AMD / nVidia release date differences...its madness.

RaZoRbLaDeD

RaZoRbLaDeD

Gawd
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Aug 12, 2003
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Ive only recently gotten back into the world of PC gaming so I don't know much of anything. Not up in the loop of this or that, etc....one thing I have heard floating around that caught my interest is the way these video card companies supposedly release their cards. (Mind you this could be complete BS/Rumors, but still)

For example, I heard ATI plans to release their new line in January, with their top-end card from the start, whereas nVidia could be UP TO 6 months (6 months?!?!?) later down the line AND their flagship card isn't even included in launch.

Okay, now granted any of this is true at all, how can nVidia expect to beat AMD in sales? Who in their right mind would wait SO MUCH longer to get a competitive card? Why would I wait for 6 additional months for Kepler when AMDs new line is here and now? Not to mention AFTER Kepler is here I have to continue waiting for the flagship???!!! Just doesn't make sense to me.

Now I am sure that that most of this is speculation and rumor but if its not...are people actually that loyal to these corporations? Who in their right mind would wait that long? I can see 1 month tops but when we start talking 4, 5, even 6 months...forget about it.
 
The same reason why Playstation fans waited for the PS3 a whole year after the XBOX 360, they want the product of their choice.
Nvidia does just fine sales wise and charges more in the process. Market share is still in Nvidia's favor, so repeat customers numbers are very steady.

With the limited number of PC games pushing hardware, fans of either camp can wait months to upgrade or not at all.
 
Yeah some of us have developed patience. I can live with others having more powerful cards for a while, it really makes no difference to me......I have that other thing to keep me occupied......you know......life :)
 
WorldExclusive said:
The same reason why Playstation fans waited for the PS3 a whole year after the XBOX 360, they want the product of their choice.
Nvidia does just fine sales wise and charges more in the process. Market share is still in Nvidia's favor, so repeat customers numbers are very steady.

With the limited number of PC games pushing hardware, fans of either camp can wait months to upgrade or not at all.
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True but it seems like computer hardware moves a lot faster than consoles...6 months is like an eternity.
 
RaZoRbLaDeD said:
True but it seems like computer hardware moves a lot faster than consoles...6 months is like an eternity.
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Well generally someone who has a nvidia card, will upgrade with another nvidia card in the future unless they are having problems/issues with it in which case, they probably wont wait for anything and get it replaced immediately.

In my case, I have no problem waiting for the next lineup from Nvidia no matter what AMD/ATi does next month. I got a 400 series card, so I generally wait 2 generations before I even think about upgrading again and even then; I usually don't unless their is a MUST have game that my current card just can't handle.

Also some people want to have the best, EVERY month so they'll see what ATi has that is surely to be faster than nvidia's current lineup, so they'll upgrade then. Once nvidia comes out with new cards, if they're faster than AMDs, then they'll upgrade again.
 
For computer hardware I just buy the best (or the best I can afford) at the time I'm buying. Playing the waiting game doesn't work because there's always something better around the corner. However if there's something new within the month then I'll wait for that to see how prices pan out. Any longer than a month then I'd rather just get it now.
 
A couple of important factors...

1. People who want nVidia over ATI can wait. People who are attached to a particular company due to good experiences or avoiding a company because of bad experiences should be able to wait.

2. Just because the new generation comes out, doesn't mean the old generation suddenly catches on fire and is rendered useless. Even without releasing a new generation, nVidia can play with the pricing of their current range or release refreshes to keep them competitive throughout the price range.

3. Not everyone needs a new card now. Its not like a console where not having the newest gen stops you for playing games... anyone with a 5XX or a 6XXX card probably isn't looking to upgrade and even most people with a 4XX or 5XXX card are still probably satisfied. So even though PC hardware moves faster, its not as crucial to have your card out before the competition as it is with consoles. Especially in this day and age when even the mid range cards from 2 generations ago are still playing all games at reasonably good settings.
 
Tudz said:
A couple of important factors...

1. People who want nVidia over ATI can wait. People who are attached to a particular company due to good experiences or avoiding a company because of bad experiences should be able to wait.

