AMD buying ATI ?

Zardon · Jul 26, 2006, 11:22 PM

Vote and discuss

Chaos · Jul 26, 2006, 11:31 PM

not much to say until all the smoke clears and the share holders decide. My last intel chip was a 486SX-25 and it's been AMD ever since. My last Nvidia card I owned was a GF4 Ti4200 but then I bought a Radeon 9500NP and have remained with ATI since then. My current rig is AMD CPU powered with ATI RD480 Crossfire motherboard and an ATI X1900XT

Judas · Jul 26, 2006, 11:33 PM

alot of smoke i must say

Zardon · Jul 26, 2006, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chaos

not much to say until all the smoke clears and the share holders decide. My last intel chip was a 486SX-25 and it's been AMD ever since. My last Nvidia card I owned was a GF4 Ti4200 but then I bought a Radeon 9500NP and have remained with ATI since then. My current rig is AMD CPU powered with ATI RD480 Crossfire motherboard and an ATI X1900XT

ok, so guessing......... you must be pretty happy if your two favourite companies are combining forces..... no?

dsdsdk · Jul 26, 2006, 11:58 PM

Stupid...

Like Ferrari merging with Momo...

First of all, we dont want "optimized sollutions".. they are gonna punk you to get an AMD cpu with a ATI gfx. Just like the nvidia mobo + nvidia gfx = good performance, but bad idea in the mind of ppl.

And, http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060726-7355.html
nvidia ceo: "leaving us as the only stand-alone (graphics chip) company in the world" <- is this really true?

**MIG-31** · Jul 27, 2006, 12:02 AM

seeing as i do prefer Intel & i currently have a nvidia card,and it's going to stay this way for some time.... i have no interest in the merger.

Chaos · Jul 27, 2006, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zardon

ok, so guessing......... you must be pretty happy if your two favourite companies are combining forces..... no?

On the surface yes I am happy but until some new gear that shows the joint effort combined on a complete solution who knows what will happen

Sonata · Jul 27, 2006, 12:36 AM

Time will tell.

Dyre Straits · Jul 27, 2006, 12:43 AM

I tend to be more of the 'it's a bad idea' sort.

My main concern/objection is that I don't like the idea of the CPU maker owning the video card maker. Although I don't have anything personally against AMD, I think I'd feel the same way if Intel were the entity involved.

I see it as more of a conflict of interest type of thing because the ATI engineers will now be more likely to lean toward pleasing their new bosses and not be so apt to work hard on support for Intel-based systems.

I know there's still a lot yet to be worked out, but, I'm very hesitant to give this my blessing. (As though it's even needed.

)

Falstaff · Jul 27, 2006, 12:44 AM

would make the playing field more level really...
may even bring prices down and provide for a wider array of products too...
and the opposite is also true...
look what happened when AMF bought Harley Davidson...need I say anything more?

Asmoday · Jul 27, 2006, 12:57 AM

-Im undecided, in fact ive no idea-

Time will most certainly tell, but as of now I have no idea...

swimtech · Jul 27, 2006, 01:39 AM

I really think that AMD needed to do something - the technologies both companies have pioneered and are implementing should help both if the people in place in both companies have the "right" attitude. The mix of people matters soooo much...

pr0digal jenius · Jul 27, 2006, 02:26 AM

I feel that with AMD's fairly poor track record of chipsets [nvidia makes msot of the good ones] and ATi's recent software drought that we're going to see a whole new variety of bugs and launch issues before we see any sort of groundbreaking stuff

CDsDontBurn · Jul 27, 2006, 02:31 AM

Quote:

I'm undecided, in fact ive no idea

i really don't have any idea as to what will happen, other than a few guesses.

1. ATI will make their cards optimized for AMD systems (i'm guessing this is most definite

)

2. Intel will retaliate and buy out nVidia

3. nForce chipsets on AMD boards will be no more.

4. the merger will go bust and there will only be Intel and nVidia to provide us with CPUs and GFX cards.

it's about all i can think of really. and i'm not a fan boy. i buy my hardware from whoever has the better hardware at the time i make my purchases.

