FTC sues Intel, aims to shape the GPU market

QuietIce · Dec 16, 2009

Apparently Intel is back at it. After utilizing several shady business practices to stay alive during the Pent 4 era, Intel is now doing the same thing with respect to it's poor graphics. According to the Federal Trade Commission:

"Intel sells its Atom CPU bundled with a graphics chipset. Some OEMs purchased the bundle from Intel, discarded Intel’s inferior graphics chipset and chose instead to use Intel’s Atom CPU with the Nvidia graphics chipset. To combat this competition, Intel charged those OEMs significantly higher prices because they used a non-Intel graphics chipset or GPU. Intel would offer the bundled pricing only to OEMs that would then use the Intel chipset in the end-product and not use a competitive product."
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=28597&tag=nl.e589

Things don't seem to have changed much at Intel - the corporate line still seems to be "If we can't out-design them then we'll simply use our industry muscle to stifle them".

At least this time someone is paying attention and trying to do something about it before the other guy gets totally hosed like AMD was ...

Bobnova · Dec 16, 2009

Yup, that's Intel alright.
Maybe Intel and Nvidia can reach a settlement like Intel and AMD did, Intel gives nvidia a few % of their budget and promises they won't keep doing the stuff they've been doing for 30 years.

Kuroimaho · Dec 19, 2009

I am glad to see this happen, hated how they force that junk on people.

bing · Dec 19, 2009

Finally, and hopefully this will boost the confident for other platforms such as ARM based to penetrate deeper in the netbook market.

nightelph · Dec 19, 2009

^ Seriously. I expected more netbook competition by now.. even a Cyrix maybe.

Bobnova · Dec 19, 2009

nightelph said:
^ Seriously. I expected more netbook competition by now.. even a Cyrix maybe.

Windows doesn't run on ARMs, that seriously limits the adoption rate.
The $90-120 ARM netbooks that are coming out in 2010 should help get ARMs into the hands of the public though, at that price even i could buy a couple

QuietIce · Dec 20, 2009

If it can't Fold or Crunch then what good is it ...???

nightelph · Dec 20, 2009

N/M guess Cyrix was absorbed.

Bobnova · Dec 20, 2009

I bet it could, probably not that fast, but still

Wonder if the linux BOINC client could make it fly.

EDIT:
Yeah, Cyrix got eaten, they never really managed to deal with the Pentium. In the 486 days (and earlier) they did pretty decently, but their only Pentium class CPUs were hot, power hungry, and under powered. It was sad to see 'em go, i really liked their green heatsinks

QuietIce · Dec 20, 2009

I switched to AMD only after Cyrix bit the dust ...

RoC1909 · Dec 28, 2009

Well, if Intel didn't design a inferior graphic product, then "maybe", people would think more highly of them hence, purchase the product. I understand the fact that since Intel pretty much owns the CPU market, they would want to corner the GPU market as well. But what Intel ought to do is stick to what they know best.....CPU and chipsets. I just don't understand why companies ALWAYS feel the need to branch out to areas were they think they should and in the end, end up hurting the consumers and the stockholders.

killem2 · Dec 28, 2009

the only thing that annoys me is, Intel does so well at designing great CPUs, they have the back in money bags for it, why not truly try and design graphics cores? :shrug:

CompuTamer · Dec 28, 2009

QuietIce said:
I switched to AMD only after Cyrix bit the dust ...

Are you going to move to Intel after AMD finally dies...?

freeagent · Dec 28, 2009

Why would AMD die??

They have been doing alright. More then alright, I think..

killem2 · Dec 28, 2009

CompuTamer said:
Are you going to move to Intel after AMD finally dies...?

I don't see amd going anywhere. If anything Intel would want AMD around. If Intel is the only game in town, the FTC and every other government in the world that has monopoly laws will be all over them.

QuietIce · Dec 29, 2009

CompuTamer said:
Are you going to move to Intel after AMD finally dies...?

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glussier · Dec 29, 2009

Yep, how great it is, Nvidia the king of gpu's rebadging, the company who artificially limits the use of sli to their own chipset and charging $5.00 a pop to oem motherboard builders to enable sli on Nehalem, is sponsoring this lawsuit. The most honest company in the world today, Nvidia thinks that it is unfair for Intel to give a rebate when a customer is buying a cpu and chipset in a bundle, but find it totally honest to charge $5.00 to unlock sli on 1 motherboard.

QuietIce · Dec 29, 2009

Apparently you didn't even read the posted quote. Let me highlight it for you so there will be no misunderstanding ...

"Intel would offer the bundled pricing only to OEMs that would then use the Intel chipset in the end-product and not use a competitive product."

In other words purchasing both the CPU and chipset isn't enough to get a bundled discount, you have to also USE the chipset in your end product. If you buy the bundle then toss the chipset in the trash or use it somewhere else then Intel won't give you the discount. How would you like it if Newegg did that??? What if Newegg somehow required you to put all the hardware/software from a bundled package into one computer instead of using some of it in another machine or selling it off to cover some of your expense ...?

glussier · Dec 29, 2009

QuietIce said:
Apparently you didn't even read the posted quote. Let me highlight it for you so there will be no misunderstanding ...

"Intel would offer the bundled pricing only to OEMs that would then use the Intel chipset in the end-product and not use a competitive product."

In other words purchasing both the CPU and chipset isn't enough to get a bundled discount, you have to also USE the chipset in your end product. If you buy the bundle then toss the chipset in the trash or use it somewhere else then Intel won't give you the discount. How would you like it if Newegg did that??? What if Newegg somehow required you to put all the hardware/software from a bundled package into one computer instead of using some of it in another machine or selling it off to cover some of your expense ...?

I've read the whole text. Since when is this fact? This will have to be proven in court first.

Xtreme Barton · Dec 29, 2009

someone take a stab at this ... how much do you think they still made vs. the amount they will be fined ?

FTC sues Intel, aims to shape the GPU market

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