2. Just because the new generation comes out, doesn't mean the old generation suddenly catches on fire and is rendered useless. Even without releasing a new generation, nVidia can play with the pricing of their current range or release refreshes to keep them competitive throughout the price range.

3. Not everyone needs a new card now. Its not like a console where not having the newest gen stops you for playing games... anyone with a 5XX or a 6XXX card probably isn't looking to upgrade and even most people with a 4XX or 5XXX card are still probably satisfied. So even though PC hardware moves faster, its not as crucial to have your card out before the competition as it is with consoles. Especially in this day and age when even the mid range cards from 2 generations ago are still playing all games at reasonably good settings.
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True, guess I should have given it more thought....I am a little biased currently as I am using a temp card and eagerly waiting for the 2012 cards
 
not everyone upgrades every time a new video card is released...my GTX 580 is fine and nothing AMD releases will get me that excited to switch over...I can wait and see what Nvidia comes out with 6 months later...PC graphics are not evolving at the same rate video cards are being released
 
polonyc2 said:
not everyone upgrades every time a new video card is released...my GTX 580 is fine and nothing AMD releases will get me that excited to switch over...I can wait and see what Nvidia comes out with 6 months later...PC graphics are not evolving at the same rate video cards are being released
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Seems like 6 months is so long that you could just easily upgrade again IMO, thats probably what ill end up doing if the nvidia cards are any better
 
Not only will they be 6 months late, but the card they release will be hot, bloated, and expensive. Then they'll wait another 6 months and re-release a fixed version.
But it's worth it because the cards are faster, the drivers are better, and every game has a green Nvidia logo attached to it. It's just the world we live in.

not everyone upgrades every time a new video card is released...my GTX 580
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wat?
The guy with the 580 is lecturing us about upgrading too much. My Q6600 sends his regards from 2007.
 
Something important to remember: This is all based on rampant speculation. There has been little in the way of any real statements from either company.

In particular, nVidia has been real, real quiet. Now that could mean a couple of things. It could mean they learned their lesson from running their mouth with their 400 series, that trying to use bluster to cover for a lack of product doesn't work well. Maybe they don't have much ready to go right now and it'll be awhile.

However it also could mean they've got a lot more than people speculate, and want to keep a lid on it so as to not cut in to sales now, and to use it for maximum effect. That is what happened with the GeForce 8800. All the speculation was that nVidia's first DX10 part would kinda suck, it wouldn't have unified shaders, and would be out around the same time as ATi's part. after all, ATi had unified experience on the Xbox 360. Then out of the blue they drop the 8800 and it is amazing.

Really, we just have to wait and see. The rumor mills sometimes get things right, either because of a real inside source or just by lucky guess, but they are quite often very wrong. I'm not putting any stake in any of the speculated AMD or nVidia release dates, specs, or any of that shit. When the cards launch, then we see what is what.
 
I will upgrade my video cards whenever I feel I have to, to whatever I feel is the best fit for me.

I've had SLI gaming rigs, and currently with a CF multi-monitor work station, which is also gaming capable.

Choice is good, both work, and I do not hold 'faith' to any corporation.
 
I think OP is discounting just how many enthusiasts have taken a drink of the SLi/CF koolade these days. I currently run a 480SLI setup and honestly aside from BF3 nothing even gets close to taxing it from the games I play. Now granted I just upgraded to NVsurround and things are starting to slow down a little bit because of it, I can't see myself grabbing the new ATI card out of the gates simply because of price alone.

We know that the ATI card is probably going to be in low availability for the first 1-3 months anyway so IF the Nvidia card is 6months later but at full hard launch that really only means it will be 3 months behind. If the Nvidia card is only 3 months later at launch that really puts its availability at right around the same as the ATI card.

I like my NV drivers and after seeing some of the nightmares my friends have had to deal with because of ATI cards I'm not sure I would want to deal with that when my NV drivers just work out of the box.
 
I read it will be a "bottoms up release". This would mean the less powerful models will come out then gradually more powerful cards would come out later.

