Atom Not For NVIDIA: Intel

[btarunr]

Barely a week into its announcement, the NVIDIA Ion platform, finds itself amidst a potential controversy that has trouble written all over it, reveals a DigiTimes report. The Ion platform is NVIDIA's attempt to bring to market, products incorporating the Intel Atom processor and its own core-logic with embedded GeForce graphics technologies. The controversy involves an internal statement distributed by Intel to hardware manufacturers that they will be able to purchase stocks of Atom processors bundled with homegrown i945GSE and i945GC chipsets, and not just the processor itself.

This leaves manufacturers with inability to buy just the processor. While manufacturers can work around this by buying the entire bundle per unit, in order to use the processor on products based on the Ion platform, it is an expensive way of doing it and substantially increases manufacturing costs. This would then render Ion based products too expensive to fit in the market segment originally conceived. NVIDIA's executives have been lobbying with Taiwanese PC makers to garner support for the Ion platform. Intel responded to the report, saying that it had no plans to validate NVIDIA MCP79 on netbook or nettop platforms. Intel also has no plans to form a partnership with Nvidia to support nettop or netbook platforms based on the Intel Atom CPU, the company added. A response is awaited from NVIDIA.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[newtekie1]

This really sucks for Intel, as the nVidia chipset is a hell of a lot better than Intel's efforts.

 

[BrooksyX]

This really sucks for Intel, as the nVidia chipset is a hell of a lot better than Intel's efforts.

Graphics yes, chipsets no. Intel makes the best motherboard chipsets for their processors. I always found the nvidia chipsets lacking. However intel onboard graphics are complete garbage, nvidia blows them away in that dept. But then again onboard is onboard. Can't even compare with dedicated graphics.

However this might be different in the lower power, mobile chipset field. Interested in seeing what Nvidia can bring to the field.

 

[btarunr]

NVIDIA is an influential company. It can put its influence to good use by using VIA Nano against Atom by delivering a parallel Nano-based platform.

 

[DaJMasta]

Boo!

Some competition with the same CPU could go a long way to get intel off it's ass in terms of making Atom chipsets. The 945GM is alright, it gets the job done, but they're capable of MUCH more and better....



I just hope that the Nano shows it's head (maybe as part of trinity?) and that the Athlon 64 2000+ and 780G setup we were shown months ago makes its way into production.

 

[ascstinger]

lol, the 945 can't play much in the way of hd without serious lag. considering the atom's low heat and relatively decent performance, it would make a great htpc when matched with a good graphics chip. intel probably just wants to be rid of its 945 stock.

 

[BrooksyX]

lol, the 945 can't play much in the way of hd without serious lag. considering the atom's low heat and relatively decent performance, it would make a great htpc when matched with a good graphics chip. intel probably just wants to be rid of its 945 stock.

Most likely, hopefully things will change when the 945 dies off. The dual core atom 330 with decent graphics performance would make for a great cheap system.

 

[eidairaman1]

this basically kills NV Ion Platform, but intel seemed to be marketing it as a embedded platform, sort of what Via Does nowadays

This really sucks for Intel, as the nVidia chipset is a hell of a lot better than Intel's efforts.

personal opinion stated above

 

[FordGT90Concept]

*sniff*
What's that smell?
*sniff*
I think I know.
*sniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiffffff*
It smells like NVIDIA is cooking up a lawsuit directed at Intel.

 

[BrooksyX]

personal opinion stated above

ha yeah I was thinking the same thing as noted by post earlier.

 

[newtekie1]

Graphics yes, chipsets no. Intel makes the best motherboard chipsets for their processors. I always found the nvidia chipsets lacking. However intel onboard graphics are complete garbage, nvidia blows them away in that dept. But then again onboard is onboard. Can't even compare with dedicated graphics.

However this might be different in the lower power, mobile chipset field. Interested in seeing what Nvidia can bring to the field.

I wasn't making a broad statement about all nVidia and Intel chipsets. I was talking about the two chipsets in question here. The nVidia chipset is a lot better than the i945 chipsets Intel is pairing with the Atom processors. It uses the same amount of power, but has much better performance. Overall, the Ion chipset crushes the i945's.

As for comparing with dedicated graphics, the 9400 in the Ion chipset has the same specs as the dedicated 9400GT, with the exception of 100Mhz lower core clock(obvously for power and heat saving as they are used in laptops mostely). However, overclocking to the same speed would yield the same performance. So, yes, in this case onboard can compare with dedicated.

lol, the 945 can't play much in the way of hd without serious lag. considering the atom's low heat and relatively decent performance, it would make a great htpc when matched with a good graphics chip. intel probably just wants to be rid of its 945 stock.

My EeePC manages 720p without lag, but it needed 2GB of RAM to do it. 1080p is a no go though, I would love an HTPC with an Atom and a decent graphics solution that can play 1080p content.

personal opinion stated above

No opinion, the Ion platform really is better than the i945.

ha yeah I was thinking the same thing as noted by post earlier.

See above.

 

[Analog_Manner]

NVIDIA is an influential company. It can put its influence to good use by using VIA Nano against Atom by delivering a parallel Nano-based platform.

THAT sounds like great idea. I second this.

 

[Sh00t1st]

if what newtekie said is construed as an opinion than this certainly is, everything we post is an opinion at some level, and i agree with newtekie ion is better, from what Ive read.

 

[imperialreign]

is it just me - or does this scream lawsuit-pending?

