So why exactly does Nvidia make chipsets for AMD cpus?

violineb · May 19, 2004

Has anyone really thought about this? Maybe I just don't know enough but let's think about this for a moment. Intel is all set as their own chipsets are the best for their CPUs thus they can guarantee that their chips will sell since there's a good chipset for them.

AMD on the other hand doesn't really have any good chipsets that I know of and if it weren't for Nvidia none of us would even bother with AMD

So why is Nvidia making chipsets for AMD cpus in the first place? They could very well instead be making Intel chipsets.

Don't take this as a complaint as it's not, this is just something I have been pondering.

Let the answers begin

9mmCensor · May 19, 2004

To make money.

They create good chipsets, manufactures licence the chipsets and then nVidia makes money.

JDXNC · May 19, 2004

Money is the key... just one more market for them to get in on.

rogerdugans · May 19, 2004

3Dfx absolutely OWNED the gaming graphics market for a period of time.
Then others came in and stole their glory, and 3Dfx was never able to get it back.

Having just one product niche sewn up- especially one as competitive as PC graphics- is a very dangerous way to run a business.

NVidia (having beaten and then purchased 3Dfx) learned that lesson: they have diversified into a similar and related area that does not depart from their core competencies.

TC · May 20, 2004

AMD does make some good chipsets - look at what they have for the Opteron. The 760 was pretty good too.

rqle · May 20, 2004

AMD used to make chip set for the consumer market as well. Never really sure why they stop.

MisterEd · May 20, 2004

rqle said:
AMD used to make chip set for the consumer market as well. Never really sure why they stop.

AMD has always been reluctant to make chipsets. When the Athlon was moving toward release it looked like nobody was going to make a chipset for it in time. They built and release their own chipset (AMD750/751) at first because if they didn't no board maker would have commited to building an Athlon based board. When VIA took up the slack and came out with their own better chipset (KX133) AMD simply let their chipset disappear.

Kenshiro · May 20, 2004

Money.

Busty St. Clair · May 20, 2004

who cares they make powerful chipsets that sell. their happy we're happy

intx · May 21, 2004

the question is not why, it's why not?

Steven4563 · May 21, 2004

because Nvidia are making money as said above

i see somewhere that ATi was going to start making chipsets for AMD and Intel

OC Detective · May 21, 2004

violineb said:
Has anyone really thought about this? Maybe I just don't know enough but let's think about this for a moment. Intel is all set as their own chipsets are the best for their CPUs thus they can guarantee that their chips will sell since there's a good chipset for them.

AMD on the other hand doesn't really have any good chipsets that I know of and if it weren't for Nvidia none of us would even bother with AMD So why is Nvidia making chipsets for AMD cpus in the first place? They could very well instead be making Intel chipsets.

Don't take this as a complaint as it's not, this is just something I have been pondering.

Let the answers begin

You really answered your own question. You said Intel make the best chipsets for its own cpus so how would NVidia get a foothold in that market? Hence they have to make chipsets for AMD to supplement their graphics card segment.

silentfire · May 21, 2004

intx · May 21, 2004

Re: Re: So why exactly does Nvidia make chipsets for AMD cpus?

OC Detective said:
You really answered your own question. You said Intel make the best chipsets for its own cpus so how would NVidia get a foothold in that market? Hence they have to make chipsets for AMD to supplement their graphics card segment.

didn't notice that! good point

kouch · May 21, 2004

I think you guys are missing the question, let me put it this way:

if Nvidia is making money off of making chipsets for AMD, why doesn't AMD make good chipsets for their own processors (ala Intel) and keep some of this money for themselves? I mean I would think that AMD would have a distince advantage here since they know more about their own CPU architecture than anyone else.

intx · May 21, 2004

amd does make their own chipsets.

nvidia chipsets are just more popular. well at least the nForce2.. it has nice overclocking capability among other things, which i'm sure you're all aware.

So why exactly does Nvidia make chipsets for AMD cpus?

violineb

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9mmCensor

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rogerdugans

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TC

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