AMD, A love letter.....

[Sigmatech]

It's has been no denial that AMD has been in worser shape since FX's launch a few years ago now, and now with these leaks coming out of the wetworks things look dire for some of the more enthusiast level market share within AMD's product line.

Before i begin i am extremely tired when i type this away so i will go back and edit this in the morning should this need be a thing. 

Technologically Intel and Nvidia have been making strides and bounds in implemented technologies that build upon their intended platform roadmaps they have followed pretty much the moment i entered into the PC market. Nvidia has moved from Fermi to Kepler and now is gearing up for Maxwell and Volta later in time, throughout we have seen power efficiency developments through Adaptive V-Sync, Video capture software through Shadowplay....and now G-Sync and Game-Streaming becoming more pronounced through Shield, GRID and Linus' new Toy he posted today on Instagram.

Turning to Intel, having seen the leap from Westmore to Sandy-Bridge was a heart-ache to many of my buddies back in the day but seeing where Haswell is now...i honestly have only seen two true developments in their architectural development through power efficiency, overclocking potential and iGP performance boosts as Intel plays catchup to competitors not foreseen through ARM and SoCs.

Now admittedly i started off on AMD as it was the recommended jump in point with a Phenom X4 955 BE that i remember OC'd to a steady 3.6Ghz and did a pretty decent job for the games department back in the day. Today i am a University Student who is learning about Marketing and Research on a consumer basis and market share etc etc and AMD instantly sprung into my mind as a great example of a company that i personally would like to see make a strong comeback. Being fully aware of their financial standpoints and how they can and can not do certain things with R&D right now....i really hope they are listening to their consumer base in things they would like to see in the future.

In saying this, i admit to wanting to see some excitement come back into the game from AMD's part from a competitive standpoint not now but in the future. Call me a fanboy or whatever but logically i own a Nvidia System and a Intel Chipset but i would like to see some value put into my system from a company that strives to push value to the consumer on a level that they appreciate...the kind of magic AMD nails in some places...totally nailed back in the day but whispers somewhat today.

The R9 290 is a great example of how AMD can show everyone that they can play with the big boys, their mistake was allowing below consumer standard components hitting the market...Although enthusiasts enjoy aftermarket coolers...i would have loved to pick up a 290 that could perform at the FPS rates presented with good power consumption, heat control and sound output (Nothing extreme but acceptable to the masses).

Now coming to the crux of the purpose of this thread is ultimately what (as a consumer) would like to see AMD pull out in the next 2-3 years at most in the hopes they can regain their lost ground (i truly believe if they dig in, it could be possible).

Anyways....

-Start segmenting their intended markets and identify who their products would be aimed for, for example...with their APu line they showed certain games in accordance with the 5600-5800/6600-6800k series...Across their entire CPu line i think being able to present clearly the kind of consumer the product would be intended for might be a good thing for all involved. e.g. Have everything from their A8 APu lines through to the 6300 series as being the Gamer-tier/productivity-tier level products that most people should aim for regarding their systems in accordance with what the CPu can actually provide performance-wise.

-Establish exactly the purpose of 8-core CPus in terms of Workstation-level productivity being the more target worthy market and establish a higher level enthusiast product-line of CPus like the 9XXX series but put aside R&D dividends from APu/CPu sales into developing truly worthy enthusiast-level components that their market would be more happy and inclined to pay for. If a 9370 was priced at $350NZD compared to a and equilvalent Intel CPu priced at $800-900. Assuming technologically it was the better product im sure if AMD took the time to ensure the quality of their product more at a slightly sharper and more refined price tag, that many more people would take notice and buy more.

-Understand the demand for consumers wanting experimental APus like 6 core/more threaded designs with iGP either kept at a set performance level or taken out completely (give the consumer the choice) and utilise the extra die space to create stronger performing APus that gamers and the general public (And linus) would be more happier to recommend. Put it on 8.5/10ths close to the performance of an equal intel product and people would melt faces in envy.

-Overcome their Power efficiency and TDP/Heat problem by either revising their architecture in a realistic way or find a new more innovative way to do so.


