ATI overtakes nVidia in discrete graphics marketshare

[SlowSpyder]

I'm suprised, but I guess I shouldn't be. AMD got their entire DX11 line up out, from top to bottom, before we saw a single DX11 part from Nvidia. It seems if Nvidia isn't renaming parts their execution is a bit lacking lately. I'm sure Nvidia will gain it's market share back as they get parts out, though. At any rate, this is a good showing by AMD. But AMD is rumored to have SI out within a few months. Quite interesting the way things are going from where they were a year or two ago.

 

[Skurge]

Was there a time when one video company was a full generation ahead of the other (which would be the case if ATi's Southern Islands comes out in a few months)?

 

[Janooo]

Wow, that was fast. It just might be that it's going to be 2:1 ratio for AMD by Q1 of 2011.

 

[waffleironhead]

Not really a surprise since AMD has a top to bottom DX11 lineup. The oems usually offer mid to low end cards that are power lean for their systems. This is where the real sales volume is at. the 5770 and under are the only DX11 offerings that fit the bill for most of the budget and household models out there. Until nV has a top to bottom DX11 lineup they will continue to lose market share IMO. For the unwashed masses, they dont care what the exact performance level is necessarily, all they care is if it is outdated or not. When a customer has to decide between a DX10 nv310 or a DX11 5450 they will pick the DX11 model most times.

 

[extra]

Not really a surprise since AMD has a top to bottom DX11 lineup. .

Yep. OEM's want that dx11 check box, and AMD is the only one with a top to bottom dx11 lineup.

 

[OCGuy]

Was there a time when one video company was a full generation ahead of the other (which would be the case if ATi's Southern Islands comes out in a few months)?

I would wait before declaring SI a new generation.

 

[SlowSpyder]

I would wait before declaring SI a new generation.

Well, if we consider the GeForce 9800 (and the Radeon 3870 didn't have much more going for it other than a shrink and 25MHz) a generation, than I'm sure SI will be considered the same.

 

[Wreckage]

Was there a time when one video company was a full generation ahead of the other (which would be the case if ATi's Southern Islands comes out in a few months)?

Technically AMD is still using an old architecture for DX11, while NVIDIA is using a new architecture. So until AMD launches Northern Islands, I consider them to be behind.

 

[TemjinGold]

Of course you do.

 

[evolucion8]

Technically AMD is still using an old architecture for DX11, while NVIDIA is using a new architecture. So until AMD launches Northern Islands, I consider them to be behind.

Doesn't really matter much, as far as it delivers. nVidia did the same with their original 8800 architecture which lived up to the GTX 2x0 series and lived up its expectations and gave great performance. Fermi isn't much different from previous architectures, it shares quite a lot of similarities.

 

[lavaheadache]

Technically AMD is still using an old architecture for DX11, while NVIDIA is using a new architecture. So until AMD launches Northern Islands, I consider them to be behind.

lol man, just lol. It seems just like yesterday that every other post that you made was the same ol song about nvidia being the market leader. Now all of a sudden, the tide turns and you poke your head into the first thread about the subject and tell us some other miraculous way nVidia is ahead of the game. Is this gonna be your new M.O. ?

 

[edplayer]

he does have a good point. Though its been revised, it is an old architecture. Still performs well though.


ATI's new designs should step it up quite a bit. Probably explains this:

 

[Skurge]

Technically AMD is still using an old architecture for DX11, while NVIDIA is using a new architecture. So until AMD launches Northern Islands, I consider them to be behind.

I wasn't talking about architectures, I was talking about generations. How would they be behind when they have a complete DX11 lineup, have the fastest card (for close to year now, and its likely to remain that way for longer still) and nV don't?

 

[cbn]

Technically AMD is still using an old architecture for DX11, while NVIDIA is using a new architecture. So until AMD launches Northern Islands, I consider them to be behind.

That is a good point.

ATI= Old architecture on 40nm
Nvidia=New architecture on 40nm.

Hopefully ATI makes things interesting for Southern Islands by adding new features (sideport as mentioned in RV870 article, etc).

 

[Skurge]

he does have a good point. Though its been revised, it is an old architecture. Still performs well though.


ATI's new designs should step it up quite a bit. Probably explains this:

are those stock prices?

