SLI is now Official for AMD's Motherboard Chipsets.

[formulav8]

Who said it was a Bad thing? Most of what I see is people just talking about how nvidia is trying to make it look like nvidia is ohh so nice, generous, and sweet. Plus some posters trashing their PR exaggerations/trash is the only other stuff I see being said?

 

[aigomorla]

LOL you can run NV beta drivers for months before wanting to switch (more than needing to switch). On the other hand AMD users download a new driver, something doesn't work properly, then 3 days later the first hotfix comes out, it still doesn't fix anything, and 3 days later another hotfix comes out, and the cycle continues.

where the hell was this type of driver service when i was on ATI.

And so far everything i tested works for SLI in windowed mode even.

Dragon Age 2 - after all the patches flawless..
Crysis 2 - even tho ur gimped with DX9, both cards scale very well.
Bulletstorm

Hell i even see both cards loading up from time to time on civ5 even.

Can someone explain to me why is it a bad thing about AMD and/or Nvidia that now people can use SLI on an AMD setup?

there isnt anything bad.
Its a win for the consumer, because now he doesnt need to get an intel chipset, nor does he need a nvidia platform to run SLI now.

So its more choices for the consumer.

 

[Seero]

there isnt anything bad.
Its a win for the consumer, because now he doesnt need to get an intel chipset, nor does he need a nvidia platform to run SLI now.

So its more choices for the consumer.

That is what i am thinking.

 

[JAG87]

Those were more like hacks not better drivers. Hacks to reduce Nvidia's useless overtesselation - that hurts the gamers. All of them but mainly the AMD owners, that's why they use it in many TWITMTBP games.

That's the most retarded thing ever written.

For example, Dirt 2 is a TWIMTBP title with tessellation, and it runs better with AMD hardware. TWIMTBP is not an ATI sabotage program.

And then Dragon Age 2 comes out and you need another driver to get better performance and then Shogun 2 Total War comes out and you need another driver etc.

Dude they both need to optimize drivers through betas and hotfixes so your point about AMD drivers hurting gamers is moot because nVidia does the same crap.

Sure they both need to optimize their drivers. But my point is not moot. Even with 12 driver versions + minimum 2 hotfixes for each driver, for a total of 36+ revisions available to the public every year, you still have this:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2161117

You read that bit about picking your poison? I use two monitors and I don't pick any poison. I pick nvidia because it just works. Just like people buy Apple because it just works.

And as with everything that just works but isn't as good of a value, there's haters to hate it.



The insults and personal attacks are needless, unproductive, and inflammatory.
Re:

That's the most retarded thing ever written.

Personal attacks and insults are not acceptable, they are a violation of the AnandTech Forum Guidelines:

1) No trolling, flaming or personally attacking members. Deftly attacking ideas and backing up arguments with facts is acceptable and encouraged. Attacking other members personally and purposefully causing trouble with no motive other than to upset the crowd is not allowed.

We want to give all our members as much freedom as possible while maintaining an environment that encourages productive discussion. It is our desire to encourage our members to share their knowledge and experiences in order to benefit the rest of the community, while also providing a place for people to come and just hang out.

We also intend to encourage respect and responsibility among members in order to maintain order and civility. Our social forums will have a relaxed atmosphere, but other forums will be expected to remain on-topic and posts should be helpful, relevant and professional.

We ask for respect and common decency towards your fellow forum members.

Idontcare
Super Mod

 

[busydude]

For example, Dirt 2 is a TWIMTBP title with tessellation, and it runs better with AMD hardware. TWIMTBP is not an ATI sabotage program.

No, you got that backward.

 

[JAG87]

No, you got that backward.

Sorry, I may be confusing Dirt 2 with another game.

But there's definetely one if not more TWIMTBP game that runs better on AMD.

 

[Awkward]

I pick nvidia because it just works. Just like people buy Apple because it just works.

And as with everything that just works but isn't as good of a value, there's haters to hate it.

your fans sure don't just work.

also, i can't believe people STILL have problems with AMD's drivers. honestly, i haven't had a single issue with my 5870 outside of some odd cursor bug that i fixed on my own in 2 minutes, and my catalyst control panel not loading for 1 revision -- which honestly is not an issue at all since ati tray tools is far better anyway.

AMD's drivers = minor annoyances, and easily fixed. plus, if you install them properly odds are you'll never run into any issues.

Nvidia's drivers = your card bricks.

there is also this:

note: win7 uses the same kernal. i don't get why anyone fan brands as if they actually care about their consumers and not just making money.

if you're going to fanboy a brand at least make sure you're not full of it when posting, thanks.

 

[lifeblood]

Tsk, Tsk, so much mud slinging. I've used both ATI & nVidia and have been very happy with both. Of course, I've not tried SLI/X-Fire, and won't given all the complaints from both camps over bugs and such.

Who pays nVidia for the right to use SLI? The chipset manufacturer? The motherboard maker? Anyone know the cost? I read somewhere it was $5 per motherboard for SLI. Is that correct?

In the end, it's a win for all of us.