Too tired to continue for now i will end on this though....the reasoning behind all this stuff is that when taken into account with things like Mantle, R9 290 pricing....the Aftermarket cooling situation...Kaveri's potential...AM3+'s love with enthusiasts and APu Adoption rate...can't help wanting to find a way to help AMD out in some way that makes them understand what we all as tech lovers want from them in ways so they meet us at the target and we meet them through buying the product at end game.

Anyways, contribute to the thread with ideas you would also like to share in...i'm contemplating writing a report in my free time that i would like to send into Sunnyvale or something in the hopes of their Marketing Team detailing in some sort of non-NDA way of things they have planned out to better understand what they want to do for all of us.

 

[Osmium]

This can really be summed up to what people have been saying for awhile. AMD cannot survive off of selling their hardware cheaper than the competition. Eventually we will reach the point where AMD must adapt to survive. They have to release a product that does something the competition can't. And right now that really hasn't happened, their APUs are slightly more powerful graphics wise but Intel is catching up at an alarming speed. Even still Intel produces more powerful and more efficient CPUs, and Nvidia produces cards just as fast if not faster (albeit at a much higher price) than AMD.

[Sigmatech]

This can really be summed up to what people have been saying for awhile. AMD cannot survive off of selling their hardware cheaper than the competition. Eventually we will reach the point where AMD must adapt to survive. They have to release something that does something the competition can't. And right now that really hasn't happened. Intel produces more powerful and more efficient CPUs, and Nvidia produces cards just as fast if not faster (albeit at a much higher price) than AMD.

And i'm not really fussed with AMD selling cheap forever... i will gladly pay a little more for a more rounded product if i know the performance given back meets the standard i need from it. 

[Recon-UK]

Judging by title, AMD fan loses it, in mega depression that AMD are in a mess.

 

I suggest a doctor, a hot cup of tea and a pancake.

[skljom]

It's has been no denial that AMD has been in worser shape since FX's launch a few years ago now, and now with these leaks coming out of the wetworks things look dire for some of the more enthusiast level market share within AMD's product line.

Before i begin i am extremely tired when i type this away so i will go back and edit this in the morning should this need be a thing. 

Technologically Intel and Nvidia have been making strides and bounds in implemented technologies that build upon their intended platform roadmaps they have followed pretty much the moment i entered into the PC market. Nvidia has moved from Fermi to Kepler and now is gearing up for Maxwell and Volta later in time, throughout we have seen power efficiency developments through Adaptive V-Sync, Video capture software through Shadowplay....and now G-Sync and Game-Streaming becoming more pronounced through Shield, GRID and Linus' new Toy he posted today on Instagram.

Turning to Intel, having seen the leap from Westmore to Sandy-Bridge was a heart-ache to many of my buddies back in the day but seeing where Haswell is now...i honestly have only seen two true developments in their architectural development through power efficiency, overclocking potential and iGP performance boosts as Intel plays catchup to competitors not foreseen through ARM and SoCs.

Now admittedly i started off on AMD as it was the recommended jump in point with a Phenom X4 955 BE that i remember OC'd to a steady 3.6Ghz and did a pretty decent job for the games department back in the day. Today i am a University Student who is learning about Marketing and Research on a consumer basis and market share etc etc and AMD instantly sprung into my mind as a great example of a company that i personally would like to see make a strong comeback. Being fully aware of their financial standpoints and how they can and can not do certain things with R&D right now....i really hope they are listening to their consumer base in things they would like to see in the future.

In saying this, i admit to wanting to see some excitement come back into the game from AMD's part from a competitive standpoint not now but in the future. Call me a fanboy or whatever but logically i own a Nvidia System and a Intel Chipset but i would like to see some value put into my system from a company that strives to push value to the consumer on a level that they appreciate...the kind of magic AMD nails in some places...totally nailed back in the day but whispers somewhat today.

