As we know by now, AMD is manufacturing the CPU/GPU for the Xbox One and PS4. Nvidia has been critical of consoles lately, saying that they will be out of date and that mobile devices will surpass them. AMD just thinks they’re bitter.
Nvidia may have claims that profit margins were low in the console business, but AMD’s PR lead, Robert Hallock believes:
“The position seems a bit like sour grapes to me. The reality, according to industry legends like John Carmack (citation), is that the standardization of console hardware will, in his words, ‘make it cheaper and easier to develop games for multiple platforms.’
“… That will improve the quality of games as devs spend time polishing them, rather than juggling architectural particulars. We are very proud to help enable this sort of ecosystem for game developers, and excited that such an ecosystem runs almost unilaterally on our hardware. I can’t imagine why anyone would willingly cede such a favorable situation.”
I’m a big fan of AMD. Beyond the fact that they’re making an awesome product for consoles, they make fantastic products in general. They even make the graphics cards for my precious Mac computers (SNEAK EDIT: This is where you can make fun of Zoe for not having a real PC).
What do you think? Is this just throwing flames on the fire, or reigniting the AMD vs Nvidia debate among the “master race” of PC gamers? AMD has a lot to gain from this deal with Xbox One and PS4 – maybe Nvidia is just jealous. But if so, why didn’t they bid for it in the first place?
Last Updated: August 20, 2013
Uberutang
August 20, 2013 at 09:06
Even though I do not currently run a AMD rig, I love what they are doing and the way that they are going about it. If I had to buy a GPU right now, it would be AMD (half the price of the Nvidia card I run currently) for ‘same’ performance.
Their ‘never settle’ bundles is similar to what Sony is doing with PSN plus: free games to buy into the system. Very clever and very bold.
LordCaptainAwesomeness
August 20, 2013 at 09:53
Very cool marketing strategy. Read that they are adding Saint’s Row 4 to the Never Settle Bundles 🙂
Uberutang
August 20, 2013 at 09:55
yeah if you are building a gaming rig you are mental for not considering the never settle deals.
Got the new splinter cell with my Nvidia card though (had to buy same as my current for SLI)
LordCaptainAwesomeness
August 20, 2013 at 10:28
SLI and/or Missfire….
You sir are a braver man than i am (raping the Bank for the moola)
Uberutang
August 20, 2013 at 10:30
Hit a real bargain so had to !
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 20, 2013 at 09:07
Zoe’s Mac has an AMD card? So the fake PC has a real component? I don’t understand, how am I supposed to respond to this? :/
I never understood Nvidia’s “meh” attitude myself. Saying it’s low margin is all fine & well, but selling millions of units at a low margin isn’t a bad thing.
LordCaptainAwesomeness
August 20, 2013 at 09:16
It is due to the Shield… They will single handedly kill ALL Consoles…just you watch….
TiMsTeR1033
August 20, 2013 at 10:15
how on earth will that happen??
LordCaptainAwesomeness
August 20, 2013 at 11:05
With Unicorns, and the ability to play skyrim while on the loo…..
HvR
August 20, 2013 at 09:53
Nvidia meh attitude is due to console market being low volume low mark up in chip market terms.
Nvidia was only willing to provide a GPU chip out of their standard catalogue at the expected margins. They would rather focus on the mobile market which is currently their cash cow.
AMD on the other hand is running at $1 billion loss per year, loosing market share on all fronts and desperate for new business so they started to provide a custom chip solution to make even “small and niche markets” viable options for them. The custom solution is precisely what Sony and MS was looking for.
CrasH
August 20, 2013 at 10:17
Maybe the mobile is there focus, but got to give them credit, when they do focus they do some extreme work.
The new mobile GPU can be put into tablets and has enough power run the cryotech 2 engine… and mobile is not just for Tablets, its also for notebooks, so the new notebooks can have proper GPU’s…
The newest notebooks can now have the 780m and that little chip outperforms most gfx card on the markets… in a notebook…
TiMsTeR1033
August 20, 2013 at 10:20
isnt that kepler?? excuse my iggnorance been along time since was into pc specs
Uberutang
August 20, 2013 at 14:37
Yup Kepler GPU. Google: project Logan. Mobile Kepler!