 

[Soccerman06]

ugh do we really need to bring in whos architecture is what in this thread... isnt that slightly off topic?

Anyways, grats to ATI.

 

[jvroig]

That is a good point.

ATI= Old architecture on 40nm
Nvidia=New architecture on 40nm.

Hopefully ATI makes things interesting for Southern Islands by adding new features (sideport as mentioned in RV870 article, etc).

A good point for what? When you boot up your PC, or play a game, do you actually notice "the architecture", or do you notice the performance factors: speed, image quality, loudness, perhaps maybe even heat?

It doesn't matter what's under the hood. People playing games won't care or notice. OEM's won't care or notice. All that's noticed are the performance characteristics.

If it takes a new architecture to achieve certain performance goals, then so be it, they better roll out a new one. If not, then they can rehash an old architecture. Nobody cares, and no consumer and OEM will really notice, as long as the performance goals are delivered.

 

[jvroig]

ugh do we really need to bring in whos architecture is what in this thread... isnt that slightly off topic?

You are right. Sorry. For a moment there I exploded and lost my cool.

That ATI gained marketshare should be good news for all consumers. Prices right now could be better, and we know why they aren't (supply constraints due to fabrication factors), but at least this news about the change in marketshare confirms that the market is not stagnant, and that it reacts as we could more or less expect - in a manner of speaking, a company that executes well enough and on time gets rewarded, and a company that doesn't quite get it right the first time and is delayed gets punished. Would you not want an indicator like that to be somewhat assured that the market isn't about to become stagnant with the players sitting on their hands doing nothing, and that we'd know they will be vying for our dollars by making better products?

 

[SlowSpyder]

Technically AMD is still using an old architecture for DX11, while NVIDIA is using a new architecture. So until AMD launches Northern Islands, I consider them to be behind.

Here is the problem with your arguement for Nvidia; you are assuming new means that it is better.

What are the Fermi architecture pros?

Great tessellation performance.
I haven't seen the numbers, but I assume it'll be a great performer in the HPC world.
Good DX11 performance?

But, at the same time AMD's older architecture has some pros of it's own that overshadow much of Fermi.

AMD's old architecture gives much better performance per mm2.
AMD's old architecture gives much better performance per watt.
AMD's old architecture appears to be the correct configuration for 40mm, by that I mean AMD is able to get their parts to market much quicker than Nvidia.
AMD's much smaller more efficient GPU appears to be more scalable, they've had a dual GPU out part (that some people seem to forget is the fastest card) months before Nvidia had anything.

In this case new does not mean necessarily better. Fermi may very well be a great architecture and process technology moves forward, but it appears to have a number of issues today.

 

[Scali]

I think Wreckage's point is something like this:
Where nVidia can go with a refresh for their next generation of DX11 cards, AMD will have to invest in a new architecture.
There is more risk involved there. AMD needs to come up with better tessellation and GPGPU logic to match or exceed nVidia's offerings. In doing that, they risk giving up their current advantages.

 

[Gikaseixas]

Back on topic, they sold more cards

 

[jvroig]

From HardOCP, some interesting breakdown:

Discrete desktop graphics: AMD only has 44.5% - but that's an 11-point gain, which came directly from nVidia's 11-point loss.

Discrete mobile graphics: AMD now has 56.3%, a result of a 2.4-point gain.

 

[OCGuy]

I bet nV is boarding the windows and packing up their desks.


Q3 will bring back some of that 11% loss due to the GTX460.


I'm not sure why anyone would be surprised by this. Most discrete sales are on the low-end, and up until a couple weeks ago, all nV had put out was a $330 card and a $500 card. Yes they are great cards, but when Billy finally gets mom to fork over the CC for a newegg purchase, that isnt exactly what he is going to be buying.

 

[jvroig]

Q3 will bring back some of that 11% loss due to the GTX460.

They need a few more products to complete the line up. By itself, the GTX 460 isn't quite the high volume part.

In contrast, AMD have had the lower performance (and higher volume) segments solved with the Redwood chips (54xx and 55xx chips), and even the 5650 / 5670.

 

[edplayer]

GF106 and 108 chips should be coming out soon (August?) but won't make a difference in Q3 numbers