PC Gaming: Is This The Beginning Of The End For Nvidia?

[GBSOD]

Gaming graphics on your processor has arrived!
http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/3964/amd.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/AMD APU/48/amd.jpg/)

I have been excited about the launch of AMD's new CPU, Llano, for a while - mostly because I was expecting it to cause a drop in Intel's prices.

Anandtech (http://www.anandtech.com/show/4448/amd-llano-desktop-performance-preview) has one of the first previews, and budget concious gamers may now, finally, have access to decent graphics on the CPU.

If you're looking to build an entry level gaming PC, Llano is most likely going to be on your hit list this year.

Basically AMD's first tested chip functions as a four core Athlon2 X4, and a Radeon 6450 combined.

So not exactly cutting edge but it can handle games like COD:MW2, DA, SC2 decently. Saving budget concious gamers the cost on a discrete card, and the associated cots of higher power consumption/ bigger PSUs and fiddling with display drivers.

And maybe this will lead to a resurgence in the PC games market, at the cost of consoles. If gaming PCs get more affordable, and easier to maintain, more of the causal gamers may try something more than Farmville.

I am still going Intel CPU and a discrete GPU in my next build, becaus lets face it 'acceptable graphics' is not as alluring as what you can get with a GTX 570 or 580, and I want to see Skyrim in all its visual splendour, but I am starting to wonder if by my next upgrade cycle there will be any need to worry about a GPU at all.

[Anenome]

Oooooooooo, preeeetttttyyyyyy. Definitely going to be inside the next comp I build. These will be mature by then.

[Agnostic Pope]

Tell me more about your build Tasmanian man...I want to play Skyrim in ALL IT'S GLORY!

[GBSOD]

I shall be camping this weekend in the wet western forests waiting for my traps to spring shut on a Devil. I shall harness him to a big flywheel which will run the modded GPU fan I have built from metal boomerangs, and LO! it will play Crysis! (and Skyrim).


(I have not bought my rig yet... a month to go)

[Agnostic Pope]

As a casual I'd appreciate a decent build...(hell even a "blueprint" maybe I will just copy Anenomes lol)

[GBSOD]

Oh if you are serious I will gladly help you out. I have been putting in the research, and no doubt others will help too: First we must start with your budget. Do you want a whole tower or just the CPU/GPU/Mobo core upgrade?

As a start I am planing on going something along the lines of:

i5 2500
ASRock P67 Pro3 Motherboard B3
ASUS GeForce GTX 570
8 GB RAM

[Agnostic Pope]

I want a whole new build that has nothing to do with the current PC I have. (not used for gaming) I take it by Skyrim's release I will have about 1200 bucks saved (hopefully) for the new build. Never thought about doing so but I just really want to play Skyrim the way it was meant to be played. I should be able to put something decent together with $1200 right? Putting a PC together isn't hard but just in case I will do it 2 weeks before Skyrim drops. Oh also Bioshock Infinite...it will be epic.

[GBSOD]

Yes, it will be epic and a good time to upgrade!

[Suicidal ShiZuru]

Ivy Bridge bro... Ivy Bridge...

Anyways the point with these chips is not OMG GRAFIX IN YO CPU... This is mainly for laptops to reduce battery life due to the massive drop in power consumption with video processing being on the cpu.

[Agnostic Pope]

Explain my psychotic friend.

[GBSOD]

Ah yes, Ivy will be even better than Sandy. But I will not be upgrading in, what?, six months time - that is excessive. As for AP - he needs a good rig by November - Ivy won't be out yet, but Sandy will be cheaper and more than enough to handle Skyrim. All he really needs to go with a good Sandy setup will be a solid GPU and he will be gaming in graphical splendour.

[Suicidal ShiZuru]

I meant that as in Ivy Bridge is Intels comparable Llano model but most likely with better performance especially for video encoding which will almost ensure success. Protip buy Intel stock. For AP as of now of course Sandy is the best option.

Also AMD is over a year late to the 32nm party...

[GBSOD]

Yup, that is why got I excited by Llano. Intel will respond, maybe with Ivy, and if not, surely not long after that we are going to get integrated graphics that really do away with the need for overly expensive GPUS.

[Agnostic Pope]

Yeah by November I should have a fully built pc. (Skyrim and maybe I will rebuy ME1-2 so that I get to play ME3 that way it was supposed to be played) Or should I wait even more so that my pc doesn't become completely obsolete as soon as I put it together...who knows maybe by then groundbreaking tech will hit!

[GBSOD]

No, don't get stuck in the loop... there is always 'better' tech coming. Get the best you can afford and enjoy the games that are out now. A good gaming rig nowadays should handle games decently for at least 3 years - maybe 5 if you get the best of the best.

[Agnostic Pope]

I really want to play the old PC Exclusive games I missed as well. (2005 to now) But yeah Skyrim, Bioshock Infinite and Mass Effect 3 are the main reason I am gonna become a PC gamer. Well that and Steam.

[Anenome]

Ivy Bridge? You want him to spend his entire budget on the processor alone? Sheesh.

Go AMD bro and get a decent GPU, and at least 8 gig memory.

[GBSOD]

Don't worry Anenome - Ivy Bridge is not on the cards at all for AP - I would not suggest waiting till April next year for his gaming goodness. That comment was more to do with the OP. Sandy Bridge has very good bang for buck now - and most games do not make use of AMD's extra cores. Sandy bridge is the CPU for gamers right now, on a budget or not.

Check Tom's CPU for gamers guide (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-cpu,2951-4.html) - a handy reference.

[randir14]

Why would it be the end of Nvidia...I'm sure AMD is still going to be making real graphics cards that Nvidia will compete against.

[GBSOD]

Because Nvidia is focused on discrete GPU's (well if you overlook their move to the mobile platforms :)), whereas AMD can drop discrete Radeons to focus on their APU products, and of course I am looking hopefully into a future where the Integrated graphics becomes better than 'good enough', but this is a promising first step.

[Anenome]

Nvidia may find itself locked out of the CPU market if GPUs go on chip entirely. Tho, I can't see how Intel can compete without the brain-trust of a dedicated GPU company behind them. They should buy Nvidia already.

[Syl]

Nvidia's been going heavily into ARM CPU territory. Look up Kal-El, Wayne, Logan etc. Considering that even Windows 8 and MAC OS 10.x are both going to run on ARM processors, i think nvidia will be able to handle it.

Likewise, there will always be a need for a discrete GPU or mathmatical processor, it's simply ALWAYS going to be faster than an integrated gpu/cpu simply because you can devote and entire wafer to it, instead of sharing the silicon.

[Orphiuchus]

AMD is several generations behind intel in CPU development at the moment, if you're not on a very restrictive budget I wouldn't even consider them. I guess that's the point of this though, budget systems.

I'm a little biased because my brother works at intel and gets me a hearty discount on processors, but from what I've seen and what hes been telling me the gap isn't closing, its getting wider.

[lockwoodx]

3Dnow was always shit.