Has ATI gone MAD?

W

Wiseguy2001

2[H]4U
Joined
Nov 28, 2001
Messages
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I done get ATI at there moment, I am sure they hard a boardroom once a week and go "lets release another 4xxx!". I thought MS got carried away with vista, but ATI seem to be unstoppable. Surly releasing some many SKU's isn't doing anybody any favours:-
  • Costing ATI/ AMD loads of money to produce
  • Making the distributors carry loads of SKU's
  • +Same goes for the shops (which they hate)
  • And lastly confusing the hell out of the consumers + cost more

I remember a time when a company would release a few versions; entry level, main stream and high end. Now with Xfire the amount of combinations are getting silly. I wouldn't be overly surprised if they said with the new gen "f**k it, lets let the customers choose the number of cores/ gpu speed/ bus width/ bus speed/ gddr type/ amount/ cooling config/ pcb colour" (did I miss anything(!)).

Anybody else think things are starting to get a little out of hand?

//This has been bugging me for a while, and felt I should get it off my chest. PS I like ATI and whould hate to see them implode.
 
Uh, the new SKUs are for budget/entry level. Which ATi sorely need to prop up their willy-waving high-end.

The market's bigger and more diverse than the Voodoo days.
 
:confused::confused::confused:

You think ATI's bad, what about nVidia's way larger line up, renaming(8800GT > 9800GT, 8800GS > 9600GSO), re-hashes(9800+ GTX260 216c), GTXGTGSO letters that don't follow performance.

IMO 4xxx isnt that confusing at all...you have the 4800 game class cards and 4600 mid-range cards.
 
you've been around a while, surely you have seen this around before now, nvidia of recent have been by far, far the worst but both companies will rename cards as well as bring out new versions depending on how many chips make a certain grade.

odd post.
 
Nvidia is way worse right now. They're actually about to rebadge the 9800 series (already rebadged 8800's) into the GTX 150 series. WTF is that?

ATI actually has the much better naming scheme. x870X2 > x870 > x850 > x830 > x670 > x650 > x470 > x 430 etc. where x is the generation (currently 4).
 
Ati has the simplest naming out there...............

4870

4=Generation of Radeon since the 1K series
8= Feature set
7=perforamnce level
0=perforamnce level
 
Both companies should come up with a naming system and stick to it.

nVidia had it right all those years ago... and then they screwed it up with the FX series.
 
ATI has gone mad?

Lets see, heres the newest active list of ATI GPU's

4650
4670
4830
4850
4870 (and x2)

and guess wat the performance of those parts is exactly as you would expect, from low to high

Nvidia parts:

8100
8200
8300
8400
8500 (gt,gs)
8600 (gt,gs)
8700
8800 (gt,gs,gts,gtx) also, with different revisions of cores with differing performances. In 256,384,512,768,1gb variations I mean come on jesus christ
9100
9200
9300
9400
9500 (gt,gs)
9600 (gt,gs)
9700
9800 (gt,gtx,gx2)
260 GTX (also with a new, higher performance core available and no way to know if you're getting it)
280 GTX

the list includes several mobile parts but seriously, couldn't they consolidate something.
 
YeuEmMaiMai said:
Ati has the simplest naming out there...............

4870

4=Generation of Radeon since the 1K series
8= Feature set
7=perforamnce level
0=perforamnce level
Click to expand...

0 = to make the graphics card even more awesome
 
Consumers want choices, and the rapid growth of tech and products isn't like the "slow" days; seems like you just got out of a coma :p.

e.g., if just entry, mainstream, high end w/ pricing = 100, 300, 500, what about the in betweens? I like my options open tyvm as long as the naming schemes don't go out of hand like NV. World is more diverse than just a TNT2 or GeForce 3 now.
 
It's getting a little crowded now with both 512MB and 1GB versions of the 4870 and 4850. Of course Nvidia have 320MB, 512MB, 640MB and 768MB versions in some of their product ranges.. :p

Some companies will almost certainly release 1GB versions of the 4600-series as well because many who buy cards in that price range don't know that 1GB of VRAM is a waste on such low-end parts.

Still, compared to Nvidia's maze of 8800, 8600, 9800, 9600, 9500 and GTX cards, each with a series of nonsense-letters tacked on at the end that don't mean anything (not to mention the whole world of confusion that was the G80 vs G9x revisions), ATIs product lineup is neat and tidy. The numbers tell you the relative performance and there are no nonsense-letters like GTX, GS, GT, GTS, GX2, Core-216 etc. to confuse consumers.

It's clear why they do it - if there were only videocards at the $100, $200, $300 and $500 price points, people who are able to spend up to $160 but not more would go with the $100 card. With cards at $100, $120, $140, $160 etc., people will buy cards closer to the limits of their budget.
 
Only thing I find annoying about ATI's naming schemes is directed at the board partners which label their cards with different names like 4850 TOP or TOXIC, etc. editions.
 
lowteckh said:
Only thing I find annoying about ATI's naming schemes is directed at the board partners which label their cards with different names like 4850 TOP or TOXIC, etc. editions.
Click to expand...

Well Nvidia board partners do the same thing and their names are even more silly, like XXX-Edition or "FTW"...
 
Kelv said:
0 = to make the graphics card even more awesome
Click to expand...

Well if those fuckers at Nvidia are using 4 digits, we should too! even if our numbers appear smaller :eek:

Maybe they should have gone with 5 digits eh?
 
ATI's been using 4 numbers in their naming scheme since the 7000series day's, that was before Nvidia released their first 4digit naming series, the Ti4000's.