TheBlackCat · Jul 27, 2006, 04:58 AM

I am undecided. I don't know enough about the industry to say for sure.

It is hard to tell exactly how this will play out. If either AMD seeks to sabotoge Nvidia cards on their chips, or if Intel seeks to sabotoge ATI cards on theirs, then lawsuits would be a certainty. It would be possible for AMD to have integrated ATI chipsets on their motherboards, but this would likely be counterproductive since people seem to want to be able to upgrade graphics cards easily. It would also likely prompt a similar deal between Nvidia and Intel. The question becomes how much muscle Intel and AMD have with computer manufacturers. Can AMD and Intel make deals to prevent computer manufacturers that use their CPU's from using their competitors' graphics cards? I don't know, but if so it could seriously help Nvidia since Intel currently has a larger market share than AMD. It would most likely be stupid for AMD to do this since it probably wouldn't help them, and they would probably sue if Intel tried such a thing. Attempts to make ATI and AMD chips "optimized" for each other would also land them in legal trouble. Due to the restrictions from antitrust laws I do not see these sorts of deals coming to pass. However, one or more of these companies might take a chance and go for it, knowing that these sorts of legal cases take years and hoping the benefit they get in the meantime, either in terms of shear proift or in terms of improving market position, will more than outweigh whatever punishment they recieve. On the other hand, such a plan might backfire, even going so far as breaking up AMD and ATI again if things get out of hand.

The question then becomes, what sort of impact in terms of technology and business will this allow? Can ATI technology help AMD? Can AMD technology help ATI? Can combining resources help both companies, or will it spread them both too thin? Can AMD's cache with technophiles help ATI? Can ATI's visibility to the general public help AMD? I really do not know the answer to these questions.

PC_Inquisitor · Jul 27, 2006, 05:36 AM

Well, it's hard to say this, but ATI and AMD will be together... What's next? Intel and Nvidia... Maybe, but definitive, this will be good, Nvidia and Intel, will work and the hardware will be better... and very expensive

kelticknight · Jul 27, 2006, 06:20 AM

wait and see,could be good or bust
for me.will buy the last made solely made ati card and wait to see what happens

SFOSOK · Jul 27, 2006, 10:55 AM

By FX-X2000XT You mean the Opteron 64 FX-X2000XTX X2 right?

niceguyrichy · Jul 27, 2006, 11:17 AM

I'm with Mike, I haven't a clue

time will tell I suppose

IamLakota · Jul 27, 2006, 12:27 PM

Ive had several AMD systems back in the day,but have been more happy with the P4
in my current system for the past several years,with Core 2 Duo,arriving today at my local Micro Center and the way Nvidia has been leading the vid card wars I'm deffinately gonna be upgrading very soon,as far as AMD&Ati getting together,I hope it works for them.

bananaman · Jul 27, 2006, 12:40 PM

I am hopinh iot will be positive with AMD and ATI being able to bounce off each other to quicken the pace of advancements and maybe share things like technologies like Hypertransport.

Still very up in the air but I hope it makes competition more fierce and prices drop

BWX · Jul 27, 2006, 01:00 PM

I think its OK, should be positive (especially long term)

Highperf15 · Jul 27, 2006, 03:29 PM

This merger is actually a win/win for us and AMD/ATI......and possibly Nvidia will do well with this. AMD will have access to to ATI's technology and ATI will be able to use AMD's updated manufacturing for it's GPU's. Nvidia could still get a big cut of the pie out of this in keeping a working relationship to produce onboard technology. Intel won't buy Nvidia because it's a direct compeditor of Nvidia regarding onboard graphics. There will be some growing pains, but I think this will benefit all in the long run.......and stick it to INTEL in the process.

HawgsHead · Jul 27, 2006, 03:32 PM

Should be good.....ATI needs help.And no,i'm not an nVidia fanboy.I have had my share of ATI cards and have been pleased with every 1 of them.I'm a whore.I'm for sale to whomever has the highest performance at the time I go to buy something.

Zeph · Jul 27, 2006, 03:53 PM

Long term, this will be great. Anyone who thinks that anything will happen short term is ignorant. It's like trying to say that something will change a video console's launch sales.

