AMD - What can they do to improve?

[pandem0nium]

They could implement VSR on the GCN 1.0 cards like they said they would. Disappointment.

 

[elmuzzy66.]

Shareholders must be a bit like wtf with things like mantle. Spend money and time to develop it and then give it away. I think they should have kept the ati brand name and like that avoid comparisons with their cpu division. But I suppose amd didn't expect their cpu's to flop in the manner they half. Average Joe will think that because amd cpus lag behind intels they will also lag behind nv gpus.

 

[SiDeards73]

Basically I think a lot of people current hear the name AMD and just think inferior products, I bet a lot of console users don't even know the Xbone and ps4 has AMD hardware either.

 

[flopper]

Main issue, if amd did what intel do and Nvidia do we pay twice the price for any hardware.
Mantle is now everywhere which means a better long term solution for amd.
Thier software tech is now used which means a good deal of improvement for pc owners.

To some extent amd been run by hardware guys and engineers instead of creating a product that has met the guidelines of the customer. Make sure you add a superb cooler, add a bit to the price but the customer will be happier.
You want to create the product so the customer never will complain about is as it just works. That is difficult to some extent with software, games and such with pc as we have many configurations but obvious things like a cooler isnt.

Its not enough to have the best hardware and real 4gb ram.

 

[Gregster]

I have said it before and I will say it again - "AMD always miss the opportunity to miss an opportunity". Tommy is quite correct with the 970 fiasco and AMD had a great chance to steal customers but drivers were not out for many games. Then you get Freesync monitors released but again, no drivers out. I personally was going to get a pair of 290Xs and knowing what is what, there was absolutely no point in me doing that because there is no crossfire profiles in the games I play, so because of this, AMD lost a sale.

Also when you look at my situation, I went from 144Hz - 1440P gaming to a faster card but I am now limited to 85Hz - 1440P because I can't get even 120Hz working. Now this might well be a faulty card/lead (tried 3 leads) but even if I had a 144Hz - 1440P Freesync monitor sitting on my desk, I still couldn't get 144Hz working regardless of my problems, because as it stands now, AMD don't do 144Hz @ 1440P.

Raptr's DVR is hit and miss and works in some games but not all (ShadowPlay works in all). I wanted to record the tearing I was getting but no DVR option in 2 of the games I play.

Now don't get me wrong, the 290X is a fantastic card but it is the after bits that let it down and leaves me scratching my head. Neither nVidia or AMD are perfect but nVidia just seem to edge it. I wasn't without issues on nVidia either (no scaling option on SLI or TRI-SLI) and every new driver brought the same fail on that (reported in every new driver thread but ignored every time).

I want new faster toys and what would make me wait another 3 months at least for AMDs effort? No news or leaks at GTC of what AMD are bringing in the next cards, although they supposedly had a 390X running in one of the machines.... An opportunity to steal nVidia's thunder but they kept quiet and no info at all about it, so does that mean it couldn't compete? Was it even there?

Meh AMD.

 

[Ayahuasca]

1.) Mantle is now everywhere which means a better long term solution for amd.
2.) Their software tech is now used which means a good deal of improvement for pc owners.
3.) Its not enough to have the best hardware and real 4gb ram.

Few issues there.

1.) What do you mean it's everywhere? It's been passed onto the Khronos group to use but for the moment it's still barely in any games.

2.) It's all well and good having people use your software technology but with them now having a 3-4 month gap between drivers crossfire users in particular are not seeing those benefits in some new titles.

3.) I suspect this is your usual fanboy nonsense you like finishing posts off with. How exactly do AMD have the best hardware when the 980 smashes the 290x 8GB in pretty much everything bar a select few 4K titles maxed out which is a tiny percentage of the market.

 

[ubersonic]

So what would you suggest AMD done to encourage you to splash your cash on their cards more often?

Sell their GPU division.

Seriously, buying ATi was the single worst mistake AMD ever made, it crippled them financially resulting in Intel pulling out a massive lead in CPU, and Nvidia now basically walking the GPU race as AMD didn't have the money needed to invest in ATi properly.

