AMD - What can they do to improve?

[bru]

What could AMD do.....I dunno to be honest, as they don't have the funds to do what I would like them to do.

Which is, stop relying on third parties for everything, they have this habit of leaving the important things up to other companies and then just lend their name to it. People want to buy a product that works with all these extra features, not have to install loads of extra utilities to get similar features to the opposition.
You should be able to plug it in and it just work, not have to fettle with it.

Open standards, now I think we will all agree that open standards are a good thing, but when because you are tied into open standards and relying on others, mistakes happen or timing errors. Just like in the case of this freesync driver issue. If it was their own product the driver would have been ready and they could have controlled when it was launched.

More of the interaction with the public, like the recent freesync question and answer session we have just had on this very forum. this was good and although one of the reasons for it was the driver release mix up, it was really good to see. Of course if they are going to do that sort of thing then they must make sure all the people talking are singing from the same hymn sheet.

Of course most of this will cost money, which makes it difficult to implement.

 

[tommybhoy]

Identify and deliver.

Can't believe AMD sometimes...

Ramgate, AMD totally missed what it had in it's grasp!

Take Nvidia's unhappy customers, give them reason to wan't to become part of the Radeon experience, instead you kicked the gift horse in the mouth during your longest ever driver update in years which is inexcusable regardless if it's a one off delay:

Spoiler

@AMDmatt,

AMD requested OcUK's red team for our input in what we want from our driver, we gave lots of input, AMD listened and delivered and then some with Omega.

Omega quite simply the best driver I have ever used, monumental delivery from AMD, incredible, new features/fixes/tweaks/game profiles/further XDMA mgpu improvements, one massive step forward.

Present day, two steps back.

Ramgate got AMD X amount of Nvidia SLi users swapping over to AMD and AMD still haven't delivered them any kind of support that they already had running SLi, they are now missing game time that they were already enjoying on Nvidia

I suspect more will leave AMD than stay, what's the point staying?

I wouldn't.

Don't really care if new features/FS/whatever is getting included in this driver, AMD could have had beta Omega drivers rolled out for each new mgpu/profile as and when available.

That would have kept AMD more Nvidia users I imagine.

If AMD wants to be taken serious in the community, AMD, please get your finger out and deal with your customers, as the community shouts loudest, you will be rewarded with more customers.

Which brings me to my second point:

Could we at least have some details on games that are getting a crossfire profile.

A good bit more communication wouldn't go amiss informing the community how profiles are coming along instead of 'soon'=constant wall of silence.

@Matt, if you can answer-on the presumption you pass feedback up the chain, it's pretty obvious I'm not alone on these topics, any chance OcUK could get some feedback on whether AMD will address/discuss this with the community?

 

[humbug]

What could AMD do.....I dunno to be honest, as they don't have the funds to do what I would like them to do.

Which is, stop relying on third parties for everything, they have this habit of leaving the important things up to other companies and then just lend their name to it. People want to buy a product that works with all these extra features, not have to install loads of extra utilities to get similar features to the opposition.
You should be able to plug it in and it just work, not have to fettle with it.

Open standards, now I think we will all agree that open standards are a good thing, but when because you are tied into open standards and relying on others, mistakes happen or timing errors. Just like in the case of this freesync driver issue. If it was their own product the driver would have been ready and they could have controlled when it was launched.

More of the interaction with the public, like the recent freesync question and answer session we have just had on this very forum. this was good and although one of the reasons for it was the driver release mix up, it was really good to see. Of course if they are going to do that sort of thing then they must make sure all the people talking are singing from the same hymn sheet.

Of course most of this will cost money, which makes it difficult to implement.

I have already voiced my opinion on steaming and recording via the Raptr app

"for everything" is a bit harsh IMO.

X86_64: yes its built on Intels X86 but they would have been daft not to do that.

GDDR3/5: In partnership with Hynix but unless they start their own Memory Company it is again the natural thing to do.

Mantle: With Developer input, again would be daft to go it alone.

Free-Sync: whats the problem here?

HBM: in partnership with Hynix, again see GDDR3/5.

Other Open Standard Development, again whats the problem?

Really AMD have contributed quite a lot to our industry, the only thing they actually farmed out was that Raptr thing and its the only thing people talk about when they say AMD don't do anything themselves.

 

[JeffyB]

Yer, those chips were awesome and a real win for AMD. I think that was the last AMD chip I had though and no idea why it went wrong after that. A shame really and it would be good to see them giving some to Intel as well as nvidia.

4000 san diego here, it wasnt that long after i got it that intel released the c2d range. And tbh they havent looked back since.

San Diego cpu was brilliant, my first 3ghz+ OC with the 3500+. Later on I had a fair few rebadged fx57's with the old kab1e stepping but then the Conroe dropped and it's been Intel ever since.

My last Amd card was a watercoooled 6990, have had a 680, sli 670's, 690, 780Ti and 980 since. I'd like to try a new Amd card so hope the 380/90 has some game.

Where Amd are lacking, Marketing, driver updates and efficiency. Even with the 970 fiasco nvidia will still increase market share.

 

[melmac]

In terms of GPU's the only genuine wow moment I remember was when I ordered ATI's 9700pro on release, the thing was genuinely twice as quick as anything out there and then some with all the candy turned up. At the time you could turn everything up to 11 at any resolution and off it went. It was the chip that made the competition sit up re-asses what was possible. I don't remember buying anything from either camp since then that was such a step forward in fact the only exception I can think of is the introduction of ssd's.

What I would love to see from AMD is a hark back to the 9500/9700.

Except even when they had the 9700 pro, NVidia still sold more cards. During the time the 9700 pro was king, Nvidia increased market share for 6 straight quarters.

I don't know what AMD need to do. Having the top card isn't going to change anything except for bragging rights from fanboys on various forums.