The R9 290 is a great example of how AMD can show everyone that they can play with the big boys, their mistake was allowing below consumer standard components hitting the market...Although enthusiasts enjoy aftermarket coolers...i would have loved to pick up a 290 that could perform at the FPS rates presented with good power consumption, heat control and sound output (Nothing extreme but acceptable to the masses).

Now coming to the crux of the purpose of this thread is ultimately what (as a consumer) would like to see AMD pull out in the next 2-3 years at most in the hopes they can regain their lost ground (i truly believe if they dig in, it could be possible).

Anyways....

-Start segmenting their intended markets and identify who their products would be aimed for, for example...with their APu line they showed certain games in accordance with the 5600-5800/6600-6800k series...Across their entire CPu line i think being able to present clearly the kind of consumer the product would be intended for might be a good thing for all involved. e.g. Have everything from their A8 APu lines through to the 6300 series as being the Gamer-tier/productivity-tier level products that most people should aim for regarding their systems in accordance with what the CPu can actually provide performance-wise.

-Establish exactly the purpose of 8-core CPus in terms of Workstation-level productivity being the more target worthy market and establish a higher level enthusiast product-line of CPus like the 9XXX series but put aside R&D dividends from APu/CPu sales into developing truly worthy enthusiast-level components that their market would be more happy and inclined to pay for. If a 9370 was priced at $350NZD compared to a and equilvalent Intel CPu priced at $800-900. Assuming technologically it was the better product im sure if AMD took the time to ensure the quality of their product more at a slightly sharper and more refined price tag, that many more people would take notice and buy more.

-Understand the demand for consumers wanting experimental APus like 6 core/more threaded designs with iGP either kept at a set performance level or taken out completely (give the consumer the choice) and utilise the extra die space to create stronger performing APus that gamers and the general public (And linus) would be more happier to recommend. Put it on 8.5/10ths close to the performance of an equal intel product and people would melt faces in envy.

-Overcome their Power efficiency and TDP/Heat problem by either revising their architecture in a realistic way or find a new more innovative way to do so.

Too tired to continue for now i will end on this though....the reasoning behind all this stuff is that when taken into account with things like Mantle, R9 290 pricing....the Aftermarket cooling situation...Kaveri's potential...AM3+'s love with enthusiasts and APu Adoption rate...can't help wanting to find a way to help AMD out in some way that makes them understand what we all as tech lovers want from them in ways so they meet us at the target and we meet them through buying the product at end game.

Anyways, contribute to the thread with ideas you would also like to share in...i'm contemplating writing a report in my free time that i would like to send into Sunnyvale or something in the hopes of their Marketing Team detailing in some sort of non-NDA way of things they have planned out to better understand what they want to do for all of us.

 

amd has nvidias 'grid' for a long time. They showed in taiwan when linus was there, just linus wasn't paying any attention, he just looked at nvidia shit grid. They even demonstrated playing games from the AMD cloud to the powerless laptop and I think tablet (not sure about tablet). So why the fuck all the hype around nvidia grid when AMD developed that before them.

[Wauthar]

This can really be summed up to what people have been saying for awhile. AMD cannot survive off of selling their hardware cheaper than the competition. Eventually we will reach the point where AMD must adapt to survive. They have to release a product that does something the competition can't. And right now that really hasn't happened, their APUs are slightly more powerful graphics wise but Intel is catching up at an alarming speed. Even still Intel produces more powerful and more efficient CPUs, and Nvidia produces cards just as fast if not faster (albeit at a much higher price) than AMD.

I agree; AMD needs an USP (unique selling point). They have come a long way, but aren't really there yet. Remember when they were on the brink of bankruptcy? That was not too long ago and since then they have released a new GPU line and have massively improved their APU's.

That Intel is approaching at an alarming speed was to be expected. For a while the APU's crushed the integrated graphics Intel was providing. InteL felt the danger and started researching into that market. Why? I think because they could, because they had the funds to go into that.

I am not really following the current situation, but I think AMD needs to know what or who they really want to target, as OP said.

