AMD, We Need Thee!

Yes, I'm going to use this intro to rag on AMD just a tad (don't worry, Intel will get picked on in just a bit), but let me first start by saying that I'd like for nothing more than for AMD to continue to exist a long, long time.  As both a consumer and tech enthusiast, healthy competition in the CPU arena is in my best interest.  Without it, innovation becomes stagnant, and price points unattractive.  But just because I want AMD to thrive, doesn't mean they will.  In fact, they seem hell bent on doing just the opposite.  High level executives are jumping ship at an alarming rate (perhaps because they recognize it's sinking?...), debt's piling up as a result of the ATI acquistion, a recent Q3 revenue report noted a whopping $396 million net loss, and we're still waiting on Phenom.  If you're an enthusiast pulling for the underdog, then congratulations, you've got your Cinderella story in the making, but will she find her glass slipper?  Unfortunately, it's looking more and more like a tragedy than a fairy tale ending.

But AMD's bleak outlook isn't what I want to focus on today, and quite frankly, I'm getting tired of blogging and posting in forums on this topic.  Instead, let's look at what an AMD-less world would look like, with tongue firmly in cheek.  Hey, why not laugh about it today, and save the crying for tomorrow?

The Never Ending Pipeline and BTX Debacle

The x64 Revolution

The Athlon 64 (A64) popularized 64-bit computing, and without AMD, today the vast majority of system builders still opt for 32-bit OSes.  Oh wait...

ATI and nVidia Duke it Out

According to vote-seeking politicians, violence in video games is eroding our youth, so as responsible enthusiasts, we really couldn't root for an ongoing skirmish between the two GPU giants as impressionable up and coming DIYers (HardwareLogic's target audience) watch on.  With each company accusing the other of cheating in benchmarks, the spat got downright ugly at times.  Just imagine an AMD-less world, where ATI never gets acquired and continues to compete on their own, like back in the 9800 Pro days.  The GPU wars would have just gotten more competitive and  nasty.  Luckily, AMD does exist, and ever since they acquired ATI, the high end GPU wars have subsided.  Phew! Close call AMD, close call!

Chipset Choices

Free will or determinism?  That's a hot topic in the world of philosophy, and while the aged debate rages on, enthusiasts already have their answer: Determinism.  Want to run two nVidia videocards in SLI?  Then you need an nVidia chipset, such as the 680i.  Infatuated with ATI, er, AMD/ATI's GPUs and wish to take advantage of Crossfire?  Then it's an Intel chipset for you!  See how simple that is?  But in an Intel-only society, simplicity gets thrown out the window in favor of choices, hearkening back to the days when you still had to pick out a chipset after already settling on a GPU, or vice versa!  How unnecessarily complicated.

Final Analysis

These are just some of the scenarios we'd face in an AMD-less world, and tongue-in-cheek as they may be, we all really should be pulling for the green team to jump back into the limelight.  With Intel's Penryn refresh on the way and Nehalem to follow not long after, AMD's finally fighting an opponent that's trying (successfully so far) to best them at their own efficiency game.  And before you think that a major player in largely a two man fight won't ever be knocked down for the count, one need only look back at 3DFX and AdLib as two very real examples that point to the contrary.  My plea to AMD is this:  If you've got an Ace up your sleeve, then use it!  A world without you just isn't the same, baby...