Discussion EVGA exits video card market, terminates partnership with Nvidia (GN, JayzTC)

[HurleyBird]

News broken by GN. Even though there is no press release I can see right now, this is not a rumor. Info comes directly from EVGA CEO, citing difficulty working with Nvidia.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Yes, I expect that with the added selling price of AM5 mobos, that EVGA may jump on that, and may produce Radeon-branded EVGA GPUs in due time.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Wonder what's worth more, a ES Voodoo 5 6000 card, or an ES EVGA NV 4000-series card.

 

[Tup3x]

They either got RDNA's being made up, or Intel has partnered with them as intel has no clue on how to make a GPU outside the die only packages. Hell maybe Intel Bought them, or bought the entire GPU division, as Intel really has no clue on how to design a proper GPU layout and board.

Well, tell me what Intel's Limited Edition cards are?

 

[Captante]

If Biostar has been able still be in business after all of these years selling craptacular cheap but usually stable and functional motherboards, EVGA can make it (at least in the U.S. / Europe markets).

Fixed.


Biostar may not be the best quality (lol) however I've used a whole bunch of their low-end Intel-chipset motherboards over the last 25+ years (like 100's) and literally never had a serious problem that couldn't be fixed with a BIOS update.

Conversely I've dealt with maybe a dozen EVGA motherboards and every one of them was a headache in some way.... I wouldn't buy another.

EVGA PSU's OTOH are decent but only as a fall-back from Seasonic or Corsair IMO. The only advantage they have over Superflower (the OEM who makes their PSU's) is better communication with tech-support.

 

[dmoney1980]

I have a strong inkling that if EVGA does decide to expand their motherboard lineup, it won't be a nForce model.

There's a lot of money to be made on motherboards nowadays. Slap some RGB on it, a few colorful pieces of plastic on it with spiffy scribblings on it, and a debug LED, and charge $600 - $800 for it.......Kidding not kidding.

If Biostar has been able still be in business after all of these years selling craptacular motherboards, EVGA can make it (at least in the U.S. / Europe markets).

Oh man, hearing nForce brought me back to my early days of PC building and gaming! I do think that they should expand their motherboard lineup that offers more gamer/mid-tier lineups.

Separately, what happens to the kingpin guy that’s on staff now without a GPU division?

 

[Boze]

I have often wondered how the whole AIB business model works. Nvidia sells their own cards, so they are competing with all the AIB vendors. It feels like there are way too many companies in that space now, including many no-name Chinese vendors.

Negative Ghost Rider.

Competition is a good thing, the more the merrier. Why are smartphone prices so inexpensive, comparatively speaking? Because there's loads of vendors and loads of choice and loads of SoC /chipset producers.

Samsung, Apple, RockChip, MediaTek, Qualcomm, Allwinner, and others make SoCs for smartphones, and many of these companies are moving up (MediaTek's Dimensity 1050 chip is actually pretty impresive and I think Motorola's using it in one of their higher-end mid-range phones).

Look at the state of the GPU market... we have two major producers and one also-ran who's first showing is pretty God-awful. Turn the clock back to the late 1990s / early 2000s and it was a GPU bonanza. Half a dozen or more different GPU chipsets and probably close to two dozen AIBs. You wanted a PowerVR chip from STB? No problem. You want a Rendition chip from Matrox? Done.

Loads of choice. Loads of competition. Loads of great pricing.

It was a great time.

Then by 2007, NVIDIA had pretty much won the game and was selling 8800 Ultras for $829 on launch day. This very website said it wasn't worth the money, just like RTX 3090s and 3090 Tis weren't / aren't worth $1499 / $1999.

We don't have enough competition, period. That's the problem.

 

[NIGELG]

I agree that more competition is needed.

I have not had good luck with EVGA but this is sad for them.

 

[Muadib]

I'm on my 3rd Nvidia FE. I love EVGA, but could not find stock for my last two builds. My last 2 PSU's were theirs, however I don't see how that will keep them in business. I recall having a motherboard of theirs too, and it was mediocre to say the least. To quote Don M, turn out the lights, the party's over.

 

[dlerious]

Fixed.


Biostar may not be the best quality (lol) however I've used a whole bunch of their low-end Intel-chipset motherboards over the last 25+ years (like 100's) and literally never had a serious problem that couldn't be fixed with a BIOS update.

Haven't kept up with things, but I remember Biostar being in a lot of cheap pre-builts.

 

[DrMrLordX]

The only advantage they have over Superflower (the OEM who makes their PSU's) is better communication with tech-support.

FYI EVGA stopped using SuperFlower's Leadex platform with the G2 and P2 series (and possibly T2 series). The newer stuff comes from other OEMs.

 

[Captante]

FYI EVGA stopped using SuperFlower's Leadex platform with the G2 and P2 series (and possibly T2 series). The newer stuff comes from other OEMs.

First I've heard of that although I'm not saying you're wrong.

EDIT: Appears they switched to FSP which is also usually decent.

 

[In2Photos]

Well, tell me what Intel's Limited Edition cards are?

So far it appears that all of them are limited edition! 😂😂😂

 

[CP5670]

Negative Ghost Rider.

Competition is a good thing, the more the merrier. Why are smartphone prices so inexpensive, comparatively speaking? Because there's loads of vendors and loads of choice and loads of SoC /chipset producers.

Samsung, Apple, RockChip, MediaTek, Qualcomm, Allwinner, and others make SoCs for smartphones, and many of these companies are moving up (MediaTek's Dimensity 1050 chip is actually pretty impresive and I think Motorola's using it in one of their higher-end mid-range phones).