Well, there is one thing they can do, but, it's a long term strategy and I don't think they have the resources to it. They need to produce good cards at a great price and keep the issues to a minimum for 4 or 5 generations. Having one round of good cards will not be enough.

 

[tommybhoy]

Free-Sync: whats the problem here?

Bru's spot on, AMD have no excuse whatsoever, at the very least a fully working beta driver sitting to be deployed in preparation for any eventuality.

Identify and deliver.

Nvidia delivered with Gsync.


AMD falls delivering Freesync.

Users still sitting with gpu and FS monitor waiting another week until they can find out if it works?

 

[triss]

Bru's spot on, AMD have no excuse whatsoever, at the very least a fully working beta driver sitting to be deployed in preparation for any eventuality.




Nvidia delivered with Gsync.


AMD falls delivering Freesync.

Users still sitting with gpu and FS monitor waiting another week until they can find out if it works?

I can understand some monitors have been released early so thats not 100% AMD's fault, If crossfire users have to wait longer its a off though as its not like crossfire is a new idea.

 

[humbug]

Bru's spot on, AMD have no excuse whatsoever, at the very least a fully working beta driver sitting to be deployed in preparation for any eventuality.




Nvidia delivered with Gsync.


AMD falls delivering Freesync.

Users still sitting with gpu and FS monitor waiting another week until they can find out if it works?

Granted AMD should have foreseen the early release of FS screens, they have this habit of being unprepared.

But in more general terms the charge that AMD do nothing on their own gets layed at them over and over again and its completely wrong.

They have put in a lot of their own Blood Sweat and Tears for the benefit of the whole industry, more than most in recent years and yet people who ought to know better still point at AMD and say this crap. Why?

 

[tommybhoy]

Granted AMD should have foreseen the early release of FS screens, they have this habit of being unprepared.

But in more general terms the charge that AMD do nothing on their own gets layed at them over and over again and its completely wrong.

They have put in a lot of their own Blood Sweet and Tears for the benefit of the whole industry, more than most in recent years and yet people who ought to know better still point at AMD and say this crap. Why?

I can understand some monitors have been released early so thats not 100% AMD's fault, If crossfire users have to wait longer its a off though as its not like crossfire is a new idea.

AMD - What can they do to improve?

100% AMD's fault from Brand Awareness pov.

Early monitor release would not have happened on Nvidia's Geforce Experience.

 

[melmac]

AMD falls delivering Freesync.

Users still sitting with gpu and FS monitor waiting another week until they can find out if it works?

I blame AMD for a lot of things, bad reference cooler on the 2xx series, Long delay in releasing crossfire profiles, terrible marketing etc.

But, I think it's very harsh to blame AMD here. AMD were getting shafted for releasing drivers every month that weren't up to scratch. Now they are making huge effort to slow down driver releases and focus on quality not quantity. And then a monitor manufacturer releases their adaptive sync monitor early. Which put AMD in a no win situation.

I am guessing that the first adaptive sync monitors weren't supposed to be released until April, which is when the WHQL driver is coming with support for freesync in crossfire.

Maybe you are right, they should have had drivers ready to go in case something like this happened. But, I would prefer if they got the drivers right first time. I will be very, very angry though if they drop on the ball on this and the drivers on the 19th are a fail.

 

[melmac]

Early monitor release would not have happened on Nvidia's Geforce Experience.

Sorry, just seen this It's not really the same situation though. For Gsync, the monitor manufacturer has to get the module from Nvidia. So it was easier for them to control the release dates.

The monitor manufacturers don't need anything from AMD for adaptive sync. So AMD have no control over what they do.

 

[tommybhoy]

I know, it is harsh, but when you look at what I said in the context of the op, AMD/Partner FS deployment put a dent on the Radeon brand.

 

[SiDeards73]

Great reading this thread over breakfast. Now if we could get AMD to have a read and take note, I tweeted the thread yesterday to some AMD Twitter accounts, but as normal they don't seem in the slightest bit interested

 

[Final8y]

Great reading this thread over breakfast. Now if we could get AMD to have a read and take note, I tweeted the thread yesterday to some AMD Twitter accounts, but as normal they don't seem in the slightest bit interested

This is not the way to go about it, you have to ask to make it official first before you start the thread because there is not a week that goes by with threads by users telling companies how to run there business, but that does not mean that they will not read it, im sure Matt will put a word in or two at HQ.

 

[SiDeards73]

No one is telling them how to run their business but we are all consumers and customers and many of us own their products and we are discussing how we perceive them as a business and what we feel as consumers they could do to entice us to spend more cash on their products

 

[Final8y]

No one is telling them how to run their business but we are all consumers and customers and many of us own their products and we are discussing how we perceive them as a business and what we feel as consumers they could do to entice us to spend more cash on their products

Yes but why should they respond to this thread over any other with similar content across the multitude of forums, tomorrow on another forum someone else could be doing a similar thread or even multiples on the same day and they twitter it to AMD, which one should they choose.

 

[Final8y]

If you try to make it official first then if you do get a response they may turn around and so ok great idea but wait until such a date because the person reasonable is tied up in other matters.

 

[Rusty0611]

I have to agree with Final8y. While it's useful for its customers and potential customers to all voice an opinion on how AMD should go about certain things, it's not practical nor desirable for AMD to respond or take note of it really.

For a start, what may seem a simple thing to do from our ivory towers isn't necessarily an easy thing to implement.

 

[SiDeards73]

The idea to tweet it to AMD was to get other people to come to OCUK forums as I added them on the tweet, mainly to bring more than normal forum regulars discussing. I don't fr one minute expect AMD to be even slightly interested in all honesty.

 

[Martini1991]

I just want them to stop coming across as second best with most of the things they do