Hell freezing over...again!!!

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: SlitheryDee

Originally posted by: Maethor
This will piss off alot of people if it is true. I for one always buy the best but if AMD buy out ATI then we are going to have processors in the future that cripple the Nvidias to get people to buy ATI. Hell we already see this happen to a limited degree

I doubt this merger will seriously happen though because this is seriously bordering on monopoly practices.

I guess we'll know for sure monday, but it's possible that this could be good. AMD will have guaranteed support for Torrenza based GPUs by a major discrete graphics chipset producer for one thing. ATI will (potentially) cease to be a fabless graphics chipset company for another. Integrated graphics for AMD's platforms might also benefit.

Anand mentions a few of these benefits in his latest weblog entry (you'll probably have to wait until the site quits being screwy to read it).

Cease to be a fabless chipset company? Then explain to me why AMD contracted Chartered to fab some cores for them. AMD can't keep up production on their own as it is. And you expect them to accomodate making all of ATI's GPU's? TSMC/UMC will continue to be utilized until AMD gets more fabs of their own I suspect. This has probably all been discussed at the AMD/ATI bargaining table, I'm sure.

 

[Cookie Monster]

Originally posted by: MDme
Why did AMD do this:

1) HTX - GPUs (Torrenza)
2) Memory controller technology (ATI's GPUs have ability to support more than 1 kind of memory - for example GDDR3/4)
3) Chipset

I think AMD should be smart and allow ATI chipsets to support both SLI and CF. I mean, it will be better from the current situation we have where CF doesn't work on nForce and SLI not working on Xpress. IMHO that will make the graphics card competition better. AMD will not cripple nVidia GPUs on Xpress simply because they need the enthusiast market. Intel on the other hand would only have one choice for GPUs: nVidia. So AMD will have a more open and flexible platform esp if #1 above happens. Heck even nVidia might do HTX G80s.

Another thing to remember is that AMD and NV has good relations. Both companies pretty much helped each other to what they are today. NV is pretty much under AMDs wings.

Overall AMD has both ATi AND NV for chipset support. While intel is left with NV and themselves. Although from my knowledge intel dislikes NV.

 

[MDme]

wonder what will happen to AMD stocks on monday with....

half price A64s and AMD buying ATi?

 

[Furen]

It will go down, of course. ATI's is increasing quite a bit, on the other hand.

 

[AnandThenMan]

Don't forget AMD gets access to ATI's excellent mobile technology. This has not been mentioned much if at all anywhere. AMD needs to take on Intel seriously in the mobile space, and ATI will enable them to do this in a big way.

 

[RallyMaster]

/me flips out

 

[Viditor]

Originally posted by: MDme
wonder what will happen to AMD stocks on monday with....

half price A64s and AMD buying ATi?

Actually, this was the major reason for the massive drop on Friday...
While many here are only reading about this just now, I saw it on Friday in the newswires.
More importantly, the arbitrage players saw it on Friday as well, and the normal pattern for them is to buy up the acquired company and short the company that's doing the acquiring. If you look at the pattern of Friday's trades, you'll see that it went in 2 stages, just as you would expect.

I have a feeling that we will see a bounce upward for AMD on Monday as the Arbitrage players take their profit from the shorts...

 

[MDme]

So viditor, why do you think is AMD doing this?

My opinion is:

Originally posted by: MDme
Why did AMD do this:

1) HTX - GPUs (Torrenza)
2) Memory controller technology (ATI's GPUs have ability to support more than 1 kind of memory - for example GDDR3/4)
3) Chipset

I think AMD should be smart and allow ATI chipsets to support both SLI and CF. I mean, it will be better from the current situation we have where CF doesn't work on nForce and SLI not working on Xpress. IMHO that will make the graphics card competition better. AMD will not cripple nVidia GPUs on Xpress simply because they need the enthusiast market. Intel on the other hand would only have one choice for GPUs: nVidia. So AMD will have a more open and flexible platform esp if #1 above happens. Heck even nVidia might do HTX G80s.

Can you think of any other reason?

 

[Slaimus]

Originally posted by: Bateluer

Originally posted by: raz3000
I don't like this deal. Both markets are fiercely competitive right now, and any mergers will make both less so.

That was what they said about the HP/Compaq merger (although they are in the same market), and it turned out pretty well. But for some reason I feel really uneasy about this one. It has sort of a 3Dfx/STB ring to it, where the company tries to offer the complete package when their current business is doing well.

 

[imported_wicka]

Don't forget that the GPU market is dominated by Intel's integrated solutions. AMD can tap into that market, take more money away from Intel, and yet the ATI/Nvidia battle is essentially unchanged (since they don't really go there). Also, no matter how great the link is between AMD CPU's and ATI GPU's, if AMD is uncompetitive with Intel, Nvidia will still make a killing since Intel users will have no gain from ATI cards.

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: bennylong
I just want these damn GPU to keep down in price! The price of CPU, Memory, HD, etc all dropped while the price of a GPU has gone up to $600 for a brand new GPU and your standard new GPU runs $300 to $400.

When will they have a GPU price war like the CPU price war going on??? Intel should buy Nvidia so we can see a GPU and CPU price war.

$300 CPU and $200 GPU!

Go out and price 512 megs of super fast ram, a motherboard and a processor. It's easily around $400. And that what a video card has on it! But more so- a highend processor even larger die size than AMD or Intel processors costing more to make, a video "motherboard" with highend caps, and the fastest ram in the world DDR3/4 you can't even get on your computer yet.

There is also the issue of "limited run" they can only sell a GPU design for a relativly short period of time compared to CPU's and in order to recoup the R&D, manufacture, labor, and still make a profit so it's understandable they are priced at least what CPU's are who stick around along time and sell in much larger quantities.. When ATI and nVidia start making intel like profits then you might have a case about gouging. But high end GPU's are really cheap compared to precessors all things considered.

 

[Zebo]

AMD, in it's financial genius, subcribes to the "buy high, sell low" theory of investing. They spun off thier flash products for nothing as they were losing tones of cash instead of selling it for 4x that divisons high earnings just a year before. Now they buy ATi at an all time high.

 

[coldpower27]

Originally posted by: MDme
So viditor, why do you think is AMD doing this?

My opinion is:

Originally posted by: MDme
Why did AMD do this:

1) HTX - GPUs (Torrenza)
2) Memory controller technology (ATI's GPUs have ability to support more than 1 kind of memory - for example GDDR3/4)
3) Chipset

I think AMD should be smart and allow ATI chipsets to support both SLI and CF. I mean, it will be better from the current situation we have where CF doesn't work on nForce and SLI not working on Xpress. IMHO that will make the graphics card competition better. AMD will not cripple nVidia GPUs on Xpress simply because they need the enthusiast market. Intel on the other hand would only have one choice for GPUs: nVidia. So AMD will have a more open and flexible platform esp if #1 above happens. Heck even nVidia might do HTX G80s.

Can you think of any other reason?

Well AMD would still need the rights to enabled SLI on a ATI based board, so the decision isn't up to AMD. If you want SLI you buy a AMD Nvidia board.