Radeon review hypocritical

[jmcpherson]

Tom took several jabs at nVidia for their "timed release" of Detonator 4 coinciding with the Radeon launch - claiming to be a "dying breed" harking back to days of honesty and integrity between competing companies.

But then, he turns around and explains the merits of good competition, such as the AMD of old finally able to compete with chipzilla.

Tom, this IS a perfect example of competition! AMD did not best Intel through strategic release dates... they beat them with raw performance and cheaper prices.

Companies should do whatever they can to make their products look as good/better than competing products (short of illegal practices, of course).

If Radeon has what it takes to compete with nVidia, a trivial driver update release will not stop them... They must have comparable performance at comparable (or cheaper) prices, PERIOD. I do not comdemn nVidia for this - and would expect ATI to do the same in return!

Let the best man win!

 

[Guest]

A driver that only helps the 5 or 10 most played and benchmarked games will though. The new radeon could be 50% better in all games except the 10 that are benchmarked by everyone. Then know one will know because nvidia tweaked for benchmarks like the ati of old .

 

[xxsk8er101xx]

well toms arguement was that nvidia's new drivers are only tweaked for the top benchmarks while it will do poorly in other games where the new radeon 2 would crush it.


he wasn't being a hypocrite. he doesn't like how nvidia is sneaking it's way and saying there card is faster then the new radeon when they tweaked there drivers for the top benchmark programs.

get it yet?


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[jmcpherson]

im just not sure i agree with that... tom said that the new drivers (detonator4) improved performance on these apps:

3DMark 2001 fill rate
Quake3
AquaMark
3DMark 2001
Dronez
Evolva (though barely)

that seems like a pretty good cross section of test applications if you ask me. the only app that the new drivers slowed down was "Giants" - since i am unfamiliar with this app i cannot explain why and will not attempt to...

"well toms arguement was that nvidia's new drivers are only tweaked for the top benchmarks while it will do poorly in other games where the new radeon 2 would crush it"

perhaps you (and tom) are right - but is there evidence to back up this claim??

that being said, my original point was not to judge the worthiness of nvidia's new driver set... but instead to question why tom would write something like this:

"NVIDIA will think "to hell with sportsmanship. We won and that's all that counts!" Well, I cannot say that I am a big admirer of this philosophy, but I know that I am of a dying breed."

Sportsmanship???? This isn't a game of dodge-ball... This is two multi-million dollar companies offering competing products and fighting for consumer interest.

Tom then went on to say:

"Times have changed and while NVIDIA is on its way to become GeForcilla, ATi is looking more and more like the AMD we remember from the days before Athlon. Today, a world without ATi would be like a world without AMD. Intel and NVIDIA would do with us whatever they want. We need the competition."

Therein lies the hypocrisy: Tom blasts nVidia for releasing a new driver-set simultaneously with Radeon's launch (a competetive act - nvidia improves its product to stay ahead of new competition and steals some thunder from their launch) and yet he claims that we need more competition in the 3D-graphics arena.

if ATI really has what it takes to compete with nVidia, they will do so despite nvidia's choice of release dates... AMD beat Intel through better performance and price - it is yet to be seen if ATI can do the same to nvidia.

i say, let these two companies duke it out... if, on the very same day nvidia is launching geforce4, ATI releases a new driver that makes its product faster than geforce4, i say GOOD FOR THEM! there is nothing wrong with trying to make your product look better than your competitors...

that is the very nature of competition, and it is a GOOD thing!

 

[xxsk8er101xx]

good point and i see how tom made a contradictory statement where he favors competition and then goes off and "blast" Nvidia for them competing against ati's new flag ship.

Either way it is great competition and this christmas i plan to buy a new videocard and which ever is the cheaper one is the one i'll buy.



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[bungee]

We must not forget that Tom blasted nVidia not only for releasing their driver at the same time that ATI launches 8500. That fact alone is defendable because it's a good competition act. Tom said that those drivers where ready for a good while but they did not release them until the release of 8500. That is the source of criticism.
If a company successfully makes the drivers at the same time of the release of a competitors product, fine! Good competition move!
But if they are ready like a month ago, but not released to coincide with the competitor release date, that is very bad because it makes people losing a month of enhenced computer experience only for a competition move.
That's what Tom said. You only spoke of a part of what he said making him looking ridiculous.

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