It just seems to me that having 4 digits vs 3 digits is alot easier to recognize, espeically now that we are used to it.
 
Wiseguy2001 said:
[*]Costing ATI/ AMD loads of money to produce
Click to expand...

Its really SAVING money for ATI. They can sell GPUs in lower end cards that otherwise would get thrown away. Those with defects in an SP block can just have that block disabled, and the GPU is slapped with a 4830 sticker. The extra SKU is there to save money - make a profit off of otherwise "bad" GPUs.

[*]Making the distributors carry loads of SKU's
Click to expand...

Not really a valid reason to not release a GPU. A distributor could just stop carrying one brand and that would more than make up the difference of carrying one extra SKU per brand. Besides, if that was a real problem, companies like EVGA wouldn't have ten different models of the same SKU (SSC, Superclocked, FTW, etc...)

[*]+Same goes for the shops (which they hate)
Click to expand...

Which is why shops only carry one or two brand(s) - one extra SKU from the one brand won't bother them, especially since places like Best Buy still carry 6 and 7 series cards from nvidia.

[*]And lastly confusing the hell out of the consumers + cost more
Click to expand...

Where did the "cost more" part of that come from? The 4830 is cheaper than the 4850, so its not costing anybody more money...

Anybody else think things are starting to get a little out of hand?
Click to expand...

Nope. I like choice. I like to see the giants trading blows, trying to squeeze out every last drop of performance and selling it cheap. I like having a card that costs $150 (4850) that beats a card that cost $830 (8800Ultra) a year ago. ATI's naming scheme is very simple and elegant, the higher the number the faster the card. No weird suffixes with arbitrary definition (GT, GTS, GTX, Ultra), no cards with the same name but different GPUs/specs (8800GTS G80/G92), no cards that don't order properly (8800GTS G80 < 8800GT < 8800GTS G92)
 
Wow... I don't think the OP has ever heard of NVIDIA and their clusterfuck of a name scheme.
 
um dont forget "b's" and the "+" craziness to add to more confusion....oh yeah and 260 216...um ok
 
Trimlock said:
ATI's been using 4 numbers in their naming scheme since the 7000series day's, that was before Nvidia released their first 4digit naming series, the Ti4000's.

It just seems to me that having 4 digits vs 3 digits is alot easier to recognize, espeically now that we are used to it.
Click to expand...

I think the 8500 was the first 4 digit card. The original Radeon was later renamed to 7000 to match the rest of the naming scheme.
 
Alot of people complain about naming schemes. They look fine to me. Try not to be so sensitive. If it actually confuses you....... I am sorry. LOL
 
ATI 3450, 3650, and 3850 are gonna be re-branded to be in the 4000 series according to Fudzilla. What do you think about that?
 
Wiseguy2001 said:
I done get ATI at there moment, I am sure they hard a boardroom once a week and go "lets release another 4xxx!". I thought MS got carried away with vista, but ATI seem to be unstoppable. Surly releasing some many SKU's isn't doing anybody any favours:-
  • Costing ATI/ AMD loads of money to produce
  • Making the distributors carry loads of SKU's
  • +Same goes for the shops (which they hate)
  • And lastly confusing the hell out of the consumers + cost more

I remember a time when a company would release a few versions; entry level, main stream and high end. Now with Xfire the amount of combinations are getting silly. I wouldn't be overly surprised if they said with the new gen "f**k it, lets let the customers choose the number of cores/ gpu speed/ bus width/ bus speed/ gddr type/ amount/ cooling config/ pcb colour" (did I miss anything(!)).

Anybody else think things are starting to get a little out of hand?

//This has been bugging me for a while, and felt I should get it off my chest. PS I like ATI and whould hate to see them implode.
Click to expand...

What?
 
Abit667 said:
I think the 8500 was the first 4 digit card. The original Radeon was later renamed to 7000 to match the rest of the naming scheme.
Click to expand...

Might of been some renaming, but I could of sworn I remembered seeing those long before I purchased a Ti4600
 
Agreed, ATI's naming scheme is pretty straightforward compared to the competition.

And I agree on the money saving part for ATI as well: allowing them to repackage or downclock chips with defects and/or bolster their mid-low range market share.

There are really only a few more options (so far released) than with the 3XXX series. Two 48XX (soon to be a third), Two 46XX (which are a very nice improvement over the 36XX), and at least one 44XX planned.
 
Don't make me bring back the ATI Rage Ultra Mach64 Pro Turbo days!
:eek:
 
At least ATI got rid of the whole "X" style naming. It was getting pretty ridiculous, especially after the X1xxx series came out. (i.e Radeon X1950 XTX/XT, X1900 XTX/XT, X1800 XT, etc.)
 
ihira said:
:confused::confused::confused:

You think ATI's bad, what about nVidia's way larger line up, renaming(8800GT > 9800GT, 8800GS > 9600GSO), re-hashes(9800+ GTX260 216c), GTXGTGSO letters that don't follow performance.

IMO 4xxx isnt that confusing at all...you have the 4800 game class cards and 4600 mid-range cards.
Click to expand...

Followed now by 45xx and 43xx value cards (both introduced this week). The 4550 is the one doubtless causing nightmares for nV (and even Intel), because it's a 512 MB DDR3-specific $55 all-up-round. Unlike any previous graphics solution in this price range, all the good checkboxes are checked (DirectX 10.1, hardware upscaling to HD quality, hardware HD decoding, hardware BD decoding, 20W TDP, even CrossFire support). You can even passive-cool it (necessary for HTPC formfactors or other SFF uses).

Yeeks.
 
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