Rumor: Intel Keeping Atom for Itself, Won't Share with Nvidia
Rumor: Intel Keeping Atom for Itself, Won't Share with Nvidia
Posted 12/24/2008 at 8:10am
| by Paul Lilly
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With the release of Intel's Core i7 lineup, it appeared Intel and Nvidia might be on the path to patching up their relationship as the two finally came to terms with licensing Nvidia's SLI technology on Intel's X58 chipset. But don't call them BFFs just yet.
Nvidia recently announced plans to release its Ion platform, a low power netbook solution which would pair the company's GeForce 9400M chipset with Intel's Atom processor. According to Nvidia, users would be able to play popular games on the Ion platform, like Call of Duty 4. The only problem is Intel doesn't appear to have any intention of sharing its Atom processor with Nvidia.
According to DigiTimes, an internal statement distributed to hardware makers reiterated Intel's stance that its Atom processors would only come bundled with the chip maker's 945GSE and 945GC chipsets. The news site also claims Intel indicated it has no plans to validate the Nvidia MCP79 chipset on Atom-based platforms, nor does it plan to partner with Nvidia to support nettops or netbooks.
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QUINTIX256
December 24, 2008 at 5:40pm
And despite my initial thoughts on the direction of "netbooks designed for Connecting to Communist Cloud Computing", they are definitely not the somewhat thick thin clients I thought they where. I ran the FlowerBox screensaver on max settings and reminiced about a computer I had back in the day that could barely run that
screensaver. However, as soon as the economy recovers there will no longer be a market for these devices.But still, playing Call of Duty 4 on a netbook? A geforce 6150LE or a radeon 1250 would be far more reasonable than the geforce 9400.
I'll just laugh as Intel and Nvidia bicker like school girls while I stick with AMD.
<Note: Was not this whole netbook nonsense a reaction to AMD's One Laptop Per Child program... which showed that it is possible to build a reasonable subnotebook for under $400>
Keith E. Whisman
December 24, 2008 at 6:04pm
Actually on the latest podcast they said that the 9400 nvidia video part will only come at a $50dollar premium. It's only $50bucks more expensive than a netbook with Intel Not-So-Extreme graphics. So it's not going to cost a bunch of cache. The 9400 is designed to run cool and sip power while providing good 3d performance. It's not like they are talking about the 8800ultra mobile processor or anything like that.
We are talking about a part that will run COD4 at low resolutions. You wont get high res on any netbook even for looking at 2d notepad files.
Syntax
December 24, 2008 at 12:37pm
ATOM is a crappy platform anyways, intel can keep it. Nvidia should go after VIA and its Eden core'd Nano, much heavier hitter.
Keith E. Whisman
December 24, 2008 at 12:29pm
So basically Intel is telling us that Atom based devices will always have shitty graphics. Fuck you Intel. There is always Via.
A single core Via chip is faster than a single core intel Atom. With the soon to be released dual core Via Nano processor it will once again out perform Intel's crappy Atom. The only thing that made the Intel Atom processor compelling was the thought that it may come with advanced 3d hardware that would allow at least some gaming. With the Intel not-so-extreme graphics as your only choice with the intel Atom processor I'm just completely turned off. So I won't be buying an Intel based net box anytime soon.
If I can buy a Via Nano based net box that comes with Nvidia graphics I might buy that however.
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