the Horizon?

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Between them they can make a decent gaming rig and I`m not on about PC`s.

I think their real agenda is to make a nice integrated graphics/CPU solution that they could put into a nice shiny small box and be a rival for the X-box / Playstation market.

P.S. not sure what sub forum this goes in......
 
Soldato
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lots of possibilities really. But look at it purely from a profit POV: they'll now be making cpus, chipsets AND gpus. they whole solution, basically. Not only that, but they'll be profiting from making chipsets for intel cpu's.

It's a cushty place to be right now. the only problem i can see is intel now trying to buy nvidia. THis could lead to somewhat of a monopoly of chipsets and inflated prices.
 
Soldato
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Q: What can you accomplish with this deal that you couldn't with your former strategy?
A: With this acquisition, AMD will be well positioned to drive a unified platform and solution vision to keep pace with media and data processing innovations, with a presence in the consumer digital media market.

http://www.amd.com/us-en/0,,3715_14197_14208,00.html

looks like my assumption was correct:)
 
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Not only that, but they'll be profiting from making chipsets for intel cpu's.
Not anymore they won't be...:D Link posted in the other thread, they lost the lisence.

What OS and games would it play? Or would it just be a PC with Windows and a fancy games menu over the top?
I'm thinking "Infinium Phantom" here (the most appropriate name for a console EVER btw:D) and I doubt there would be much money in integrated PC solutions because the technology just moves too fast. Of course we might see CPUs with basic integrated graphics on-die for small form factor PCs.
 
Soldato
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Do Intel even need a license for Crossfire or SLI, certainly as far as SLI is concerned it seems (by the existance of hacked drivers), to simply be a case of Nvidia disabling SLI to boost sales of their own chipset.

All intel need to do is create motherboards with dual PCI Expressx16 slots.

Who owns the license for PCI Express anyway, isnt it yet another 'Intel' specification?

One thing is for sure, Intel dont need to pay AMD/ATi/Nvidia to have PCI Express busses on their motherboards, and as long as there are enough PCI lanes across the pair of slots, then both crossfire, and sli should work. It's all down to the drivers.

And there's no way AMD/ATi would dare remove crossfire support (of Intel 975X) from future drivers, there are already people who have Intel/Crossfire setups, and they would find people banging on their door for compatible drivers or a refund.
 
Soldato
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Anyway its no secret that intel are interested in a slice of the GPU pie, or more accuratly making integrated GPU's that make dedicated GPU's a thing of the past. Will take some time to do it. But intels R&D budget is huge.

Even though intel just had one of their worst quarters for a very long time, they still made over $800 million after taxes. They arnt going anywhere, and they wont allow Conroe to 'flop' over a lack of graphics solutions.
 
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manveruppd said:
Slightly OT, but I wonder how long it will be before we see dual-PCI-E mobos with simultaneous support for both Xfire AND SLi...

Intel could easily do it. SLI and xfire are just ati/nvidia's attempts using their patents to make sure THEIR boards work. If intel can optimise simultaneous usage of 2 graphics cards on a chipset, they would be sorted.

I really can't see graphics cards going anywhere anytime soon. Some people want office comps, some want gaming comps etc. it just wouldn't be economical to make different types of processor when you could just make the 1 and then people could buy the GPU. What I could see (and I would love it) would be a new mobo design, where there is a GPU socket on the motherboard, so you could just get the CPU and GPU, and then buy whatever memory you would want. This would theoretically create better bandwidth as well.

As long as nvidia don't stop suppying amd with chipsets (which I severly doubt) I'm happy!
 
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I really dont understand this... im kinda in disbelief.

I mean, its been the arrival of ATI on the scene that made Nvidia get there act together with Nforce 4 chipset updates, but it was Nvidia that has dominated the gaming mobo market since Athlon Xp's.

I really dont see why AMD want to buy Ati, what they could possibly gain from purchasing that they couldent work out with a deal. I do see this hurting relations with nvida. This might work out good for AMDTI... i just hope it works out good for competition too and we dont see Intvdia and Amdti retreating into their own platforms solely.
 
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think about it, ATI have the fastest single core graphics card on the market and are well on there way for another hit with R600, there chipsets are getting better, imagine how much it would cost to take over nvidia, AMD see the 'potential' of ATI dominating the market in near-future with good reason, so IMO AMD landed thereself a bargain ;)

Edit: nvidia wouldn't stop supplying AMD chipsets, because AMD now have large following, therefore large market to occupy, meaning more profit for nvidia, so it works for everyone
 
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Gashman said:
think about it, ATI have the fastest single core graphics card on the market and are well on there way for another hit with R600, there chipsets are getting better, imagine how much it would cost to take over nvidia, AMD see the 'potential' of ATI dominating the market in near-future with good reason, so IMO AMD landed thereself a bargain ;)

Edit: nvidia wouldn't stop supplying AMD chipsets, because AMD now have large following, therefore large market to occupy, meaning more profit for nvidia, so it works for everyone

Exactly. Nvidia wouldn't play the revenge game when they could just get money by keep on suppyling amd. I don't think the graphics war bothers amd that much, they just know ati were undervalued and with proper management they could kick some butt.
 
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the only advantage i see nvidia having over ATI is the physical size of nvidia compaired to the smaller ATI, as you said, with good management and optamistic 'objectives' AMD/ATI could become a monster.

another thing i heard was AMD/ATI are looking into a processor that can process graphics operations as well as CPU operations, so we might see a CPU/GPU intergrated into one piece of silicon on one die, which could be AMDs 'kill intel' bid if they patented the technology, so roll on the future :p
 
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Gashman said:
the only advantage i see nvidia having over ATI is the physical size of nvidia compaired to the smaller ATI, as you said, with good management and optamistic 'objectives' AMD/ATI could become a monster.

another thing i heard was AMD/ATI are looking into a processor that can process graphics operations as well as CPU operations, so we might see a CPU/GPU intergrated into one piece of silicon on one die, which could be AMDs 'kill intel' bid if they patented the technology, so roll on the future :p

Well AMD have filed a patend for a cpu and gpu that share cache.... thats where it is heading for mobil markets and the like. With gaming rigs though i think the stupid low latency that Torrenza will offer is the first step for some GPU's.
 
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I think a major advantage for ATI would be the ability to use AMD's processor fabs for their GPU's rather than outsource production. That and the other benefits already mentioned.
 
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