 

[notty22]

LOL at the AMD fan strawman pie chart. Logged Vista crashes without a link. Crash of what / when , how was the data gathered ?

PC Video card usage by mfg

 

[gdansk]

Microsoft itself collected that data...

Page 47 of 158 is what you're after. Period being an unnamed time in 2007, but considering it comes from Microsoft (via a leaked document) it is probably accurate. Nvidia was the number one "fault" of Vista crashes. I find it very unlikely that it remains so... Also, I don't think this thread is continuing in a useful direction.

 

[badb0y]

That's the most retarded thing ever written.

For example, Dirt 2 is a TWIMTBP title with tessellation, and it runs better with AMD hardware. TWIMTBP is not an ATI sabotage program.

No it's not. But I am not going to get into this over-tessellation people talk about because I think it's nonsense.

Sure they both need to optimize their drivers. But my point is not moot. Even with 12 driver versions + minimum 2 hotfixes for each driver, for a total of 36+ revisions available to the public every year, you still have this:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2161117

You read that bit about picking your poison? I use two monitors and I don't pick any poison. I pick nvidia because it just works. Just like people buy Apple because it just works.

And as with everything that just works but isn't as good of a value, there's haters to hate it.

The dual monitor problem is because of power-saving features and though he mentioned other things, they were quite minor like the clocks not throttling down when a 3D application is closed etc. You can google similar threads about nVidia too by people who are dissatisfied.

One thing I did notice in that link though was this:

I am loving the performance of the 5850 i bought, but jesus the drivers are awful.

He is happy with the performance of the cards, the other things he mentioned are really minor and similar cases can be found for nVidia run systems.

Drivers are pretty much equal from both camps and I can say that confidently since I owned the GTX 460 1 GB and HD 6950 2 GB and have had first hand experience with both camps within the last 6 months.

 

[busydude]

I pick nvidia because it just works. Just like people buy Apple because it just works.

It's funny that you compare Nvidia to Apple.. it just not simply work. Case in point, Late 2008 Macbooks due to the infamous bumpgate.. there have been numerous failures, and being in a college town where >70% own a mac.. it is my observation that Nvidia just does not simply work. One of my friend has his MB replaced 5 times in 2 years.. and 5 out of 5 were due to the GPU.

Just to clarify, I used to own a Early 2008 Macbook(Black) and I was extremely happy with it.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

So WHO paid who?

Nvidia paid AMD to have SLI on their chipsets again?

Why oh why would AMD pay for SLI sertification when they are competitors on the GPU field and AMD would rather present a "complete" CPU+GPU package of their own brand?

Or is it some anti monopoly...thing or anti competition thing...that AMD cant turn down Nvidia on their chipsets?...OR..does AMD have any say in this at all?


i lack knowledge on this subject (and many others) so ...please enlighten me

AMD offers CPUs/chipsets/GPUs.

There are people out there who are nVidia loyalists no matter how good the competition's alternative is.

By not offering SLI on their flagship CPU platform they risk losing customers for their latest and greatest CPU/chipset platform. And by offering SLI, AMD - at least depending upon Bulldozer's performance - could have an excellent marketing campaign of claiming the fastest and most versatile gaming platform on the market.

In short AMD, confident in BD's gaming prowess, would rather have at least a piece of the pie by guaranteeing CPU/chipset sales to SLI users rather than risking it on all or nothing.

It's also possible they have great confidence in their upcoming Radeon HD 7000 series which look to be on schedule to release comfortably ahead of nVidia and have little to lose even if they offer SLI on their platform because they're confident in the adoption rates of that series.

 

[aigomorla]

AMD's drivers = minor annoyances, and easily fixed. plus, if you install them properly odds are you'll never run into any issues.

Once again... where the hell was this kind of service when i was on ATI?

You think the cursor bug is tiny?? Sigh... its annoying as faq.
And what makes it worse is that it happens on 800 dollars in hardware on GPU's.

Does that even make sense to you?

Seriously not speaking for fanism... Nvidia drivers are straight up better then ATI's.

Ask anyone whose been on both platforms... its almost night vs day.

 

[badb0y]

Once again... where the hell was this kind of service when i was on ATI?

You think the cursor bug is tiny?? Sigh... its annoying as faq.
And what makes it worse is that it happens on 800 dollars in hardware on GPU's.

Does that even make sense to you?

Seriously not speaking for fanism... Nvidia drivers are straight up better then ATI's.

Ask anyone whose been on both platforms... its almost night vs day.

No it's not..

Proof:

GTX 460 and HD 6950 having sex. I have used both vendors within the past 6 months so I think have some merit talk on this subject.

EDIT: I don't run dual card setups so I wouldn't know the difference between them in that category but overall the single card experience from both vendors was good.

 

[busydude]

Ask anyone whose been on both platforms... its almost night vs day.

I cannot speak for you.. but when people were bashing CFX being unstable my fankenfire setup of 5770 + 5750 ran like a charm. Although... the scaling was not exceptional.. the setup was extremely stable.