Look at the state of the GPU market... we have two major producers and one also-ran who's first showing is pretty God-awful. Turn the clock back to the late 1990s / early 2000s and it was a GPU bonanza. Half a dozen or more different GPU chipsets and probably close to two dozen AIBs. You wanted a PowerVR chip from STB? No problem. You want a Rendition chip from Matrox? Done.

Loads of choice. Loads of competition. Loads of great pricing.

It was a great time.

It's great for us buyers, but I don't see how it works from the companies' point of view. I'm talking about the AIB variants of a given GPU, not different GPUs. EVGA had some unique features on their FTW3 cards but most of the other AIB brands have very little differentiation, and you often see 4 or 5 brands selling the same card with a different cooler appearance. See this list for example.

 

[psolord]

You tell ‘em Linus

Spoiler

No posting of video/links with profanity in the title.


esquared
Anandtech Forum Director

Is that Lisa Su asking the questions at the start of the video?

That's why she became AMD's CEO, to kick Nvdia's butt?

 

[aigomorla]

So far it appears that all of them are limited edition! 😂😂😂

Maybe the classified edition will make a come back from eVGA if they make intel cards.
Because they will be so classified, it will be impossible to know who got one, or how it actually performs in real world gaming.

 

[Dribble]

I'm guessing they're going to make a big push into motherboards, since they already have a foot in that particular door and it's the video card staff should have good skills overlap.

If they have left the GPU market then I wouldn't trust them to not leave the MB market as well. Hence I am much less likely to buy a board of them now. I mean how does a company like that survive when it kills most of it's revenue with no replacement in sight? It certainly doesn't give you any faith in the management.

 

[Aapje]

Competition is a good thing, the more the merrier.
[...]
We don't have enough competition, period. That's the problem.

A major issue is also that Nvidia has too much power over vendors. If they could decide to release a 20 GB 3080, then it would disrupt Nvidia's strategy of putting too little VRAM on the cards to force people to upgrade sooner and for people to be forced

If they have left the GPU market then I wouldn't trust them to not leave the MB market as well. Hence I am much less likely to buy a board of them now.

Why does that matter to you? I get it if you are a company that wants to keep their systems consistent, but as an end user I have very little loyalty to motherboard makers. I just search for a board with the features I want and look at reviews to see which of the ones that match don't have major issues, starting by the cheapest.

 

[aigomorla]

Hence I am much less likely to buy a board of them now.

As I stated in my previous post, EVGA motherboards are not the typical goto boards for 75% of the PC builders out there.
They are mostly aimed at high end overclocking, with bare minimum features, loaded with quality components, but again lacking in a lot of features.
The Dark Series is an over engineered board that offers no convenience outside overclocking, its a straight up NASCAR stripped down to its bear frame, with super thick and short traces, and beefy power regulators to ram and cpu. Its not something you want to daily drive, unless you want those high overclocks.

The FTW3 series tried to bridge the gap between that, but again, the FTW3 series lacks a lot of features the Gigabyte AUROS G9 + Designware / ASUS Rampage + STRIX / MSI GODLIKE boards offer.

Its really a no brainer in which board you would want to use a daily driver... its definitely not the eVGA, unless u want those absolute clocks, which you have the highest chance getting on a DARK.

I have a total of 4 EVGA boards, they are not "daily drivers" but more testing the hell out of whatever i throw on them boards.
I know the absolute APEX on what the chip can do on a Dark series, because they were again over engineered for just that purpose.
But i would never use them as my daily driver, as i want all the additional accessories the designware / godlike boards give you.

 

[Leeea]

Now that nvidia has given its rtx4000 series presentation, I think we know now why EVGA pulled out of making GPUs for this next generation.

 

[Captante]

Certainly not a whole lot of "markup" room with these boards unless AIB partners want to make $2000 GPU's "mainstream". (and wtf is up with that 12gb "4080 jr" that S/B the 4070 ?!? )

Even more sobering however is what I'm hearing about any potential lower-end 40-series models being supplanted with leftover 30-series cards Nvidia is currently stuck with.

EVGA was at least partially responsible for their own problems BUT Nvidia really does suck too.

 

[guidryp]

Now that nvidia has given its rtx4000 series presentation, I think we know now why EVGA pulled out of making GPUs for this next generation.

They bailed out (Told NVidia back in April) long before they would have known anything about pricing or current market conditions (mining crash).

They were just sick of NVidia's treatment.

 

[Furious_Styles]

They bailed out (Told NVidia back in April) long before they would have known anything about pricing or current market conditions (mining crash).

They were just sick of NVidia's treatment.

I agree. Think they were sick of getting pushed around. I remember a bunch of AIBs complaining about the 30 series rollout and how they felt they were given everything at the last minute possible.

 

[Aapje]

I think they made a smart choice though. I fully expect a major train wreck for Nvidia, who is likely going to try to offload part of the losses to the AIBs.

 

[Captante]

I'm guessing that the "4080 Jr" 12gb card WAS planned to be the 4070 and Nvidia only made this naming move at the last minute when somebody @ NV suddenly realized they couldn't sell leftover 30-series cards for big bucks anymore.

 

[IntelUser2000]

Last time I remember a big company saying they're going to give up on the majority of their business line was when HP was talking about the PC market with that terrible, terrible CEO some years ago. They were like EVGA, #1 marketshare.

If they are thinking of getting back with AMD/Intel in the future, the announcement will kill most of future ambitions regarding the GPU market.

A sane management would have said they'd go in a different direction, such as AMD/Intel or "evaluating options".

I don't have a good experience with EVGA cards. I think they are overblown and to be a honest, pos. I think they are good at making it look good and high quality but in actuality it's questionable. Don't be mistaken, I don't doubt Nvidia is treating it's partners terribly but I don't think the problems can be attributed to them 100%.