ElimiNathan
August 20, 2013 at 09:11
AMD GFX Card (ATI) and Intel CPU. Have been rolling with that combination for a couple years now
Kromas
August 20, 2013 at 09:11
That’s how the master race rolls. (suck it Nvidia!)
Slade Boender
August 20, 2013 at 09:13
Pfffft, jy en jou styles my brah
Kromas
August 20, 2013 at 09:15
LordCaptainAwesomeness
August 20, 2013 at 09:13
AMD CPU, AMD Chipset MB, and AMD GFX, been like that for the last couple of years. Waiting for the new AMD RAM to be delivered…
ElimiNathan
August 20, 2013 at 09:16
I used to be a huge AMD CPU fanboy back in the day when they were still the BEST. But now you cant deny that they area tad behind when it comes to CPU’s
LordCaptainAwesomeness
August 20, 2013 at 09:20
Price point and performance.
I have stuck with them for the last 12 years, and will continue to. Yes the Top of the Range i7 processors are lightning fast…
But
If i am going to pay 13K for a processor, then it would most probably be the FX-9590.
personal choice at the end of the Day. I just found that all the components work so well together, that i do not need to change the setup.
ElimiNathan
August 20, 2013 at 09:21
I paid +- R2300 for my i5 3570K and no AMD CPU in that price range even comes close in gaming performance
LordCaptainAwesomeness
August 20, 2013 at 09:29
Yes the 3570K has better Single core performance than the FX-8350..SINGLE Core
I’ll just leave this here
As i said, personal choice at the end of the day
ElimiNathan
August 20, 2013 at 09:40
That AMD CPU is R500 or so more than my i5. So if it didn’t perform the same/better I would just LOL. And from the video you can see that is the case, its pretty much the same/slightly better. So for me the i5 is more value for money
ElimiNathan
August 20, 2013 at 09:45
Eish ignore my previous comment. I haven’t looked at the hardware prices since this whole currency crisis. Ok the AMD is cheaper and more worth the money 🙂
Thats_how_I_Troll
August 20, 2013 at 14:49
I run a i7-3770k with the Zalman 9900max cooler and the 2400 Corsair Vengeance ram, with a 256gb ssd and a Radeon 7950. Must say I have not had any performance issues or crashes… I recon, and this might just be me, but the AMD GPU runs better with the I5/I7 than with the Equivalent AMD CPUs…. I have been running the intel/amd combos for years with hardly any issues if any….
EDIT: Must say this is the first I hear of AMD ram… Just had a look on the web. Does anyone use these?
Slade Boender
August 20, 2013 at 09:12
Erm. Mac comes with nVidia hardware? Besides, the G5’s were mod’able so you could essentially slap what ever pleased you in there
As for consoles being moot, well, how close did Sony come to nearly annihilating its profits due to the Vita and Early stages of the PS3. From a cost/value point, I stand with nVidia saying that consoles could very well lead to their own demise, however I do agree with AMD that games should start becoming unilaterally better and better across platforms. For a while.
Lets face it, at the rate of intels ever shrinking die size and the ability of mobile gpu’s like the Tegra and Power VR, I really dont see why console will live more than this generation. Phones can now plug into TV’s and cars, can wirelessly stream audio to your HiFi, the convergence of technology is definitely happening, but consoles sure as shit aint the answer. Dont get me wrong, Im not saying that “type” of gaming will die out, but physically I believe that consoles are pretty much nearing the end of their life cycle. HAVE YOU SEEEN the games being punched out on tablets like the iPad and Galaxy? Its downright insane.