CDsDontBurn · Jul 27, 2006, 06:27 PM

so what are we to call AMD and ATI now?

A²MI

BWX · Jul 27, 2006, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDsDontBurn

so what are we to call AMD and ATI now?

A²MI

AMD

OmegaRED · Jul 27, 2006, 07:28 PM

I don't see how it will really benefit the customer cause Intel and Nvidia will turn our PCs into either AMD/ATI or Intel/Nvidia and we all know which side has the largest fanboy base.

If ATI is renamed to AMD that is gonna kill their business too...I think it will stick with the name ATI.

BWX · Jul 27, 2006, 07:59 PM

It's all one company now (or will be I suppose).. So you can't call ATI ATI when it is part of AMD. it's all AMD....

Anyway, They still all have to make parts that fit into the "IBM compatible" desktop PC, so I doubt they will make parts that are incompatible with each other's parts. That would only be shooting themselves in the foot.

For instance My ATI cards always worked fine on my Nvidia chipset mobos..

Vikingod · Jul 27, 2006, 08:16 PM

It will be interesting to see how this pans out. it's certainly not the first time two companies have joined forces, but I suspect the changes will not be as evident as all are speculating. When you have a convergence of minds, great things can come from it, but it will certainly take time. my guess, the most evident change will be when it comes to production and service. There may eventually be joint project products, but that is a long way off.

If it can make the already great ATI and AMD products more affordable and more readliy available, IMO, it's would be a huge success (X2000XTX HyperCrossPort Quad Core aside)...

Jul 26, 2006, 11:22 PM	#1
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 177	AMD buying ATI ? Vote and discuss

Jul 26, 2006, 11:31 PM	#2
Chaos Number Nine Join Date: May 2002 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 5,269 Rep Power: 165 System Specs	not much to say until all the smoke clears and the share holders decide. My last intel chip was a 486SX-25 and it's been AMD ever since. My last Nvidia card I owned was a GF4 Ti4200 but then I bought a Radeon 9500NP and have remained with ATI since then. My current rig is AMD CPU powered with ATI RD480 Crossfire motherboard and an ATI X1900XT __________________

Jul 26, 2006, 11:58 PM	#5
dsdsdk DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Denmark, CPH. Posts: 586 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Stupid... Like Ferrari merging with Momo... First of all, we dont want "optimized sollutions".. they are gonna punk you to get an AMD cpu with a ATI gfx. Just like the nvidia mobo + nvidia gfx = good performance, but bad idea in the mind of ppl. And, http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060726-7355.html nvidia ceo: "leaving us as the only stand-alone (graphics chip) company in the world" <- is this really true? __________________ No more Kitty!

Jul 27, 2006, 12:02 AM	#6
MIG-31 HardwareHeaven News Mod Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Nottingham,UK Posts: 55,768 Rep Power: 444 System Specs	seeing as i do prefer Intel & i currently have a nvidia card,and it's going to stay this way for some time.... i have no interest in the merger. __________________ Please Post Your News Submissions Here

Jul 27, 2006, 12:44 AM	#10
Falstaff Old Codger Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: USAFA Posts: 19,047 Rep Power: 206	would make the playing field more level really... may even bring prices down and provide for a wider array of products too... and the opposite is also true... look what happened when AMF bought Harley Davidson...need I say anything more? __________________ "Inspiration is always a surprising visitor."

Jul 27, 2006, 12:36 AM	#8
Sonata DriverHeaven Addict Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hot as hell in summer Posts: 284 Rep Power: 0	Time will tell.