[MG2R]

If the post is too long for you to read, then just go to another thread and leave this one alone. There's absolutely no need to post "TL;DR", "didn't read lol" or w/e else. Posts like those have been deleted. Future offenders will receive an official warning.

[Osmium]

I agree; AMD needs an USP (unique selling point). They have come a long way, but aren't really there yet. Remember when they were on the brink of bankruptcy? That was not too long ago and since then they have released a new GPU line and have massively improved their APU's.

That Intel is approaching at an alarming speed was to be expected. For a while the APU's crushed the integrated graphics Intel was providing. InteL felt the danger and started researching into that market. Why? I think because they could, because they had the funds to go into that.

I am not really following the current situation, but I think AMD needs to know what or who they really want to target, as OP said.

Yes, the only problem is they are not in a position to attack any of the markets except the APU one. If they attempted to go for the enthusiast market Intel would release some crazy chip to shoot it down (which I wouldn't mind anyway) just because they can. The only thing they have that is currently (but maybe not for long) better than intel's is the integrated graphics but since intel has not had to tweak their main architecture for years they are getting there. 

 

So if they released an enthusiast chip series it will probably fail but it could stop Intel's focus on integrated graphics. That would be good but AMD would probably lose that race to best performance in the end. But AMD could keep on trucking with APUs and they might stay around until they can truly compete with Intel.

 

And I am not even going to bother talking about the GPU side. Better GPU = Better. However Nvidia seems content not wiping out AMD so it is not really worth discussing anyway.

[exyia]

wow....there are still intelligent fanboys on this forum. I gave up on ever seeing those on this forum since the 290x release

 

and I agree whole heartedly. AMD is - and HAS been - a mess for years. They need to get their s--- together and execute properly

 

My background - since I was a kid, my family has GROWN off AMD. My father worked for them for more than half my childhood. My father worked on a very important BIOS/Firmware Research & Development team at AMD's Austin location. He was paid very well and worked on very high end, barebones stuff (as in programming BIOS with pure assembly code, stuff that would confuse the crap out of other "programmers") - this isn't a "my dad worked for them doing QA" or some other low-end work. My family lived off of AMD - they paid our bills, we used their products, and my father gathered company stock as it grew. This was mostly throughout the Athlon 64 era - they were DOMINATING Intel offerings - from server level to basic, basic, basic low-end consumer level. We were happy and you could not find a bigger AMD fanboy ever

 

Then came the acquisition of ATi. I remember that day, when my father came home from work and told me it was done. It really felt like it came out of nowhere. He wasn't excited or disappointed, he felt mute. As if the acquisition was pointless. He explained how AMD wanted to expand and improve their mobile/chipset offerings - and how ATi's acquisition made sense in helping them achieve that goal. In particular, even though AMD dominated desktop - Intel's mobile offerings were still much better than AMD. FYI - AMD's stock (again, my father personally had lots of it - lots of faith in the company) was worth around ~$20 at the time.

 

I have never heard good news from AMD since. Months, maybe a few years passed - since that acquisition. My fathers work did not change much. No balls were rolling from the acquisition it seemed. This whole push and expansion towards their mobile side just didn't seem to be formulating. Nothing really changed...except their stock was steadily - be it very slightly - declining. Ever since the acquisition of ATi.

 

Then the layoffs started happening. I feel sorry for any and all people back then that lost their jobs at AMD during that tough time. I was younger back then, so I didn't fully understand why a company that was doing so well - so well to have bought another company (ATi) - were laying people off. Because of my father's important and crucial role in CPU development, he avoided the huge wave of layoffs. But he was still very sad it was happening, and was sad to see some of his team members go. AMD's stock continued to decline - if I recall, ~$15. Once this acquisition is settled, surely AMD will bounce back to the greatness they planned for all along...

 

Then another rounds of layoffs came. Then another. Again, these are bigger waves of layoffs, not just individuals. Soon, my father was hardly working with anybody he originally was. His team and his department had shrunk to just a fraction of what it used to be.