If this is true, we'll see how this works out. :)
 
UtopiA said:
The guy with the 580 is lecturing us about upgrading too much. My Q6600 sends his regards from 2007.
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just because I have a GTX 580 doesn't mean anything...my last upgrade before that could have been 3 or 4 years ago

I'm not attached to one manufacturer but I actually do prefer Nvidia cards more nowadays because they seem to have much better game support faster then AMD...just look at 2011 and the fiasco with AMD releasing the wrong RAGE drivers, Skyrim drivers taking forever etc etc
 
Well seeing as how the current generation of cards can easily handle anything that is out right now and no games in the near future (for the next year or so) seem to be pushing hardware, most people like myself are content with what they have. Really, after Battlefield 3 what is there to look forward to?

The only thing that would force me to upgrade is Half-Life 3. Where are you Half-Life 3!?!?!?
 
if the graph nVidia released in September is any indication, Kepler will be an awesome upgrade for me from the 470GTX. The one after that (Maxwell) is supposed to even crush that. I'll hang onto the 470 unless it blows until then...
 
These companies are really after the mainstream cards and low end which they make their money off of. The high end GTX 680 and 670 cards aren't the primary focus. They sell maybe 3000 680s and 5500 670s yet they sell 15,000 GTX 660s and 30,000 + of the lower end cards. If you do the math you'll see the money is really in the cheaper cards.

However that being said, I still doubt they will launch their cards much after AMD and would be anything they will launch their high end flagship cards first as well. I expect a launch just around the time AMD is launching. Nvidia is being quiet. whenever they are this quiet they are up to something. My gut tells me to expect soemthing from them in late january or early february.
 
Nvidia is truly more focused on mobile market as of now and they are banking on it. That is the sole reason for the delay I think. No way nvidia comes out so late, they have higher priorities in the mobile arena and their CEO is pretty clear about it. No matter what anyone says, it does have an impact on computer graphics side. They will release a fast product but it will probably come later than ati. AMD is starting to go the same route and I think we will start to see their product in the windows 8 tablets. I don't know if they will be competing in the phone market anytime soon.
 
NKD said:
Nvidia is truly more focused on mobile market as of now and they are banking on it. That is the sole reason for the delay I think. No way nvidia comes out so late, they have higher priorities in the mobile arena and their CEO is pretty clear about it. No matter what anyone says, it does have an impact on computer graphics side. They will release a fast product but it will probably come later than ati. AMD is starting to go the same route and I think we will start to see their product in the windows 8 tablets. I don't know if they will be competing in the phone market anytime soon.
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Very true but keep in mind that much like AMD a little rebranding goes a long way in the mobile market. I think the rebrands will keep things good to the point where it wouldn't affect the desktop discrete market too much. I agree that nvidia is definitely looking to recoup some lost market share on the mobile market. Especially that coveted apple contract.
 
Fermi arrived late and NVIDIA not only took the performance crown, but also the market share crown. However, I would not place much stock in rumor dates.
 
This probably covers the entire lineup of Fermi/HD6000 cards, but it actually looks like Nvidia actually lost 4% mark share as of 11/28/11. Since the 8800 Ultra, Nvidia has held the single-core performance crown for several generations now that everyone expects this from the Green team. This is why I intend on waiting for Kepler before my next upgrade.

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/256947/20111128/nvidia-amd-gpu-advanced-micro-devices-tesla.htm

edit: Nvidia also has the fastest single card if you take into account the Asus Mars II :D
 
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Fermi was exactly like this and Nvidia survived ok, albeit with being the butt of housefire jokes for about 6 months. :p
 
Kaos_Drem said:
I think OP is discounting just how many enthusiasts have taken a drink of the SLi/CF koolade these days. I currently run a 480SLI setup and honestly aside from BF3 nothing even gets close to taxing it from the games I play. Now granted I just upgraded to NVsurround and things are starting to slow down a little bit because of it, I can't see myself grabbing the new ATI card out of the gates simply because of price alone.
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Based on my relatively brief GTX 470 SLI foray, the only thing being taxed is your air conditioning unit and your power bill.
 
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