Edit: When referring to “this” gen, I naturally mean XBONE, PS4, Wii U
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
August 20, 2013 at 09:22
Yet it is the pc market that is dwindling. not to say PC gaming is dead, it’s back on the rise, but the only reason that games are being popped out like that on Ipad and such is the homogeneity of the those devices and that applies to consoles too. Not every single gamer out there can afford a decent PC, once you have a console, you are pretty much set for a generation of gaming, until the next, when you have to get a new consoles, so games can be made without worry if every gamer can play it . I don’t see consoles dying out, I don’t think they are near the end of their life cycle
Kromas
August 20, 2013 at 09:25
Actually I recently read an interesting article. It basically said that the pc market is dwindling but the gaming pc market has gained a massive amount of market share. So what that means is less workstations more gaming pcs.
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
August 20, 2013 at 09:30
True, PC gaming is on the rise now, in a big way. if exclusivity didn’t exist , PC gaming would be bigger
Slade Boender
August 20, 2013 at 09:31
Yeah, but my point is, its cheaper to buy a phone than it is a console, and if you can game on it with the same level of fidelity and depth, wouldnt it be easier for manufacturers to create one product that caters for all forms of entertainment? Im not saying that games are gonna die out, what I am saying is that we have so much power running around in mobile devices that I dont see it taking too long for them to become as powerful as these new gen consoles as is.
Complete speculation obviously.
Though I totally get where you coming from
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
August 20, 2013 at 09:35
Ye no, indeed, I don’t think the current form of consoles will last long. I guess one day we will all have one device and stream everything. Mobiles still have a very long way to go though. before it can reach console quality, but, it is getting there, I have been playing Sine Mora on my phone after I played it on PC too, it’s quite insane
Slade Boender
August 20, 2013 at 10:08
Bloody rad game, reminds me of those 50c arcade machines outside the local cafy. That and them blue sour gobstoppers. Ah, youth.
Her Highness the Hipster
August 20, 2013 at 09:32
ummm, actually AMD makes the graphics card in my Mac 😉
Slade Boender
August 20, 2013 at 09:33
Ja skat, ek se hulle maak plek vir altwee (yeah I translated that just to annoy ya)
Maybe this should clear it up “Mac can also come with nVidia hardware”
My bad 😛
Admiral Chief Raider of Tombs
August 20, 2013 at 09:35
lulz
Her Highness the Hipster
August 20, 2013 at 09:58
why would translating annoy me when i’m fluent in dutch? 😉 (yes, i know it’s not the same as afrikaans, but close enough)
Slade Boender
August 20, 2013 at 10:06
hahahahahaha, slimgat
Wtf101
August 20, 2013 at 10:14
Ok, yer higness: Here is a bit of a brain teaser for you, seeing as you are fluent in Dutch:
Dutch = English for the language spoken in the Netherlands.
However, the word Dutch is closer to word used to describe the German language aka Deutsch…
Admiral Chief Raider of Tombs
August 20, 2013 at 09:37
MY EYES!!!! Don’t post things like that Ms Hipster!
Her Highness the Hipster
August 20, 2013 at 09:37
you’re just jealous because my computer is 3 years old and still has pretty decent specs
Admiral Chief Raider of Tombs
August 20, 2013 at 09:45
Nope. My 5yo will knock the socks of your’s
Her Highness the Hipster
August 20, 2013 at 10:00
well, well, mine is prettier! and bigger! 21.5 inches baby!
Admiral Chief Raider of Tombs
August 20, 2013 at 10:05
I raise you 2.5 inches.
As for pretty, I’ll take a pictawr and show you a pretty rig
Sageville
August 20, 2013 at 09:53
….and still no right click?
LordCaptainAwesomeness
August 20, 2013 at 09:54
Lolz
Her Highness the Hipster
August 20, 2013 at 09:54
nah, i have a real mouse – even has a scrolling wheel and right click. needed for MOBAs
Sageville
August 20, 2013 at 09:57
But, but, it’s still a Mac….hence fail, according to my legendary most modest opinion.
TiMsTeR1033
August 20, 2013 at 10:17
macs are only good for graphic design mainly….