 

Then the 4th wave of layoffs....I came home from school to find my father already home. I would always come home before him, I didn't understand. He told me he had lost his job. I couldn't believe it. Just thinking about that day still almost brings tears to my eye. I couldn't believe AMD had gone that far. I knew how important my father was to REAL future R&D for AMD, but they couldn't even keep him anymore. AMD's stock was around $10-$12.

 

That started one of the hardest times for our family while he tried to find a suitable new job. He was either not getting job offers to match his expertise, or getting job offers too weak. We went from living happily as an AMD family to going through the hardships of unemployment.

 

I continued to watch from the sidelines at what AMD has been doing. Still nothing exciting or groundbreaking year after year. My father didn't bother keeping up - he was too busy trying to find a new job. Eventually, I grew up. I got busy with my own things, and I stopped checking at what AMD was doing.

 

And come full circle. I live comfortably on my own. I decided to get back in the tech/PC gaming world. I am sad to see how far AMD has fallen. If there was anybody to be a die-hard AMD fanboy, it would be me. But they have done nothing but disappoint me. Remove their lower pricing structure on either CPU or GPU, and all you have are products engineered to a far less success than Intel/AMD offerings. I was hoping the 290x would be a shimmer of hope - but all they could muster was a card that barely beat a nearly year old GTX Titan, yet the "standard" 95C just once again gave me an impression that they couldn't do it. Cool, it beats a GTX Titan, but the thermal design and power draw just show me how with all their effort, they still couldn't match nVidia's standard of engineering. Only in price to performance. Where's the engineering excellence? Where's the brand new product that just wow'ed us in execution in every way?

 

Again, if there was anybody to be a diehard AMD fanboy, it would be me...but I find very little to be happy about compared to the strides Intel/nVidia have made/are making

 

AMD's stock is currently at $3.52

[Sigmatech]

-Snip-

 

Well that was really saddening to read about and i'm glad you spoke out enough to show and clarify where abouts your POV stood on from an internal corporate view with your family and everything.

And i totally and concurrently agree where on an engineering standpoint the company needs to pull together some serious efforts to bring themselves back into the game, i also understand where faith can falter alot with how the company's performance has been sitting these past 5 or so years but i really kinda hope they can bring themselves back into a competitive state in the near future.

As for the Moderators monitoring the thread, sorry if it did go on for a wee-while....i wanted to extract some honest opinions about the company as a whole and might consider something more clear cut like a poll to gather opinions in a constructive manner.

But still continue to contribute to the thread about what your feelings stand about AMD and what you would like to see nonetheless as i would like to add whatever i can into this report to throw at the company support or whatever for pure interest.

[SLPNTIM]

I remember my dad always telling that he was an AMD guy since the 1990's because it was cheaper and could go against intel. But he also told me that Amd's cpu's would always be hotter. I know that doesn't mean much but i think they haven't changed since the mid 1990's i would also like to point out that the computer market has been evolving. I mean in the last couple of years everyone had a laptop. Now everyone has a tablet. Nobody knew what a smartphone would be like in 2006. Its also worth mentioning that the US as a whole went through bad economic situations. Which bigger companies could easierly (i know it's not a word) could recover from but not AMD as it seems.

[MG2R]

As for the Moderators monitoring the thread, sorry if it did go on for a wee-while....i wanted to extract some honest opinions about the company as a whole and might consider something more clear cut like a poll to gather opinions in a constructive manner.

If you feel like writing a lengthy post, then by all means go for it! You are not at blame even one bit here. Not your fault others can't resist the urge to make unhelpful replies

[Melt My GPU]

I myself am running an Intel/Nvidia rig, but the 'consumerist' inside me wishes that AMD can really come back and push both Intel and Nvidia to strive for the best that their teams can develop as well as computing innovation. What happens if AMD either drops making CPU's in general or disappears entirely so Intel becomes the monopoly in the CPU department and can churn out sub-par products whilst jacking up the pricing on these chips because it's either you fork out for a chip or you don't even have a computer. Regardless if one prefers one company's product over another's I think we can all agree that not only do we need AMD but we also need them to not hang on by the smallest of threads in which they're slowly slipping off as of now.