Somehow, I don't get the feeling this move by Intel is 100% legal, if you catch my drift . . .

 

[TheGuruStud]

Lulz at nvidia wanting atom, retards.

Slap the damn low power athlon in there, STFU and watch intel cry at their pathetic performance due to slow ass CPU and vid.

Problem solved.

 

[Rebo&Zooty]

http://news.digitaltrends.com/news-article/18746/intel-says-oems-can-use-nvidia-s-ion

Intel Says OEMs Can Use Nvidia's Ion

December 26, 2008 | by Geoff Duncan


Intel says computer makers are welcome to use Nvidia's Ion netbook graphics platform with its Atom CPUs.


Last week, graphics developer Nvidia announced its Ion graphics platform for so-called "netbook" computers powered by Intel's low-power Atom processor. Based on the same GeForce 9400 graphics controller currently shipping in Apple's MacBook line, the idea is to bring strong graphics performance to Atom-based, low-cost PCs, potentially giving them the ability to run modern operating systems, applications, and (yes) games. The stumbling block, however, seemed to be that Intel was only selling Atom processors with its own 945 integrated graphics system on board: in order for OEMs to use Nvidia's Ion platform, they would either have to somehow rip out the integrated graphics controller, or convince Intel to ship a version of Atom without a graphics controller.

Now, an Intel spokesperson has told InternetNews.com that Atom CPUs are available without graphics controllers, and there's nothign to prevent OEMs from buying bare Atom CPUs and pairing them with a third party graphics controller.

Industry watchers have noted that binding the Atom CPU to Intel's own graphics controller may expose the giant chipmaker to legal liability: the company is already the focus of antitrust investigations and suits, most notably from rival chipmaker AMD. However, Intel and Nvidia have been experiencing increasingly a particularly frosty relationship lately, with Nvidia executives denigrating Intel graphics products, Intel looking to move into higher reaches of the graphics market with its upcoming Larrabee video processor, and nVidia moving into massively parallel high-performance computing. Nonetheless, Intel's denial the that Atom is only available to OEMs with its own graphics controller may offer hope for Atom-powered "netbook" computers with improved graphics performance.

for the life of me i cant remmber where i was reading last night, but intel said flat out they are selling Atom as a standalone cpu(on IGP built in) as well as on their 945 chipset platform combos, and that any OEM can now buy it.

IF I where nvidia tho, I would go NANO, the via nano is just THE BETTER CHIP, its flat out faster.......for higher end ion systems, I would go with AMD's new chip or even a low watt mobile k8 chip!!!

 

[PP Mguire]

whatever happend to Nvidias Tegra?

 

[newtekie1]

Lulz at nvidia wanting atom, retards.

Slap the damn low power athlon in there, STFU and watch intel cry at their pathetic performance due to slow ass CPU and vid.

Problem solved.

What low powered Athlon? AMD doesn't have one that can compete with Atom.

Are you talking about that Athlon thing they tried to claim would compete with Atom, which was just an underclocked single core Sempron running at 1GHz? The one, that despite using more than double the power a single core Atom does, only marginally manage to outperform it? And even then, even the reviewers that tested it said the performance over Atom was only due to AMD having a better IGP, which thanks to nVidia Atom now has also.

Oh, and of course there is the problem with physical size also, and the fact that the Athlon was still socketted, and still used normal DDR2, meaning something as small as what nVidia demoed would be impossible with AMD's solution.

Buy yeah, AMD's solution is SOOOOOOOO much better...

 

[TheGuruStud]

Oh yeah, that POS 945 chipset really saves power

Sorry, no power advantage. Socketed or not, I don't give a shit.

Cry about the ram, too, don't care. Integrate it on the MB for all I care.

It's still faster and isn't made by intel. +1 and +1

 

[Rebo&Zooty]

the 945 chipset offsets any power saved by the atom cpu, the Via nano chipset combine are more efficent and powerfull then intels offerings.

atom would be great in a smart phone or the like, but I wouldnt own one in a netbook or notebook, far to under powered AND lacking fetures I feel are MUSTS in this day and age such as Out-of-order execution, Atom is a step BACK in design for intel, its not a bad chip, but its far from a beast.

I still feel nVidia sould be better off backing/going with via as their cpu supplyer, the nano's design is just BETTER, IF intel didnt have such a strangle hold on the netbook/computer market(alwase have for OEM systems really) you would see more compitition, and maby some nano's that would run x64(last 2 netbooks i checked couldnt run x64 os's because they say the cpu dosnt support em64t/amd64 instruction mode)


intel took a step back to take a step forword with the pentium-m (c2d was the step forword) i dont see that happening with atom, I see intel cheaping out and trying to force the market to use their chipsets and chips and boards even, hope some of the companys put out some via nano based stuff soon, intel needs some good compitition!!!

 

[newtekie1]

Oh yeah, that POS 945 chipset really saves power

Sorry, no power advantage. Socketed or not, I don't give a shit.

Cry about the ram, too, don't care. Integrate it on the MB for all I care.

It's still faster and isn't made by intel. +1 and +1

Actually, the 945 chipset used in netbooks saves a lot of power. Yes, it uses more power than the Atom processor itself, but the combine power usage of the single core Atom Processor, and Chipset is still lower than just AMD's processor.

The whole intent is small and power saving, two things the AMD solution doesn't provide. Making it useless for the applications Atom and Nano is used for.

We get that you are an AMD fanboy, but at least have more basis behind your argument than "It isn't Intel, so it is better".