Slade Boender
August 20, 2013 at 10:32
Not entirely man, with their stability and Steam, they starting to make nice headway in the gaming department. Also they pretty rad workhorses, trick is just purchasing the correct software for the task, (generalising) most Mac users arent entirely certain which software does what, and pc users working on mac know even less. Its a vicious circle, but theres totally a place for a mac in almost any household/office. Really cant fault their stability!
TiMsTeR1033
August 20, 2013 at 10:41
I agree completely they are very stable, and yes they are good workhorses.
But mostly we see them used in graphic design, I mean they dont give any crap for massive files in photoshop ect and in many places they prefer to use them. i for one never even used a mac but I am a pc user so wouldnt even know where to go in mac UI… But perhaps one day we shall see more macs in homes.
Slade Boender
August 20, 2013 at 10:51
lol yeah the UI is a bit wack at times, but you can get used to it with about a day or twos use. One thing against them though, not just any tom dick and harry can support it, specially mac users them selves. Some real hardcore CMD commands are used to fix silly things like DB errors and indexing. Strange but true.
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
August 20, 2013 at 09:14
Can’t say I could ever afford decent components. Got an i7 laptop with a GTX525m (mid) card, so it’s sufficed for most of the games, Always admired PC gamers tenacity for these types of things
Kromas
August 20, 2013 at 09:18
Tenacity and extended credit 🙂
Edit: (or a high paying job)
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
August 20, 2013 at 09:24
LOL get dem overdrafts! wish I could be part of it, but man, just can’t afford it in all honesty.
Kromas
August 20, 2013 at 09:28
Last week I received a mail from my gaming supplier showing off the new OCZ PCIe 1x SSD cards. 250gigs for a mere 3 grand. I had to have an argument with myself over how many months I can survive with just bread and water for sustenance after I just pre-ordered several new games.
LordCaptainAwesomeness
August 20, 2013 at 09:31
Do it…..
Upgraded to an SSD about 12 months ago, and it is worth it…. you get used to not having any coffee etc….
Slade Boender
August 20, 2013 at 09:32
Man I TOTALLY miss coffee!
Kromas
August 20, 2013 at 10:01
Free coffee at my office yay!
Kromas
August 20, 2013 at 10:00
I have 4 SSD drives in my main pc and 1 in my server but the PCe 1x cards are waayyyyy faster (twice as fast as a vertex 4). I have no more PCIe 1x slots on my board so I will have to upgrade that as well. And don’t forget with great performance comes great power consumption so I will have to upgrade my PSU and UPS to handle it. So yeah … massive upgrade 🙁
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
August 20, 2013 at 09:36
LOL!! water bread and noodles for luxury, you can survive
Admiral Chief Raider of Tombs
August 20, 2013 at 09:35
Sneak edit ftw
doctorpankake
August 20, 2013 at 09:38
It looks less and less like PC vs console, rather APU vs traditional CPU (non-heterogeneous)
APUs will eventually win, that’s inevitable. It will ONLY happen, though, when the internal GPU is able to work alongside any graphics card and not just its CrossFireX counterpart.
Zubayr Bhyat
August 20, 2013 at 09:40
how is performance on these new APU components? Surely they’re decently priced enough to be good value for money?
Uberutang
August 20, 2013 at 09:45
They suck for PC gaming. Esp stuff that is ‘single core centric’. You do not want to play Arma3 with a amd cpu. They are far to ‘slow’.
I have been waiting for years fro AMD to blow intel out the water, but it is not going to happen any time soon on PC exclusives. Crossplatform the intel cpus’ have more then enough ‘grunt’ to make up for any ‘console feedback’ on the Amd side.
Nvidia is also targeting Mobile in a huge way. look at project Logan.
Kepler GPU in Mobile device. Going to make consoles (and PC) less and less relevant if your Phone can run the same games at the same spec levels (next few years)
Zubayr Bhyat
August 20, 2013 at 09:46
Interesting. I know mobile’s got a big future, my question is how long these next-gen consoles will last before they start becoming slow and start needing upgrades.