Jul 27, 2006, 12:57 AM	#11
Asmoday Demonic Join Date: May 2002 Location: In the cold, dark north... Posts: 5,198 Rep Power: 90 System Specs	-Im undecided, in fact ive no idea- Time will most certainly tell, but as of now I have no idea... __________________ How You can help Hardwareheaven by using Digg

Jul 27, 2006, 01:39 AM	#12
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 122 System Specs	I really think that AMD needed to do something - the technologies both companies have pioneered and are implementing should help both if the people in place in both companies have the "right" attitude. The mix of people matters soooo much... __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Jul 27, 2006, 02:26 AM	#13
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	I feel that with AMD's fairly poor track record of chipsets [nvidia makes msot of the good ones] and ATi's recent software drought that we're going to see a whole new variety of bugs and launch issues before we see any sort of groundbreaking stuff

Jul 27, 2006, 04:58 AM	#15
TheBlackCat DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Searching for the Candle in the Dark Posts: 567 Rep Power: 0	I am undecided. I don't know enough about the industry to say for sure. It is hard to tell exactly how this will play out. If either AMD seeks to sabotoge Nvidia cards on their chips, or if Intel seeks to sabotoge ATI cards on theirs, then lawsuits would be a certainty. It would be possible for AMD to have integrated ATI chipsets on their motherboards, but this would likely be counterproductive since people seem to want to be able to upgrade graphics cards easily. It would also likely prompt a similar deal between Nvidia and Intel. The question becomes how much muscle Intel and AMD have with computer manufacturers. Can AMD and Intel make deals to prevent computer manufacturers that use their CPU's from using their competitors' graphics cards? I don't know, but if so it could seriously help Nvidia since Intel currently has a larger market share than AMD. It would most likely be stupid for AMD to do this since it probably wouldn't help them, and they would probably sue if Intel tried such a thing. Attempts to make ATI and AMD chips "optimized" for each other would also land them in legal trouble. Due to the restrictions from antitrust laws I do not see these sorts of deals coming to pass. However, one or more of these companies might take a chance and go for it, knowing that these sorts of legal cases take years and hoping the benefit they get in the meantime, either in terms of shear proift or in terms of improving market position, will more than outweigh whatever punishment they recieve. On the other hand, such a plan might backfire, even going so far as breaking up AMD and ATI again if things get out of hand. The question then becomes, what sort of impact in terms of technology and business will this allow? Can ATI technology help AMD? Can AMD technology help ATI? Can combining resources help both companies, or will it spread them both too thin? Can AMD's cache with technophiles help ATI? Can ATI's visibility to the general public help AMD? I really do not know the answer to these questions. __________________ [color=#000000]There is always an easy solution to every human problem—neat, plausible and wrong.[/color] -H. L. Mencken

Jul 27, 2006, 05:36 AM	#16
PC_Inquisitor HardwareHeaven Junior Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Mexico City Posts: 91 Rep Power: 43	Well, it's hard to say this, but ATI and AMD will be together... What's next? Intel and Nvidia... Maybe, but definitive, this will be good, Nvidia and Intel, will work and the hardware will be better... and very expensive

Jul 27, 2006, 06:20 AM	#17
kelticknight DriverHeaven Knight Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: EIRE{great for black stuff ,bulmers cider and Munster rubgy Posts: 1,095 Rep Power: 0	wait and see,could be good or bust for me.will buy the last made solely made ati card and wait to see what happens __________________

Jul 27, 2006, 10:55 AM	#18
SFOSOK 939 Goin Strong Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Ontario Posts: 7,033 Rep Power: 89 System Specs	By FX-X2000XT You mean the Opteron 64 FX-X2000XTX X2 right? __________________ Warning - Explicit Content Preceeding METAL!!

Jul 27, 2006, 12:27 PM	#20
IamLakota HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Viriginia Posts: 552 Rep Power: 0	Ive had several AMD systems back in the day,but have been more happy with the P4 in my current system for the past several years,with Core 2 Duo,arriving today at my local Micro Center and the way Nvidia has been leading the vid card wars I'm deffinately gonna be upgrading very soon,as far as AMD&Ati getting together,I hope it works for them. __________________ Harley Davidson: If You Have To Ask You Wouldn't Understand!!! System Specs: Mobo:Asus P6T Deluxe V2,intel i7 920,2x BFG GTX 250 oc in SLI,Corsair 6gigs tri channel pc12800CL8 2xWD Velociraptor's 2x74gig WD Raptor , X-Fi Fatal1ty Titainium,HANNS-G HG281HD 1080p 28" monitor,Coolermaster HAF/922,PC-PWR&Cooling Sliencer 750,CoolerMaster V8 HSF