If they sell their GPU division then they can use the money to invest in the CPU division and hopefully become competitive again, and if they sell it to the right buyer they can then invest big and hopefully give Nvidia a kick up the backside.

 

[TheRealDeal]

Sell their GPU division.

Seriously, buying ATi was the single worst mistake AMD ever made, it crippled them financially resulting in Intel pulling out a massive lead in CPU, and Nvidia now basically walking the GPU race as AMD didn't have the money needed to invest in ATi properly.

If they sell their GPU division then they can use the money to invest in the CPU division and hopefully become competitive again, and if they sell it to the right buyer they can then invest big and hopefully give Nvidia a kick up the backside.

It's far to late for that. just about everything Amd do with there Cpu's has a gpu attached. No Gpu division means no apu's. There whole plan of HSA would go down the drain. Kiss good buy to the console market. The Gpu market until recently has been really good to AMD. So no selling the Gpu side would not be a good idea.

Things like this would not be possible.

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2015/03/11/chipmaker-mediatek-to-license-gpus-from-amd

Without the Gpu i predict Intel would have crushed AMD even more as the only thing that AMD have over Intel is better Graphics.

 

[Mal X]

the major fault with AMD right now is this SOUND OF SILENCE .........it's like drifting through space!

Nvidia have the GPU market all to themselves, they can say and do what they like, they have no competition at all............very strange.

the 390X isn't ready but that's not the problem, the problem is a lack of marketing/PR.....AMD aren't letting us know that they're still around, they could easily counter the TITAN X with a simple press release..

390X = TITAN X but only half the price, after all, the TITAN X isn't that powerful is it, it's about what i thought it would be.

AMD need to be taken over by serious money, they are too small, they dont have the financial clout and this really shows

 

[Nelly]

I would like to see lower power useage in 2D / desktop and when watching films etc. I wouldn't care if it means an extra setting that lowers clocks and voltage in desktop.

It's not a big deal, not as if it makes diddly squat on the electricity bill, but would be good to see it have lower power useages on par with it's competitor.

 

[Freddie1980]

We have come a long way since 2006, the only reason why AMD bought ATI was because AMD failed in a take over attempt of Nvidia since then things have gone so bad for AMD the hunter has become the hunted.

What annoys me most about AMD isn't the drivers (which I think are fine BTW) but their failure to standby and see out new initiatives and graphics features such as:

- Mantle (given up and passed to someone else)
- HD3D (relied on others and never gain traction)
- Raptor (relied on other was good but now bloated)
- Bullet Psychics (AMD parntered themselves but seems to have died death)
- TressFX Hair
- True Audio

The list goes on, all of these sounded exciting when they were announced but due to a lack funds (presumably), knowledge (both technical and marketing) and AMD's 'flip flop' behaviour meant this has all fallen by the way side along with their server processors and GPU market share.

It might be to late for the new CEO to turn things around but they could try improving matters by going back to what ATI done well which was building 'balls to the wall' graphics cards and competing with Nvidia on performance at the top end. Personally I think they underestimate the value of having the fastest product and the prestige and market value it brings in itself (how much were people ready to fork of for Titan?!?!?). They will argue the 295x2 is the fastest video card but people buying this gear now what the deal is with the 295 and how it compares to 2 GTX980's.

AMD won't go bankrupt as such but they will get bought out by someone at some point in the next few years if their financials are continually in red.

 

[pgi947]

Marketing and PR, they really should avoid making declarations and claims via social media, especially release dates, the internet never forgets and they end up looking daft when it's missed/proven incorrect.

Looking at it from performance, they always seem happy to match nvidias flagship, never beat it. They need to be setting the bar for performance, not playing catch up and playing the 'but it's cheaper' card 8 months after your competitors release.

 

[LambChop]

*** any more personal attacks, or sly little digs and that's your lot.***

 

[SiDeards73]

Hahah can rely on Chopper for an unbiased view

 

[Ayahuasca]

At least try and keep it civil, part of that post seems to be an attack on a member here.

 

[bru]

"for everything" is a bit harsh IMO.