Uberutang
August 20, 2013 at 09:51
Well, never. They will simply fall behind the tech curve again. They are starting with a nice unified CPU/GPU, loads of memory and up gradable HDD (PS4), so they will still run awesome in 10 years time, but by then your smart phone will do the same or better.
Rags
August 20, 2013 at 10:59
Listening to Carmack he said this console generation will last just as long as the current and could be the last generation of traditional consoles. The battle of this generation will not be between PC vs Consoles, but PC & console, will have to keep an eye out for mobile.
As for the debate:
http://youtu.be/cWA_9L70moE?t=15m50s
Kromas
August 20, 2013 at 10:04
Yes but remember that gaming code will be optimized for AMD architecture due to both consoles using it and that in itself will boost AMD performance in the coming years.
Edit: Before someone tries to troll this I meant gaming code for cross platform games. PC exclusives most likely won’t adhere to this theory.And yes its a theory but time will tell.
Uberutang
August 20, 2013 at 10:06
We will have to see how much that matters in the coming years. The ‘raw power’ advantage that intel has over amd is considerable and a very large % of PC gamers run on intel cpus (steam survey). So I am sure that there will be a small % difference, but I wont by trading my i5 in for a amd apu any time soon, that is for sure.
Kromas
August 20, 2013 at 10:08
When I upgrade I usually do extensive research so for now I have an i5 in my gaming pc and an AMD gpu.
RinceThisandbacktoreality
August 20, 2013 at 09:50
What is an AMD? 0-0
Flameboy in the sticks
August 20, 2013 at 09:55
I was never into AMD for any of my previous computers, when I got my Alienware I was pleasantly surprised with AMD. They are a hell of a lot cheaper and performance is great, glad I took a chance with it.
RinceThisandbacktoreality
August 20, 2013 at 09:55
And they call them the PC master race? LOL. More like PC fight with each other race. That’s like Foxhound fighting with himself over the Xbox One. trololo
FoxOneZA - X-Therminator
August 20, 2013 at 10:31
PSA: GPU replacement program announced for 2011 iMacs, Apple to offer refunds for previous servicehttp://www.engadget.com/2013/08/17/apple-announces-gpu-replacement-program-for-2011s-spring-imacs/
Slade Boender
August 20, 2013 at 10:34
Only the 27inch i5/i7 Macs 🙁
Mark Treloar
August 20, 2013 at 12:26
So Nvidia have a new Mobile GPU in the works call Project Logan. This GPU is incredibly small and is able to run demo’s using the Unreal 4 engine. This with the new Haswell chips in a mobile platform will lead to very interesting new devices.
Maxiviper117
August 20, 2013 at 15:47
Yet the way they make this new GPU out to be is something that would surpass consoles, absolute bull, its not like it will be able to play something like bf4 or something as the same standerds as the consoles. Ive seen the tech demo for it and yes it looks good but consoles have nothing to worry about.
Mark Treloar
August 20, 2013 at 16:00
In terms of mobile content this would allow a greater variety of higher quality content. It wont kill the console market but it may still increase the uptake in mobile devices for gaming.
Maxiviper117
August 20, 2013 at 21:12
Ya but they are comparing the graphical capabilities of the GPU to next gen consoles .
Graeme Willy
June 25, 2014 at 04:33
I usedto run 3DFX Voodoo Cards, then came the day that Nvidia acquired them, and come the Geforce 3, I was completely stoked with my Geforce 3 Ti. Sometime in 2005 they released the Geforce 6000 and 7000 series, which were horrible cards, in comparison to AMD’s 1900 and 2900 series…I switched and never looked back ever since. AMD’s are the better bang for the buck, hands down, and if you know a bit about successfully overclocking safely, and to the limits…it’s every bit as good as the competition. Currently, my R9 280x 6GB runs at 1200 core and 1750 memory and it rips up the benchmarks. My CPU is still an FX8150 (since 2011), and it’s still running at a rock solid 4.8ghz and performs fantastic in anything I throw at it.