 

[tincart]

Seriously not speaking for fanism... Nvidia drivers are straight up better then ATI's.

Ask anyone whose been on both platforms... its almost night vs day.

I have owned two ATi cards and two nV cards in the last 4 years. I have had absolutely no driver problems with any of the cards. Ever.

The last time I had a serious video card driver problem was when I got a TNT 2 Ultra. That is so long ago that I don't generally consider it anymore.

I am "anyone" who has been on both platforms and I have been happy with both.

 

[Bearach]

Ask anyone whose been on both platforms... its almost night vs day.

Not true for me thus far. Both rock solid.

 

[Madcatatlas]

AMD offers CPUs/chipsets/GPUs.

There are people out there who are nVidia loyalists no matter how good the competition's alternative is.

By not offering SLI on their flagship CPU platform they risk losing customers for their latest and greatest CPU/chipset platform. And by offering SLI, AMD - at least depending upon Bulldozer's performance - could have an excellent marketing campaign of claiming the fastest and most versatile gaming platform on the market.

In short AMD, confident in BD's gaming prowess, would rather have at least a piece of the pie by guaranteeing CPU/chipset sales to SLI users rather than risking it on all or nothing.

It's also possible they have great confidence in their upcoming Radeon HD 7000 series which look to be on schedule to release comfortably ahead of nVidia and have little to lose even if they offer SLI on their platform because they're confident in the adoption rates of that series.

Thank you sir for the easy to read points and answers to my questions! I very much appreciate this.

It does then, boil down to what can only be called brand loyalty. And i know several people who are AMD cpu loyal and Nvidia gpu buyers. So it indeed makes sense that these preferances are catered to.

 

[OCGuy]

Good news. The more options for people, the better.

 

[aigomorla]

It does then, boil down to what can only be called brand loyalty. And i know several people who are AMD cpu loyal and Nvidia gpu buyers. So it indeed makes sense that these preferances are catered to.

actually its more based on what games run better on what brand.

There are a lot of games which are clear cut in the middle that will run better on one platform vs the other..

ie. Flight Simulator X

Some people cant stand the water glitches, some can.

Its all boils down on what settings u play on your card, and how hard you are able to push them while keeping them in check.

Lastly ask any F@Her... they only get Nvidia, because they FOLD better also.

But less then 5% of us posting here are probably folders...

 

[Madcatatlas]

Well if folding is contributing to something vital, then i do approve of people spending time and hardware and their own money to help that cause, but its not something im interested in doing atm.

I have other venues/arenas where i contribute to different causes.
5% is still not all that shabby.

I heard/read that the folder software was getting old, and that if it was rewritten now, it wouldnt be all that favorable for Nvidia?, does this carry any merit?

 

[Edgy]

AMD offers CPUs/chipsets/GPUs.

There are people out there who are nVidia loyalists no matter how good the competition's alternative is.

By not offering SLI on their flagship CPU platform they risk losing customers for their latest and greatest CPU/chipset platform. And by offering SLI, AMD - at least depending upon Bulldozer's performance - could have an excellent marketing campaign of claiming the fastest and most versatile gaming platform on the market.

In short AMD, confident in BD's gaming prowess, would rather have at least a piece of the pie by guaranteeing CPU/chipset sales to SLI users rather than risking it on all or nothing.

It's also possible they have great confidence in their upcoming Radeon HD 7000 series which look to be on schedule to release comfortably ahead of nVidia and have little to lose even if they offer SLI on their platform because they're confident in the adoption rates of that series.

The article from OP says "that SLI has been licensed to the world’s leading motherboard companies" -- NOT directly to AMD.

I don't think AMD, whether they are confident in their upcoming BD gaming prowess or not, had much to do with this licensing announcement.

It seems more likely that the MB companies that are planning the new AM3+ chipsets are the ones requesting to nVidia and are being granted SLI licenses.

Assuming the MB companies know more about upcoming BD performance than we do, this seems to be a good sign that BD will indeed be at least fairly competitive.

 

[busydude]

The article from OP says "that SLI has been licensed to the world’s leading motherboard companies" -- NOT directly to AMD.

I don't think AMD, whether they are confident in their upcoming BD gaming prowess or not, had much to do with this licensing announcement.

It seems more likely that the MB companies that are planning the new AM3+ chipsets are the ones requesting to nVidia and are being granted SLI licenses.

Assuming the MB companies know more about upcoming BD performance than we do, this seems to be a good sign that BD will indeed be at least fairly competitive.

Spot on. It is upto Nvidia to issue the license.. and it is between the board manufacturers and Nvidia.

 

[Idontcare]

Spot on. It is upto Nvidia to issue the license.. and it is between the board manufacturers and Nvidia.

Yep. Same is true for Intel platform. NV does not license SLI to Intel, they license SLI to the mobo makers who are making Intel compatible mobo's.

All this press release tells us is that the guys in Taiwan (Gigabyte, Asrock, EVGA, etc) see there being money in selling SLI-compatible mobos that support AMD CPU's.

AMD the company need not even be involved in such business arrangements.