Your right "for everything is a bit harsh" there are things AMD do well, some even very well, like talking to the enthusiast's here on this very forum.

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

Exactly. So it is rather bad of AMD to say well they released it too early. AMD should have either been in control or been ready.

Mantle is now everywhere which means a better long term solution for amd.

You have got to love Mantle and long term solution in the same sentence.

Its enough to not have the best hardware and only 4GB ram.

There you go fixed that for you.

 

[humbug]

We have come a long way since 2006, the only reason why AMD bought ATI was because AMD failed in a take over attempt of Nvidia since then things have gone so bad for AMD the hunter has become the hunted.

What annoys me most about AMD isn't the drivers (which I think are fine BTW) but their failure to standby and see out new initiatives and graphics features such as:

- Mantle (given up and passed to someone else)
- HD3D (relied on others and never gain traction)
- Raptor (relied on other was good but now bloated)
- Bullet Psychics (AMD parntered themselves but seems to have died death)
- TressFX Hair
- True Audio

The list goes on, all of these sounded exciting when they were announced but due to a lack funds (presumably), knowledge (both technical and marketing) and AMD's 'flip flop' behaviour meant this has all fallen by the way side along with their server processors and GPU market share.

It might be to late for the new CEO to turn things around but they could try improving matters by going back to what ATI done well which was building 'balls to the wall' graphics cards and competing with Nvidia on performance at the top end. Personally I think they underestimate the value of having the fastest product and the prestige and market value it brings in itself (how much were people ready to fork of for Titan?!?!?). They will argue the 295x2 is the fastest video card but people buying this gear now what the deal is with the 295 and how it compares to 2 GTX980's.

AMD won't go bankrupt as such but they will get bought out by someone at some point in the next few years if their financials are continually in red.

- Mantle (given up and passed to someone else)
Had mantle continued under AMD's control it would have gone nowhere as Intel/Nvidia would never have taken it up, now it has a chance to make something of its self

- HD3D (relied on others and never gain traction)
3D Gaming its self never gained traction

- Raptor (relied on other was good but now bloated)
Completely agree

- Bullet Psychics (AMD parntered themselves but seems to have died death)
Bullet Physics is alive and well, its just not under AMD's control anymore but i agree with you, i would have liked AMD to have grabbed that bull by the horns and made something of it, the Bullet Physics Engine its self is really very good but AMD never 'Put It Out There'

- TressFX Hair
Yup


- True Audio
Yup

If there is anything that i would like to say to AMD it is this.

Given that Game Development tools are becoming more and more accessible to ordinary folk, and they are; Unreal Engine is free, as is Unity, CryEngine EaaS can be had for an affordable fee.... would a good idea not be to have all of your technologies integrated into these Engines?
Instead of having everything as Stand Alone SDK's and working with individual Game Developers to shoehorn it all in why not work with the Engine Developers to stitch them in at the Engine level?

The map is changing, the PC Gaming industry is going back to its roots, no longer just a handful of Developers working under just a few massive publishers.

Some of those who found themselves struggling to survive under current conditions are making thier tools available to the masses and becoming publishers, Crytek for example.
Its not going to be long before we have an explosion of Indy developers and the vast majority of them wont work with individual stand alone SDK's, far too much work and far too complex.

The Stand alone SDK approach is old fashioned, nor did it ever do anything for the use of these technologies, it seems even professional Developers don't like this approach.

Change it, work with the people who make the tools, then those using the tools will use those technologies.

For Example, when looking at TressFX myself i descoverd that i needed access to Cryengine source code and a degree in programming to make it work. no thanks......

 

[LambChop]

At least try and keep it civil, part of that post seems to be an attack on a member here.

Its hardly uncivilized is it ? Tell me what part is not true ?

 

[SiDeards73]

Tbh Chop your hatred of all things AMD is a bit on the unhealthy borderline mental side hahah, dial it back a little so as to not appear a complete loon

 

[Ayahuasca]

Does it really need explaining?

You're having a go at the people they hire, further pointing out a role which a member here has. If you have an issue with Matt being part of AMD maybe take it up with him instead of having a sly dig.