Jul 27, 2006, 12:40 PM	#21
bananaman banana muncher Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: London Posts: 1,254 Rep Power: 59	I am hopinh iot will be positive with AMD and ATI being able to bounce off each other to quicken the pace of advancements and maybe share things like technologies like Hypertransport. Still very up in the air but I hope it makes competition more fierce and prices drop __________________

Jul 27, 2006, 01:00 PM	#22
BWX unplugged Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: USNY Posts: 19,665 Rep Power: 109 System Specs	I think its OK, should be positive (especially long term) __________________

Jul 27, 2006, 03:29 PM	#23
Highperf15 DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Martinez, GA Posts: 13 Rep Power: 0	This merger is actually a win/win for us and AMD/ATI......and possibly Nvidia will do well with this. AMD will have access to to ATI's technology and ATI will be able to use AMD's updated manufacturing for it's GPU's. Nvidia could still get a big cut of the pie out of this in keeping a working relationship to produce onboard technology. Intel won't buy Nvidia because it's a direct compeditor of Nvidia regarding onboard graphics. There will be some growing pains, but I think this will benefit all in the long run.......and stick it to INTEL in the process. __________________

Jul 27, 2006, 03:32 PM	#24
HawgsHead Rest In Peace Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Danville Virginia.The United States of America"In the God of Abraham,Isaac and Jacob We Trust" Posts: 2,012 Rep Power: 0	Should be good.....ATI needs help.And no,i'm not an nVidia fanboy.I have had my share of ATI cards and have been pleased with every 1 of them.I'm a whore.I'm for sale to whomever has the highest performance at the time I go to buy something. __________________ Rig specs to the left in the boxes....X-Box 360 w/Hitachi 42" HDTV....If Darwins theory of evolution is true then why are monkeys still monkeys?It takes much more faith to believe in Darwin's theory over the Genesis account of creation.

Jul 27, 2006, 03:53 PM	#25
Zeph DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 190 Rep Power: 0	Long term, this will be great. Anyone who thinks that anything will happen short term is ignorant. It's like trying to say that something will change a video console's launch sales.

Jul 27, 2006, 06:27 PM	#26
CDsDontBurn 127.0.0.1 Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,458 Rep Power: 202 System Specs	so what are we to call AMD and ATI now? A²MI __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Jul 27, 2006, 07:28 PM	#28
OmegaRED Relapsed Gamer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Ottawa , Canada Posts: 5,625 Rep Power: 171 System Specs	I don't see how it will really benefit the customer cause Intel and Nvidia will turn our PCs into either AMD/ATI or Intel/Nvidia and we all know which side has the largest fanboy base. If ATI is renamed to AMD that is gonna kill their business too...I think it will stick with the name ATI. __________________ E Penis Specs: <------------- See System Specs

Jul 27, 2006, 07:59 PM	#29
BWX unplugged Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: USNY Posts: 19,665 Rep Power: 109 System Specs	It's all one company now (or will be I suppose).. So you can't call ATI ATI when it is part of AMD. it's all AMD.... Anyway, They still all have to make parts that fit into the "IBM compatible" desktop PC, so I doubt they will make parts that are incompatible with each other's parts. That would only be shooting themselves in the foot. For instance My ATI cards always worked fine on my Nvidia chipset mobos.. __________________

Jul 27, 2006, 08:16 PM	#30
Vikingod Int'l Fish Liaison Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: By the light of lamp I sit and type... Posts: 16,187 Rep Power: 109 System Specs	It will be interesting to see how this pans out. it's certainly not the first time two companies have joined forces, but I suspect the changes will not be as evident as all are speculating. When you have a convergence of minds, great things can come from it, but it will certainly take time. my guess, the most evident change will be when it comes to production and service. There may eventually be joint project products, but that is a long way off. If it can make the already great ATI and AMD products more affordable and more readliy available, IMO, it's would be a huge success (X2000XTX HyperCrossPort Quad Core aside)... __________________ *How You Can Help DriverHeaven By Using Digg*