Amd + Ati = ?

[amccabe]

What does everyone think about AMD buying ATI? Is it good or bad for AMD, ATI, and the consumer?

My first thought is that it will be bad for everybody. I'm not sure who is going to be ahead with the next generation of video cards, but ATIs current generation consumes an unacceptable amount of power. And AMD is in a bad place with Intel's new line of processors and their future roadmaps compared. And I have liked AMDs neutrality over chipsets.

But the merger probably won't effect anything in the near future and it is hard to say how it will play out. It could simply make AMD into a powerhouse...

[dcv]

Intel is really stacking the odds against AMD. If processor price cuts and their expensive "4x4" setup are all they have to put up against Intel for the next year or two, buying ATI is a good business decision for them since it diversifies AMD's offerings and revenue streams.

But as with most big business mergers/buyouts, it is probably going to end up being an anti-competitive move and bad for the consumers by cutting their choices of hardware combinations (i.e. ATI optimizing its products for AMD or vice versa, making the prospect of buying an AMD proc with an Nvidia GPU or chipset, or Intel proc with an ATI GPU or chipset less palatable).

Also, this merger isn't about innovation - to me, it really does just say "Intel has better processors than us, and AM2 is turning out to be a joke, so to fill the void between now and when we have better processors out, we'll buy a company to keep the money well from going dry." I can't see this merger as a source of motivation for either AMD or ATI to improve their current (or even next) line of products - if anything, it's a cushion.

[jharriso]

I've always been a fan of the AMD and Nvidia combination. I hope that this won't be a failing combination in the future.